Raúl Gómez Jattin (Cartagena, 1945–97) was one of Colombia’s most outstanding poets and the author of seven books of poetry. He spent most of his adult life between psychiatric hospitals and the streets, though he never stopped writing poetry. He led writing workshops at the University of Cartagena and the Modern Art Museum and his famous public readings drew hundreds of listeners. As a queer man of Syrian descent writing in a way that broke with his country’s tradition, he has long been denied his rightful place at the forefront of Colombian poetry. He was tragically killed by a bus in 1997.