Emanuel Xavier

Emanuel Xavier
File:Emanuel Xavier by Bobby Miller 2- b&w- low res.jpg Emanuel Xavier (Photograph by Bobby Miller)
Born	1971 Brooklyn, New York
Website	http://www.emanuelxavier.com

Emanuel Xavier (born May 3, 1971), is an American poet, spoken word artist, author, editor, literary events curator and activist born and raised in the Bushwick area of Brooklyn. He was proclaimed an LGBT Icon by The Equality Forum in 2010. He transitioned himself from being a street hustler and a drug dealer to become one of the most significant, daring, and unlikely voices to emerge from the neo-Nuyorican spoken word movement using political, sexual and religious themes throughout his work. Regarding his seedy past, in an interview with CNN he once stated, "I became all those things society expected me to become. I thought that was the only thing I could be." Of Puerto Rican and Ecuadorian ancestry, he conducted spoken word poetry workshops and produced benefits and events for youth organizations throughout the country. His work has been translated from English into Spanish and the Serbian language.

Controversy

Emanuel Xavier dealt with censorship and was threatened with arrest before a major presentation at a Miami Dade high school. He apologized to the audience and proceeded to share an edited selection of his poetry while local police officers watched over his performance.

Despite all of his work as an activist and with youth organizations, in October 2005, Emanuel Xavier was brutally attacked by a group of about twenty young men in the Bushwick area of Brooklyn. Rumors swirled about the attack, some suggesting it was his affiliation to The Latin Kings (he granted them permission to publish one of his poems against police brutality, "Waiting For God", in their newsletter), while others suggested it was simply another gay bashing. Rather than join the hate crimes wagon, in an exclusive interview with fellow activist, Andrés Duque, for Gay City News, and later in an editorial for The New York Post, Emanuel called this crime out as a random act of violence and eventually captured his experience in the poem "Writer's Block".

Currently

He curated El Museo del Barrio's Speak Up! monthly spoken word poetry program (through Spring 2011). Emanuel Xavier also edited an anthology inspired by the successful series which was published Spring 2011.

In addition, El Museo del Barrio staged their very first NYC Gay Pride event on June 20, 2010, The Legendary Project, a choreographed dance presentation by Ferdinand De Jesus featuring selections from the spoken word/music album, Legendary- The Spoken Word Poetry of Emanuel Xavier.

The music video for "Legendary (The E-Mix)" was filmed in Williamsburg, Brooklyn by independent film director, Arie Ohayon. Remixes were released April 2010 by Hades Music featuring mixes by Michael Hades, Lorant Duzgun, Tim Letteer, and El David.

An exclusive dance track collaboration with producer Lorant Duzgun, "Sound X", was featured on Lorant Duzgun's The History of Love EP released on Royal Advisor Records and was released as a remixed single in the summer of 2011.

He signed a lucrative publishing deal with Rebel Satori Press to print the poetry collection, "Pier Queen", fifteen years after it was self-published, a ten year anniversary edition of his first poetry collection, "Americano", and a new poetry collection for 2012.

Personal life

He lives in the Bushwick area of Brooklyn and works for Random House. His stepbrother is Dee Jay Blaze.

Awards and honors

Emanuel Xavier received the Marsha A. Gomez Cultural Heritage Award, a New York City Council Citation and is a 2008 World Pride Award recipient.

In 2009, he was one of the honorary Padrinos featured at the annual Three Kings Day Parade in the Spanish Harlem district in New York City. Later that year, he was named one of the "25 Most Influential GLBT Latinos" by the Mi Apogeo (My Latino Voice) website.

In 2010, The Equality Forum announced him 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.

Bibliography

• Best Gay Erotica 1997, edited by Richard Labonte with an introduction by Douglas Sadownick, Cleis Press, 1997 (features his first short story publication titled "Motherf***ers" which introduces the character of Mikey X.)
• Pier Queen, Pier Queen Productions, 1997 (first full length poetry collection)
• Ma-Ka: Diasporic Juks- Contemporary Writing by Queers of African Descent, edited by Makeda Silvera, Sister Vision Press, 1997 (features a reprint of the poem "Bushwick Bohemia" from the poetry collection, Pier Queen)
• Men On Men 7: Best New Gay Fiction, edited by David Bergman, Plume Books, 1998 (includes a short story titled "Christ Like" which also features a main character named Mikey X. and inspires the author to write a full length novel)
• Besame Mucho: New Gay Latino Fiction, edited by Jaime Manrique & Jesse Dorris, Painted Leaf Press, 1999 (features an out of place reprint of the entire unedited first chapter from the novel, Christ Like)
• Virgins, Guerillas & Locas, edited by Jaime Cortez, Cleis Press, 1999 (features a short story titled "Crazy Horse Memoirs")
• Blood & Tears: Poems for Matthew Shepard, edited by Scott Gibson, 1999 (features a reprint of the poem "Oya/St. Therese" from the poetry collection, Pier Queen)
• Best of Best Gay Erotica, edited by Richard Labonte, Cleis Press, 2000 (features a reprint of the short story "Motherf***ers")
• Of The Flesh, edited by Greg Wharton, suspect thoughts press, 2001 (features the poem "Nearly God" from the poetry collection, Americano)
• Americano, suspect thoughts press, 2002 (second full length poetry collection)
• The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name, edited by Greg Wharton, Boheme Press, 2003 (features an essay titled "Confessions")
• From Porn To Poetry 2, edited by Susannah Indigo & Brian Peters, Samba Mountain, 2003 (also features a reprint of the poem "Nearly God")
• Bad Boys, edited by Paul J. Willis & M. Christian, Alyson Books, 2003 (features an essay titled "Bookshop Booty")
• Coloring Book, edited by boice-Terrel Allen, Rattlecat Press, 2004 (features the poem "Legendary" from the collection, Bullets & Butterflies: queer spoken word poetry)
• Bullets & Butterflies: queer spoken word poetry, suspect thoughts press, 2005 (edited by Emanuel Xavier and featuring several new poems)
• In Our Own Words: A Generation Defining Itself Volume 7, edited by Marlow Peerse Weaver, MW Enterprises, 2007 (features reprints of the poem "Another Country" from the poetry collection, Pier Queen, and "In The Eighties" from Bullets & Butterflies: queer spoken word poetry)
• Best Gay Erotica 2008, edited by Richard Labonte with an introduction by Emanuel Xavier, Cleis Press, 2007 (finalists selected by Emanuel Xavier)
• 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)
• Mariposas: A Modern Anthology of Queer Latino Poetry, Floricanto Press, 2008 (edited by Emanuel Xavier and featuring several new poems)
• Christ Like: tenth anniversary revised edition, Rebel Satori Press, 2009
• If Jesus Were Gay & other poems, Rebel Satori Press, 2010 (third full length poetry collection)
• Me No Habla With Acento, El Museo del Barrio & Rebel Satori Press, 2011 (edited by Emanuel Xavier and featuring several new 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)
  • • Books exclusively by the author or edited by the author are highlighted in bold

Audio Recordings

• "Legendary (The E-Mix)" (single, 2009)
• "Legendary- The Spoken Word Poetry of Emanuel Xavier" (spoken word poetry/music album, 2009), http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/EmanuelXavier2
• "Legendary (The RE-Mixes)" (remix EP, 2010, Hades Music)
• "Sound X" (remix, 2011, Royal Advisor Records)
• "Waiting For God" (spoken word poetry/music, 2011, Voices Against Police Brutality)

Television appearances

• The Cult of Sincerity feature film (PBS, 2008)
• Canterbury's Law episode: Baggage (Fox, 2008)
• The Return of Jezebel James (Fox, 2008)
• Law & Order episode: Illegal (NBC, 2008)
• Fort Pit (2007)
• Law & Order episode: In Vino Veritas (NBC, 2006)
• The Ski Trip feature film (LOGO, 2005)
• Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry two episodes (HBO, 2003 & 2005)
• In The Life episode: Family Law (PBS, 2003)

See also

• List of Puerto Rican writers
• List of Famous Puerto Ricans
• Puerto Rican literature

External links

• Official Website
• Emanuel Xavier at the Internet Movie Database