September 11, 2026
Linda Blaser
Vince Omni’s ‘Mine Own’ published in Virgin Islands Noir
Visiting Assistant Professor of English Vince Omni’s short story “Mine Own” was published August 4 in Virgin Islands Noir, a new anthology from Akashic Books.
Set on St. Croix in 1973, the story follows Desmond, a young man who returns to the island to bury his last remaining relative and finds himself working as a docent at a former sugar plantation turned museum. When he discovers the museum director plans to whitewash its connections to slavery, Desmond launches a secret campaign to undermine him—with tragic consequences.
“Mine Own” is partly inspired by Omni’s experience as a part-time docent at Estate Whim Museum, a former sugar plantation in Frederiksted, St. Croix. Omni lived on St. Croix from 1997 to 2000.
Omni is the author of 1989, winner of the CRAFT 2025 Novelette Print Prize. His writing has also appeared in the Michigan Quarterly Review and The Best Debut Short Stories 2025. His other honors include a PEN/Dau Short Story Prize, the Jesmyn Ward Prize in Fiction and the Margaret Walker Memorial Prize in Creative Writing.
At Lake Forest College, Omni teaches African American literature and creative writing. He is also cofounder of SoulClap: A Black Joy Journal, which will debut sometime later this fall.