From mop to top

Most people familiar with antiquated Denny Hall might not expect it to be a place of artistic inspiration. The rooms are frequently over-heated, the hallways are dark and the building generally smells of stuffy education.

But within those very walls, poetic inspiration was found, and it was strong enough to win an award.

On Sept. 1 in Orlando, Fla., FamousPoets.com awarded its grand prize of $15,000 in its $50,000 annual contest. The winner of that prize, former UW custodian Carlos Gutierrez, was hopeful but unprepared for the decoration.

"I was nervous," said the soft-spoken Gutierrez. "English is my second language, and they told me when I went on stage, I had to speak loud and clear, with no accent ... but there was no chance of that."

The award, according to Gutierrez, was the result of a yearly search in which about 1 million poems are whittled down to 600, then 20, then one, and was an enormous event for Gutierrez.

Nicaraguan by birth, Gutierrez won the award for a poem written poignantly about his dying cousin, titled "Where Will She Go?" On stage in a crown and cape, a sort of king's outfit, Gutierrez was given the classic oversized lottery-style check.

"They gave me a big check at the show, but I also got the small check later," Gutierrez said, smiling.

Gutierrez never intended to become a janitor. Raised by his father and his loving mother -- who inspired his first poem -- he grew up constantly moved by the scenic surroundings of his homeland.

Gutierrez studied and became a math teacher in a high school and college, and began supporting his first wife and children. He even kept up his poetic attempts, trying to publish a book multiple times, though no one would support him.

In the late 1980s, Nicaragua became a war-torn land. The Soviet-encouraged Sandinista government, and the guerilla warfare and human-rights violations it caused, forced Gutierrez to make a choice.

"The economy wasn't stable," explained Gutierrez. "Many men had to join the army and fight."

With this as his option, Gutierrez decided to leave for the United States and the opportunities it presented. He hoped he could find a job and raise enough money to bring his family along, but the chance never arose, and his family perished in the fighting.

Along with his family, Gutierrez also lost all the poetry he had written in his homeland.

"It was burned when I left," Gutierrez said.

In the United States, Gutierrez was dismayed to find he couldn't work as a math teacher or anything near that level. The language gap and his new status as an immigrant just wouldn't allow it.

Perhaps drawn by the educational environment, Gutierrez took the advice of a friend and became a custodian at the UW. Responsible for Denny Hall, he soon made friends in the Germanics department, and met some students.

During this time, the poetry broom swept back around.

Gutierrez had met and married a new wife, and her search for a poem she had once read and loved drove him to start writing again. Unable to find the poem, Gutierrez insisted that if she could not find it, he would write her a better one.

"She called me at work," Gutierrez explained, "and it was like, OK, it's time."

So on his lunch break, in the custodian closet of Denny Hall, Gutierrez wrote his first poem since coming to the United States. Titled "Like the Wind," the poem would be one of many that would lead Gutierrez to the $15,000 prize.

And it would also lead to further artistic expression. Gutierrez began collaborating with pianist Humberto Alcazar on a musical album. Where Gutierrez writes the lyrics and Alcazar engineers the music.

Alcazar and Gutierrez spoke of big dreams and their manager, Christian Harnecker, put the typical spin on the new album.

"It is like magic, these two working together," declared Harnecker. "With some, it is like you have to decide how to combine the lyrics and music, with these two, it is like ... magic."

But Gutierrez seemed more grounded.

Laid-off during the economic downturn after Sept. 11, 2001, Gutierrez remembered his days at the UW fondly, but his poetry was his new focus.

The award, and the notoriety it brought, opened doors for him. Gutierrez expects to publish a book as a result, and was a finalist in another poetry contest for Poet.com.

"I made the finals," Gutierrez said hopefully. "I think I will win."

When asked about his lyricist, Alcazar thought for a minute and came back with a colorful response.

"Carlos is ... he is a romantic," Alcazar said. "I like him."

Gutierrez's poetry can be found in the FamousPoets.com anthology; his book, Where Will She Go?, should be available in 2004 from Trafford Publishing. Album information is available at www.humbertoalcazar.com.