Assotto Saint facts for kids

Assotto Saint (born Yves François Lubin) was an important American poet, publisher, and performance artist. He was born in Haiti and became a key figure in the art and writing world during the 1980s and early 1990s. He was known for his powerful voice, especially for Black artists and people from diverse backgrounds.

Early Life and Name

Assotto Saint was born on October 2, 1957, in Les Cayes, Haiti. His birth name was Yves François Lubin. In 1970, he moved to New York City. He briefly studied to become a doctor at Queens College. However, he soon left college to follow his passion for art.

Around this time, he chose the name Assotto Saint. He picked "Assotto" from a special drum used in Haitian traditions. He chose "Saint" to honor Toussaint Louverture, a famous Haitian revolutionary leader.

Artistic Journey

Discovering His Passion

From a young age, Assotto Saint loved theater and performing. This interest started from watching Catholic mass in his hometown. He took part in school plays at Jamaica High School in Queens, where he graduated in 1974.

Dance and New Beginnings

From 1973 to 1980, Saint was a dancer with the famous Martha Graham Dance Company. He had to stop dancing after an injury. In November 1980, he met Jan Holmgren, a musician and composer from Sweden. Jan became his life partner and worked with him on many art projects.

Together, Saint and Holmgren started a theater company called Metamorphosis Theatre. They also formed an electronic pop music group called Xotika. With Metamorphosis, Saint performed plays like Risin' to the Love We Need. This play won an award for gay and lesbian playwriting in 1980. Saint became an American citizen in 1986.

A Voice in Poetry

During this time, Assotto Saint began publishing his poems. His work appeared in important collections like In the Life: A Black Gay Anthology (1986). He also published his own small book of poems, Triple Trouble (1987).

Saint was part of a group of Black gay writers called Other Countries. He also helped edit a poetry collection called Other Countries: Black Gay Voices in 1988. He then started his own publishing company, Galiens Press. He used Galiens Press to publish works by Black gay poets.

Some of the books published by Galiens Press include:

• The Road Before Us: 100 Gay Black Poets (1991)
• Here to Dare: A Collection of Ten Gay Black Poets (1992)
• Milking Black Bull: 11 Black Gay Poets (1995)

Galiens Press also published Saint's own poetry books, Stations (1989) and Wishing for Wings (1994).

Supporting Other Artists

Assotto Saint was also a mentor to other rising Black artists. He helped guide people like Essex Hemphill and Marlon Riggs.

He won a Lambda Literary Award for his work as editor of The Road Before Us. This award celebrates books about diverse communities. He was also nominated for other Lambda Literary Awards for his books Here to Dare and Wishing for Wings. In 1990, he received a special award for poetry from the New York Foundation for the Arts. He also won the James Baldwin Award from the Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum.

Activism and Legacy

After Saint and Holmgren faced health challenges, Saint became an activist. He appeared in a 1993 film called No Regrets (Non, Je Regrette Rien). He was one of the first Black activists to openly share his health status.

Jan Holmgren passed away on March 29, 1993. Assotto Saint passed away on June 29, 1994. They are buried together in Brooklyn, New York.

After his death, a book called Spells of a Voodoo Doll: The Poems, Fiction, Essays and Plays of Assotto Saint was published in 1996. This book combined his life story with his published writings. It was also nominated for a Lambda Literary Award.

Many of Saint's personal papers are kept at the New York Public Library. They are stored at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. These papers include letters from his friends and colleagues.

Works

As editor

• The Road Before Us: 100 Gay Black Poets (1991)
• Here to Dare: 10 Gay Black Poets (1992)
• Milking Black Bull: 11 Gay Black Poets (1995)

As writer

• Triple Trouble (1987)
• Stations (1989)
• Wishing for Wings (1994)
• Spells of a Voodoo Doll: The Poems, Fiction, Essays and Plays of Assotto Saint (1996)