NEW DATE!
Decolonizing the Heart: Poetry as Resistance
Sunday, MAY 17
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
or pay what you can • Discounted Full Journey Pass available!
🔵 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.
*Eventbrite fees will be added
Financial & Values Statement
We invite you, if you are able, to align your payment with your values.
All our artists navigate a systemically inequitable and unstable financial landscape during ongoing genocide, racism and war. Your contribution directly supports their ability to continue creating, teaching, and sustaining their work.
If you have the financial capacity, we encourage you to choose a higher tier, this is a direct way to put your values into action and support marginalized artists.
At the same time, we want this space to remain accessible. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
If cost is a barrier, please reach out to us, or contribute at the lowest tier available, whatever is possible for you.