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On my best days, I strive to be “full of tenderness and bravado.” What a tremendous honor—

Circling Fatherhood has been named the winner of the 2024 Poetry International Chapbook Prize.

This chapbook, which is excerpted from Where Language Ends, gives a sneak peek at my forthcoming full-length poetry collection and will be published as a portfolio in Issue 30 of Poetry International later this year. I cannot wait for you to read these poems.

My heartfelt gratitude to Sandra Alcosser, Blas Falconer, Meagan Marshall, Piotr Florcyzk, Alejandra Hernández, Luis Torres, & the entire Poetry International Editorial Board. I was completely flabbergasted by this news.

Welcoming in every little bit of light right now.

#CirclingFatherhood
#WhereLanguageEnds
#PoetryInternational
#PoetryInternationalChapbookPrize
#BackToWork

Some news to bring a little light into this new year:
“Fractures” just won the North American Book Award, Gold Medal for Poetry.

I do not take lightly that in the history of the North American Book Awards only 3 gold medals have been given out in this category. For “Fractures” to be recognized with one of them is humbling and a complete shock.

Somehow this mighty little book on a scrappy university press has won 7 (!) book awards since its release and found its way to readers across the globe.

While I was in the United Arab Emirates last month, several people came up to me with well-loved copies of “Fractures” that they’ve been reading and teaching in Dubai.

An extremely small percentage of published books make it to a fourth print run, and we’re already down to the last few dozen copies of “Fractures” before we’ll need a fifth printing of the book.

Big shoutout to all of the high school teachers, undergrad/MFA/grad professors, and librarians who’ve recommended, assigned, taught, championed, or made room for “Fractures” on their bookshelf. It means everything.

Back to the work. Onward.

#FracturesBook
#CarlosOnTour
#FelixPollakPrize
#NewManuscriptOnDeck…

Thankful to make it back a few hours before my birthday.

A blur of a 48-hour visit to Dubai—I got to perform in one of the most stunning venues of my life where a stage emerged on this edge of the sand of Nessnass Beach in Jumeirah, kissing the Arabian Gulf, beneath the brightest night sky.

Heartfelt thank you to the Emirates Literature Foundation , U.S. Mission to the UAE,  Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, & everyone who made this visit possible. I’m honored by your continued belief in me & support of my work. I hope to see you again in 2026.

Love, admiration, and respect to Lemn Sissay & Afra Atiq for your words and your hearts. I like this ritual of us meeting up at lit events across the globe. Let’s do it again soon.

#CarlosOnTour
#Dubai
#emiratesairlinefestivalofliterature
#EmiratesLitFest
#EmiratesLitFoundation

Before I depart for Dubai (shortly) for my final performance and workshop of 2024, I’m reflecting on some highlights of my fall tour:

• Performing at the COLEGAS Annual Conference in Sacramento
(where I got the chance to connect with some of the most transformative, brilliant, and courageous higher ed administrators & educators I’ve ever encountered.)

• Receiving the inaugural Creative Life Award
(which allowed me to travel to DC and read some poems at Busboys & Poets, celebrate the incredible work of a non-profit I adore and admire, Writing Through, &, perhaps most special of all: see some of my dearest friends(and my god daughter!).)

• Being a featured author at the 20th Dodge Poetry Festival
(brought so many things full circle for me. There is nothing quite like a packed audience of poetry lovers. The lushness of the listening radiates off the walls.)

• Keynoting at the CIMPA Conference in the Cayman Islands
(a place I’ve traveled to and performed several times over the past two decades. It was so great to finally make it back after a long absence)

• Doing several day-long residencies at independent schools across the U.S.
(where we read poems closely, wrestled with global citizenship and what it means to bravely show up in the world, & I reconnected with some old friends I hadn’t seen in years.)

By my birthday this coming Monday, I will be back home and ready to decompress and unplug.

I am so grateful to everyone who hosted me for a gig this semester, assigned “Fractures” to their college students, or drove to see me at a gig. Ultimately, art is a catalyst for connection. And I feel so humbled by the ways so many show up for me and continue to champion my work.

Next month, I kick off my 2025 tour with scheduled visits to PA, IL, OH, KS, NY, IN, CA, MI, and I’ll be closing out my spring tour in Japan at the end of May.

If you (or someone you know) might want to jump in the mix and book me for a keynote, performance, or residency at your school, organization, conference, festival, or company—send me a note.

With all my heart,
Carlos

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