American Latinx poet, author, editor, activist, and spoken-word artist Emanuel Xavier was born in humble circumstances in Brooklyn. Growing up in the ’70s, he was abandoned by his father, bullied by other kids, and kicked out of the house as a teenager when he told his mother he was gay. He eventually found his way to the wonders of the New York City ballroom scene and the House of Xtravaganza but also to the drug-dealing trade and the dangers of living on the streets.

When he got a job at the LGBTQ bookstore A Different Light, Xavier finally discovered his love of writing. Soon, he started building a reputation as one of the first and most celebrated openly gay poets at the Nuyorican Poets Café. He has published five books of poetry and a volume of prose and has edited several poetry collections and anthologies. The Selected Poems of Emanuel Xavier marks his first personally curated collection, covering the many years of his remarkable career and never ceasing to articulate the beauty he sees all around him:

There are Gods amongst us in these ghettos

so black, so fierce,

so brown, so beautiful,

Their time on earth may be as oppressive as ignorance

limited to the demons flowing in their blood

but after safely passing over back to the clouds

the wind will still carry their auras and prophecies

their bones will still beat drums

for their children to dance

the phoenix will still rise from the flames of Paris

with hope in womb

Kirkus Reviews calls The Selected Poems of Emanuel Xavier “a superb poetry collection that renders compelling imagery in a singular voice.” Xavier, now an employee at Penguin Random House and founder of the Penguin Random House LGBTQ Network, says in the preface that the collection “serves as my own personal journey within the long history of spoken-word poetry, Nuyorican poetics, and LGBTQ+ culture. I have been blessed to enjoy such a unique and varied life. Through so many challenges, this art is what has kept me going. May it inspire others to continue sharing their stories and pushing to make this world a better place.” 

Xavier’s “unique and varied life” has taught him the value of visibility and representation of himself and his community on the written page. Even after the famous documentary Paris Is Burning was released and his friends who were featured became celebrities, he noticed that the vibrant world of ballroom and the queer communities in New York City weren’t reflected on bookshelves. As his reputation as not only one of the best new talents in spoken-word poetry, but also one of the first openly gay poets began to rise, Xavier had his eye set on publishing his work.

Eventually self-publishing his first chapbook, Pier Queen, because publishers wouldn’t take him seriously, Xavier soon proved himself to the literary world. He even founded his own ballroom-esque, spoken-word poetry house, the House of Xavier. Despite this and other successes, including being named an LGBTQ Icon by the Equality Forum, Xavier remained relatively unknown to wider poetry audiences. He describes his groundbreaking work as “quietly opening doors” for the openly queer poets who came after him.

Those who do know Xavier’s work are effusive in their praise. Alexander Chee calls The Selected Poems of Emanuel Xavier a “testament to Xavier’s poetic talents and his legacy.” Sarah Schulman says that “for decades, Emanuel Xavier has been our poet of the streets, of the balls, of the pier, through our loves, lives lost, and in the growth and ruin of our city,” and that “finally a new generation has a chance to breathe through his collected poems.” 

When asked what he wishes that young queer people of color today might take away from this collection, Xavier “hopes that they feel inspired to continue preserving our histories, because it’s important to reflect the world around us for future generations. We’ve had to fight for our visibility, and it can just as easily be taken away.” 

As to whether his own approach to art and poetry has changed in the time since he first started writing, performing, and publishing, Xavier, noting the many changes around widespread cultural ideas about LGBTQ+ rights and visibility that have occurred over the span of his career, says that “if anything, I think cultural ideas around LGBTQ+ rights and visibility caught up to my own sensibilities.” Xavier’s work often courted controversy from conservative readers and sometimes from his own community, so he knows firsthand the importance of being ahead of one’s time. “I was inspired by poets who disturbed the peace, and I hope to inspire others in return.”

Whether through his work as an activist or his long-standing reputation as one of the brightest stars of the indie spoken-word poetry scene—including an appearance on Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry—Xavier is always looking to take the love and sense of purpose he found for himself in art and share it with other young, queer people of color who need healing. As he built a career, a reputation, and a community through his poetry, Xavier was able to find hope despite lacking the privilege he would have needed to access things like therapy or a prestigious literary education. While he is careful to point out that finding a love of art does not always lead to the success and security he has been able to achieve, he wants his readers to understand that money doesn’t make up for skill and passion.

After publishing poetry for 25 years and looking back over his work to create this collection, Xavier feels “blessed” to have written enough poems that still ring true and speak to audiences years later. The Selected Poems of Emanuel Xavier can be found in many bookshops around the country or on Xavier’s website along with his previously published works. 

Chelsea Ennen is a writer living in Brooklyn.