WORK 01
Being la Dominicana
More details about my research approach and relationship to the topic of my first book can be found in this November 2021 interview for Esendom: “A Look at the Dominican Female Construct in Being la Dominicana: Interview with Rachel Afi Quinn”
WORK 02
Cimarrón Spirit
As part of the filmmaking team for the documentary Cimarrón Spirit (2015) I had the chance to examine syncretic cimarrón (maroon) cultural celebrations in the Dominican Republic. We traveled to the cimarrón regions of the country, near the cities of Elias Piña and Barahona, to document practices and performances of Dominican Gagá troops and Haitian Rara.
WORK 03
Doing Biography
I am interested in narrative, identity and the ways that women tell their own stories. I wrote two biographical essays on Dominican musician Xiomara Fortuna and an essay based on an interview with photographer Keliy Anderson-Staley. I am currently researching the life of pianist, composer and journalist Philippa Duke Schuyler (1931-1967) to craft a black feminist biography.
Rachel Afi Quinn 