Nefarious

by Emanuel Xavier

Emanuel Xavier is the author of three poetry collections and a novel. His poems and essays have appeared in numerous literary publications. In 2010, The Equality Forum named him an LGBT History Month Icon.


"Emanuel Xavier's Nefarious is raw, brutal. And necessary. The harrowing and mesmerizing language in this book will cut you open, but it will also blow like a 'breeze against your skin.'" —Eduardo C. Corral, author of Slow Lightning


"Towards the middle of Emanuel Xavier's stunning new collection he writes, 'My work is not so universal.' The specifics might not be universal, but the journey Xavier examines is very how do we accept our past and move forward? How do we find true connection in this frightening world? The poems are raw, honest, and electric, and I wouldn't want to live in a world without poems like these." —Stephen S. Mills, author of He Do The Gay Man In Different Voices


"Emanuel Xavier is a brave, generous writer. He bares his bones to his readers, inviting us into his world which often isn't pretty, yet is so startling beautiful it broke my heart — and then healed it. Though there is a lot of tough stuff here, the reader emerges full of hope, believing in life and love. This is no small feat. Time spent reading these poems is time well spent." —Lesléa Newman, author of October A Song For Matthew Shepard


"These poems are eloquent snapshots from a real life, full of emotion, fact, and surprise. Emanuel Xavier can take you from the brutal to the tender to the sexual to the religious in the blink of an eye--or from the prosy to the lyrical to the laugh-out-loud funny. His poems put you in touch with the whole man, his bone and gristle, heart and soul." —Christopher Bram, author of Eminent The Gay Writers Who Changed America


"Brash, dark, funny-Emanuel Xavier is all these things, but more important, he is ruthlessly true, brutally kind, painfully relevant and terribly gifted." —Trebor Healey, author of A Horse Named Sorrow

Genres: Poetry

ebook

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Emanuel Xavier helped open the doors for queer poets of color to take centerstage and speak their truths. Without so much as passion and perseverance, he became an LGBTQ+ Icon, as proclaimed by The Equality Forum. Long before diversity, equity, and inclusion were buzz words, he gave voice to his unique experiences and tackled politics, sexuality, and religion with poetry books like Pier Queen, Americano, If Jesus Were Gay, Nefarious and Radiance. Following up on his Kirkus Best Indie Poetry Collections of 2021 book, Selected Poems of Emanuel Xavier, returned to his exploration of Latinx and LGBTQ+ culture, community, and identity with Love(ly) Child (Rebel Satori Press, Fall 2023), shortlisted for a 2024 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry.

Reviews

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Xavier's ability to tell a story is fantastic, but his ability to open up and tell that story from his heart is what makes this collection phenomenal. At times, you feel nothing but sympathetic for Xavier, although you know that he will come out winning. The stories/poems in this collection are open, brutally honest, thought provoking, and captivating all at the same time. Xavier's humbleness, appreciation of all the small things, and his ability to forgive, or at least understand, his wrongdoers is remarkable. His warm soul shines through and reaches out to the reader on every page. Nefarious is a must read... poetry fan, or not.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up. I think I would’ve liked this better if not for the middle poem which was 21 parts and felt like it dragged on compared to everything else (also used the t word twice which was rather unfortunate)

[Aaron Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me discover more of Emanuel and who he is a writer, thinker, pioneered out of the obscurity of abuse. He touches on some personal but important topics that are no longer considered forbidden in the everyday conversation.

[willowdog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using his life as the subject, Xavier reflects on the past as well as his present state, looking at love, sex, family, writing, and life.