[1] At the start of his career, Trouillot contributed to several different newspapers and magazines in Haiti, publishing poetry and writing song lyrics for musical artists such as Tambou Libète, Toto Bissainthe, Jean Coulanges, and Manno Charlemagne.

Trouillot's poetic writing, close to spiralism (a Haitian literary genre stemming from the Duvalier regimes) attracted readers and publishers alike.

He was also part of the Collective Non of intellectuals and artists that helped to build momentum for the U.S. and paramilitary-backed ouster of the democratically elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

[1] The unelected transitional government of Gerard Latortue (that Trouillot was a member of between 2004 and 2006) was shown to be involved in massive human rights violations and to work closely with the "families" of the local elite groups within the country while being heavily funded by the US Bush administration: http://www.ijdh.org/CSHRhaitireport.pdf As an activist for democracy and justice in his country, his works often give voice to the voiceless, as seen in his 2004 novel Bicentenaire.

In 2016, during an interview in Libération for the publication of his novel Kannjawou, Lyonel Trouillot dencounced the dominance of Evangelical Christian denominations in Haiti.

[11] Trouillot is also a founding member of the Rasanbleman pou Diyite Ayiti (RADI), which denounces many acts of violence and inequality in the country.