Still, We Are Sacred

by Emanuel Xavier

In Still, We Are Sacred, Emanuel Xavier gathers poems of queer survival, memory, and belonging. Moving through faith and doubt, family and chosen kin, love, grief, and joy, these poems honor lives shaped by resistance and care. At once elegy and affirmation, the collection insists on tenderness as a radical act—and on the holiness of those who remain.

Emanuel Xavier is a queer Latinx poet whose work emerged from New York City’s ballroom culture and the Nuyorican arts movement. An unexpected literary voice shaped outside traditional institutions, he writes toward survival, faith, sexuality, and chosen family. He is the author of several poetry collections, including Pier Queen, Americano, If Jesus Were Gay, and Love(ly) Child. He lives in New York City.

95 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 7, 2026

About the author

Emanuel Xavier helped open the doors for queer poets of color to take center stage and speak their truths. Through passion and perseverance, he emerged as an LGBTQ+ icon, as proclaimed by The Equality Forum. Long before diversity, equity, and inclusion became buzzwords, Xavier gave voice to his lived experiences, confronting politics, sexuality, and religion in poetry collections such as Pier Queen, Americano, If Jesus Were Gay, Nefarious, and Radiance.

Following Selected Poems of Emanuel Xavier—named one of Kirkus’ Best Indie Poetry Collections of 2021—he returned to an intimate exploration of Latinx and LGBTQ+ culture, community, and identity with Love(ly) Child (Rebel Satori Press, 2023), a finalist for the 2024 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry. His forthcoming collection, Still, We Are Sacred (Rebel Satori Press, 2026), continues this work with poems of survival, resistance, and unapologetic queer joy.

Reviews

[Sophie Whittemore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful and loving collection. Poetry and a story of life and community that absolutely swept me away with stories of grief, healing, and hope in resilience. Hope in resistance and communal care. Absolutely must-read.

[john compton · Rating 5 out of 5]

i gave a blurb to this book! a must read! powerful and so damn good