AUTHOR & POET

Xavier O. Shipman

Poetry and essays on grief, race, and what it takes to keep going.
Author of Verses From a Wounded Soul.

Xavier O. Shipman Writing Desk
POETRY — AVAILABLE NOW
Verses From a Wounded Soul Book Cover

Verses From a Wounded Soul

By Xavier O. Shipman

A collection written through loss and recovery, holding the hard parts up to the light rather than looking away from them. Each piece serves as a quiet witness to grief, healing, and enduring strength.

Four lines from the book go here. Keep the line breaks exactly as they appear on the page. A short excerpt sells a poetry book better than any description of it.
CURATED STORE

Books & Poetic Greeting Cards

Explore published poetry collections and physical keepsake greeting cards featuring printed excerpts for sympathy, milestones, and quiet reflections.

Verses From a Wounded Soul Paperback
PAPERBACK BOOK

Verses From a Wounded Soul

First edition paperback exploring personal recovery and resilience.

$22.00
The Architecture of Memory
HARDCOVER EDITION

Architecture of Memory

Hardbound essay collection on family heritage and American roots.

$28.00
Comfort & Quiet Rooms Card
GREETING CARD

Comfort & Quiet Rooms

Textured ivory cardstock printed with a sympathy excerpt.

$8.00
Generations Keepsake Card
GREETING CARD

Generations & Roots

Hand-pressed literary card designed for honoring legacy and memory.

$8.00
SUBSTACK WRITINGS

The Essays

New essays publish regularly on Substack exploring grief, race, and history. Free to read, free to subscribe.

FEATURED ESSAY — READ ON SUBSTACK

How Do We Move Mountains

Race & American history — an ongoing examination of cultural endurance, systemic truth, and what it requires of us to sustain hope across generations.

Subscribe Free on Substack →
YOUTUBE READINGS

The Channel: Watch

Letters — you send me a loss, I write a poem for it and read it on camera. New video uploaded every week.

YouTube Video Thumbnail
PERSONALIZED POETRY

Commissions

A poem written for one occasion and one family. Memorials, funerals, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays. You tell me about the person; I write the words you can't find.

Short Poem

$150.00

Up to 16 lines. One revision included. Ideal for framing or private family keepsakes.

Start a Commission

Full Piece

$300.00

Longer custom piece designed for reading aloud at a memorial service or milestone event. Two revisions included.

Start a Commission
Turnaround: 5–7 business days.
Rush available for funerals. Ask.

Tell me who it's for, the occasion and date, a few details only you would know about them, and any lines or memories you want carried in. Payment after you've read a draft and said yes.

Xavier O. Shipman Profile
BIOGRAPHY

About Xavier

Xavier O. Shipman is a writer and poet focused on themes of loss, resilience, and personal history. Born and raised with a deep appreciation for storytelling, he began writing as a way to process grief and document lived experiences.

His work bridges personal vulnerability with broader cultural reflections, exploring how individual stories connect to shared human endurance. Through his published poetry collections and long-form essays, he offers readers honest, grounded perspectives.

He is currently working on his next essay collection while writing personalized commission pieces for families and hosting weekly spoken-word readings on YouTube.

GET IN TOUCH

Contact Xavier

For readings, orders, signed book copies, interviews, or custom poetry commissions. Direct email: Veresbooks@gmail.com