JOY - TRAILER

Help us FUND our project: https://www.gofundme.com/f/an-invesment-in-joy-turn-this-poem-into-a-film

“Joy” is a poem I wrote one that deserves a film. I’ve lived every line in it, from my service in the military, to being bullied in high school, surviving multiple muggings, gun violence and physical assault in every phase of my life to be joyful has been synonymous with being delusional given the environment. I’ve been the boy laughing too loud at the wrong moment. The solder teaching himself not to flinch. Every stanza of this poem is a sort of eulogy for the many versions of myself I had to mourn in order to become who I am now—this isn't just a poem anymore, it deserves more than I've ever given my work hence as a director/writer/actor, I get the chance to excavate that boy, bring him back life and give him eternal life via the screen.

This poem speaks to the moments where I’ve had to perform masculinity in ways that felt unnatural. It speaks to the friends I’ve lost, the ones I've called brothers, to the men I've loved, and the healing I’m still doing. Artistically, I’ve spent years learning how to turn vulnerability into art; in this world vulnerability is a privilege, I plan on changing that by normalizing it's expression. As a nationally ranked slam poet, as the Poet Laureate Emeritus of Jersey City, and as a teaching artist working with young people across New Jersey, I’ve spent my career turning language into a tool for survival and community-building. I’ve been on national stages pouring my story into microphones, but no matter what it's felt as though I've outgrown my platform, I've written plays, performed with bands, released album, published books, written memoirs. I'm still trying, now I want to translate that same emotional urgency into film—because there’s a visual language to this pain and joy that may need to transcend poetry.

Why do I think this deserves support? Because I we think we all know some guy, some kid, a man, your brother, a cousin, your father, deserves an opportunity to witness happiness, bliss, and possibly joy even if its just a few minutes on film. This doesn't deserve support, but they do.

This isn’t me trying to tell someone else’s story. This is me telling my own. I’m not reaching for a narrative I don’t understand—I’ve lived this one. And because of my background as a performer, educator, and community leader, I know how to craft work that doesn’t just speak at people, but speaks to them.

Also, being from Jersey City and having spent years building platforms for other marginalized voices, I understand what it means to use limited resources to create something impactful. I know how to stretch a budget without sacrificing artistic integrity. I’ve done it in poetry, in theater, in music, and in previous film collaborations. With your support, I can finally bring this story to life at the scale and quality it deserves.

It’s something I want young Black boys to see and say, “That feels like me.” It’s something I want grown Black men to watch and think, “That was me too.” And it’s something I want everyone—regardless of identity—to leave with a deeper understanding that joy, especially for us, is not frivolous. It’s survival. It’s resistance. It's revolution.

This is me, choosing joy and role modeling for others to do the same.
It's good choice, despite every voice, post, and fist screaming otherwise.

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» ABOUT ME
Hey there, I'm Joan :) I'm from NJ, USA!

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