Steven Reigns (born 1975) is an American

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

and

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

known for his poetry publications, his work as West Hollywood's first City Poet, his participatory art projects, his LGBT activism, and his scholarly work on

Anaïs Nin Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell (February 11, 1903 – January 14, 1977; , ) was a French-born American diarist, essayist, novelist, and writer of short stories and erotica. Born to Cuban parents in France, Nin was the d ...

Biography

Early years

Reigns grew up in the suburbs of

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. From an early age, he sought refuge from a troubled home life in local libraries where he discovered the writers who would have a huge impact on his own work:

Sapphire Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, chromium, vanadium, or magnesium. The name sapphire is derived via the Latin "sapphir ...

Essex Hemphill Essex Hemphill (April 16, 1957 – November 4, 1995) was an openly gay American poet and activist. He is known for his contributions to the Washington, D.C. art scene in the 1980s, and for openly discussing the topics pertinent to the African-Am ...

Dorothy Allison Dorothy Allison (born April 11, 1949) is an American writer from South Carolina whose writing focuses on class struggle, sexual abuse, child abuse, feminism and lesbianism. She is a self-identified lesbian femme. Allison has won a number of a ...

Edmund White Edmund Valentine White III (born 1940) is an American novelist, memoirist, playwright, biographer and an essayist on literary and social topics. Since 1999 he has been a professor at Princeton University. France made him (and later ) de l'Ordr ...

Amy Scholder Amy Scholder is an American literary editor and documentary filmmaker known for amplifying the stories of marginalized writers, artists, musicians, and activists. Biography Early years Born in San Francisco, Scholder grew up in the San Fernando ...

, John Preston and

Audre Lorde Audre Lorde (; born Audrey Geraldine Lorde; February 18, 1934 – November 17, 1992) was an American writer, womanist, radical feminist, professor, and civil rights activist. She was a self-described "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet," who ...

Career

Reigns graduated from the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF is ...

, where he wrote a bi-monthly column for TLW magazine, with a degree in Creative Writing. He also has a Masters in Clinical Psychology from

Antioch University Antioch University is a private university with multiple campuses in the United States and online programs. Founded in 1852 as Antioch College, its first president was politician, abolitionist, and education reformer Horace Mann. It changed its n ...

. Reigns is a fourteen-time recipient of the Los Angeles County Department of Cultural Affairs' Artist in Residency Grant. He was elected as West Hollywood's inaugural City Poet for a two-year term beginning in October 2014. He was selected as "Someone to Watch in 2015" by The Advocate Magazine. Reigns was selected for a City of Los Angeles Individual Artist Fellowship in 2020.

Library Activism

Reigns has cited public libraries and librarians as a major influence on his development as an artist and activist. He has campaigned in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and queer programming in libraries. In 2004 he organized 'Loving in Fear', an LGBQT literary event in response to Hillsborough County's lack of gay, lesbian, bisexual or queer programming.Citytimes: Literary showcase honors gay authors
/ref> He recounted the experience in a Watermark Magazine article about

National Library Week First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week (NLW) is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and Library, libraries across the United States each April, typically the second full week. It promotes library use a ...

.Watermark Online – Florida's Distinctive Gay & Lesbian Publication
/ref> He was the first to speak to the commissioners about their discriminatory policy at the library. He was Literary Director for The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Center of

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

for two years.Velvet Mafia's Hit List – Contributor's Bios Issue 17
/ref> Reigns has been keynote speaker at

Rollins College Rollins College is a private college in Winter Park, Florida. It was founded in November 1885 and has about 30 undergraduate majors and several graduate programs. It is Florida's fourth oldest post-secondary institution. History Rollins Colle ...

, Stonewall Library, and at the American Library Associations Annual Breakfast. He facilitates the monthly

Lambda Literary Foundation The Lambda Literary Foundation (also known as Lambda Literary) is an American LGBTQ literary organization whose mission is to nurture and advocate for LGBTQ writers, elevating the impact of their words to create community, preserve their legaci ...

Book Club.

HIV/AIDS Activism

Reigns worked as a certified (in Florida and California) HIV test counselor for over 10 years, testing more than 9000 people. He contributed to a panel with Los Angeles County on standards of care for HIV. In 2011, he ran a support group that utilized film as a projective tool at Being Alive. In 2012, he published an essay in Frontiers Magazine on the need for new AIDS narratives in cinema and literature. He published a poem about the so-called AIDS "Patient Zero"

Gaëtan Dugas Gaëtan Dugas (; February 19, 1952 – March 30, 1984) was a Québécois Canadian flight attendant and a relatively early HIV patient who once was widely regarded as " Patient Zero," or the primary case for AIDS in the United States. This ...

and in 2018 hosted an event at West Hollywood Council Chambers discussing Dugas’ legacy. Reigns participated in a staged conversation about

Keith Haring Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual language". Much of his wor ...

with

Ann Magnuson Ann Magnuson (born January 4, 1956) is an American actress, performance artist, and nightclub performer. She was described by ''The New York Times'' in 1990 as "An endearing theatrical chameleon who has as many characters at her fingertips as Lil ...

The Broad The Broad () is a contemporary art museum on Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles. The museum is named for philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad, who financed the $140 million building that houses the Broad art collections. It offers free general ...

for World AIDS Day 2022.

Artistic Projects

The Gay Rub

Reigns created

The Gay Rub The Gay Rub is a participatory art project originally created by American poet, artist, and activist Steven Reigns. The collection consists of over 350 “rubbings from GLBTQ historical markers, signs, tombstones, cenotaphs, plaques and monuments ...

, a participatory art project in 2011 and has curated the project ever since.

is a collection of rubbings taken from historically significant LGBTQ public markers, memorials, and monuments. Participants from around the world contribute rubbings of markers from their home city, along with commentary. There are currently more than 200 rubbings in the collection, which has toured major universities. The collection is the subject of ''The Gay Rub: A Documentary'' (2018) by Michael J. Saul.

Other Art Projects

Reigns has participated in several collaborative online projects, such as Heather Champs' Mirror Project and Anni Holm's Getting My Name Out There. He was also a character in Hilary Goldberg'
In The Spotlight
His artwork has been shown in galleries throughout the U.S.A including at The Advocate gallery part of Rainbow Gobblins exhibit in May 2007. From 2007 to 2014, Reigns undertook a 7 years living/art project under the mentorship of

Linda Montano Linda Mary Montano (born January 18, 1942, Saugerties (town), New York, Saugerties, New York (state), New York) is an American performance artist. Early life Montano was raised in a devoutly Roman Catholic household, partly Irish and partly Itali ...

, ''S(t)even Years''.

Audio-visual Media

Reigns and his work have been featured in a variety of other media, including: * Cameo appearances as a "homo hommie" in

Jonny McGovern Jonny McGovern (born July 12, 1976), also known by his character name The Gay Pimp, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician and podcaster. He has recorded three albums as comedic singer The Gay Pimp, appeared as a cast member of Logo' ...

's video ''Dickmatized'' and as a partier in ''Texting on the Dance Floor'' * Co-host of IMRU Radio, the nations longest running LGBT radio show With some of his segments airing nationally on ''This Way Out'' * Dean Littner directed a 64 min documentary on the ''My Life is Poetry'' Class * His poem ''Domicilium'' was put to music and performed by One Voice Chorus in North Carolina * Two poems by Reigns are used in Hunter Lee Hughes' black-and-white feature film ''Guys Reading Poems''. Reigns is only one of two living poets whose work was used in the film. ''Recipe Box'' and ''Put Your Head on my Shoulder'', both from his second collection ''Inheritance'', are featured in the film * Lines from Reigns’ poem ''Morning, West Hollywood'' were incorporated into vinyl art banners hung in the West Hollywood City Hall Community Plaza in 2016. Reigns collaborated with artist MONCHO1929 for this project * Reigns was featured in Jenny Holzer’s SPEECH ITSELF (2022), a series of large-scale projections on the facades of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, 610 Fifth Avenue, and 620 Fifth Avenue. SPEECH ITSELF marked the centenary of

PEN America PEN America (formerly PEN American Center), founded in 1922 and headquartered in New York City, is a nonprofit organization that works to defend and celebrate free expression in the United States and worldwide through the advancement of litera ...

Scholarly work

Reigns is an

scholar and has presented at The Sapphire Symposium.ASU Department of English Special Feature
/ref>

Anaïs Nin Scholarship

Reigns discovered Nin’s poetry at the age of sixteen and her work has had a profound influence on his career. In February 2008, Reigns organized ‘

@105’ at the

Hammer Museum The Hammer Museum, which is affiliated with the University of California, Los Angeles, is an art museum and cultural center known for its artist-centric and progressive array of exhibitions and public programs. Founded in 1990 by the entrepreneur- ...

. Reigns said, "Nin bonded and formed very deep friendships with women and men decades younger than her. Some of them are still living in Los Angeles and I thought it'd be wonderful to have them share their experiences with (Nin)." Electronic musician

Bebe Barron Bebe Barron ( – ) and Louis Barron ( – ) were two American pioneers in the field of electronic music. They are credited with writing the first electronic music for magnetic tape composed in the United States, and the first entirely elec ...

, who was championed by Nin early in her career, made her last public appearance at ‘Anaïs Nin@105’. Reigns spoke at Barron's memorial. Reigns combed through Nin's original diaries to investigate the validity of

Bern Porter Bernard Harden Porter (born February 14, 1911, Porter Settlement in Houlton, Aroostook County, Maine – died June 7, 2004, in Belfast, Maine) was an American artist, writer, publisher, performer, and physicist. He was a representative of the avan ...

's claims of his sexual relationship in the 1930s with

, which were published as a series of interviews in the 1990s. Reigns' essay refuting Porter's claims, ''Bern Porter's Wild Sexual Life with Anais Nin or Wild Imaginings?'' was published in ''Café in Space and Thinking of Anaïs Nin''. Reigns' poem 'Anaïs Nin Never Bought a Car' was published in ''Divining Divas: 100 Gay Poets on Their Muses'' (2012). Reigns facilitated the 2010 re-release of a long out-of-circulation audio book by Nin. Reigns loaned his rare 1949 pink vinyl version of Nin reading her prose poem ''House of Incest'', recorded by Louis and Bebe Barron, to their son Adam Barron. Adam Barron used it as the basis for a CD release. Reigns owns a large collection of Nin memorabilia and ephemera, including a copy of

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel ''In Search of Lost Time'' (''À la recherche du temps perdu''; with the previous Eng ...

Albertine disparue ''Albertine disparue'' (''Albertine Gone'') is the title of the sixth volume of Marcel Proust's seven part novel, ''À la recherche du temps perdu''. It is also known as ''La Fugitive'' (in French) and ''The Sweet Cheat Gone'' (in English). Plot ...

, once owned by Nin. In the book are lines underlined by

Henry Miller Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, social criticism, philosophical ref ...

with notes written in the margin by both Nin and Miller. Reigns organized and curated ''Anais Nin's Influence: Women who Knew Nin Talk About her Writing, Her Life and Their Friendship with Her'' at the West Hollywood Library in 2015. Reigns said of Nin and the event: "The struggles of life, love, and artistry Nin documented in detail daily. Her life and writings are more relevant now than ever. Hearing firsthand from women who Nin is an exceptional experience." In January 2016, Reigns co-produced an event at Antioch University Santa Barbara, ''The Allure of Anaïs Nin.'' He serves on the Anaïs Nin Foundation Board.

Teaching

Reigns has taught writing workshops throughout his career. He began by teaching to LGBT youth groups across the United States, followed by workshops for HIV+ people,. He has taught poetry to LGBT Seniors at

Los Angeles LGBT Center The Los Angeles LGBT Center (previously known as the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center) is a provider of programs and services for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The organization's work spans four categories, including health, soc ...

for many years. This workshop ''My Life is Poetry'' was the first of its kind in the country and resulted in a book of the students' writings edited by Reigns. As part of his tenure as West Hollywood City Poet, he taught free writing workshops for National Poetry Month in West Hollywood, CA. Filmmaker Dean Littner made a documentary about the 2013 ''My Life Is Poetry'' reading by Reigns' students.

Publications

A Quilt For David

''A Quilt for David'' (City Lights Books, 2021) ISBN 9780872868816 ''A Quilt For David'' explores the life of Florida dentist David J. Acer, who in 1990 was accused of infecting a patient ( Kimberly Bergalis) with HIV. Reigns describes the work as “investigative poetry” as it is based on extensive research into Acer’s life and death, including interviews with those who knew him, as it played out against the AIDS hysteria of the late 1980s and early 1990s. In his poetry, Reigns challenges the media narrative of the time, which was that Acer infected his patients deliberately.

Other Poetry Publications

Reigns has published two other books of poetry. *''Your Dead Body is My Welcome Mat'' (2001) *''Inheritance'' (2011) ''Inheritance'' was selected by Lambda Literary Foundation's My Story Book Club. Reigns has also published chapbooks: *''Ignited'' (2006) *''Cartography'' (2007) *''Stu'' (2014) His poetry is included in ''Velvet Mafia'', a poetry chapbook on gay and lesbian response to war, ''Outside the Green Zone''. Reigns was featured as Mr. November in the ''Most Intriguing and Sensual Male Poet Calendar''(2006). In June 2008, Reigns edited the anthology ''My Life is Poetry'', a book of autobiographical poetry by gay, lesbian, and bisexual seniors created by those attending his workshops of the same name. The poems are accompanied by photographic portraits by Jenny Walters. The preface was written by

. In July 2015, Reigns edited ''3-Pack Jack'', a three book set based on his 2013 curation of the Apt3F performance series at Akbar, Los Angeles.

Other Work

* Reigns wrote an article in defense of transgender writer and activist

Kate Bornstein Katherine Vandam Bornstein (born March 15, 1948) is an American author, playwright, performance artist, actor, and gender theorist. In 1986, Bornstein started identifiying as gender non-conforming and has stated "I don't call myself a woman, ''and ...

* Reigns' short story''On These Sheets'' is included in the ''Foolish Hearts'' anthology a Rainbow Book Finalist Reigns' papers are held by the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at USC Libraries.