CAROLINE ROTHSTEIN writer | poet | performer

Artist Biography:

Caroline Rothstein is an internationally touring writer, poet, performer, educator, and documentary filmmaker and producer. Her work has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, The Guardian, BuzzFeed, NYLON, Narratively, The ABA Journal, Williams Magazine, The Forward, Hey Alma, Radius Lit, The Brooklyn Rail, no dear, Rogue Agent, Our Town, and elsewhere. Caroline and her work have been featured widely including in The New Yorker, MTV News, Chicago Tribune, CBS Evening News, BuzzFeed News, HuffPost, Mic, Newsweek, KUSI News, and LMCTV. She tours year-round performing poetry, public speaking, facilitating workshops and teaching at colleges, schools, performance venues, summer camps, and community organizations worldwide. She is currently a co-writing a musical about elder millennials and technology, co-authoring a romance novel, and developing her second autobiographical one-woman play, amongst several other writing, poetry, performance, audio, and film solo and collaboration projects.

She was a member of the 2010 Nuyorican Poets Cafe slam team, which placed second at the 2010 National Poetry Slam, and co-coached the 2013 Nuyorican Poets Cafe slam team, which placed third. She is a facilitator for the Dialogue Arts Project, a faculty member at the Avodah Institute for Social Change, and has been on faculty for Foundation for Jewish Camp’s annual Cornerstone Fellowship, Brandeis University’s precollege BIMA summer arts-intensive program, and elsewhere. She previously served as the Project Manager of Curriculum at JustMedia, and as a Youth Mentor at Urban Word, NYC.

Caroline has long worked as a producer and director in documentary film and was an Associate Producer on Andrea B. Scott’s “Florence, Arizona,” a producer on “We Were Once Kids,” which debuted in the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival, and an executive producer and co-director for “How To Build a City,” on ALL ARTS TV. She previously hosted and produced the YouTube series “Body Empowerment,” and was President of the Board of Directors for Mental Fitness, Inc. Her award-winning one-woman play “faith” about her experience with and recovery from an eating disorder debuted as part of the Culture Project’s Women Center Stage 2012 Festival. Upon graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006, the Kelly Writers House created “The Caroline Rothstein Oral Poetry Program,” an annual event featuring oral poetry in its many forms and honoring Caroline’s contributions to the art form while an undergraduate on campus. She has a B.A. in classical studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.S. from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

What People Are Saying About Caroline

Caroline is able to draw in a large or small group into an intimate performance and engage then with her spoken word poetry. Her performances are brutally honest and open about subjects that are often shied away from in public discussion, i.e. rape and body image. At Limmud Fest we were lucky enough to see her bravely do a first time live mash-up of multiple poems and it was astounding the way she was open to trying this technique in front of a large audience without fear of failure. She is an incredible role model for young and old alike. It is unusual to meet a performer who is so raw and yet polished at the same time. Participants at Limmud Fest could not get enough of her and flocked to her workshops and performances.Sharon Berger, Limmud Director Sydney
Caroline is an engaging and arresting performer. Her poems address confronting topics of sexual harassment, loss, love and identity in a humorous, honest and interactive way. I saw her adapt her work to across different mediums—from performance to workshops, and across different audiences—kids to adults. In every scenario her audiences were highly engaged and walked out inspired. Her performance from several months ago still has resonance with me today.Tamara Samuel, CEO, Shalom
Caroline’s poetry and soulful presentation allows teenagers to connect and feel “they are enough”! When I first met Caroline Rothstein, I was immediately struck by her warm presence and her vivacious personality. I am principal of Herzlia Middle School and not all guest speakers or workshop presenters can truly relate to Middle Schoolers. However, form the first interaction with our pupils, there was a connection. Pupils form Grade 7 to Grade 9 sat mesmerized as she performed, listening to words that so aptly describe the emotions and issues they are dealing with in their lives. One shy girl in Grade 8 went up to Caroline and said that she had made a difference in her life. What more of a testimony can one ask for than those of our pupils themselves.Mevrou Lizbe Botes, Principal, Herzlia Middle School, Cape Town, South Africa
Caroline Rothstein was absolutely outstanding at Lake Forest Academy! She is a gifted communicator, passionate performer, and quality act! Not only is she an intelligent and articulate speaker, but her presentation with students was well-structured, clear, and lively. She very quickly connected with our diverse student body and was extremely well-received. Caroline was quite approachable to our students and engaged in some wonderful discussion with them throughout her visit. This is the second consecutive year I have worked with Caroline—at my invitation—and can’t wait for a third…Her visits are the high school experience at its best.Dr. Patrick Finnessey, Lake Forest Academy, Illinois
Caroline Rothstein is a Tour De Force! She has performed at our school several times and is able to engage the students in thought provoking conversations about gender identity, race, spirituality and other poignant topics. She is smart, informed and hip to what is current in the lives of young minds and she pushes them to examine their connection to what they wrestle with…Her brave connection to her material is inspirational to our young writers and she is always generous of mind and spirit.Carla Klein Moriarty, Artistic Director of Theatre, Dwight-Englewood School
Meeting Caroline and participating in her workshop was one of the most transformative experiences during my college career. As she spun her wonderful web of words, Caroline slowly started to transform each and every student sitting in her presence. I do not only speak for myself when I say that Caroline gave me a voice that had been suffocated for years, strength to share my own story and most importantly compassion for myself. Caroline gave me the courage and confidence to know I was not alone. TRULY an inspiration and a performance that will remain with me forever.Rocky Salomon, Barnard College
Caroline Rothstein is fearless—or maybe more accurately, she is so open and honest with her work that she seems to dispel all shadows from a room, even when discussing the darkest topics. I’ve had her speak at multiple events for women, and every time, not a single person leaves the room without feeling and intense admiration for her as an artist, as a speaker, and as a person. If you want a speaker that tells their audience that fear or despair are just illusions, don’t hire Caroline—she’d much rather inspire people to overcome them.Harper Yi, College of William & Mary

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