José Faus

oet and muralist José Faus was born in Bogota, Colombia but grew up in Kansas, just across the Missouri border. In this interview in front of an audience as the 2019 recipient of UMKC’s “Defying the Odds” Alumni Award, he talks about his coming-of-age struggles and how he’s used art and writing to change his life. A leader in Kansas City’s Latino Writers Collective, Faus shares poetry from his book, The Life and Times of José Calderon, and discusses his views on the struggles of immigrants, as well as ideas on borders and border crossings.