Radiant Wound

Radiant Wound is both an anthem and a lament, a poetic exploration of life between cultures, languages, and the landscapes of C矌e d'Ivoire. In this debut collection, Cara Waterfall captures the vibrant textures and deep dissonances of life abroad after the Second Ivorian Civil War, navigating the complex experience of being a geographical, cultural, and linguistic outsider. Her verses take readers through striking scenes: from the crocodile-guarded presidential palace in Yamoussoukro and the colonial past of Grand-Bassam to the intimate spaces of a woodcarver's studio and the Gbangbo River, where local women wash clothes.

Supported by a National Geographic Glimpse Correspondents Program grant in 2012, Waterfall's poems draw from the stories and encounters she gathered for her features, "Rebelles: Ivoirian women fight for change" and "Art as Reconciliation." Her collection breathes life into voices often unheard, from a young girl making charcoal in San Pedro to HIV-positive women and vulnerable children in Yopougon, and even the neglected animals of the Abidjan Zoo. Radiant Wound reflects on tradition, resilience, and survival, bearing witness to the long, imperfect journey toward healing.