Emanuel Xavier

Read poems by this poet

Emanuel Xavier is the author of seven books of poetry: Love(ly) Child (2023); Selected Poems of Emanuel Xavier (2021); Radiance (2016); Nefarious (2013); Americano (2012); Pier Queen (2012); and If Jesus Were Gay (2020), as well as the novel Christ Like (2019), all from Rebel Satori Press. 

Xavier is the editor of the anthologies Me No Habla with Acento: Contemporary Latino Poetry (Rebel Satori Press, 2011); Mariposas: A Modern Anthology of Queer Latino Poetry (Floricanto Press, 2008); and Bullets & Butterflies: queer spoken word poetry (suspect thoughts press, 2005).

Xavier’s honors include the Marsha A. Gomez Cultural Heritage Award, a New York City Council Citation, a Gay City News Impact Award, and a Silver Medal in the Juan Felipe Herrera Best Poetry Book Award category at the International Latino Book Awards for his book Love(ly) Child.

A former homeless gay teen, Xavier is a longtime gay rights activist and homeless youth advocate. He appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and regularly tours around the world as a spoken word artist. Xavier currently works for Penguin Random House and is on the board of The Publishing Triangle. He lives in New York City.