Susie Anderson
Staff Writer
When the ghost of a Trinidadian grandfather speaks, even from beyond the grave, Chautauqua listens. In an intersection of memory, innovation and language, Stefan Bindley-Taylor’s “Bread, Meat, and Water” — a story that blends form and culture — was recognized last Friday, as the 2025 Chautauqua Janus Prize winner. The Athenaeum Parlor hosted an evening of catered hors d’oeuvres, a captive audience and a celebration of a story that celebrates voice and heritage.
Judged by Marita Golden, Week Seven Writers’ Center faculty and author of over 20 books, the Chautauqua Janus Prize — named for the Roman god Janus who looks to both the past and the future — celebrates emerging writers’ work of short fiction or nonfiction that unsettles convention with daring formal and aesthetic innovations. Sponsored by Twig, Barbara and Hilary Branch, the prize offers winners a week-long retreat at Chautauqua and a $5,000 stipend.
The event opened with a welcome from Emily and Richard Smucker Chair of Education Jordan Steves. Then, Michael I. Rudell Artistic Director of Literary Arts and Inaugural Writer-in-Residence Kwame Alexander introduced Golden.
Golden acknowledged the literary prowess of the 11 finalists that she pored over, selected from a
record-breaking total of 216 submissions.
“American storytelling rests in good hands,” Golden said. “The narratives are a testimony to the resilience and necessity of stories as an inspiration and challenge.”
From these 11 finalists, “Bread, Meat, and Water” emerged as the winner. The story that captured familial connection and grief connected Golden with home in more ways than one.
“It was so crazy to read this story and find out that he grew up in the same county that I live in now in Maryland,” Golden said.
The two had met up at a Barnes & Noble to discuss Bindley-Taylor’s work. Golden and Bindley-Taylor on Friday opened with conversation about the stories Bindley-Taylor wants to write, how music shaped his desire to write and a book about sharks that shaped him as a child.
“I tricked my parents,” Bindley-Taylor said. “They thought I could read earlier than I could, but in reality, I just memorized the words.”
While Bindley-Taylor did not major in creative writing, he entered the Master of Fine Arts program at University of Virginia with a curiosity pointed toward writing in Caribbean Patois. The work of Jamaican author Marlon James’ A Brief History of Seven Killings fueled his inspiration for a stream-of-consciousness approach to writing, shifting between standard English and Trinidadian Creole. Rather than separate the two or explain transitions from one to the next, Bindley-Taylor proposes the natural blend of the two.
“I think when you have two languages and cultures that you carry around, the reason when either comes out is often very inexplicable,” he said.
“Bread, Meat, and Water” navigates both cultures and will appear in Bindley-Taylor’s upcoming short story collection, My Dear Friends at the Pet Store. Bindley-Taylor read excerpts from the piece, transporting Chautauquans to the fictionalized world of Princess Diane County in Maryland, following the ghost of a Trinidadian grandfather watching his children and grandchildren come together for the wake.
The reading closed with the grandfather’s final message, addressing not just his wife but Chautauqua audiences who resonate with a story of familial loss and legacy. Bindley-Taylor’s words lingered in the air:
“I suppose all this is to say: you should not worry. Our darlings, our doux douxs, our breadmeatwater babies will be OK. Even when we are not around, they clean up their mess — and ours.”
