Carlos Andres Gomez visits Vol State

by Miguel Detillier
Carlos Andres Gomez, award-winning poet, spoke at the Campus Activities Board (CAB) Coffee House in Volunteer State Community College on Oct. 4.
This lecture took place at the Mary Cole Nichols Dining Room A in the Randy and Lois Wood Campus Center from 12:45-1:45 p.m., after a student and faculty open-mic event that lasted from 12:15-12:45 p.m.
Gomez’s lecture started off with him reading a poem about dancing with a woman in a wheelchair in a nightclub called “Hector LaVoe is God.” Gomez also spoke about being in love with his partner in college which lead him to read a poem called “Everything.”
Gomez also talked about holding hands with a man in college which lead him to read a poem about homophobia and rigid gender roles called “Handstitch.”
Gomez communicated with the audience about their looks and identities like freshman Billy Trvoni who spoke about being told that he looked like George Lopez, which lead to Gomez reading a poem about stereotypes called “What does Hispanic look like?”
Gomez also spoke about dealing with the audience over specific lines and metaphors from poems that would confuse them.
And Gomez also told a story over the First Amendment Awareness Week when he asked questions to people in Kentucky about how they know the First Amendment, and also the reception that he got from asking those people about their thoughts on same-sex marriage.
Gomez also talked about dealing with his own fears and that he didn’t have to worry about his fears because of his privileges.
Gomez also communicated with students about how women are being treated like junior MaryAnn Kormoski who talked about the Pink Tax that charges money to women who buy products that are targeted towards women, which lead to him reading a poem about his daughter being gendered called “If a Princess Tries to Kidnap Your Daughter.”
And Gomez closes his lecture by reading a poem that he dedicated to his dyslexic younger sister and to those who have younger sisters called “Gifted.”
Tabitha Sherrell, Coordinator of Student Activities, said that Gomez was planning to give away a copy of his book called “Man Up: Reimagining Modern Manhood” at the open-mic event, but he didn’t because the books sold out the night before his lecture at Vol State.
“I loved coming to see Gomez perform at the Coffee House when I brought my English class to this event,” said Kelly Ormsby, Assistant Professor of English.
“We have studied poetry, and I think it is a great opportunity to see a poet perform his or her original work.”
Sherrell said that the Coffee House did really well for the Campus Activities Board, and that they’ve had an English class that came to see Gomez perform, and that four students participated in the open-mic showcase.
“It was an absolute joy to perform at Vol State, and I hope I make it back in the future,” said Gomez.