Event Description

Still, We Are Sacred is a searing and luminous collection by poet Emanuel Xavier, weaving memory, resistance, and survival into a radiant tapestry of verse. With unflinching honesty and lyrical power, these poems reclaim queerness, Latinx identity, and the sacredness of lived experience through family hauntings, cultural reckonings, and the healing echoes of chosen kin. From the streets of Bushwick to the sacred piers of memory, Xavier offers readers testimony and triumph, reminding us that even when erased, we remain divine.

Emanuel Xavier is a poet, author, and spoken word artist whose groundbreaking work has helped shape contemporary Latinx and LGBTQ+ literature. His poetry collections include Pier Queen, Americano, If Jesus Were Gay, Love(ly) Child, Radiance, and Nefarious. A former homeless youth and pioneering figure of the Nuyorican and ball scenes, Xavier rose to national prominence with raw, unapologetic poems that have been featured in Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology, Poetry, A Gathering of the Tribes, and elsewhere. He is the recipient of a Gay City Impact Award and an International Latino Book Award. Still, We Are Sacred marks a powerful return to the personal and political, offering testimony to survival, memory, and queer resilience.