Xochiquetzal Candelaria is a poet, essayist, and teacher based in San Francisco, California. She is the author of two books of poetry, Empire, (University of Arizona Press, 2011) and Show Me the Bells, (Tia Chucha Press, 2024). Her work has appeared in The Nation, Tin House, New England Review, Seneca Review, and other magazines.

Xochiquetzal was born in San Jose, California, into a Chicano theatrical family; her uncle, Luis Valdez, founded famed theater troupe El Teatro Campesino. From a young age, she performed in plays dedicated to promoting art and political change. This led her, seemingly inevitably, to a love of poetry. When she reached UC Berkeley as an undergraduate, she sought out a politically active, artistic community. While there, she apprenticed under acclaimed poet, essayist, and activist June Jordan, helping to teach and direct the Poetry for the People outreach programs at Mission Cultural Center, Glide Memorial Church and Berkeley High-school. After university, she went on to earn a graduate degree from New York University, mentoring under former U.S. Poet Laureate Philip Levine.

Xochiquetzal’s awards include 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 poetry, composition and literature at City College of San Francisco.