Pablo Cartaya is a grandson first and published author second. Cartaya shared an abundance of hilarious yet touching life experiences inside Stewart Hall on Thursday that inspired him to write and influenced his books. Pablo Cartaya is an internationally acclaimed author, screenwriter, speaker and educator. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, NBC and on Oprah’s Booklist. Pablo has worked with Disney, Apple+ and Sesame Street on projects adapted from television series and movies.

“The biggest reason why I write stories with so many Abuelos or grandparents is because my grandma was my first storyteller,” Cartaya said. Cartaya’s deep connection to his roots and the formation of his identity as a Cuban-American draws heavy, authentic themes into his books.

Cartaya says the formation of that identity began “in the earliest of middle school when I was the only LatinX kid in my class.” This made his middle school a pivotal time for him, bringing his cultural identity to light. Cartaya, sharing he did not have the greatest middle school experience, still sees junior high as the golden age of adolescence. He views it more as a process of learning from his mistakes and about how he carries his identity. 

This is also why his target audience are middle schoolers: “When you get an eighth grader to read something and they dig it, there is nothing better. Those are the most judgy, unforgiving creatures on the face of the earth, I get such a rush.” 

His first instance of wrestling with the idea of being one of the only Cuban kids in school was a middle school play, where he auditioned for the lead counterpart of a girl he had a crush on. But rather than getting the lead, he got the only Latino part in the play. Regardless, he took it.

Soon after, the director asked him if he could do an accent, so Cartaya gave him the best Speedy Gonzalez impression he could come up with. The director told him to really lean into it and Cartaya did, and said: “You're not really thinking about the harm that that is causing, right? By doing something like that, first of all by making a caricature of a beautiful culture and then also putting yourself into a position where you're even characterizing yourself.”

In the age where you are finding yourself, Cartaya wished to have asked his parents more about their cultural history and spent more time with his abuela. His interaction with his own culture is crucial since Cartaya writes “books that are reflective of my culture, my community, my family.”

But even after growing up, Cartaya still suffered from the ignorance of others while auditioning for TV and movie roles in LA. Auditions came with a headshot that had his first and last name, and when his director read Pablo Cartaya under a Cuban American with a “lighter” complexion, meeting him with discriminatory conflict. 

Cartaya’s experience with blatant discrimination made him reflect on what kind of artist he wanted to be. “Do I want to be that kind of person that shies away, right?” Cartaya said. “Or the person that claims their culture, their family, their community, that celebrates their way, right? I chose that and so my books became reflections of personal life stories.”

Cartaya connected with his audience and readers through his extremely personable life experiences without boasting about his accomplishments or listing off his achievements. He is purely so excited to share his stories and experiences with his identity from classrooms to concert halls. 

His infectious personality turned an author reading into a stand-up routine, leaving the audience to wonder how the hour passed so quickly. Cartaya also had a table in the back with his books that audience members could purchase. 

Cartaya’s books are available for purchase at www.pablocartaya.com.

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