How Mike Gauyo Took Control of His Narrative and Wrote His Own Story
By: Indya Wright
Tags: Haiti, Mentorship, Writer, Immigration

The Bryce Studio — @thebrycestudio on Instagram

Mike Gauyo and his family immigrated to Boston, Massachusetts from Port Au Prince, Haiti when he was only four years old. Like most parents that came to the US for more opportunities, they had grand visions of him pursuing one of the proverbial “big three professions”: doctor, lawyer, or engineer. Instead, he ended up becoming a writer.

And a decorated one, to say the least…

After meeting Issa Rae, who gave him his first paid writing gig on her scripted podcast, Fruit, Mike went on to work on TNT’s hit show, Claws, as a writers’ assistant and later got his first staff writer job on a new Netflix series called Ginny & Georgia.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Mike to learn more about his journey and how it led him to start his mentorship program Black Boy Writes.

What was your experience like growing up after immigrating from Haiti, and did you find others with that shared experience while growing up in Boston?

After immigrating from Haiti, my family set roots in Boston… and upon arriving what quickly became clear to me were the cultural differences. Oddly, the differences between my family and Caucasians didn’t shock me; with them, I expected a cultural barrier. But it was the differences between Haitians and African Americans that surprised me the most. One of my earliest memories after moving to the states was trying to speak Haitian creole to the other black kids in the neighborhood or black kids at school and feeling confused that they didn’t know what I was saying [lol]. In retrospect, it was the first time I realized that black people are not all created the same, that we were not monolithic. And as a writer, knowing that has really helped shape the way I tell stories. I feel like many of our lived experiences as black people or Haitian people, or any other immigrant black person can be similar, but for the most part, are varied.

With that said, yes, there were many other families like mine in Boston. Behind Miami and New York, Boston is the third most populated city when it comes to Haitians.

When were you inspired to start writing?

I started writing at a young age, but it was just a hobby. Any Haitian person you ask will tell you that growing up they were only given three professions to choose from; either a doctor, a lawyer or an engineer [lol]. We weren’t really given the option to choose anything else. But one of the first stories I ever wrote was about myself and my best friend, who was African American. The story was about twin boys who looked the same but didn’t speak the same language. As I mentioned earlier, I was intrigued by our differences.

What do you believe are some of the benefits of diving into forms of creative expression like art and storytelling?

The benefit is being able to connect with people. Creating something that resonates with someone or gets them through a tough time, or makes them think. Coming from someone who feels like black tv dads raised him, I think creative forms of storytelling, like what we see on film or tv, really help shape our lives and vice versa.

Who were black men in your life that uplifted you along with your life and career?

Good question. There are a couple of teachers who inspired me. I had a fabulous, gay, melanated, teacher in high school who didn’t play any games [lol]. Thinking back, I can’t help but remember how brave I thought he was. I was deep in the closet then, still trying to figure myself out. Wow. Haven’t thought about him in a while. Would definitely love to send him a thank you for just being in my orbit then. There was also an English teacher I had in high school who encouraged me to take AP literature classes. He saw something in me that I hadn’t seen in myself. Other influences on my career and upbringing are my father, things he said and things he didn’t say really formed my life, but I was also inspired by black TV dads like Uncle Phil or Carl Winslow. I feel like they raised me and taught me things when my dad couldn’t.

What is Black Boy Writes and why is it important for young black men to have mentorship?

Black Boy Writes… Well, first, the phrase itself is a double entendre, also meaning Black Boy Rights. The phrase represents all the black boys and men in this country who have been murdered by either the police or racist vigilantes. And murdered along with them were their dreams, their hopes, their ambitions, and I can’t help but think about how I could have been (and could still be) one of them. I not only write for myself, but I also write for and about who all those black boys could have been. Now, as for the Black Boy Writes Mentorship Initiative, I wanted to create a pathway program that was geared towards helping young black men, who were aspiring writers, get to the next step of their careers. I feel like there are many people that helped/mentored me coming up as a writer and it’s only right that I reach back and help others.

You can learn more about Mike and his organization by following @b.l.a.c.k.b.o.y.w.r.i.t.e.s on Instagram