By Usayd Younis

Mark Gonzales is a poet best known for his appearance on the HBO series Def Poetry Jam. Described as “Khalil Gibran meets Pablo Neruda”, his poem “As With Most Men” takes a radical stance on issues ranging from the ‘War on Terror’ to the objectification of women. More recently he took part in TEDx Ramallah, the first TED series to be held in Palestine, where he delivered a powerful 8 minute performance of ‘Wage Beauty‘.

During his recent trip to the UK he delivered a poetry masterclass and evening performances as well as being invited to the stage at a SOAS Israeli Apartheid Week event. Ceasefire documented some of his performances and we were fortunate enough to catch up with Mark to learn more about his radical work in an inspiring interview of words and verse.

Mark Gonzales – As with Most Men

Mark Gonzales – For you who do not write

Mark Gonzales – Homecoming

Mark Gonzales – Letter to the Cordoba Centre

Mark Gonzales – West Coast to the West Bank

Mark Gonzales – In self defence of Hip Hop

Usayd Younis is Ceasefire Digital Editor. He is a filmmaker and the director of black & brown, a production company that centres the stories of people of colour. He tweets at @usayd