This is one of those weeks where the calendar fills up faster than the news feed does (a good problem, honestly).

The U.S. Haitian Chamber just dropped the theme for October’s Business Summit, and it’s not shying away from anything.

Edwidge Danticat is headlining the Boston Book Festival’s fiction keynote in October, which means Copley Square in the fall just got a lot more interesting.

And there’s a one-night vendor market in Cambridge later this month that’s worth clearing your Friday for.

Let’s begin.

The U.S. Haitian Chamber of Commerce announced the theme for its Second Annual Haitian American Business Summit this week: “Rebuilding Haiti Through Business, Trade & Diaspora Leadership.”

The summit arrives October 31 at Blue Hills Ballroom in Randolph, 10 am to 4 pm, with registration and early-bird pricing open now.

Last year’s summit was about getting people in the room.

This year’s panel list reads like it knows the room is already full and ready for harder conversations, including elections and governance, security’s effect on business investment, TPS and the future of Haitian families here, and access to capital back home.

Nothing about “awareness.”

Everything about action.

The summit is followed the next night, November 1, by the Haitian American Young Professional Awards Gala, same venue, and nominations, including self-nominations, are open right now.

So if you know someone (or you are someone) doing real work in this community, this is the moment to put a name forward, not wait for someone else to.

Randolph is fifteen minutes from Dedham.

That’s not a coincidence you should ignore.

To register, apply as a speaker, or learn more, please visit: www.habsummit.com.

The Boston Book Festival announced its 2026 keynote lineup this week, and the fiction keynote belongs to Edwidge Danticat, presenting her new novel “Dèy,” alongside Cameroonian-American author Imbolo Mbue.

The festival happens October 17 in Copley Square.

It’s free, all day, and includes more than 80 events, over 200 authors, and it’s expected to pull 25,000 people.

This isn’t a Haitian cultural festival with a token slot.

Danticat is one of the marquee names on a bill that also includes Emily Wilson and Geraldine Brooks.

The full author schedule drops mid-September, but the date and location are locked, and the price is zero.

Put October 17 in the calendar now.

You’ll thank yourself in September.

The Krown Foundation is bringing Made In Ayiti to First Street Market in Cambridge on Friday, August 21, and they’re pitching it as more than a vendor market.

It’s an immersive Haitian experience built around the culture, creativity, and history of Haiti, all under one roof for a single evening.

Doors open at 7 pm, and it runs until 10.

Expect exclusive pop-ups from Haitian-owned businesses selling apparel, art, handmade goods, food, and beauty products, plus music from DJ Ayech, games, and activations throughout the night.

Three hours isn’t long.

Come early, browse everything, and bring cash alongside your card just in case.

Tickets are available through Posh.

And if you’re a Haitian-owned business, brand, or creative with something to sell, vendor applications are open now.

Whether it’s apparel, art, food, beauty, or something uniquely your own, this is a night designed to put your work in front of the community.

It’s one evening under one roof with real foot traffic.

→ Apply to vend at Made In Ayiti

Your weekly map of what’s worth showing up for.

Haitian-owned apparel, art, food, and beauty vendors under one roof for one night only. Bring cash, bring your partner, and plan to actually buy something.

Registration and early-bird pricing are open now. Speaker and panelist applications are still being accepted if you’ve got something to say.

Nominations, including self-nominations, are open now for this national gala. Don’t wait for someone else to nominate you.

Free, all-day literary festival. Full lineup and schedule land mid-September, but the date is worth locking in today.

I love this year’s summit theme: “rebuilding,” not “recovering.”

There’s a difference, and this Chamber seems to know it.

If someone in your life needs a reason to show up to something Haitian and local this fall, forward this to them.

SHARE SAK PASE BOSTON

Mèsi anpil. See you next Thursday.

GUSTAVE • FOUNDER, SAK PASE BOSTON

You’ve saved $1.5 million. Now comes the real test.

Can it produce $10,000 a month, or will that pace drain your portfolio?

Most retirees do not get a clear answer until it is too late.

The issue is not just how much you have. It is whether your portfolio was built to pay you, not just grow.

That difference can determine whether your money lasts decades or starts breaking down early.

Sequence of returns, taxes on withdrawals, healthcare costs, and whether the 4% rule still applies all play a role.

Fiduciary advisors created a breakdown showing what drives sustainable income and why the same $1.5M can produce very different outcomes.

If you have $1M or more invested, do not guess.

See How Long My Money Lasts

Learn More