Emanuel Xavier

Pier Queen Emanuel Xavier

Self-published as a chapbook in 1997, Pier Queen launched the career of spoken word artist and poet Emanuel Xavier with classics such as "Tradiciones" and "Nueva York" both featured on Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry and other poems which captured the voice of a generation of queer people of color. For the first time ever, this ground-breaking collection becomes available featuring snapshots taken at the West Side Highway piers throughout the years by photographer Richard Renaldi. This collaboration is a gift to the LGBTQ community and for those who may be interested in how pier queens became poets and great artists against all odds to inspire others to rise above adversity.

Race, class and sexuality has become somewhat of a scholarly catch-phrase since American literature can now boast an extensive body of work that explores this nexus. But it's important to note that Emanuel Xavier's Pier Queen was a trailblazing early example for the newest generation of queer Latino writers. If ever art was a gesture of courage and activism, then there is no clearer evidence-this self-published collection of poetry that launched a career ... author Rigoberto Gonzalez, from the foreword to Pier Queen