Howard Xiao, also known by his artist name hxthepoet, is an award winning speaker, writer, poet, and spoken word artist. 

In this episode, Xiao talks about his life in Michigan growing up to immigrant parents from China, the struggles he went through as an Asian American, and how he started to use poetry to beak through the stereotypes.

He was the 2010 California State Champion in Speech (Oratorical Interpretation), a finalist in numerous national speech tournaments between 2010 and 2012 – including the National Individual Events Tournament of Champions (NIETOC), Catholic Nationals, the MLK Tournament (Top 5), and the Glenbooks Tournament (top 5). From 2015 onward, Howard performed at slam poetry venues across the nation – becoming a finalist during slam poetry competitions at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and Bowery Poetry Club (New York), and at the Berkeley Slam (Berkeley, California). 

Since 2018 onward, Howard engages thousands of followers under his artist/pen name, hxthepoet – with the goal of sharing relatable and socially impactful poetry on topics like mental health, self-improvement, discrimination, bullying, and relationships. His poetry can be found @hxthepoet on Instagram and other social channels.