A multi-hyphenated artist with experience in the written word, on the stage and on the screen, Carlos Andrés Gómez has won countless awards for his poetry and performed at venues like Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center. He is also an educator and performer, and has visited all 50 states and over 30 countries over the course of his career. Earlier this week, Special Assistant to the President for Belonging and Community, Associate Professor of English Jill Lamberton, and the Student Senate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee hosted Gómez on his fourth visit to Wabash.
Gómez is a connector who seeks to bridge individuals. This idea is at the core of how he sees himself and his work.
“The best way I can describe who I am and what I do, which I think are aligned and connected, is I use stories and I use art as a way to build connection, to connect us to each other and to connect us to our own humanity,” said Gómez. “If you see me read, if you see me perform, if you see me speak, I hope you feel empowered and seen. I hope that you leave thinking in more complex, critical and nuanced ways.”
Gómez discovered poetry as a means of self-expression while he was in high school, through the movie “Slam” and the work of American poet Martín Espada. He graduated with a degree in history from the University of Pennsylvania. After graduating, he devoted himself to art. From there, his career exploded.
“I’ve been an artist in all different kinds of genres and in all different kinds of ways, and the ride has continued,” said Gómez. “I knock on wood, and I say it very humbly and with a lot of gratitude, and we’ll see how long it goes. I hope I’m 90 and saying the same thing.”
Gómez’s visit included visits to classes, a workshop with student creators and, on Wednesday night, a performance of some of his poems and stories. Gómez wove narrative, personal anecdote, poetry and the audience’s own experiences into a coherent presentation. He touched on themes of belonging, masculinity, vulnerability and finding one’s place in the world. Gómez’s poetry itself was deeply vulnerable and honest. It roped in experiences from his childhood and young adult years, admissions which demonstrate his deeply reflective art and personality. In a packed Salter Hall, students took notice.
“Honestly, I came not really looking forward to being here and just dragging,” said Parker Cox ’29. “But I just feel good after listening to him talk; I feel empowered. His whole message was to be yourself, not shy away from attributes that others look down upon and to fully embody who you are. He did a really good job telling his story along with the story of embodying yourself.”
So much is written about how much we are divided — as a nation, as political parties or in discussions about what we should value. Carlos Andrés Gómez’s art seeks to heal those divisions that exist both within ourselves and our communities. He’s straightforward about that goal in a time where people and art that accomplishes it is more precious than ever.
“I want people to feel permission to be emotionally aligned and wholehearted and empathetic and inclined toward tenderness and inclined toward humanity and inclined toward courage,” said Gómez.
Gómez’s first bilingual edition of poetry — “Patrilineation” — releases this summer.