Kleaver Cruz: Write For You First

Kleaver Cruz (they/them) is a Black, queer, Dominican-American writer and educator from New York City. Cruz is the creator of The Black Joy Project, a digital and real-world affirmation that Black Joy is resistance. The Black Joy Project has been featured in British Vogue, Vibe.com, Huffington Post, and various other publications in print and online.

Cruz is a member of We Are All Dominican, a U.S.-based, grassroots collective that works in solidarity with movements led by Dominicans of Haitian descent fighting for inclusion and citizenship rights in the Dominican Republic. Cruz is also an alum of the Voices of Our Nations Arts (VONA) Foundation’s Emerging Writers NonFiction Workshop and the Kenyon Review Writers Fiction Workshop. Follow them on Instagram.

Kleaver Cruz

In this post, Kleaver discusses how a simple act of self-preservation led to their new work on nonfiction, The Black Joy Project, their hope for readers, and more!

Name: Kleaver Cruz (they/them)
Literary agent: Marya Spence
Book title: The Black Joy Project: A Literary and Visual Love Letter to How We Thrive
Publisher: Mariner Books/Harper Collins
Expected release date: December 19, 2023
Genre/category: Nonfiction
Elevator pitch for the book: Featuring 117 photos and eight breathtaking essays on a force that fuels Black life all around the globe.

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What prompted you to write this book?

In late November of 2015, I woke up feeling so down that I couldn’t get out of bed. As I laid there trying to make sense of the deep sadness, I heard a call to Black joy. It was a spiritual experience that reminded me how amid personal and collective chaos, there were many experiences of joy that got me through.

That moment led to posting a picture of my mom on Facebook with the intention of working toward feeling better. That one day turned into 30 days, that turned into a journey toward exploring and spreading Black joy wherever I could.

One day in July of 2020, I received a text message from my former boss, Alessandra Bastagli, encouraging me to check out a tweet she’d come across. That tweet was posted by Rakia Clark who’d made a call for submissions for work around Black joy. Within about a week of connecting with Rakia, the journey to develop this book began.

Now 3 years after that conversation with Rakia and 8 years since the morning that started it all, it’s felt like a journey to better understand and amplify the powerful and vital force that is Black joy. The book is an opportunity to share some of the gained insights from what has become The Black Joy Project. Through this combination of my own writing as well as the writing and artwork of fellow Black artists, The Black Joy Project is intended to be used as a tool to further explore this vital force and the role it plays in the lives of Black people in various parts of the world.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

It’s taken over three years to fully realize this book project. Yes, the idea did change over the course of the process. Originally, my vision was to have the writing accompanied by portraits taken from longtime friend and collaborator with The Black Joy Project, Dominique Sindayiganza (an incredible person and photographer). However, my editor Rakia Clark pushed for even more expansive visual representation, and so in the end I incorporated independent archival research I’d done via images as well as the work of 50 artists from various parts of the world (it took about two years to find all the artists).

Additionally, I always had a vision for including the voices of Black writers from experiences different from my own and ideally from as many regions of the world as possible. Due to capacity and time of several solicited writers, in the end we were able to incorporate three talented writers to share their insights as Black people existing in and outside of Africa.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

Definitely! It has been so moving to see how all the elements have come together beautifully. For a long time, I was the only person that had the perspective of my own writing, the artwork of the artists, as well as the written pieces from the commissioned writers. And even then it was in pieces. When the book’s designer Renata De Oliveira sent her first mockup, I was completely blown away to see how it all came together. My hunch that a conversation around Black joy was possible in words and visuals became real. Truly an emotional moment.

On a practical note, it was a learning curve to get acquainted with the formalities of artist agreements and meeting with lawyers to ensure the protection of all parties involved, while securing the best content for the book as possible. As a creative myself, I was very protective of the artists included and wanted to make sure that there was joy throughout their experience of the process and not just of the final “product.”

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

Absolutely, you know the writing is doing something when it surprises you as the writer. There were countless “aha” moments and instances of making connections between various points of research that affirmed my thoughts on this topic of Black joy and the complexity I know was necessary to get across to readers.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

I hope for readers, particularly Black readers, to see both reflections of themselves as they turn each page and, where possible, to receive new offerings to deepen their relationship to joy. I hope that if someone isn’t feeling great, they can pick the book up and the experience will give them a necessary boost. I hope that this book can be used as a tool to further the work of dismantling the forces that attempt to (and sometimes successfully) prevent joy from existing altogether.

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Write for you first. You can’t edit zero words, so right regardless of the quality. The book comes together in the editing. It’s ok to take breaks and do other things. You can always come back to the writing. Choose your wellness first. 

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