Emanuel Xavier



Emanuel Xavier (born May 3, 1971), is an American poet, spoken word artist, novelist, editor, and activist born and raised in New York City, in the Bushwick area of Brooklyn. Of Puerto Rican and Ecuadorian ancestry, he emerged from the neo-Nuyorican spoken word movement to become a successful writer and advocate for gay youth programs and Latino gay literature. Once a street hustler and drug dealer, he has conducted spoken word poetry workshops and produced benefits and events for youth organizations around the United States.

Youth
Xavier's father abandoned his mother after learning she was pregnant. At the age of three, Xavier was the victim of child sexual abuse by a relative. At age 16, he came out to his mother and was thrown out of his house. Soon after, he became a hustler. He then attended St. John's University (New York City) for several years, dropping out after receiving his associate's degree in communications. He worked for a local drug dealer and made a living by selling drugs at popular New York City gay nightclubs, including The Sound Factory and Roxy NYC. Later, after leaving the club scene, he became employed at a bookstore where he discovered his passion for writing and turned his life around. He has said that he viewed poetry as an "outlet to unleash pain and anger."

Regarding his past, he stated, "I became all those things society expected me to become. I thought that was the only thing I could be."

Career
Xavier self-published his debut poetry chapbook, Pier Queen, in the fall of 1997 through his own independent publishing house, Pier Queen Productions.

In 1998 he created the Glam Slam, an annual poetry slam competition featuring four open categories such as Best Erotic Poem in Sexy Underwear or Lingerie and Best Love Poem in Fire Engine Red (alternately Best Bitter Break Up Poem in Blue). Winners of each category received a trophy and went on to compete for the Grand Prize title of Glam Slam Champion.

Painted Leaf Press, a small, independent publishing company which went out of business, published Xavier's novel, Christ Like, in 1999. Despite a limited press run, the novel was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award.

In 2000, Xavier hosted the Lambda Literary Awards ceremony in New York.

Soon after 9/11, Xavier was one of the leading forces behind Words to Comfort, a poetry benefit held at the New School.



Xavier edited the 2005 anthology Bullets & Butterflies: Queer Spoken Word Poetry, earning him his second Lambda Literary Award nomination.

He was featured on television on Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry on HBO (Seasons 3 & 5) and In The Life on PBS. He also appeared in the Wolfgang Busch documentary How Do I Look. He also co-starred in the feature film The Ski Trip which aired on LOGO.

In 2009, Xavier headlined an event at El Museo del Barrio entitled, ''Spic Up! Speak Out! Due to public outcry, the event organizers changed the name to Speak Up!'' and issued a formal apology. Regarding his personal use of the word spic, Xavier told The New York Times, "For me, it's about empowerment. Look at everything we have done and accomplished. And it is a play on the word. We are speaking out our truths and identities in very perfect English. . . . spic is a word that we can re-appropriate, that was used to oppress us and box us in a negative way."

Regarding his career, he has been quoted to say, “I think at the beginning it was about me, about sharing my story. But as it evolved, it became more about the larger picture, hoping to inspire others not to follow that path, that it wasn’t the only way to go if you were gay, a person of color, and thrown out because you were gay. That it wasn’t the only option.”

Assault and aftermath
In October 2005, Xavier was brutally attacked by a group of about 20 young men in New York City, in the Bushwick area of Brooklyn. Despite various rumors about the attack — some suggested it stemmed from his granting the Latin Kings gang permission to publish one of his poems, "Waiting For God", which (ironically) dealt with police brutality while others suggested it was simply another gay bashing — Xavier believed the crime was a random act of violence. He later captured his experience in the poem "Writer's Block".

After the attack, Xavier experienced significant hearing loss. An MRI resulted in the discovery of an aural tumor which was surgically removed, but resulted in total loss of hearing in one ear.

Recognition
In 2010, The Equality Forum announced Xavier as a GLBT History Month Icon.

His poetry collection, "If Jesus Were Gay & other poems" was selected by the American Library Association as one of their Over The Rainbow books for 2011.

Poetry

 * Christ Like Rebel Satori Press, 2009
 * If Jesus Were Gay & other poems Rebel Satori Press, 2010
 * Pier Queen. Rebel Satori Press, 2012. (official publication of a self-published chapbook from 1997)

Edited

 * Bullets & Butterflies: Queer spoken word poetry (edited by Emanuel Xavier). suspect thoughts press, 2005.
 * Mariposas: A Modern Anthology of Queer Latino Poetry (edited by Emanuel Xavier). Floricanto Press, 2008.
 * Me No Habla With Acento (edited by Emanuel Xavier). El Museo del Barrio & Rebel Satori Press, 2011

Anthologized

 * Queer & Catholic (edited by Trebor Healey & Amie M. Evans, Haworth Press, 2008. (features the poems "Just Like Jesus" and "Bastard" from the forthcoming poetry collection, If Jesus Were Gay & other poems)
 * Ambientes: New Queer Latino Writing (edited by Lázaro Lima and Felice Picano). University of Wisconsin Press, 2011 (features "Dear Rodney" from If Jesus Were Gay & other poems)
 * collective BRIGHTNESS: LGBTIQ Poets on Faith, Religion & Spirituality (edited by Kevin Simmonds). Sibling Rivalry Press, 2011 (features the poem "The Omega Has Been Postponed" from If Jesus Were Gay & other poems)
 * Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay (edited by Paul Vitagliano, Quirk Books, 2012. (features an essay)
 * For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Still Not Enough (edited by Keith Boykin). Magnus Books, 2012 (features the essay "Mariconcito")
 * Americano- Growing Up Gay and Latino in the USA. Rebel Satori Press, 2012