Xen Kingsley’s photography and spoken word poetry explore a cornucopia of personalities awash in soft light, muted colors and thoughtful turns of phrase, respectfully. His graceful artistry belies his observations of hard truths about racial politics and sociology.

After Kingsley’s mother bestowed upon him his government name - which is not Xen Kingsley -  even she admitted the name did not suit him. In his adult life, Kingsley learned to embrace the name and identity he wanted for himself.

“It may not be very important you, but Xen is who I am,” said Kingsley. “However, because of the collective need to categorize based on a lack of dimensional complexity, those of us with the courage to be more than what is expected are met with resentment.”

In the latest episode of the Rockford Register Star’s podcast, “From the Newsroom,” multimedia journalist Scott P. Yates discusses Kingsley’s identity as a photographer, poet, musician and more.

More from the Rockford Register Star.

More of "From the Newsroom: Rockford Register Star"

Host: Scott P. Yates; 815-987-1348; syates@rrstar.com; Twitter/IG: @scottpyates

Xen Kingsley on Instagram: @xentastic https://www.instagram.com/xentastic/

Xen Kingsley on the net: https://www.thexenaissance.com/

Music:

“Xen - ‘The Return’” by Xen826; https://soundcloud.com/xen-12/xen-the-return