Quote by M. NourbeSe Philip: “What if the silence is the story?”

This thought-provoking question flips our understanding of narrative, suggesting that what is unsaid, suppressed, or absent can hold as much meaning—or more—than spoken words. It highlights untold histories.

The late 2000s, with works like 'Zong!', pushed the boundaries of literary form to address unspeakable historical traumas. This question challenges conventional narrative by suggesting that the gaps, the unrecorded, and the suppressed can hold profound, telling truths about history.

Trinidadian-Canadian poet and essayist whose experimental work confronts the violence of colonial language and legal systems. Her 2008 poetry collection Zong! reconstructs the legal decision in the Zong massacre — in which enslaved people were thrown overboard for insurance money — from the original court documents.