A beloved face of T&T news launches book of short stories
“When I’m asked what I want to do with the rest of my life, my answer is always ‘write’,” said Golda Lee Bruce. The communications specialist and beloved former news anchor will soon launch a book of short stories – Born on an Island: Stories from a Trinidadian Girlhood (Charran’s Book Services Ltd, 2022). Bruce hopes this book will be the first of many.
Although Bruce admits that she hasn’t always thought of herself as an author, her love for reading and writing has been constant. She began journaling as a child and most recently, when forced to travel frequently for work, she returned to the hobby.
“I hate to fly.” She says. “It’s my Achilles’ heel. I had to find a way to distract myself from flying. Writing was my safe harbour, so I decided I would dig up those journal entries and expand on them.”
She was able to craft 27 short stories about her life – an unusual upbringing in a home of only women, two of whom were visually impaired; switching schools numerous times and taking the Common Entrance exam twice; people she’s encountered during her career as a journalist; and even her personal struggles with anxiety and depression.
Her mental health battles were also a catalyst for writing the book:
“One of the things that happens with anxiety and depression is that when you’re going through it, it’s very painful and uncomfortable, but you are very easily able to see what is important. It gives you the perspective to prioritise your life, and the gift that that experience gave to me was being able to see what was important for me to do. So, I know that my family is important. I know that my emotional health is important. I also know that it is important for me to do more with my life.”
A mother of two, Bruce intends for writing to be part of her legacy. “I heard a preacher say once ‘Die empty’. And it’s important for me to die empty, to leave the world knowing that I’ve left more than just slaving away behind a dollar. This book is my hope that I’m contributing something that will outlive me,” she says.
Bruce’s legacy will also be defined by her Caribbean identity – an identity to which she attributes her UWI education. Among her many achievements are graduating from Columbia University with an MA in Journalism, and a fellowship from the National Endowment for Democracy. Yet, the time she has spent on UWI campuses has been the most influential.
According to Bruce, UWI is in her blood. She has no less than five relatives who have graduated from The UWI, and if that wasn’t enough, her mother received a PhD from UWI St Augustine and was a lecturer on campus. Bruce spent many an afternoon on campus, drawing in the back of the classroom of the Humanities building while her mother conducted classes.
It was a no-brainer then when she chose The UWI for undergrad and proceeded to Mona where she studied Media and Communication.
“When I got off the plane in Jamaica at 19 years old, my identity grew exponentially because I saw for the first time that I was not just a Trinidadian, but a Caribbean person. My space in the world expanded, and what UWI gave me more than anything else is a Caribbean education. It made me more aware of myself as a Caribbean person. It made me more confident, more sure, more aware of myself, and more able to share that self with the world. I don’t question my accent and I don't question my history. I feel big when I think of those things.”
Born on an Island will be available on Amazon and at leading bookstores nationwide.
