ESSEX HEMPHILL was a poet who's written about being black and gay and edited anthologies of bl...

NPR Published Dec 1, 1995 Reviewed Jul 2, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors

"Vital Signs" was written in 1993.

1993 · Vital Signs ESSEX HEMPHILL, poet

Hemphill wrote two poetry books, Earth Life and Conditions.

2 · poetry books ESSEX HEMPHILL, poet

ESSEX HEMPHILL was a poet who's written about being black and gay and edited anthologies of black gay poets. He died this year. During our interview, last year, he read from his work "Vital Signs" which was written in 1993 after he discovered how low his T-cell count had fallen. Hemphill also wrote two poetry books Earth Life and Conditions and a collection called Ceremonies. He was also the editor of Brother to Brother: New Writings by Black Gay Men.

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