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Gabriel Cortez

@gabrielmcortez.bsky.social

Poet • Educator • Organizer Follow for writing prompts, workshops, lesson plans, poems, & the occasional boom bap beat. More at http://linktr.ee/gabrielmcortez

70 Followers  |  42 Following  |  21 Posts  |  Joined: 05.12.2024  |  1.774

Latest posts by gabrielmcortez.bsky.social on Bluesky

Saying “evil empire” is redundant

All empires are evil

18.05.2025 01:09 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Upon Hearing Your Building is up for Sale It’s hard not to cheer for the brother  that claims he bought weed

What an honor to have this poem out in the world with the Academy of American Poets.

No more landlords ✊🏽

23.04.2025 19:40 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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My People! A writing prompt for loving on community 💕 #amwriting

29.01.2025 23:04 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Same. Why the hell should anyone need any social media account to receive information when amber alerts already have the ability to push info directly to our phones?

02.01.2025 00:23 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Gabriel Cortez Sign Up Today! What is it? “After School” is a new, 6 week long, online, generative writing workshop series led by poet and educator, Gabriel Cortez, beginning March 11th, 2025. Join a …

Interested in getting more support with your writing in a fun and encouraging space? Join my 6 week poetry writing workshop series beginning March 2025

More info at GabrielMCortez.com/Afterschool

23.12.2024 20:35 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Writing Prompt for Hometowns 📝

Follow for more each week!

#AmWriting
#poets #poems #poetry #writingprompts #writinginspiration #writingmotivation #writingcoach #poets #poems #creativewriting #writingtipsandtricks #forwriters #journalprompt #journalingideas #writingprompt #writingpromptsdaily

23.12.2024 20:35 — 👍 4    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0
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SZA is so chaotic

Samples Throw Some D’s then two songs later interpolates Girl From Impanema

Hits us with the sexy Antz photoshoot

23.12.2024 18:54 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
Inbox | Substack

More on my latest newsletter

23.12.2024 07:00 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
Album cover for The Truth Is On Its Way

Album cover for The Truth Is On Its Way

I come from an era where poets were more likely to hand you a burned CD instead of a chapbook after the show.
Yet, it wasn't until I listened to Nikki Giovanni's 1971 album that I realized just how great a poetry album could be.

I come from an era where poets were more likely to hand you a burned CD instead of a chapbook after the show. Yet, it wasn't until I listened to Nikki Giovanni's 1971 album that I realized just how great a poetry album could be.

I imagine Giovanni recording this album in a studio with high walls, a mic craning towards her freckled cheeks like Aretha Franklin, whom she also paid homage to on track 8, "Poem for Aretha."
I imagine the static tickling the speakers as the needle dragged itself into the groove of the wax the first time she played the record back to herself and her baby boy.

I imagine Giovanni recording this album in a studio with high walls, a mic craning towards her freckled cheeks like Aretha Franklin, whom she also paid homage to on track 8, "Poem for Aretha." I imagine the static tickling the speakers as the needle dragged itself into the groove of the wax the first time she played the record back to herself and her baby boy.

And I imagine how Giovanni might have heard her voice and noticed the pieces of the Harlem Renaissance tucked between her teeth the way we might notice pieces of Nikki Giovanni and the Black Arts Movement tucked between ours.

And I imagine how Giovanni might have heard her voice and noticed the pieces of the Harlem Renaissance tucked between her teeth the way we might notice pieces of Nikki Giovanni and the Black Arts Movement tucked between ours.

In 1971, Nikki Giovanni dropped one of the greatest poetry albums of all time titled, “The Truth Is On Its Way”

#BlackSky #BlackWriters #BlackPoets #SpokenWord

23.12.2024 07:00 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
The word strike, in relation to labour, originally had the connotation of submission. Ships would drop, or strike, their sails when surrendering to enemy forces or saluting their superiors. But when sailors in 1768 struck their sails in protest to demand better wages, they turned strike from an act of submission to a strategic act of violence; by withholding their labour, they proved they were in fact indispensable.

The word strike, in relation to labour, originally had the connotation of submission. Ships would drop, or strike, their sails when surrendering to enemy forces or saluting their superiors. But when sailors in 1768 struck their sails in protest to demand better wages, they turned strike from an act of submission to a strategic act of violence; by withholding their labour, they proved they were in fact indispensable.

One of my favorite things about R.F. Kuang’s “Babel” are the footnotes

20.12.2024 06:28 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
"To Make Use of Water" by Safia Elhillo
YouTube video by TED-Ed "To Make Use of Water" by Safia Elhillo

This writing prompt is inspired by “To Make Use of Water” by Safia Elhillo

19.12.2024 23:42 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Here’s a writing prompt about obstacles. It invites you to use verbs to structure your poems

#amwriting

19.12.2024 23:42 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Many organizations experimented with flatter organizational models during the 1st years of the pandemic. I’m excited by orgs making it a permanent fixture

May it help us evolve past the antiquated myth of the “strong leader” and the burnout, abuse, and ego tripping that power structure reproduced

19.12.2024 22:30 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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SF Arts Space 500 Capp Street Announces New Collective Leadership Instead of looking for a new executive director, a five-person staff will lead the nonprofit together.

Many organizations experimented with flatter organizational models during the 1st years of the pandemic. I’m excited by orgs making it a permanent fixture

May it help us evolve past the antiquated myth of the “strong leader” and the burnout, abuse, and ego tripping that power structure reproduced

19.12.2024 22:29 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
write a poem honoring something or someone you said "goodbye" to this year. start every line with "dear," using each line to further love up on your subject. optional: resist revealing their name until the very end.

example:
dear founding queen of the black arts movement 
dear poem cd heir to gospel liberation
dear 5 foot 5 and ego trippin
dear standing toe to toe with baldwin and ali
dear I get the minimum
dear fake it with me
dear nikki, dear nikki,
how does one begin
to honor your wake?

write a poem honoring something or someone you said "goodbye" to this year. start every line with "dear," using each line to further love up on your subject. optional: resist revealing their name until the very end. example: dear founding queen of the black arts movement dear poem cd heir to gospel liberation dear 5 foot 5 and ego trippin dear standing toe to toe with baldwin and ali dear I get the minimum dear fake it with me dear nikki, dear nikki, how does one begin to honor your wake?

Here's a writing prompt for saying goodbye, in honor of Nikki Giovanni

Follow for more! 📝

#poetry #poetrycommunity #writingcommunity #poems #poetsofbluesky #writersofbluesky #writing #amwriting #writersky

19.12.2024 19:57 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
"After School" flyer with illustrated face

"After School" flyer with illustrated face

Text reads: What is it? “After School” is a new, 6 week long, online, generative writing workshop series led by poet and educator, Gabriel Cortez, beginning March 11th, 2025. Join a fun and supportive community of poets invested in growing as writers. Each participant will cultivate a deeper understanding of craft and the possibilities of their voice, developed through direct, hands-on learning, and guided study of some of the most exciting poets today. Sessions are highly interactive and include writing prompts, discussions of guiding texts, and sharing new original work created each class. After the final workshop, we will have a culminating online reading that is open to the public.

Text reads: What is it? “After School” is a new, 6 week long, online, generative writing workshop series led by poet and educator, Gabriel Cortez, beginning March 11th, 2025. Join a fun and supportive community of poets invested in growing as writers. Each participant will cultivate a deeper understanding of craft and the possibilities of their voice, developed through direct, hands-on learning, and guided study of some of the most exciting poets today. Sessions are highly interactive and include writing prompts, discussions of guiding texts, and sharing new original work created each class. After the final workshop, we will have a culminating online reading that is open to the public.

Text reads: Is this for me? This series is open to writers of all experience levels, high school age and older. Whether you have a masters in fine arts, are still working on your GED, or haven’t taken a class in years, this “After School” series is for you! Join if you have a book you are working on and are looking for some inspiration. Join if you are searching for a way back to your pen after putting it down for a while. Join if you want to experience the creation of some amazing poetry up close. Participants need access to Zoom, a strong internet connection, and something to write with and we’ve got the rest.

Text reads: Is this for me? This series is open to writers of all experience levels, high school age and older. Whether you have a masters in fine arts, are still working on your GED, or haven’t taken a class in years, this “After School” series is for you! Join if you have a book you are working on and are looking for some inspiration. Join if you are searching for a way back to your pen after putting it down for a while. Join if you want to experience the creation of some amazing poetry up close. Participants need access to Zoom, a strong internet connection, and something to write with and we’ve got the rest.

Text reads: “Gabriel’s approach to writing taught me there are so many ways to begin when you feel stuck.” – K

“With Gabriel’s guidance, I feel confident that I can write a poem given any topic. I know I can continue to grow as a writer.” – D

“The act of writing poetry can feel like a really solitary process and, with limited access to the poetry community in my area, having this available made me feel at home with my art again. Take this workshop if you want to be (lovingly) pushed to be more. The resources shared within this workshop were imperative to my continued work as an artist and activist.“ – B

Text reads: “Gabriel’s approach to writing taught me there are so many ways to begin when you feel stuck.” – K “With Gabriel’s guidance, I feel confident that I can write a poem given any topic. I know I can continue to grow as a writer.” – D “The act of writing poetry can feel like a really solitary process and, with limited access to the poetry community in my area, having this available made me feel at home with my art again. Take this workshop if you want to be (lovingly) pushed to be more. The resources shared within this workshop were imperative to my continued work as an artist and activist.“ – B

Big News: Join me for “After School,” my new 6 week online poetry writing workshop series beginning Tuesday, March 11th, 2025

Sign ups are now open at GabrielMCortez.com/AfterSchool with an early bird special of $150 ending February 24th

I would love to write with you! 📝

18.12.2024 23:07 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Dreaming a world that won’t betray us

Dreaming an us that won’t betray the world

17.12.2024 00:35 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Why was Venom the Last Dance randomly better than Gladiator II?

16.12.2024 07:14 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Poetry writing prompt for saying goodbye

Follow for writing prompts, poems, and more 📝

14.12.2024 02:21 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Poetry writing prompt for the end of the year, featuring your Spotify Wrapped

Follow for writing prompts, poems, and more 📝

12.12.2024 02:58 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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2011: joined Twitter for updates on the Oakland General Strike

2024: joined Bluesky for updates on a tsunami warning

05.12.2024 19:08 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

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