Hebert Poll Gutiérrez
Hebert Poll Gutierrez is a Cuban author, storyteller, poet, and playwright with 19 years of experience currently based in Calgary. He believes in the power of stories and theater to shape reality. Art is his strategy to defend his triple cultural identity: His identity as an artist, a Cuban, and Afro-descendant. Hebert has published nine books in several genres (poetry, theater, and short fiction). His latest books are: Last Planet Standing (Letra de Kmbio Publishers, 2023), Whispers from the Black Gods (The Elite Lizzard Publishing Company, 2022).
Some of his writings appear in magazines and more than 20 anthologies from Cuba, Venezuela, Canada, Spain, the United States, Mexico, Germany, and other countries. Companies from Latin America, Europe, and Canada have represented his theater scripts.
He has garnered multiple awards and grants, including recognition from the Calgary Arts Development Authority for initiatives such as the RISE UP Downtown Calgary Vibrancy Program in both 2022 and 2023, as well as the Art Share Program in 2021 and 2023. Additionally, he received support through the Project Grant Program for Individuals and Collectives in 2021.
He is a member of several cultural organizations in Canada. Among them, we can mention:
SpanicArts Calgary
Playwrights Guild of Canada.
ICAI (Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation).
Alberta Media Arts Alliance Society (AMAAS).
Storytellers of Canada (Toronto).
He was named Calgary’s Artist of the Month in December 2021 by the Immigrant Council for Arts Innovation (ICAI)
