Cultural Executor · Author · Theologian
KARMEN
Michael Smith
Some people are hard to place. That's not a problem. That's the point.
Enter My World
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Cultural Executor · Author · Theologian
Some people are hard to place. That's not a problem. That's the point.
Enter My World
About
Karmen Michael Smith does not fit neatly into any one category — and that is precisely the point. He is a public theologian, author, cultural strategist, and speaker whose work exists at the intersection of moral clarity, prophetic disruption, and uncommon taste.
His family has been on this land since 1665 — surviving every wave of American expansion before there was an America to expand. That lineage — marked by interracial relationships, spiritual inheritance, and hard-won endurance — flows through everything he builds and everything he writes.
Author of Holy Queer, The 4 Laws of Disruption, and the forthcoming Stranded. Creator of the Cine-Sermon, a cinematic sermon experience. Founder of Poor Culture, a digital faith community. Inaugural Director of the Social Justice Center at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. Federal DEI Appointee under the Biden-Harris Administration. Inductee, Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College. Speaker, theologian, cultural strategist, and founder of Foragé Atelier — a lifestyle brand rooted in Black Southern heritage. His American lineage predates the nation itself, tracing to 1665.
Books
Modern dating isn't broken. It's working exactly as designed — to keep you searching, circling, and never quite arriving. Stranded names what you've been feeling and gives you the framework to finally move.
Read MoreThe Coming Out of Christ. A prophetic examination of divine queerness, Black church politics, and what full inclusion actually demands of a community that claims to love.
Learn MoreA framework for founders, leaders, and prophetic voices ready to build with endurance — not reaction. Disruption as design, not rebellion.
Learn MoreThe Inner Circle
Social media is borrowed land. The Substack is where the real conversation lives — thinking that doesn't fit in a caption, analysis that requires depth, a community forming around what comes next.
Find the work
Speaking & Podcasts
For speaking engagements, podcast appearances, keynotes, and panel conversations — reach out directly.
Book NowConsulting
For founders, leaders, and organizations ready to build with clarity, taste, and long-term vision — not just growth metrics.
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