Carlos Andres Gomez is a man on a mission. The Colombian poet, actor and author arrived in Atlanta from New York City in the summer of 2019 – determined to bring his many gifts to bear in this place he now called home. Winner of numerous national awards, Gomez was already a rising literary star when he arrived.
Then the pandemic hit. For Carlos — like so many artists around the world — that meant shuttered venues, lost opportunities and canceled shows. Yet, over the past two years, he’s managed to author an award-winning book of poems, score a national literary award and launch a spoken word album that was under consideration for a Grammy.
In this Q& A with NEXT Executive Director P. Faith Carmichael, Carlos discusses the weight of the years-long pandemic, the indelible impact on his artistic process, and how these past 24 months have transformed his understanding of his true mission in life.
"As an artist, I don’t want to be just a mirror. I want to be a window that people can look through to something else that does not yet exist."
Carlos’ most recent project, Fractures, is an award-winning poetry collection that explores multiple forms of oppression and confronts society’s current, most pressing issues.
This year, Carlos also released his debut studio album, Opus, featuring producer Brent Shuttleworth and Grammy award-winning record producer Joe West. Learn more below.
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