Essex Hemphill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Essex Hemphill
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| Born | April 16, 1957 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | November 4, 1995 (aged 38) Philadelphia |
| Occupation | Poet, activist |
| Nationality | American |
Essex Hemphill (born April 16, 1957 – died November 4, 1995) was an American poet and activist. He was known for his important work in the art scene of Washington, D.C. during the 1980s. Hemphill openly discussed topics that were important to the African-American community, especially for those who were also gay. His powerful words and actions helped many people.
Contents
About Essex Hemphill
Early Life and Education
Essex Hemphill was born on April 16, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois. He was one of five children born to Warren and Mantalene Hemphill. When he was young, his family moved to Washington, D.C.. There, he went to Ballou High School.
Essex began writing poetry when he was just fourteen years old. After finishing high school, he went to the University of Maryland in 1975. He planned to study journalism. Even though he left college after his first year, he stayed very involved in the D.C. art world. He performed spoken word poetry and started publishing his first small poetry books. Later, he earned a degree in English from the University of the District of Columbia.
A Career in Poetry and Activism
In 1979, Essex Hemphill and his friends started a publication called Nethula Journal of Contemporary Literature. This journal was created to show off the work of modern Black artists. One of his first public poetry readings was set up by the journal's co-editor, E. Ethelbert Miller. This event took place at Howard University, where Hemphill performed and became friends with filmmaker Michelle Parkerson. He also performed at many other famous places, including Harvard University and the University of California, Los Angeles.
In 1982, Essex Hemphill, his close friend Larry Duckett, and his college roommate Wayson Jones formed a spoken word group. They called their group "Cinque," and they performed in the Washington D.C. area. Hemphill kept performing his rhythmic, spoken word poetry. In 1983, he received a special grant from Washington Project for the Arts. This grant allowed him to create an "experimental dramatization" of poetry called Murder on Glass. He performed this show with Michelle Parkerson and Wayson Jones.
Hemphill also started publishing his own poetry collections. His first books were Diamonds Was in the Kitty and Some of the People We Love (both in 1982). Later, he published Earth Life (1985) and Conditions (1986), which were very well-received. He became more widely known when his work was included in In the Life (1986). This was a collection of poems by Black, gay artists, put together by Hemphill's good friend and fellow author, Joseph F. Beam. Hemphill's poetry and essays were published in many important journals and magazines. In 1986, he received a special award for poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Essex Hemphill also appeared in several documentaries between 1989 and 1992. In 1989, he was in Looking for Langston. This film, directed by Isaac Julien, was about the poet Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance. Hemphill also worked with the award-winning filmmaker Marlon Riggs on two documentaries. These films were Tongues Untied (1989) and Black is... Black Ain't (1992). These films explored what it meant to be Black and how different identities connected.
After Joseph Beam passed away in 1988, Essex Hemphill worked with Beam's mother to publish a second book. This book was a follow-up to In the Life. The new book was published in 1991 and was called Brother to Brother: New Writings by Black Gay Men. It featured the works of about three dozen authors, including Hemphill himself. Hemphill helped finish the book, seeing it as a way to speak out. He said the book was created "in the context of confronting AIDS and the death around us. It’s almost like a fierce resistance that says, ‘Before I die, I’m going to say these things.’" Brother to Brother later won a Lambda Literary Award.
In 1992, Hemphill published his largest collection of poetry and short stories, called Ceremonies: Prose and Poetry. This book included new work and selections from his earlier collections. The next year, Ceremonies won the National Library Association's Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual New Author Award. It also received a Pew Fellowship in the Arts. In 1993, he was a visiting scholar at the Getty Center.
Later Years and Passing
In the 1990s, Essex Hemphill did not often talk about his health. However, he sometimes mentioned "being a person with AIDS." In 1994, he wrote about his experiences with the illness in his poem "Vital Signs." He passed away on November 4, 1995, due to complications related to AIDS.
Essex Hemphill's Lasting Impact
After Essex Hemphill's passing, December 10, 1995, was named a National Day of Remembrance for him. This day was organized by three groups at the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center in New York City. Filmmaker Cheryl Dunye dedicated her 1996 film Watermelon Woman to Hemphill.
In his essay "(Re)- Recalling Essex Hemphill," writer Thomas Glave honored Hemphill's life. Glave wrote about how Hemphill's actions continued to have an impact. He said that Hemphill's presence was like that of a "giant." He also noted that future leaders would learn from Hemphill to seek truth with passion and honesty.
In 2014, Martin Duberman wrote a book called Hold Tight Gently: Michael Callen, Essex Hemphill, and the Battlefield of AIDS. This book tells the stories of Essex Hemphill and another author and activist, Michael Callen. The book won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Nonfiction.
In June 2019, Hemphill was one of the first fifty American "pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes" to be honored. His name was added to the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor at the Stonewall National Monument (SNM) in New York City's Stonewall Inn. The SNM is the first U.S. national monument dedicated to LGBTQ rights and history. The wall was revealed during the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots.
Works and Themes
Key Themes in His Work
Much of Essex Hemphill's poetry and spoken word was about his own life. He wrote about his experiences as a minority in both the African-American and LGBT communities.
A common feeling Hemphill wrote about was loneliness. In his work, loneliness was a painful feeling, like always being rejected. He wrote about how many Black gay men felt rejected by white gay communities. Then, they might also feel rejected within their own Black communities. Hemphill showed loneliness as a feeling shared by many. He described it as a state of being, where people suffered without public recognition. This feeling of being separate from others created a strong desire for community and support.
Essays and Anthologies
Essex Hemphill's writings include:
- (essay in) Patrick Merla (ed.), Boys Like Us: Gay Writers Tell Their Coming Out Stories, Avon Books. 1996
- (essays in) Thomas Avena (ed.), "Life Sentences: Writers, Artists, and AIDS", Mercury House. 1994
- Ceremonies: Prose and Poetry, 1992; Cleis Press, 2000, ISBN: 9781573441018
- Conditions: Poems, Be Bop Books, 1986
He was also featured in or edited these collections:
- In the Life
- Gay and Lesbian Poetry in Our Time
- Art Against Apartheid
- Men and Intimacy
- High Risk
- New Men
- New Minds
- Natives
- Tourists and Other Mysteries
- (ed.) Brother to Brother: New Writings by Black Gay Men, 1991; RedBone Press, 2007, ISBN: 9780978625115
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Essex Hemphill
