‘Giving Credence to Whispers’
Bahamian writer and social commentator Ashleigh Sean discusses writing at RuptureXIBIT with Amy Arman.

For those who know Rupture, there’s always something interesting going on - whether it’s an enormous freshly painted canvas in the studio or a gaggle of school children building giant worms out of papier mache, no two days are ever the same. For the last six weeks the atmosphere in our recently acquired basement space has shifted.  With the creation of a new Templum, a dedicated writing, reading, and thinking space, Rupture can now offer extended writing residencies. I took the opportunity to speak with our first ever writer in residence, Ashleigh Sean.

Sean was born in Nassau and grew up in Grand Bahama. She got her start writing as a social commentator for a a website called 10th Year Seniors in 2016.“Writing social commentary allowed me to explore my own voice. I wrote articles that helped me streamline my own politics and my viewpoints on the world.” Sean describes the challenges of overcoming social and financial barriers to using her voice for her generation. “I don't come from a politically aligned family, and I'm not from a high socioeconomic background, so, in many ways, when I spoke, there wasn't much to lose, but what that does sometimes is hinder you from getting into certain doors. “It’s one of those things where you are appreciated for saying the thing that everyone wants to say out loud, but it also puts you on the fringe of society, because the Bahamas is such a small place. So you have to be mindful of what you say, and how you say it.”

In 2020, Sean ended up taking care of her grandmother, Beryl. “She was a staunch Nasuvian, from this neighbourhood in Nassau called Over the Hill. It's a proud Black neighbourhood with a lot of cultural history, home to many political figures, but it's also poor.” Her grandmother was one of the last matriarchs from a generation that knew what Nassau was before its extensive tourism and development. During this time, Sean and her mother took her back for a visit. “No one wants to leave their home, and when my mom brought her back to Freeport, I think my grandmother knew that she was saying goodbye.” In March, the Bahamas went into lockdown, and in May, Sean’s grandmother, Beryl passed away. “I started writing a story dedicated to her.”

Sean’s journey from the Bahamas to Hampton Wick began when she decided to apply for a creative writing program in London. “Coming here was kind of wild. I started fundraising in 2021. I wanted to study a program that would help me publish my first novel, so I went the traditional route—scholarships, letters, and grants—but it just didn't work out. I reached the final round but still ended up with a rejection.”
2023 was the 50th year of independence for the Bahamas, and Sean had the idea to post questions about the country and Bahamian culture on Twitter (now X). “Each day I posted more questions until there were 50—one for each year of independence.” People would sign in every morning at 7 a.m., and in the evening the answer would be revealed, either as a video or a fact. “Even the Prime Minister got involved!” Joined by a team of people and sponsors, this grew into what today is known as The Bahamian Citizenship Test.

When the course she was hoping for in London was cancelled, Sean turned her focus to Kingston University. With support from last-minute donors she was able to organise a UK visa and join the Creative Writing MA, led by  RuptureXIBIT writing mentors Dr Anna Johnson and Dr James Miller. “Honestly, it was really great. I didn't know what to expect. My whole experience in academia wasn't the best—you go your whole high school career thinking that you're not that smart. In the Bahamas I had felt like I wasn't able to fully tap into my potential. I wanted to explore my craft, but because I didn't get the opportunity to go to university to begin with, I’d put those hopes in a little box.” Sean’s year at Kingston University has helped her to develop and grow her Bahamian narratives. “To be part of a course where people are not only encouraging you, but they also like what you're producing—it was a really encouraging environment. Lecturers like Anna and James were critical, but useful. I'd never had that level of structure before with my writing.”

For the last month, Sean has been writing from the Templum at RuptureXIBIT. “You feel kind of cocooned in here. It pushes me to want to produce something that I can literally birth out of this cavern. Knowing that there was a space that was purely dedicated to facilitating this piece of work—whether it came out fully formed or not—has allowed me to explore it.”

“I met Kate at an event back in November when they invited me to pop into Rupture. I came to a writing workshop here. I talked about how I needed a safe and dedicated space to write, and they offered me the Templum as that refuge. The environment itself is just so encouraging.” During her residency she has been sharing the studio with artists-in-residence Kate Howe and Sally Minns, and invitational artist-in-residence Sharyn Wortman. “It's helpful to know that there are other artists engaging in their own practice—to feel that synergy. Being here has definitely allowed me to explore emotions that I didn't have the ability to, because I've been in London just running on adrenaline.” When asked what she would offer to other writers taking up residency at Rupture, Sean encourages them to make the most of the freedom the space offers. “Rid yourself of any expectations. Give yourself the space to explore anything within your own artistry… just see what sticks. Give yourself the space to breathe.”

Sean has spent her time at the Templum working on a piece titled ‘A Lynching in Exuma’. “In The Bahamas, we don't tend to write down some of the more graphic things that have happened to enslaved people. There would be logs of slavery, letters, and some census reports, but they're not easily accessible narratives. I heard stories of how easy it could be to have a body go missing on the island—people taken out in a boat with a rope strapped to their ankle and never seen again.”

Throughout her life, almost every one of Sean’s friends had been told a version of this story, but she wasn’t able to find anything in the archives or in the libraries that even alluded to these hate crimes. “It was like everyone knows that they existed, but you are gaslit into believing that these stories were not true.” Sean wanted to take these whispers and give a story to them—to make something a little bit more tangible for people. “To give credence to the whispers.”

“The Bahamas is more than just this land of sun and sea. That sand is caked in blood; the ocean itself is desecrated. I wanted to showcase the islands of Exuma as this living, breathing space. I wanted to merge these whispers with bits and pieces of my own family tree.” Sean’s story is about a man who commits an unspeakable act. “It’s the evening of his own reckoning and he’s trying to come to grips with what he has done—hesitating to confess, but having no option but to do so.”

When asked about setting up her space in the Templum at RuptureXIBIT, Sean described a flexible, almost womb-like space created by founder Kate Howe. “It depends on the day. There are a lot of pillows, so I'll make up a pillow fort with my laptop huddled with me. Other days I set the pillows up like a desk, and then I’m away, typing. Sometimes I'm writing in a notebook in the corner—shoes off, feet firmly planted on the ground. I'll choose which alcove I'm working in. If I'm closer to the door, I’m a lot more productive!”

We are happy to announce that Ash will be staying at Rupture as our invitational writing resident for October.  Join Ash for an exploratory workshop as part of our October One Day Poetry Intensive.

Can you see yourself finally writing that story, finishing that paper or getting to grips with your dissertation here? Rupture's Templum is available for mentoring residencies and select invitational residencies. Read more & apply