Join us for the third installment of the Books & Books at The Betsy Monthly Literary Series with a riveting afternoon with esteemed author and environmental activist Diana McCaulay for the launch of her new book, A House For Miss Pauline.
The series marks the return of Books & Books’ beloved literary programming to Miami Beach, following the closure of its Lincoln Road location during the pandemic. It also champions a 20 year partnership between Betsy co-owner Jonathan Plutzik and bookstore entrepreneur Mitchell Kaplan, both pacesetting leaders of distinguished South Florida business concerns – with a profound commitment to the power of literature to build community.
Events will take place on the last Sunday of every month at 4 p.m. in Bbar, The Betsy’s intimate underground art-filled venue. Each salon-style gathering will feature a visiting author - selected by Books&Books in partnership with major publishers -, and an audience Q&A. Admission is free with RSVP. Signed copies of books will be available for purchase. Valet and street parking will be available.
About The Book
Starring an unforgettably fierce ninety-nine-year-old Jamaican heroine, this “profound and beautiful novel” transports readers to the heart of rural Jamaica with a tender and urgent story about who owns the land on which our identities are forged (Julia Alvarez)
About The Author
Diana McCaulay is a much nominated and awarded Jamaican writer, environmental activist and a lifelong resident of its capital city Kingston. She has written six novels - DOG-HEART (March 2010), HURACAN (July 2012), both published by Peepal Tree Press in the United Kingdom, GONE TO DRIFT (February 2016), published by Papillote Press from Dominica and the UK and Harper Collins US, the self-published, WHITE LIVER GAL (May 2017), DAYLIGHT COME (September 2020) published by Peepal Tree Press. She has also written a children's book, FINNY THE FAIRY FISH (2020), published by Collins Big Cat. Her most recent release is A HOUSE FOR MISS PAULINE, published by Dialogue Books in the UK and Algonquin Books in the US in February 2025.
Diana was a popular newspaper columnist for The Gleaner (1994-2001) and her short fiction has been published by Granta Online, Adda Stories, Eleven Eleven, The Caribbean Writer, Afro-Beat, Lifestyle Magazine and the Jamaica Observer’s literary supplement, Bookends. She won the regional Commonwealth Short Story Prize in 2012 and again in 2022 and her short story, PICKING CRABS IN NEGRIL, won the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival Elizabeth Nunez prize September 2024.
Infused with her love of the island itself with all its beauty and tragedy, Diana’s novels celebrate Jamaica’s unique spirit and complexity. Hers is a uniquely authentic voice from a background which usually turns away from all that she unflinchingly faces.