What started as an academic journey from The University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago to Coventry University in England, turned out to be much more than I anticipated, giving me a rare opportunity to explore both England and other parts of Europe. My travels allowed me to introspect, imagine and experience things that I never thought were possible. In many ways finding Coventry was like finding myself and I felt very much like a ray of sunlight dancing in the snow. My journey through various towns, cities and countries with their many edifices and monuments allowed me to visit ancient castles, cathedrals and other historic buildings. These stark reminders of the passing of time played in my vivid imagination and I was able to conjure up a blend of mysterious and magical medieval world, mirroring the past and the living present in my mind. All the stories are based on my experiences and are exciting, adventurous, romantic and funny yet grounded in reality, allowing me to view the world with different lenses and have a deeper appreciation of my own life. Even though my journey took me to other famous cities such as Venice, Paris and Edinburgh and I continued to be amazed by them, only Coventry had such a profound effect, drawing me into its fold and giving me an inner peace and harmony which I found nowhere else.
Indrani Bachan-Persad works at The University of the West Indies. Soon after obtaining her PhD in media and politics at Coventry University in the United Kingdom in 2013, her dissertation, Mediatized Political Campaigns: A Caribbean Perspective, was converted into a book and published in 2017. Her Coventry experiences further inspired her to write this non-fiction book of episodic events in her life. Soon after leaving England, she was co-opted by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, to lead the communications thrust at two state boards. Dr Bachan-Persad was the founding editor of The University of the West Indies's first newspaper, UWItoday, and is a columnist in one of the daily newspapers, writing on media and politics in her country.