Xochiquetzal Candelaria

Xochiquetzal Candelaria's book, Empire, was published by University of Arizona Press in 2011. Her work has appeared in The Nation, Tin House, New England Review, Seneca Review and other magazines. Born in San Jose, California into a Chicano theatrical family, her uncle, Luis Valdez, founded El Teatro Campesino and from a young age Xochiquetzal performed in plays dedicated to promoting art and political change. This led her to a love of poetry when she sought out a politically active artistic community while attending UC Berkeley and she was able to work with acclaimed poet, essayist and activist, June Jordan. She went on to earn a graduate degree from New York University, studying with her mentor Phil Levine. She is the recipient of awards including an NEA Fellowship in Poetry and grants from the Vermont Studio Center, Bread Loaf Writer's Conference, Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, and the LEF Foundation. Her poetry and essays have been anthologized, most recently in Other Musics: New Latina Poetry, The Poetry of Capital, and The Awesome Difficult Work of Love: June Jordan’s Legacy. She teaches writing at City College of San Francisco and is currently on sabbatical in Pontevedra, Spain. She has poems forthcoming in the Colorado Review, Huizache, and the Cortland Review.