Gary Gabriel
ABOUT
Gary Joel Gabriel, born and raised in Washington, DC, is an educator, blogger, musician and writer.
Active in various endeavors, Gabriel has worked consistently in education for over two decades. Primarily employed in the nonprofit sector, Gabriel has held education positions with several prominent New York City community-based organizations such as Harlem Children’s Zone, Harlem Center for Education, Figure Skating in Harlem, Goodwill Industries and was a consultant to the New York City Department of Education. Gabriel has also written, directed and produced numerous plays staged primarily in Harlem theaters. These productions have featured internationally recognized French-Canadian actress/singer Myriam Phiro (A Very Dangerous Game), Audelco award winner Reginald L. Wilson (Twisted) and Kelvin Hale (Revival) who has appeared in feature films and in the TV series Power.
EARLY LIFE
Gabriel was born into a musical family and attended elementary and middle school in Virginia and high school in the District of Columbia.
MUSIC
In 1976 Gabriel started playing electric bass and studied at the studio of noted DC blues guitarist Bill Harris. Gabriel was inspired by musicians in his neighborhood, along with the funk, R & B, jazz fusion and progressive rock bands of the era. Although, he was primarily influenced by bass players. These include: Larry Graham, Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastorious and Chris Squire. Gabriel also studied cello with the DC Youth Orchestra before joining the punk rock band The Enzymes. (He was bandmates with David Byers and Chris Haskett.) Gabriel was interviewed about the punk rock scene in DC and appears in the 2019 documentary Punk The Capital. He also attended Berklee College of Music for a year.
After moving to Harlem in the 1990s, Gabriel participated in jam sessions and performed with local musicians.
WRITING
Gabriel started writing for local newsletters and newspapers as an undergraduate at the University of the District of Columbia. Eventually this would include fiction and non-fiction writing. While a graduate student at The City College of New York, Gabriel was part of the poetry outreach program (to public schools) and published poems in the English Department’s annual anthology, Poetry In Performance, during the years 2005 – 2015. (This series also includes his noteworthy poem History.) Gabriel has also published several books. These include: Believe You Can!, SuperCharge! and Built for Success: Discover the 30 Qualities You Must Have!
In 2018 Gabriel was one of 300 New York City finalists to receive a Neighborhood grant.
FILM
Zoo Story
Play, filmed in 1984.
Punk the capital: Building A Sound Movement
Documentary (2019).
THEATER AND PLAYWRITING
While an undergraduate at the University of the District of Columbia, Gabriel appeared in many student productions and has performed with theater companies in DC and New York City. The plays listed below were written, directed, and produced by Gabriel:
Splinters (2009)
Return of the Savage (Reading 2010)
Revival (Reading 2010, full production 2011)
Consequence (2011)
Beast (2011)
Twisted (2012)
The Hood (2012)
Reunion (2012)
Money (2012)
Crave (2012, starring Monifa White, directed by Gabriel)
A Very Dangerous Game (2012-2013)
Paul Robeson: A Journey Home (2013)
If They Could Speak (Reading 2014)
Love Back (Unproduced, written 2014-2015)
How To Successfully Market Anything (Booklet 1992, ebook 2016)
Believe You Can! (Ebook 2016, Kindle 2021)
SuperCharge! (Ebook 2016, Kindle 2020)
The Real Reason You’re Not Successful and What to Do About It! (Ebook 2017, Kindle 2020)
Built for Success: Discover the 30 Qualities You Must Have! (Ebook 2017, Kindle 2020. Published with The Real Reason You’re Not Successful and What to Do About It!)
How To Overcome Your Fantasies And Live Your Dreams! (2021)
Get Right! Practical Tips For Men Who Need To Grow Up (And Don’t Know Where To Start) Volume 1 (2022)
On The Verge (Unpublished, written 1990-1992)
The Laughing Barrel (Unpublished, written 1998-2000)
Delphia (Written in 2004, Kindle 2022)
Time And The World (2004, see academic writing)
Diversion (2022)
Down Dirty (2022)
Discipline (2023)
Extinction: Echoes Of Infinity (2023)
Backstop (2023)
The Call-Back (2023)
Uncle Jimmy’s Rocket (2023)
Running From The Devil (2023)
Trick Date (2023)
Dark Voices (2023)
Trapped Off (2023)
Oswald’s Shadow (2023)
A Forgotten Man (2023)
Only They Can See Them (2023)
A.I. Desire (2023)
Killers In A Room (2023)
Feral (2024)
Final Vision (2024)
Night Rider (2024)
Bling Bling And Gun Sling (2024)
SHORT FICTION:
And There She Was (Unpublished, written in 1985, among other stories from the 1980s)
The Test (Published in 2018, revised in 2022)
The Promotion (2020)
Bus Stop Recall (2023)
COLLECTIONS OF SHORT STORIES:
Moments of Quiet Chaos (2024)
YOUNG ADULT BOOKS
After The Last Bell Series:
Brothers (2024)
Kindergarten Alphabet Matching and Tracing Workbook (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2022)
My Kindergarten Letters and Numbers Practice Workbook (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2022)
Spring Coloring and Activities Workbook for Kindergarten (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2022)
ABC Dot Marker Workbook Ages 3-5 (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2022)
Dot Markers Activity Book: Alphabet, Numbers, And Shapes (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2022)
Unicorn Dot Markers Coloring Book For Girls Ages 3-8 (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2022)
Peter The Healthy Pig Learns About Fruits And Vegetables (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2022)
Peter The Healthy Pig Learns To Count (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2022)
Robert The Rabbit’s Spring Riddles (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2022)
Timothy The Teddy Bear’s Counting Adventure (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2022)
Francine The Fox’s Fall Riddles (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2022)
Peyton The Penguin’s Christmas Adventure (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2022)
Malik’s Snowball Counting Adventure (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2023)
Sheriff Daisy’s Missing Letter Hunt (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2023)
Milo’s Bananas (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2023)
I Spy Alphabet Sounds Activity Workbook (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2023)
Telling Time Workbook (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2023)
ABC Maze Race: A Dot Marker Workbook Of Letter Recognition And Racing Fun (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2024)
ABC Seek And Find Activity Workbook (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2024)
Pippa’s Ocean Counting Adventure (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2024)
Daisy’s Farmyard Counting Adventure (Co-Author, Little Learners Press, 2024)
Haunted Summers Series:
The Mysterious Lake On Lynbrook Drive (Co-Author, Scholars Adventure Press, 2023)
The Ghost Of Matanzas Parkway (Co-Author, Scholars Adventure Press, 2024)
Lost Boys Of The Summer Wind: A Journey of Friendship & Discovery (Co-Author, Scholars Adventure Press, 2024)
POEMS
The following poems were published in City College’s anthology Poetry In Performance and are listed in their respective year and volume.
History (Written in 1992: 2005, vol. 33)
Work (2006, vol. 34)
Visions (2007, vol. 35)
Power (2008, vol. 36)
America’s Dark Identity (2009, vol. 37)
Darkness (2010, vol. 38)
Walkout (2011, vol. 39)
Windstruck (2012, vol. 40)
On The Continent (2013, vol. 41)
Prelude To Power (2014, vol. 42)
Portrait Of A New Man (2015, vol. 43)
ACADEMIC WRITING
Voodoo and the African American Ritual of Unification (aka, Voodoo and the Unification of Black Consciousness, 2002)
Romeo and Juliet: The Beginnings of a Lesson Plan (2003)
Shakespeare To Go: Internet And Video Uses (2003)
Pedagogy and the Shakespearean Experience (2003)
Behind the Veil: Cane and the Search for Black Identity (2003)
Through the Veil Slowly: Major Themes in the Poems of Langston Hughes (2003)
Batouala’s Unquiet Narrative (2004)
Laye’s Myopic Dark Child (2004)
Guillen’s Dark Passion (2004)
Sarduy’s Cumbite (2004)
Time And The World (novel excerpt used for creative writing MA thesis, 2004)
Baldwin’s America (2006)
ADDITIONAL WRITING
Capital Spotlight (Articles, DC newspaper, 1987)
Rounds (Self-published boxing newsletter, 1988-1989)
Capital Sports Focus (Articles, DC newspaper, 1989-1990)
The Community Development Bulletin (Assistant Editor, MHCDO/DC, 1990-1991)
Current Biography (Profiled former MLB Commissioner Fay Vincent, 1991)
BLOGS/PODCASTS
OTHER
A fitness enthusiast, Gabriel was first taken to a DC weightlifting gym by his mother in 1975. Gabriel has continued to workout over the years and included various boxing techniques and martial arts forms. Gabriel is also an avid reader and builder of kit models.
Gabriel has published several books in the urban genre under a pseudonym. He also started journaling in the 1990s and has amassed nearly 100 volumes. Additionally, he is one of the founders of A&G Business Solutions, A&G Creations Publishing, and A&G Press. Gabriel joined Little Learners Press in 2022.
Gabriel is a graduate of the University of the District of Columbia (BA, English) and The City College of New York (MA, Creative Writing), where Emily Raboteau was his thesis advisor. Gabriel has also been coached by esteemed author Marita Golden.
Since moving to Florida, Gabriel publishes regularly and remains active in education.
MEDIA/NEWS
New York Post coverage – “Artful way to get free health care.”
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