they told Heath. And Im your host, Laurie Anderson. Vaid-Menon is a gender nonconforming artist, writer and comedian who uses their work to redefine beauty standards, examine colonialism and explore fluid identity. Buddha taught that suffering is part of the human experience, but he also taught that theres a way out. AAE Named to Inc. Best Workplaces in 2022. This podcast is supported by Barbara Bowman, the Ellen Bayard Weedon Foundation, the Prospect Hill Foundation, Bob and Lois Baylis and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Or is this someone else? A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent. And this is especially the case in South Asia, where theres a vibrant legacy of gender variant people who go under many names, but are often conventionally understood as hijras, kottis, aravanis. This world in a post-9/11 era told me that I was brown and that brown meant certain things. And I wrote one of my first collections ever of poetry that I didnt write to be published. I am awake.. People have been taught to fear the very things that have the potential to set them free. In a viral clip from the podcast "Man Enough," the nonbinary poet and speaker said the gender binary hurts everyone not just trans people. Alok Vaid-Menon on how the transphobic narrative constructs predators and victims And so freedom for me is a daily practice, and its constantly evolving and absolutely not linear, which is so unfortunate sometimes. One of the primary ways that colonial art critics would demean indigenous craftsmanship was by commenting on its use of color, which they would constantly belittle as immature and unsophisticated and childish, rash, and hyper-emotional. "I dont need to be legitimized. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information. that we may wonder what itwould mean to have peopleempathize with our sufferingfor once in our goddamn lifewhat it would feel liketo hold the captive attentionof a funeral of strangers. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Alok Vaid-Menon Finds Beauty Beyond Gender, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/04/style/alok-vaid-menon-artist-nonbinary-poet-activist.html. As a full-service talent booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. When Alok Our booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure talent like Alok Vaid-Menon for both live and virtual events for over 15 years. Support Button Poetry: http://bit.ly/buttonpatreonSubscribe to Button! Poets use carefully chosen language to connect with audiences, advocate for social causes, and convey emotion. but instead i will sit here and wait until the train starts up again.i will exit the car without saying goodbye to her.i will walk up the stairs to the boy outside with the smile that makes me feel less lonely. When you spend your entire life being on one side of the joke, its actually quite therapeutic to be able to make a joke, Mx. And you see someone who you never thought dance, could dancean 85-year-old, just with this kind of unbridled sense of possibility in every step and gesture. And that degree of intention, I hope to bring into everything. Every time Im feeling shame, I breathe into that location. But I am seeing the ways that my fingers are phoenixes, becoming touch again. In 2017 they released their critically-acclaimed poetry collection Femme In Public, a meditation on anti-trans discrimination. When you experience us and our, our, and our way of being, you realize that there is an alternative way. Its the willful unnoticing. Are you willing to go back? Beauty, for me, is what the natural orientation of the universe is returning to, said Alok Vaid-Menon. They've repressed their own creativity.". Eyes on the Prize: Fashion plays an important role in Mx. If youre hungry to continue the conversation, join us on Instagram at @rubinmuseum. Fill out the booking request form or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Alok Vaid-Menon for your next private or corporate function. Atlanta-based company Mailchimp calls Aloks talk required viewing for the world and Cornell University uplifts Aloks presentation as truly life-saving work.. And in so many ways, the enduring forms of harassment that I experience are the universe asking me this question over and over again. Alok Vaid-Menon have Our booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure talent like Alok Vaid-Menon for both live and virtual events for over 20 years. That response has deep historical roots, they said, noting that they've studied gender, sexuality and sociology at Stanford University. With every tear I am seeing the miracle of body. Because, you know, as a young person navigating a city like New York, dancing became about going out, you know. Music for Awaken was created by Blue Dot Sessions, Podington Bear, Tendinite and Siddhartha Corthus. WebALOK VAID-MENON: I sacrificed so much. The live and virtual event speaking fees listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only. i want to text the boy above ground waiting for me, ask:have you ever been to a funeral with complete strangers?but instead i look at the woman next to me, the onewho told a dead man to die more considerately andi remember that to live in america is to attenda funeral with complete strangers: how many ghosts does it take for a cemetery to call itself a country? And what I gained was my life back. And so I think I lost that fluidity. Is that they will fight tooth and nail desperately to justify our state-sanctioned disappearance and to make us the enemy. The presumption is always, "Why wouldn't anyone want to be beautiful?". We can no longer tell the difference between our depression and our oppression, between our violence and our gender, between our sin and our skin.. "I'm nonbinary, which means it's not just that I'm challenging the binary between male, female, man and woman, but between us and them," Vaid-Menon, author of "Beyond the Gender Binary," said. Then I convened a group of us at the end of that summer and I recited it to them. Alok Vaid-Menon and the Art of Standing Out. 2017 also saw ALOK being selected as the youngest recipient of the Live Works Performance Act Award, granted to ten performance artists across the world. Theres so many turning points. Alok uses the pronoun they and has received international attention for WebFuneral by Alok Vaid-Menon. We use these artworks as a jumping off point to better understand the paths our guests have been on and where they are going. They share with us their spirituality, poetry, and what it means to live beyond the gender binary. I admire Alok, because they work to normalize discussions of trauma, shame, and violence against trans and gender non-conforming (GNC) people of color, one poem, performance, and outfit at a time. They are a literal style and thought icon, and impressively, show immeasurable grace while frequently under attack. I used to love dancing, and I think dance was my first language. WebCome here to share slam poems, or talk about slam! And I think that the reason spirituality is important is because I would argue that theres a difference between the manic mechanical function of a heart beating and the poetic practice of a heart loving. I dont need you to show up to 'protect' me," Porter wrote on Instagram. As the creator of the growing movement to degender fashion, ALOK is helping others move beyond the binary into full expression. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Theres a conviction in it. So I think spirituality for me is a kind of cultivation of compassion and an ability to keep going. WebAmanda and Liam Lezra. I feel beauty right now in being a disembodied voice. "And in your statement, you said, 'Why don't I help them?' For the most current fee to hire Alok Vaid-Menon, please fill out the. You burnt yourself last week and you cannot help but notice the patch of hair on your left leg the flames took with them. Alok Vaid-Menon - Button Poetry Alok Vaid-Menon Funeral Posted on March 11, 2019 Performing in Minneapolis. After transitioning I vowed that I would never again compromise my dignity for likability. And how funny it is, the way the universe works, where in withholding one ability it allowed me to recognize my super ability. She eventually passed on without ever seeing me as myself. Color became language. Despite constant invalidation, so many transgender people transition because we know there is a quiet and fierce dignity to being able to look at yourself and say "this is who I am.". "People dont know how to receive that love," they said. In a world thats committed to making your life miserable, theres something audacious and beautiful about insisting on maintaining your humor and your delight.. Vaid-Menon said. #degenderfashion love & need you contact@alokvmenon.com That sense of safety, of trust, of legibility and coherence. This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. For their profound work as an artist-advocate, ALOK has been recognized as a national LGBTQ changemaker by NBC, a Trans Writer You Should Know by Vogue, a Doer by Business Insider, and a Culture Shifter by HuffPo. Trans activist and actress Laverne Cox and actor Billy Porter both shared clips from the episode. Alok has a vast and deep body of emotional, educational work. Copyright 2023 All American Speakers Bureau. Science Says No. The serious power of Vaid-Menons art lies in their social justice advocacy, informed by their journey in a world that all too often punishes nonbinary people for simply being who they are. P.S. Because I value community and connection, lets connect Instagram ( @CadeHildreth ). Be the first to learn about new releases! In this 10-part series, we explore the dynamic path to enlightenment and what it means to wake up. Alok V Menon on Fashion's Genderless Future | #BoFVOICES 2019, Alok Creating Safe Spaces For Trans & Gender-Nonconforming People, Challenging the Gender Binary with Alok Vaid-Menon | Be You, Funeral - Alok Vaid-Menon | Spoken Fest 2019, Beyond The Gender Binary (pocket Change Collective). We tell them that they are not real. Basically, there was a space heater that I didnt turn off, that my mattress got embroiled with. Big Break: This summer, Mx. Gauge interest and check availability for speaking engagements, appearances or corporate events, Provide you with the speaking fee to book Alok Vaid-Menon or other celebrity appearance fees, Give you personal recommendations for the best keynote speakers or celebrities, Assist you with any questions you have throughout the talent booking process, First Transgender Man to Make Team USA, Transgender Advocate, Triathlete & All-American Duathlete, Founder of TransTech Social Enterprises & Actress in the FX Drama "Pose", Attorney, Author & LGBTQ Rights Activist; Motivational Disability Speaker; Founder of the Trans People of Color Coalition, CNN & ESPN Columnist; Celebrated Voice on Sports, Race & Gay Rights, Openly Gay Actor Known for My So Called Life, Thirteen Reasons Why & Star Trek: Discovery, Executive Director of "Equality for HER", Activist & Mental Health Advocate, Transgender & Gender-Nonconforming Activist; Executive Editor of "Out" & Former National Organizer for Transgender Law Center, Transgender Activist; National Face of Transgender Student Rights, Peloton Instructor & Makeup Artist; Founder of SPEAK Instagram Live Series, Tony Award-Winning Actor; Best Known NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" & "Mr. A literal style and thought icon, and convey emotion love, '' said. 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