Decolonizing the Mind: Reflection & Expression
Sunday, March 22
10AM PT ○ 1PM ET ○ 6PM GMT
Join Aviva Arts’ Artistic Director Debórah Eliezer (Central Portugal) and special guest Gabriel Cortez (California) via Zoom.
Aviva Arts invites you into a morning of poetry, reflection and collective inquiry with award-winning poet Gabriel Cortez.
Through guided writing, listening and embodied presence, we will explore poetry as a practice of resistance and remembrance. Together, we’ll practice drawing on the natural world for inspiration to illustrate our emotional landscape in fun, surprising, and moving ways.
Drawing from his work as Poet in Residence at The Ecology Center and Shelterwood Collective, and as co-founder of The Root Slam, Gabriel brings a practice rooted in community, inclusivity and transformation.
This session will offer space to soften the nervous system, connect across differences, and reimagine what it means to belong.
Participatory in nature, the gathering may include personal reflection, writing prompts, shared reading, and collective dialogue. Open to anyone seeking creative expression, grounded connection, and tools for navigating challenging times with courage and care.
No prior writing experience is necessary: all are welcome to participate!
In partnership with Aviva Arts’ Burning Wild and Deeper Roots, Wider Branches, we’re delighted to welcome Gabriel back for this session of Decolonizing the Heart.
🔵 Registration: here
🔵 Fee: $25 per session NOTA
or $60 for all three sessions in the Decolonizing series.
🔵 Bring: A small object that brings them joy that they would be willing to share with others. We strongly encourage participants to use a laptop, which will allow you to most easily engage with the materials shared during the workshop.
🔵 Join us via Zoom: The link will be sent to your email after registration.
Decolonizing the Heart is facilitated by mixed-identity folks with roots in Europe, the Americas, occupied Palestine, Israel and the greater SWANA region. We are in solidarity with the struggle for Palestinian liberation and unequivocally oppose the violence and injustices perpetrated by Zionism. We welcome anyone seeking community connection and tools for self-care.