About

I am narrative healing, embodied.

I am a current record of my ancestors. Current as in here and now. Current as in flowing through time and space. Being queer, trans, and melanated is a wonderful design.

When I treat myself with so much love, it is easy for that love to reach others.

My power is not for everyone.

I deserve nurturing environments, even if it requires creating those spaces myself.

My self-acceptance includes acceptance of my shadows.

Expressing my talents is an act of gratitude.

The joy I bring to this world is not measured by my productivity. I encourage myself to rest.

My trauma healing journey is ongoing. I listen to my body when it suggests the pace of this process.

I am constantly becoming who I am.

In other words

Dera Luce is a Nigerian-American essayist, speculative fiction writer, and multi-disciplinary artist who calls Berlin home. His writing and videos explore queerness, linguistics, shifting realities, and other extraordinary experiences that he is still finding the words for.

Dera has written for Autostraddle, The Atlantic's CityLab, and Riverfront Times, among others. He is a Summer ‘22 Fellow of Voodoonauts, a grassroots Afrofuturist collective promoting connectivity and craft within the global Black SFF community. He is a '23 In the Loop resident, hosted by Dreaming beyond AI. Dera is currently writing a novel for Black queer young adults.

You can find him on Twitter and Instagram @deraluce as well as on Patreon.