"Honesty is my favorite form of poetry."
Matthew Cuban Hernandez
Is a poet, educator, and performance coach from Jacksonville, Florida. He has toured as far as Abu Dhabi and nearly every major city in the United States and Europe, performing, teaching and coaching poetry. A teaching artist for nearly 20 years, Matthew has spent the last 13 years working in youth detention centers, high schools, community centers, and other various orgs across Los Angeles County. Currently serving as the Director of Juvenile Programming for Street Poets Inc, Matthew has opened for artists such as Wu-Tang, performed for platforms such as BuzzFeed, LAist, NPR and even appeared on the award-winning television show, Better Things. For the last two summers, Matthew has led an arts and culture delegation to perform, teach, and speak in Havana Cuba. Matthew is also a three time Southern Fried poetry slam champion and an award-winning poetry coach, leading both Da Poetry Lounge adult teams and Get Lit Words Ignite youth teams to multiple final stage appearances at national and international poetry competitions. Cuban’s favorite activity is making people feel great; sometimes he does this through hip hop, poetry and healing circles.
Artist CV
HIGHLIGHTS
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Speaker at Pomona Wellness Grand Re-opening 2024
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Speaker at The Broad Museum 2024
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Facilitator at CA Foster Youth Education Summit 2025
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Speaker at LASPN Summit 2024,2025
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Speaker at LA Arts Ed Forum 2024
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Speaker at DMH, UCLA, LACOE Symposium 2024
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Speaker at NAPAFASA Healing Hearts Community Arts Fest 2024
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Lead Facilitator for “The Watering Hole” Writers Retreat 2025
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Co Lead Facilitator at the Cazedero Music and Performing arts summer camp 2024,2025.
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Wrote​​ curriculum ​​for a ​​juvenile ​​justice​​ system-centered​​ poetry education​​ programs,​​ implemented​​ in ​​17 ​​facilities ​​across Southern​​ California using R.T.S.A (Road To Success Academy) standards and Project Based Learning.
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Curator at LACMA’s Poetry in Color program 2022 - current
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Keynote speaker at The Poetic convergence 2015 at the Skirball Cultural Center
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Host for Da Poetry Lounge, largest weekly open mic in united states 2018-current
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Keynote speaker, Youth Citizenship Seminar (YCS) Pepperdine University 2022, 2023, 2024
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Performer at Death Penalty Focus awards 2024, 2025 at the Skirball Cultural Center
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In ​​2014, ​​won ​​Best​​ International​​ Artist​​ by​​ Farrago​​ Poetry Slam ​​in ​​London ​​at​​ R.A.D.A
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Youngest ​​poet ​​to​​ win​​ Southern​​ Fried​​ Poetry​​ Slam 2006 ​(3-time ​​winner)
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Co-Founded “Spoken Literature Art Movement” (Facilitated 35 free workshops during pandemic of 2020)
EXPERIENCE
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Street Poets Inc.​​ Los Angeles,​​ CA​​ -​​ Director of Juvenile Programing and Youth Opportunities-OCT 2017 ​​-​​ CURRENT
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Create​​ weekly​​ lesson ​​plans for juvenile justice-involved youth
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Conduct ​​workshops ​​in ​​various​​ juvenile​​ detention​​ facilities and community sites L.A. county
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Oversee ​​and​​ help ​​manage ​​the ​​activities and needs ​​of​​ instructors
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Point person for A.H.J.N (Arts for Healing and Justice Network)
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Help develop leadership programing and support for community programing
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Create 12 week curriculum for residencies with A.H.J.N. in probation facilities in L.A county
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New​​ Earth,​​ Culver ​​City,​​ CA -​​ Arts​​ Program Manager, Lead ​​Instructor-FEB ​​2014 ​​-​​ OCT ​​2017
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Create​​ weekly​​ lesson ​​plans ​​based​​ on​​ a ​​juvenile​​ justice ​​system ​​poetry curriculum​​ that ​​I​​ designed​​ for ​​the ​​program using Road To Success Academy and Project Based Learning standards.
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Conducted ​​workshops ​​in ​​various​​ juvenile​​ detention​​ facilities, ​​group homes​​ and ​​centers​​ throughout​​ Southern​​ California
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Oversee ​​and​​ help ​​manage ​​the ​​activities and training ​​of​​ instructors
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Get​​ Lit​​-​​Words ​​Ignite,​​ Los​​Angeles,​​ CA​​ -​​ Manager​​ of​​ Arts​​ Education, Slam​​ Team Coach-OCT​​ 2013 ​​-​​ DEC 2017
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Coach​​ the​​ Los ​​Angeles ​​Brave ​​New​​ Voices​​ Slam​​ Team ​​to ​​their international​​ competition, placing in either the top 4 or top 10 teams every year during my time as coach
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Plan​​ and​​ teach​​ curriculum-based ​​workshops​​ at​​ various ​​high​​ schools ​​in Los​​ Angeles ​​County
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Facilitated trainings for LAUSD educators on implementation Poetry Education in class curriculum
SKILLS
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20 years ​​teaching ​​and curriculum building in, Poetry Education,​​ Juvenile ​​Justice​​, & Youth​​ Mentoring
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Restorative Justice and Narrative Therapy certification 2015
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25 years performance experience and relationship building
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Ability ​​to​​ work ​​with ​​all​​ ages ​​and ​​demographics including YDD and teacher trainings
