FOF #654 – Word Warriors
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Like Cher said one time: “words are like weapons, they wound sometimes” and boy, was she right! So right in fact that there is a new book on the market called “Word Warriors,” a collection […]
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All purpose lesbian. I love it.
YAY LESBIANS!!! I’ve always loved my lesbians. From my mothers girlfriend when I was in High School, Chris Dennin and her life partner, Sherry Shimshy, to Melissa Etheridge, I cant get enough!!!! I love the spoken word and love the concept of it used as a tool to heal! Right on, Alix! oh and are you related to Mary Kate and Ashley?
Love the poetry that you have on this show really good thou im not that into feminism but it was good guys. I was a different kind of show today.
I love strong women and feminists as long as their mantra isn’t just ‘men and their evil penises suck’ but something more constructive. Not listened to the show yet and not a major Poetry fan, but looking at the pictures, I bet I’ll be liking Alix just fine.
I loved the poetry in this episode – especially Blue Blanket. I stopped in my tracks as soon as it started. I could feel the raw energy as soon as the last word was spoken. Well worth hearing more than once.
I loved Andrea Gibson’s performance in this episode. I have to echo Mo, her energy was powerful and demanded my attention, and I listened to the last minute over and over again. Great show.
WOW!! I loved the Readings from Alix and Andrea. Blue Blanket Very powerful.
The poetry in the show was amazing. I can’t say that I’ve actively sought out spoken-word performances in a long time, but from the sounds of it, the scene is stronger than ever!
Fausto, I think feminism is feminism is feminism. The core tenants hold up today and are pan-gender, in my opinion. If you ask me, calling it something else just to appease a wider audience or to make other people feel better about the concept is “selling out.” I feel like calling it something else is like the Altar Boyz (or the one boy) never actually admitting that he is gay, because it’s easier for the audience to bite into it that way. Call a duck a duck, basically.
i am inspired
I try really hard to be positive but seriously, that last poem was annoying. I blame her voice.
Correction: I loved the poem, I just didn’t like her voice when she was reading it. Than again, I am in a really bad mood right now. There is still like 20 minutes left of the podcast though. I know it will rock. As did the entire pod cast.
yay spamming the site! So now that I’ve noticed I won on this I will love to point out that while no fun sex is legal here, I do it anyways! And yes I am a queer Mormon.
Holy crap! I’m still listening to this episode, but I just HAD to pop in to say that Andrea’s performance has sent chills up my spine! Powerful stuff!
I love that there is a word for cryptonesia. I knew a guy who would always present you with things as being fact when often times they were either things he’d picked up second hand or even made up himself, but he was convinced they were true. He once told me a story of an event that had happened to him, and I had to remind him that the event had actually happened to me and it was I who told him the story originally.
And I like that you referenced Cher for the “words are like weapons” but don’t forget Devil Inside by INXS… “Words are weapons sharper than knives, makes you wonder how the other half dies”.
Both poems gave me goosebumps! Especially Andrea’s. Such diverse and interesting people! Bravo! I’m apparently in the mood for exclamation points!
I loved these poems! I need to buy this book! This podcast makes me want to go out and find some more females to hang out with.
I love slam poems. I played one for a friend, and both knocked me clear off my feet. The intensity and beauty of their words made this show for me. This was the best interview you guys have done in a long time, most definitely. Sweet sisters they are indeed!
Yeah, this was a pretty awesome show. That slam poetry is able to have even a bit of the energy preserved over a podcast is pretty amazing. I was moved as I was in my car listening. I’ve met Alix, and she’s super nice, and they were super fun on the show! Good job!
As a father of two little girls, I was truly blown away by the reading of these two poets. Alix’s haunting first reading ending in “what will you teach your son” hit me with the mine field that women face in this world. Initially, I had a hard time getting into the groove with Andrea’s reading, but the rhythm caught me and carried me along for quite an amazing ride. As I was listening, I kept thinking to myself, “we are so lucky to have such a venue to discover these artists and so many just like them.” Thanks Marc and Fausto for bringing these two artists to a wider audience.
What lovely guests on today’s show 🙂 and those poems were so emotive, it was a shock to hear them coming out of Alix and Andrea’s mouths, they seemed so timid in noraml conversation 🙂 and great breakdowns too 🙂
Could someone explain to me what “Slam” poetry is, exactly..? :S
i’m not one of the poets of spoken word however, i have to think it means “BOOM! We’re in your face!” powertry.
Perhaps not.
Loved the slam poets, it’s always great to hear shows with such powerful guests who cause me to stop and think.
x eleventy-billion on the Roth IRA, a 401k, and/or the new Roth 401k.
If you don’t have a Roth, get one… NOW. The younger you are when you start this, the better.
It’s just a fund (usually established with a broker – but I’m sure you can do one yourself if you want to) that you put money into (preferably on a periodic basis – I have a certain amount direct drafted out of my checking account every month automatically) up to a certain yearly federal limit.
Presumably it will earn interest over time – and that’s when the beauty of the Roth kicks in:: When you take the money out (after you’ve reached 55.5 years old), it is all TAX FREE! ALLLL that interest you earned comes tax free – and that is HUGE.
The 401k, generally done through your employer, is also an awesome deal for a couple reasons:
1) The money you put in is pre-tax or “tax deferred” – so you get to put in about 30% more than if you were putting money into any other investment. This means that you can get more money in there quicker – so stock market growth will do more for you
2) Most employers who offer a 401k will match your investment up to a certain limit – dollar-for-dollar matching is common up to about 3% of your salary. You put in $1, the company puts in $1, and you have $2 in your 401k rather than the $1 – taxes = 70 cents that you’d have in your pocket if you hadn’t invested it.
The downside is that when you take money out it is taxable.
Both programs have their merits… I have one of each to try to cover all the bases ;-).
A Roth 401k is a combination of the two and was only introduced a couple years ago. My understanding is that it has the employer-matching benefits of a 401k but the up-front tax – scheme of a Roth.
This was a really really great show, guys. I’m thoroughly impressed, and even surprised. I go to slam poetry events with The Raving Poets in Edmonton, and I’ve really been getting into the art form lately. Thank you tons for bringing these gals on the show.
I am not into poetry but i look up Andrea Gibson’s site, and was impress by the peom “ELI”
and in the show Andrea is very powerfull with her ending. I get goosebump all the time.
the reading is good i love the way she pronounce so clearly, it is fast ( for a french like me i
miss some along the way) but the loud breathing is a distraction to me.
So good work girls! And Andrea my favorite is ELI, i just wanted to send it to all my friends
that are military.
And Fausto i am with you, i am nOt a feminist but i don’t like to be told i can’t do something
because i am a girl i guess growing up in the 70’s made me that way, i am all for girls power.
And i thing like you said we should “open the umbrella”………….i like that!
I’ve never heard slam poetry before. I was listening to the show while I was grocery shopping and when Alix started with her poem I stopped in the middle of the shop and just listened! That was the most beautiful think I’ve ever heard. The imagery was amazing! Andrea’s poem was equally as moving!
Thank you for fantastic guests like Alix and Andrea. They are incredible.
P.S. Alix was in Joburg and no one told me!!
Excellent – just excellent. Where do you find such amazing guests?! This was really a treat!
Great show! I don’t care for slam poets, or poetry in general, but Alix is one of my favorite writer/performers. I hadn’t read the show title before hitting the play button, so it was a pleasant surprise to hear her voice. I’m glad you guys got into a discussion that went deeper than just surface level.
Fantastic poetry. I had to rewind, pause, play several times
to take it all in. Wordsmiths – quite sensational – thanks for
entertaining us on FOF!
Thanks for the meaty show. I enjoyed all the discussion. Since we had Thanksgiving out of town, we don’t have any leftovers in the fridge… but catching up on all this FOF is like my Thanksgiving leftovers!
I’m a feminist. Happy to be other things as well, but definitely a feminist. (In fact, when Kate and I were coming up with T-shirt ideas for the dyke march, we almost went with: “Just another vegetarian feminist lesbian bookworm for Jesus.” But then we decided our shirts were too small to fit it all on there.)
We still need feminism. There is this assumption that women have achieved equal footing, and feminism is a relic, but if anything, people have grown complacent and things are in a bit of a backslide. If you go to the grocery store on a weekday morning, how many moms do you see? How many dads do you see? I was home sick one day and stopped by the store, and was amazed at the disparity. It was like I had dropped into some boobs-only alternate universe. (Not that I would normally complain about that!)
Yes to feminism, and yes to anger, too. Anger is energy — it drives change. I’m all for it. (Used in a peaceful way, of course.)
On another note, the female population is losing a lot of very sexy dykes to the genderqueer persuasion. What’s up with that? When we saw this film on Chicago LGBT history, there were so many butch lesbians in the 50s who identified as women, but were still super butch. I think it’s a powerful statement, to say that you’re a woman who doesn’t conform to gender norms. It expands the definition of what a woman can be.
I’d love to hear more discussion… Why do we see this so much in the lesbian community? I don’t know any gay men who identify as genderqueer because they are effeminate. Interesting.
Anyway, loved the show! Keep it up, and pass the scones, please.
this was one of my favorite shows in a long time. andrea gibson’s show stopped me dead in my tracks when i heard it and i immediately had to go back and re-listen to it. incredible. these two are such inspirations.
and by “andrea gibson’s show” i definitely meant “andrea gibson’s performance”. oops.
Wow
WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW
this must be the best show that you have ever done Guys. I dunno why – maybe the combination of your energy’s or what, I have no idea
But I am thoroughly impressed. And inspired
Love ya
Julz