"Enigma"
Chattanooga, TN
August 14, 2003

Make 'Em Blush

"Make 'em blush." That's what spoken word potery slam artist Alix Olson says. And she may just do that when she comes to Chattanooga on August 22.

The outspoken, feminist spoken word artist comes to the Read House with fellow radical musician Pamela Means to perform for Chattanooga Cares.

The outspoken lesbian poet has been making waves in the circuit for her frank discussion on injustice, prejudice and politics.

"People say that I'm not subtle, but then I say that was never my goal," she says.

Known for quick wit and fearless petry, Olson has a charismatic presence that has been selling out venues across the country. Her shows have been described as one part peace vigil, one part protest rally, one part joyful raucous concert.

Feminism plays a big role in Olson's work, and has always considered herself a feminist. "My mom was a big feminist, my parents were radicals, and I went to a college that was deeply entrenched in radical thought," she says.

Olson believes that many older feminists are accused of not having their work done by excluding color and being class conscience. "In some ways I think that's a fair accusation because there are separations, but I also think that the older feminists are not lauded enough for their accomplishments," she says. She says this generation of feminists lives on the back of the previous generation, while the upcoming generation of feminists will live off of this new one.

Olson says there needs to be a common vocabulary, a shared poetry. "We queers need to speak to each other: intergenerationally, trans-inclusively, race-consciously, sensitive to varying abilities and class politics," she says. "About our possibilities for a common direction."

Olson adds if there were ever a time to put one's queer shoulder to the wheel, and push Left, the time is now.

Champion of the poetry slam, Olson is one of the most recognized artists at the forefront of the genre. The art of spoken word began in the late 1980's in Chicago with competitive poetry slams. The slam quickly emerged as a democratic medium, rooted in the assumption that anyone can judge a poem. Slam poetry isn't judged on a rigid and arbitrary set of standards, but on how it affects people. "It's feminist," Olson says, "the valuing of each experience."

"Performance poetry's been around forever," Olson says. "We're taking it back." Poetry started out as an oral tradition, she says, as a way of connecting face-to-face with other humans. "It was really the printing press and capitalism that put it on the page, started to sell it, and made it cold," she says.

While many consider Olson "in your face", she prefers to call herself proactive. "This society is very proactive about creating consumers, and about creating people who are racist and sexist and homophobic," she says.

There is cynicism in the air these days, says Olson. "But deep down, I do believe deeply in the power of human connection, and I'm much more interested in feeding forward movement than staid disillusionment."