Discover the Dominican influence in NYC with Cleyvis Natera
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This interview is part of a collaboration with Penguin Random House to celebrate Latine and Hispanic Heritage Month. We sat down with award-winning writer, Cleyvis Natera, author of Neruda on the Park, a novel that explores the impact of gentrification in a predominantly Dominican part of New York City.
Tell us more about yourself and your journey as an author.
Reading became a passion for me when I first immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic. I often think I have as much to thank authors as my teachers for the gift of the English language. I used to spend equal amounts of time in a classroom as I did with my nose in a book once I arrived at home from a long day at school. It was my love of reading that first ignited the passion for telling stories. I used to hold books by Julia Alvarez, Toni Morrison, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and many others and think to myself, imagine if only I could do this!
What are the places that have influenced your writing?
I was born in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic about 15 miles outside of the Capital of Santo Domingo. It was a beautifully close-knit community and when I left with my family to live in the United States, it was a stark difference. Moving to Washington Heights, then to the Bronx, and then to Harlem within a year of moving to New York was startling. As kids, we were sheltered within a big, boisterous family but it was still lonely to have to mostly live indoors (we arrived in the winter) and to learn that our ability to move freely even during the summer was limited due to the danger of high crime rates during that time (this was the early 90’s). Yet very quickly, I learned that the city was a magical, incredible place. That the Dominican community had taken up lots of space, even to the point where we could buy the same foods and listen to the same music from back home just walking down the streets. One of my goals, as I wrote Neruda on the Park, was to give my readers this immersive sense of what it means to make within any country a home away from home – that immigrant communities often create sanctuaries in order to keep each safe. As I grew up and expanded my horizons, many other neighborhoods became home to me too. There were the brownstones of Harlem where I used to spend time doing home work after High School. There were the tenement buildings in Brooklyn where my friends and I would fry donuts instead of making healthy dinners as our working parents would insist we do. There were the glistening, slick apartments I’d visit as a young corporate employee, where my colleagues had skylines that made us all feel as if we were on top of the world. So many neighborhoods filled my life with longing, electricity and a sense of love. I wanted to imbue my novel with those feelings from the many places where I lived and loved.
Can we hear about the Dominican influence and history in Washington Heights, where you grew up?
In 2018, the neighborhood of Washington Heights alongside parts of Inwood were designated as “Little Dominican Republic,” a moniker that celebrated how more than two thirds of the population in this section of New York City identified as Dominicans. This is the neighborhood where I grew up, where most of my family still lives to this day. It is a thrilling and comforting to know that even as the immigrant population had aged and had children themselves, today, despite gentrification and the speed with which New York City continually changes, it is still a thriving neighborhood with roots in the Dominican Republic. Though many people consider Dominicans part of a new wave of immigrants from the 70’s on, it’s important to note that the Dominican population has a storied and long history in New York City. As many as 5,000 immigrants arrived via the port of Ellis Island in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Yet, the biggest exodus on the Dominican population happened in the late 1960’s, after the civil rights act movement yielded significant changes to our government. Among them, the Hart–Cellar Immigration Act, which abolished an earlier quota system that based on national origin. After the passing of this act, family reunification and other priority factors drastically changed what, until then, were fairly racist practices. My family benefited greatly from this Act. In the United States, the Dominican Population grew from about 10,000 people in the 1960’s to over 500,000 in the 1980’s. Today, Dominicans account for 1.3 million people in the U.S.A. – the second-largest Caribbean foreign-born group and fifth-largest Latino immigrant group. Walking down the streets in Washington Heights, it is easy to see the influence of this Dominican Majority. From merengue blaring out of cars and apartments, to the grocery store bursting with plantains, yucca, and other root vegetables from the Dominican Republic, to the Spanish and Spanglish spoken in most conversations, my people have made a lasting mark in this neighborhood of New York City.
Where should lovers of literature go in New York?
One of my favorite places to spend time while in New York City is Word Up Community Bookstore on 165th Street and Amsterdam Ave. It is a small, independent bookstore with such a big heart! Founded by a collective of residents from the community, it is a space that continually celebrates the diversity in the neighborhood but has been especially generous to the many Dominican authors who have grown up or have lived in Washington Heights. It is also a bookstore unlike any other, providing meals, voting information, and even vaccinations during times of need. It is a place near and dear to my heart.
What are some hidden gems in the Dominican Republic that you would recommend to travelers?
I spent the better part of August in 2024 in the Dominican Republic revising my forthcoming novel, The Grand Paloma Resort. Although I didn’t have much free time, I did manage to take two weekends to visit new places I’d never been before with my two young children – my daughter who is ten years old and my son who is twelve. Our favorite spots included Cabarete, a seaside town in the northern part of the island. The beaches are incredible, the food is amazing but for an active family like mine, the amount of water spots was mind-blowing. From amazing surfing (the waves are HUGE), to kitesurfing, windsurfing, scuba diving, and stand up paddleboarding, we had an absolute blast. It is also a family-friendly place, so my kids and I often walked after dinner to Helados Bon centrally located in Calle Principal, where our hard work during the day on the waves was rewarded with the sweetest treats. We also took a day long excursion to Laguna Gri-Gri, about an hour drive northeast of Cabarete in Rio San Juan. Prepare for a rustic boat ride that will get you out alongside the coast to witness some astonishing sights including mangroves, rock formations, and the clearest, most beautiful deep sea swim you’ve ever experienced!
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