Award-winning poet, two-time International Poetry Slam Champion, trained facilitator, and keynote speaker.
Carlos has performed and delivered keynotes at more than 1,000 colleges, universities, independent schools, and companies across 47 U.S. states and 27 countries, collaborated with John Legend on a project to counteract bullying, co-starred in the Spike Lee film Inside Man with Denzel Washington, and drew a standing ovation at the Obama White House.
A former social worker and public school teacher, Carlos is the International Book Award-winning author of the poetry collection Fractures (selected by Pulitzer Prize winner and 19th U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey as the winner of the Felix Pollak Prize) and the memoir Man Up: Reimagining Modern Manhood, released by Penguin Random House. A star of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, you may recognize Carlos from his viral poems, “What Latino Looks Like,” “Where are you really from?” and others, which have garnered more than 10 million views online.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College, Carlos was named 2021 Georgia Author of the Year, 2016 Best Diversity Artist by Campus Activities Magazine, and Artist of the Year at the 2009 Promoting Outstanding Writers Awards. He is a proud Colombian American and father of two.
What does Carlos typically do when he visits?
Carlos uses his expertise to craft uniquely-tailored programming centered on inclusion, wellness, inspiration, and belonging, while giving attendees actionable strategies to live healthier and better lives.
Typically, his engagements include one or more of the following: an hour-long performance (of poetry, storytelling, and audience interaction) followed by a meet and greet, a keynote speech addressing a specified theme or topic, one of his acclaimed interactive workshops (see below for details), a class visit, or a professional development training (i.e. inclusion and belonging, tools for mental and emotional wellness, leadership, and much more).
Often, Carlos does half-day and full-day (or multi-day) residencies that combine several of the aforementioned programming options, each of which can be geared toward students, staff, faculty, administrators, and beyond.
