Erin McNemar
Arts & Entertainment Editor
The Night Owl Cafe got a little taste of politics when award-winning poet performer Carlos Andrés Gómez showcased his work on Thursday, Nov. 15.
Gómez began writing and performing poetry at the age of 17, and has read his poetry at over 200 colleges and universities. Gómez has also appeared on television networks such as MTV and HBO.
“The biggest thing I think about when performing pieces is being as present as possible, listening, being genuine and having as much fun as possible,” Gómez said.
Gómez showcased his works that discussed topics such as love, respect for women and the concept of judgements. In-between poems, he interacted with audience members and talked about people being open minded. Gómez explained that he often writes about the things that people don’t want to talk about, but might just be the most important. “I think a lot of the inspiration for my poems comes from the overlooked moments, the deep silences that we don’t want to touch, my hope is to shed light on things that there is not light already being cast [on] and to put a voice to things that are surrounded in silence,” Gómez said.
During his performance, Gómez would stop to ask the audience questions about the area, to make his poems more relatable. At the end of the show, Gómez stayed around to sell his book, “Man Up” to those who attended.
While poetry can be up to the interpretation of the reader, Gómez has a message he wants people to take away. “I hope people feel and think in more profound and more complex ways. And I hope people feel inspired to be kind to themselves and be kinder to each other,” Gómez said.
Erin McNemar
can be contacted at
emcnemar@kscequinox.com
