poet, editor, photographer
Vic Xochitl Chavez is a queer disabled Chicane poet and bookworm in Chicago, IL, Turtle Island, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy.
They hold a BA in Creative Writing from Columbia College Chicago, where they were an assistant editor for both Columbia Poetry Review and Hair Trigger. Their poetry has been published in Southside Weekly, Breakbeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNEXT, and in Columbia College’s Poetry Review and Allium Journal. They are a senior poetry editor at Mulberry Literary, previously published in the magazine prior to taking up an editorial role.
They are a co-founder of Chicago Poet Society, an artist collective focused on bringing community healing through the comfort and fluidity of poetry.
Vic Xochitl’s poetry focuses on their family, their history, their heritage, grief, joy, and disabilities. Because they were raised by their local spoken word poetry scene in their teenagedom, structure and pauses are important to the way they write their poems. They like to play with punctuation. When they are looking for answers, hope, inspiration, they turn to books, their fiancé, weeping willow trees, walks in their neighborhood, and fiber arts.
They are also an amateur film photographer. Their grandfather, affectionately nicknamed Tata, always had a film camera holstered, ready to capture his everyday moments with his family. So, Vic Xochitl follows in his footsteps. They enjoy taking pictures of their loved ones, flowers and plants, Chicago architecture, and whatever small beauties catch their eyes.
They can often be found behind a film camera and buzzing somewhere between flowers.
vic xochitl chavez 