by Miguel Detillier
Volunteer State Community College is planning to have spoken word artist Carlos Andres Gomez as a guest speaker this week.
Gomez will be speaking at the Mary Cole Nichols Dining Room A in the Randy and Lois Wood Campus Center on Tuesday, Oct. 4 from 12:45-1:45 p.m., after a student, faculty and staff open mic event that will last from 12:15-12:45 p.m. as part of the first Campus Activities Board (CAB) Coffee House of the fall semester.
Tabitha Sherrell, Coordinator of Student Activities, said that the Campus Activity Board (CAB) will be looking for faculty, staff and students who are interested in reading poetry or singing a song at the first Coffee House of this semester, and also that they will offer free coffee to students, faculty and staff in this event.
Sherrell also said that Gomez will be looking for a stand-out faculty, staff, or student performance during this event, and the winner of the showcase will win a copy of Gomez’s book called Man Up: Reimagining Modern Manhood.
According to the website, gomezlive.com, Gomez is an award-winning poet, actor, speaker and writer from New York City, and some of his accomplishments that he made in his career was winning the 2016 Best Diversity Award by Campus Activities Magazines, the 2015 Lucille Clifton Poetry Prize, the 2015 Makeda Bilqis Literary Award and even Artist of the Year at the 2009 Promoting Outsiders Writers Awards.
This website also acknowledges him for going viral online in May of 2016 with his poem called “What does Hispanic look like,” that reached over a million views in less than a month, and for co-starring with Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster and Clive Owen in “Inside Man” directed by Spike Lee, and for appearing in the sixth season of HBO’s “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry” and in the third season of TV One’s “Verses and Poems.”
Gomez has been featured on a wide range of media outlets and platforms like NPR, TEDx, the New York Times, and even most recently as a performer in a special event at the White House, according to gomezlive.com.
This website also said that Gomez has also headlined festivals all over the world including the U.K, South Africa, Australia, Ireland, Indonesia, and as Guest of Honor at the Berlin International Literature Festival in Germany, and also has lectured and performed at more than 400 colleges and universities, and even has delivered many keynotes and commencement addresses.
“I saw him perform at the APCA conference and he did an outstanding job with his performance there, and he was also really personable,” said Sherrell. “I think he is willing to give away a copy of his book to anyone who wins the showcase at the Coffee House this week.”
“I think that any chance that students would have to see a poet like Carlos Andres Gomez has the potential to be very inspiring,” said Leslie LaChance, Associate Professor of English.
Carlos Andres comes to Vol State
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