Table Of ContentU.S. $15.95 Poetry
A groundbreaking collection of poems and
essays by some of the most influential
female spoken word artists of today
“ Word Warriors is a treasure and a long time coming. A lot of my heroes are in
this book. their words have kept me company for a host of nights, in dark bunks
and on lonely roads, helping me to carry on.”
– Musician Amy RAy of the Indigo Girls
“ Coming to voice is coming to power—daring to make life in words—daring to be
heard. that is the story this anthology tells. Hear it, listen in, let it resurrect you,
let it take you from the deep silence into the comfort of soulful sound.”
– b ell hooks, author of All About Love: New Visions and
the poetry collection When Angels Speak of Love
“ It’s difficult to find role models who’ve stood up to the system and lived to tell the
tale. each and every one of the writers in this collection is a role model for anyone
who wants to change the world. And if I’m feeling scared, powerless, sad, or less
than, this is the book I intend to read to get my courage up.”
– kAte boRnstein, author of Hello, Cruel World and Gender Outlaw
“ Word Warriors is a mighty incantation. Various lines from these thirty-five writers S 3
p 5
have mutated into mantras in my mind. Word Warriors is not a book, it is a spell o
that will change things for everyone who reads it.” kW
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– ingA muscio, author of Cunt and Autobiography of a Blue-Eyed Devil nm
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“ If you, like me, are often scared of poetry, this book is for you. the personal
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essays are like alluring hosts, leading you graciously but forcefully to writings de
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that will make you cry, turned on, amazed, and awake.” rd
ee
– JennifeR bAumgARdneR, author of Look Both Ways: Bisexual Politics vr
os
and coauthor of Manifesta: Young Women, Feminism and the Future
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“r aging, celebrating, and inspiring: Finally a strong spotlight beaming on the i
voices that have carried the slam forward for two decades – women’s voices. In ot
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the beginning they gave it kick and consequence, twenty years later they still do.” e
– m ARc kelly smith, creator and founder of the International Poetry
Slam Movement Edited by
Alix Olson
ISBN 10: 1-58005-221-5
ISBN 13: 978-1-58005-221-4 Foreword by
Eve Ensler
SeAl PreSS
www.sealpress.com
Cover design by rowan Moore-Seifred
Cover image royalty Free/Stockbyte/Getty Images
WRWA_Cover.indd 1 8/9/07 10:18:44 AM
35 Women Leaders in the
Spoken Word Revolution
Alix Olson
EditEd by
ForEword by Eve Ensler
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Word Warriors
35 Women Leaders in the spoken Word revolution
Copyright © 2007 alix olson
all poems’ copyrights are held by their authors unless otherwise noted. None
of the essays or poems may be reprinted without author’s written permission
unless otherwise noted.
Published by
seal Press
a Member of the Perseus Books Group
1400 65th street, suite 250
Emeryville, Ca 94608
all rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form without written permission from the publisher, except by reviewers
who may quote brief excerpts in connection with a review.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data
Word warriors : 25 women leaders in the spoken word revolution / edited
by alix olson.
p. cm.
includes bibliographical references and index.
isBN-13: 978-1-58005-221-4 (alk. paper)
isBN-10: 1-58005-221-5 (alk. paper)
1. american poetry—Women authors. 2. american poetry—20th centruy.
3. american poetry—21st century. 4. Women—United states—Poetry. 5.
oral interpretation of poetry—History—20th century. 6. oral interpretation
of poetry—History—21st century. 7. oral interpretation of poetry—
Competitions. 8. Poetry slams. 9. Poetry—authorship. i. olson, alix.
Ps589.W77 2007
811’.540809287—dc22
2007032584
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Cover design by rowan Moore-seifred, doublemranch.com
interior design by McGuire Barber design
Composition by steve Connell
Printed in the United states of america
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This book is dedicated to my mom, Laura Katz Olson,
for dressing me in blue overalls
and for gifting me with the bright side.
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C o n t e n t s
Foreword EvE EnslEr ix
Introduction Alix olson xi
sArAh JonEs Cast of Characters 1
your revolution
wax poetic
MichEllE tEA On Sister Spit 13
Pigeon Manifesto
The Beautiful
lEnEllE MoïsE Protégée 29
we live up here
loch ness monsters
dAphnE GottliEb Lost and Found 43
somewhere, over
death drive (a transfession)
nAtAliE E. illuM
On Mothers and mothertongue 55
I am from, third cycle
What we learn in one night
AyA dE lEón
Lyrical Self-defense and
the Reluctant Female Rapper 63
Cellulite
Grito de Vieques
lEAh hArris A Mad Poet’s Manifesto 73
revenge of the crazy wimmin
Take refuge
MElizA bAñAlEs
The Dirtiest Word You’ve Ever Heard 87
Do the Math
Generations
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KArEn GArrAbrAnt Slam Ma’am 98
A Sylvia Plath Sliver
Air Ego Balloon
bEth lisicK Stumbling In 111
Empress of Sighs
Monkey Girl
GEnEviEvE vAn clEvE Page for a Day 121
A Quick Thank-You Note to Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath
Altar Call (I Want Jesus Back)
chEryl burKE Making a Name 132
Motor Oil Queen
Jones
KAtz A Choir is Born 144
Nothing Generation
Taken in Like Oxygen
c. c. cArtEr What I Remember 154
The Herstory of My Hips
Warning
Alix olson Turn it Down a Notch 166
Subtle Sister
That the Protagonist Is Always a Man
suhEir hAMMAd In My Own English 176
First Writing Since
a prayer band
rAchEl KAnn From Inside 193
montaña de oro
Titular
noMy lAMM Body Sanctuary 204
Book of Rules: A Girl’s Guide to Doing What You’re Told
There’s always this feeling like something’s missing
AndrEA Gibson Shaking It Off 215
andrew
Blue Blanket
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thEA hillMAn My Longest Relationship 226
Starfucking Closer to Home or What Happens
When You Reach for the Stars and They Reach Back
Miscarriage
Ellyn MAybE We All Leave Something 237
Ball and Chain Record Store
Ellyn Maybe’s Dream
trAciE Morris Ad-Libbing 256
Apology to Pangea
Las Brujitas
cristin o’KEEFE Aptowicz Working Luck 265
Lit (Or to the Scientist Whom I’m Not Speaking To Anymore)
All I’d Leave Behind
sini AndErson In Other Words 277
“God in You”
Say More
EilEEn MylEs In and Out of Spoken Word 287
An American Poem
Merk
lynnE procopE Taco Shop Tales 301
any closer to home and my heart will burst 2
Butterfly Nut House
MArty McconnEll
You Say You Want a Revolution 313
instructions for a body
Joan of Arc to the $2,000-an-hour woman
bitch Spilling Ink 323
Pussy Manifesto
Red Roof In
turiyA Autry And wAlidAh iMArishA
Good Sista/Bad Sista 331
Supa Soul Sistas
No You Don’t Know Me
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lynn brEEdlovE A Boy Among Weemoon 351
Knuckle Sandwich
Breasticles
stAcEyAnn chin Poet for the People 361
Cross-Fire
Poem for the Gay Games
JuliA sErAno Exceeding Expectations 374
sleeping sickness
vice versa
pAtriciA sMith Name-Calling 386
Asking for a Heart Attack
Building Nicole’s Mama
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E v e E n s l e r
The Way Girls
Word
I WANT TO TALk ABOuT THESE WOMEN, THESE
words, these fierce flying no scheming, no vetted, no trying to land in
the white house or sell me a toaster words. These words that grow in
the jungles of the bellies of these women who stand on land they never
owned or felt at home but the words grow and make a place a space
for the others to live. Words in the mouths of these women slam, shoot
like alphabet guns, fire fast digit letters and sounds into silence, into
the invisible that lives forever visible right in front of us, the invisible
that can’t be spoken until it’s spoken and so these brave chicks speak
and speak, “breathless red faced and pissed off.” speak the hereti-
cal, speak the blood body, speak not as representatives of their dark
skinned selves or dyke diving selves or Gaza stripped selves. Not rep-
resenting but presenting, not claiming we, but an unapologetic esca-
lating have to say it see it be it me, me that is jammed slammed stuck
in the dead center of invisible wastelands; malls, the too beautiful sub-
urban roads, mean anonymous streets, soap opera reality TV sympho-
nies. Me, me that has been so fucking programmed, conditioned to be
skinny white ass, not taking up too much space, not round, not black,
ix
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