Poems
“I felt so sistered by this poem, so nourished by its imagination and smartness and expansiveness. I loved the journey from the first line to the final line. I love this poem. I traveled. I laughed! I sighed!” —Safia Elhillo, Palette Poetry
- Upon Hearing Your Building is up for Sale, Poem-a-Day by the Academy of American Poets
- Flat Earth for Conspiracy Niggas, Huizache 11, Fall 2024
- A love poem for Tasha, We did everything out of order, I heard you before I saw you, sPARKLE & bLINK 116
- Feature Set, Better Ancestors by Quiet Lightning
- November 16th, 2018, EcologyCenter.org
- I just wanted to see what it would do when I say—, Palette Poetry
- What good is an election if it is not a practice in metamorphosis?, Center for Cultural Power
- Feature Set, Mijente LatiNext Poetry Salon
- Feature Set, La Palabra Summer Poetry
- Black on Both Sides, Fat Joe at the Ninth Grade Dance, The Breakbeat Poets Anthology Vol. 4: LatiNext
- Two Stories, Interrupted, Fat Joe at the Ninth Grade Dance, Ode to Streetball, The Rumpus
- Poetry Bingo, The Root Slam and Bowery Poetry Club
- Featured Writer, It’s Lit with Jocelyn Ng and PhDJ
- “Hopping Fences” Chapbook. Self-published. Print.
- Locked In, The Off/Page Project
- Feature, The New York Times
- Perfect Soldiers, The Bigger Picture Project (click here for poem text)
- “When I Was” Chapbook. Self-published. Print.
- Judas, The CalSlamanac Vol. 1
Press
“He sees the role of the poet as questioning parts of dominant culture that are harmful… One thing I certainly notice is how much louder the kids are when he leaves.” —KALW
- KALW Radio: “Berkeley’s Ecology Center poet-in-residence hopes to shift culture”
- Ecology Center Blog: “An Interview with Gabriel Cortez—Ecology Center Poet-in-Resident”
- Frontiers in Public Health: “The “Survival Pending Revolution” COVID-19 vaccination campaign: an example of critical communication theory in action”
- Berkeley High Jacket: “SLAM Spoken Word Club hosts long-awaited poetry showcase”
- Palette Poetry: “2022 Emerging Poet Prize: Winners & Finalists”
- Los Angeles Times: “New to poetry? These poets will help you get started”
- UC Berkeley’s Art Practice: “SPELLLING on Friendship”
- Public Health Post: “Health Equity Profile of Gabriel Cortez and the Bigger Picture Project”
- National Library of Medicine: “Seeing “The Bigger Picture:” Impact of an Arts-Focused Type 2 Diabetes Education Program in High Schools”
- Haymarket Books: “Black LatiNext: A BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4 Book Release”
- Its Lit with PHDJ: “Ep. 109 with Gabriel Cortez”
- San Francisco Chronicle: “Spoken-word event for MLK a political affair”
- East Bay Express: “Best Poetry Slam: The Root Slam”
- New York Times: “Using Arts to Tackle Diabetes in Youth”
- KQED: “‘Echoes’ Confronted Theater-Goers With Impacts of Gentrification”
- Reveal: “What one young poet has to say about teens in solitary confinement”
- SFGate: “Event: 60 years later, ‘Howl’ celebrated and updated”
- SF Weekly: “The Write Stuff: Gabriel Cortez on Beginning to do the Necessary Imagination Work”
- NPR: “Poets Give Voice To The Toll Of Type 2 Diabetes”
- SFGate: “Cal Slam: Poets throw down to earn team spot”
“Gabriel Cortez fuses poetry with movement-building, creating work that uplifts diasporic joy, ecological kinship, and community resilience” —The Bay Area Book Festival
Gabriel Cortez 