She was known for her leadership of cultural organizations on the island and for her recitations of her poetry, written in Saint Martin English, which was collected and published shortly after her death as The Frock & Other Poems.
[1][2][3] Her parents were Elvira Bryan, a domestic worker, and Albert Richards, a construction contractor, and she was the eldest of their nine children.
"[4] She attended the Marigot Girls School, learning sewing and other skills, but dropped out in 1971 at age 16 to earn money for her family.
[8] In 2002, she held a series of verse recitations of her poem "The Frock," in honor of International Mother Language Day.
[1][2][5] In 2006, she served as a founding member and chair of the Rambaud St-Louis Fête Association, a cultural organization.