Authors Emanuel Xavier and Regie Cabico will be the featured speakers from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 9, in a free event that will be part of the “Contemporary Conversations Series” of Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL). They will talk about the importance of poetry, storytelling and the spoken word at the Wheaton Library as MCPL joins in the celebration of June as Pride Month. The event also will be offered via livestreaming.
The Wheaton Library is located at 11701 Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring. Registration is required to attend either the in-person event or to view via live streaming. Register at https://mcpl.libnet.info/event/8478858.
Mr. Xavier has been named a LGBTQ icon by The Equality Forum and has been presented with a New York City Council Citation Award. He has received an International Latino Book Award, Lambda Literary Award nominations and American Library Association Over the Rainbow Books selections for his collections that include Pier Queen, Americano, If Jesus Were Gay, Nefarious, Radiance and Selected Poems of Emanuel Xavier, Editor of Me No Habla With Acento: Contemporary Latino Poetry, Bullets & Butterflies: queer spoken word poetry and Mariposas: A Modern Anthology of Queer Latino Poetry, Mr. Xavier is the recipient of a Gay City Impact Award and The Marsha A. Gomez Cultural Heritage Award.
Mr. Cabico is a spoken-word pioneer, having won The Nuyorican Poets Cafe Grand Slam and later taking top prizes in three National Poetry Slams. His works appear in more than 30 anthologies including The Spoken Word Revolution, Chorus & The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry, and Aloud: Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Café. He is the co-editor of Flicker & Spark: A Contemporary Anthology of Queer Poetry and Spoken Word, which was nominated for a 2014 Lambda Literary Award.
On the morning of June 9, Mr. Xavier and Mr. Cabibo will visit Wheaton High School in Silver Spring and talk to students and teachers about storytelling and the writing process.
“The Contemporary Conversations series is a community forum to talk about cultural and current issues with experienced authors and journalists and to engage in enriching conversations,” said MCPL Director Anita Vassallo. “MCPL is delighted to bring these renown authors to the series and celebrate Pride Month with the community.”
After the presentation, there will be a reception with appetizers. During the reception, Mr. Xavier will be signing his book Selected Poems, which will be available at the event for purchase from the Friends of the Library, Montgomery County or by visiting https://bookshop.org/shop/folmc.
Previous speakers in the Contemporary Conversations series include Kojo Nnamdi, David Ignatius, Charles Lane, Hena Khan, Michelle Singletary, Dinaw Mengestu, Joshua Johnson, Haben Girma, Jarret Krosoczka, Michael W. Twitty, Sheree Renée Thomas, Tyehimba Jess, Karen Washington and Jabari S. Walker. For more information about previous speakers, visit
https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/library/programs/contemporary-conversations.html.
This program is co-sponsored by Friends of the Library, Montgomery County (FOLMC) and the Literacy Council of Montgomery County (LCMC).
For more information about the series, contact: Clotilde Puértolas at clotilde.puertolas@montgomerycountymd.gov.
