Xavier Valcárcel

Xavier Valcárcel was born San Juan, Puerto Rico, and grew up in Loíza. He is a writer, visual artist, and cultural activist. He studied fine arts and architecture education at the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras, where he also completed a master’s degree in cultural management and administration. 

Valcárcel is the author of eight books of poetry, including El deber del pan [Anthem of Evaporated Tears] (Cardboard House Press, 2025), translated by Roque Raquel Salas Rivera. 

In 2009, together with Nicole Cecilia Delgado, Valcárcel created the guerrilla publishing house Atarraya Cartonera. Some of his work has been translated into English, German, and Portuguese. 

In 2021, Valcárcel was named an inaugural Letras Boricuas Fellow by the Flamboyan Foundation.