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.
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.
Session Dates
Tuesday, March 11th, 6-9pm PDT
Tuesday, March 18th, 6-9pm PDT
Tuesday, March 25th, 6-9pm PDT
Tuesday, April 1st, 6-9pm PDT
Tuesday, April 8th, 6-9pm PDT
Tuesday, April 15th, 6-9pm PDT
Online Showcase
Tuesday, April 29th, 7-9pm PDT
Cost
$150-250 (early bird special)
$200-300 (after 11:55pm February 24)
Scholarships (pending donations)
Signups close March 4, 2025
About the Teacher
Gabriel Cortez is a poet, educator, and organizer based in the Bay Area, California. He helps writers find their creative community and author more just and liberated worlds. He brings more than 15 years of experience working with youth and adult writers, both in and out of school. Gabriel leads writing and performance workshops, provides one-on-one coaching, and offers professional development opportunities for educators interested in helping their students cultivate a joyful relationship with their voice.
His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Rumpus, The Breakbeat Poets Anthology Volume 4, and elsewhere. A VONA, Poetry Incubator, and #BARS workshop alum, he has received awards from the Rainin Foundation, the University of California, Palette Poetry, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Gabriel is the inaugural poet in residence at The Ecology Center and Shelterwood Collective, where he uses poetry and arts education to uplift local legacies of resistance rooted in environmental justice and food and land sovereignty. He is a member of the artist collective, Ghostlines, and co-founder of The Root Slam, an award-winning poetry venue dedicated to inclusivity, justice, and artistic growth, as well as Write Home, a project working to challenge public perceptions of houselessness and shift critical resources to houseless Bay Area youth through poetry and arts programming. From 2014 to 2023, he was Lead Poet Mentor and Director of Programs at Youth Speaks.
In addition to “After School,” Gabriel currently offers one-on-one coaching and writing workshops for groups, middle school age and up. Interested in working with Gabriel or bringing him to your school or organization? Send him an email today!
Testimonials
“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
“The workshop provided both educational resources and community building. It was impactful to write and learn with poetry peers and also challenge myself to expand my craft and approach to writing. I really enjojyed the subject matter and liked having both the option to share in small groups and big discussions.” – N
“The sense of community, passion and purpose that we built and brewed in every session encouraged so many potent feelings within myself, and I think in everybody else involved as well. Having such extremely skilled and powerful individuals connecting all in one place over very selfless topics not only pulled the best out of me, but it gave me a lot of hope and faith in humanity as a whole.” – I
“My favorite thing about this workshop series is getting connect with cool, caring, talented, and encouraging people each session. It felt like a very safe and trusting space. I liked the breakout rooms, where we got to connect with people on a deeper level; it helped and encouraged me to come out of my shell.” – S
“Before working with Gabriel, I avoided writing about social justices issues, especially topics that didn’t directly impact me mostly because I didn’t feel like I knew enough. Since working with Gabriel, I’ve learn more about restorative justice practices, how to research complex topics, and how to enter conflicting conversations with a tender approach to call everyone in.” – C
“I loved being able to learn about my community and to know that the topics in this workshop don’t exist in a conversational vacuum. Seeing other thinkers / writers / poets / organizations doing the work all around us helps this moment feel more tangible and more possible. I did not know how poems could use research and numbers and be productive in their emotional delivery. Gabe has upped my poem game by encouraging me to write about the world around me, IN ADDITION TO the world inside my head.” – G
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Gabriel Cortez 