Pablo Cartaya

About Pablo Cartaya

Pablo's childhood photos 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. In 2021, he served as a judge for the National Book Award in Young People's Literature and has taught creative writing workshops and spoken at various universities and conferences throughout the world. He calls Miami home and Cuban-American his cultura. Novels include: The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora, Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish, Each Tiny Spark, and the upcoming climate dystopia The Last Beekeeper. He also contributed to the collection of essays Hope Wins published in 2022. Notable Awards and Honors include: 2020 Schneider Family Book Award Honor, 2019 ALSC Notable Book, 2018 American Library Association’s Pura Belpré Honor, 2018 Audie Award Finalist, and 2018 E.B. White Read Aloud Book Award Finalist.

Fun Facts!

I write entire drafts long hand before typing it on a computer.

I was in sitcoms and commercials in English and Spanish including co-starring on NBC’s “Will & Grace”.

I was Ricky Martin’s body double in a music video.

I did Spanish voice overs for South Park.

I was a bottle dancer in the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" in college.

My dad is a veteran of The Bay of Pigs.

I worked in professional kitchens and restaurants for a long time – I’ve done practically every job.

I love the Miami Heat – like seriously, I’m kind of a fanatic.

I’ve met and hung out with a lot of really cool people but the coolest is probably Ricky Martin. Queen Latifah is a pretty close second.

If I were going to choose another career I would probably be a pianist, who is also a rockstar. 😊