Today we’d like to introduce you to Xzavier Simon.
Hi Xzavier, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started writing as a middle schooler when my mother gave me my first-ever journal. I loved English and Literature class, and I said I wanted to be an author. I played a lot of Japanese RPGs like Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, and a bunch of Nintendo and Sega Genesis games, watched a lot of Japanese anime, and was fascinated by the worlds and narratives they created. Those things kick-started my love for writing and storytelling.
I wrote stories and journaled throughout high school, and made short stories to post on my MySpace and other websites back in the day. However, it took until I was 25 to start my author career. During that era, I traveled for a couple of years and self-published books based on events from my life and others with some success. Eventually, I arrived back in Flint, looking for work, and found a post from Flintside seeking writers. That, along with starting my own publication called The Modern Queer Magazine, launched my journalism career.
I didn’t go to school for journalism and never intended to get into the field. But life led me here, and I’m glad I accumulated a bunch of writing knowledge and experience beforehand. With Flintside, I discovered a niche in featuring Flint’s arts & creative culture and entrepreneurs. At the time, no one was covering them in depth, especially Flint’s music scene. At the same time, my work within the queer community through The Modern Queer blossomed because, again, no one was telling those stories.
All of that started in late 2019, and with a lot of hard work, humility, and patience, I became the Managing Editor of Flintside. Plus, my work within the queer community has led to incredible opportunities. It wasn’t easy. And it sure as hell wasn’t always pretty. But I believe I’m in these spaces for a reason and intend to do great work and help create a different narrative for Flint.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It started smoothly. But there’s an eb and flow to it all. I’ve dealt with jealousy, people wanting to take advantage of me, friendships ending because of differences of opinion and business decisions, people not wanting to be interviewed because of my sexuality, and a bunch of other things. There’s also the pressure and demands from the community to be present and write about everything that’s going on.
I’ve definitely gotten mad, had moments where I wanted to walk away, and did a few times actually, and had to call my friends to vent and talk me down from doing stupid stuff. It’s hard not to feel like a victim when bad things happen, or be in your ego when you know people are hating. I’m appreciative that I took the time to reflect on those interactions and learned from them. And that I had a core group of people I could talk to.
Now at 36, I’m grateful for those experiences. They taught me a lot, humbled me, and have given me a wealth of knowledge and wisdom to pass along and mentor the young journalists who work with me. So, while there were struggles, I’m glad that I never let it affect the quality of my work. I’m happy that I never went to social media and yelled at the world. And I’m glad that the community did and still does have faith and trust in me.
If any of those things had happened, I don’t think I’d be having this conversation with you all now.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Flintside?
Flintside is a hyperlocal publication that is focused on solution-oriented journalism. We want to know who the changemakers are in the community. We want to highlight the businesses, organizations, and nonprofits that are working to make Flint a better place. We want to let the world know about the incredible community events and activism that’s happening right in our backyards. And we want to educate the community and keep them informed.
That’s the overall mission. But within that, we’ve built a great following by extensively featuring Flint’s arts and creative culture, young entrepreneurs, and community members. You can’t find a better collection of interviews with Flint’s music artists outside of Flintside. I believe that’s what sets us apart from other local publications, and it’s something we’re very proud of.
We’ve also had incredible photojournalists and writers come through Flintside who’ve gone on to produce content for national publications and foundations, win awards, and teach college classes. Flintside’s also given college students and young people the chance to hone their skills, refine their writing voices and fact-checking, and be more involved in the community. We do our best to prepare those who want to enter the field of journalism and to enhance and uplift those who’re already well within it.
Overall, I’d like people to know that Flintside is a publication dedicated to telling authentic Flint stories and is a trusted source in an era where journalism and media are under constant attack.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I’d say it’s my desire to connect people. Looking back at what’s got me here has always been asking whose stories aren’t being told and how we can highlight them. I love different perspectives, understanding people’s lives and cultures, and why they do what they do. I believe that’s how we grow and have empathy.
While I never thought I’d do this kind of work, journalism has given me a way to connect people with stories they might have never read, perspectives they never encountered, and to build community events that create space for nuanced conversations. If I can help build that and give people a better understanding of each other, that makes me feel like I’m doing my job and changing the narrative of Flint from resilient to becoming.
Flint isn’t waiting for someone else to define or create its future. We’re building it. And my job is to help people see it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.flintside.com
- Instagram: @flintsidenews
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flintside
Image Credits
Ryan Hobson, Ryan Hobson, Ryan Hobson, Bryce Mata, Anthony Summers, Bryce Mata, Bryce Mata, Jen Veloso, Anthony Summers
