Essex Hemphill
Encyclopedia
Essex Hemphill was an American
poet
and activist. He was a 1993 Pew Fellowships in the Arts
.
and died on November 4, 1995 of AIDS-related complications. He is known for his activism for equality and rights for gay men.
His poetry has been published widely in journals, and his essays have appeared in High Performance, Gay Community News
, RFD Magazine, The Advocate
, Pyramid Periodical, 'Essence
, and others.
The poems and essays in Ceremonies address the sexual objectification of black men in white culture, relationships among gay black men and non gay black men, HIV
/AIDS
in the black community and the meaning of family.
Untied]] (1990)
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and activist. He was a 1993 Pew Fellowships in the Arts
Pew Fellowships in the Arts
The Pew Fellowships in the Arts is an organization established by the Pew Charitable Trusts in 1991 which awards grants to Philadelphia-area artists. The grants provide artists with an economic freedom that presents the opportunity to focus on their individual practices over a considerable period...
.
Biography
Essex Hemphill was born April 16, 1957 in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and died on November 4, 1995 of AIDS-related complications. He is known for his activism for equality and rights for gay men.
His poetry has been published widely in journals, and his essays have appeared in High Performance, Gay Community News
Gay Community News (Boston)
Gay Community News was a weekly journal published in Boston from 1973 to 1992 by the Bromfield Street Educational Foundation. It was an important resource for the LGBT community...
, RFD Magazine, The Advocate
The Advocate
The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
, Pyramid Periodical, 'Essence
Essence (magazine)
Essence is a monthly magazine for African-American women between the ages of 18 and 49. The magazine covers fashion, lifestyle and beauty with an intimate girlfriend-to-girlfriend tone.-History:...
, and others.
The poems and essays in Ceremonies address the sexual objectification of black men in white culture, relationships among gay black men and non gay black men, HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
in the black community and the meaning of family.
Works
- (essay in) BoyTheir Coming Out Stories, Patrick Merla (ed.) Avon Books. 1996
- (essayse Sentences: Writers, A
- Tongues Untied*Men and Intimacy, anthology
- New Men, anthology
- New Minds, anthology
- Natives, anthology
- Tourists and Other Mysteries, anthology
Untied]] (1990)
- Black Is...Black Ain't (1994)
- as narrator Out of the Shadows, AIDS documentary
Resources
- Article at Colorado.Edu
- Bio at Philadelphia Center for Arts
- Some of his work
- Article on him in Lodestar
- Entry at IMDB