For many, the path to enlightenment begins by acknowledging suffering but not letting it define who we are. And so much of the formalization and consolidation of European-Western modernity was also a project of aesthetics and color. Please select your budget range:(check all that apply), Please select your budget range: Alok Vaid-Menon: The Urgent Need for Compassion. I think that when it comes to trans people, the narrative right now is so obsessed with us and a collateral damage of existing and having in the world as a trans person, like, woe are them. Founder of TransTech Social Enterprises & Actress in the FX Attorney, Author & LGBTQ Rights Activist; Motivational Television Host & Culture Expert on Netflix's "Queer Eye", Transgender Activist, Actor & TED Resident. When Alok Vaid Menon performed this spoken word poem live at #Spoken2019, they left the crowd One of life's paradoxes is that we are encouraged to "be ourselves," but are often punished when we do. Please provide the email address you used to create for your account. 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. 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. That is the poetic work. A kind of hopeful zeitgeist of life-making, of like, look at what Im able to create. That hatred you feel when you see us having the audacity to live a life without compromise, that hatred is for yourSELF.". That sense of safety, of trust, of legibility and coherence. This writer and performance artist is fighting for a world where all people are able to self-determine their gender. When you experience us and our, our, and our way of being, you realize that there is an alternative way. WebALOK they/them author. As a mixed-media artist ALOK uses poetry, comedy, lecture, performance, fashion design, and visual art to explore themes of gender, race, trauma, belonging, and the human condition. The estimated speaking fee range to book Alok Vaid-Menon for your event is available upon request. Leaving us a review is one of the best ways to help this podcast reach more listeners like you. It was a dance that I later staged at my school talent show, for better or for worse. But before we begin, Alok first shares their thoughts of a sculpture titled The Buddha Triumphing Over Mara. I think that I always want to remember and teach the world that I was born with a heart, two lungs, two eyes, no shame. And what a delight and what a joy it is to be foolish together. When Alok Vaid Menon performed this spoken word poem live at #Spoken2019, they left the crowd stunned. Music for Awaken was created by Blue Dot Sessions, Podington Bear, Tendinite and Siddhartha Corthus. It felt like the body was a mere suggestion. Vaid-Menon said. Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Alok Vaid-Menon and other top speakers and celebrities. Im going to act like a fool because it makes me feel good. I sacrificed so much. When I play music, its not just that Im playing music, its that Im setting the scene to be alive. In this episode, we examine our divine nature and consider who we truly can be in the absence of judgment. I would tell everyone, Im going to grow up and Im going to be a dancer. And that cant coexist with a project that is more about control than creative self-exploration. Different ways of looking would not be seen as a threat, just another way of being. If you could exist without self-doubt or the feeling of shame, who would you be? You know, I think that theres a lot of misapprehension, miscomprehension about people like me. In 2020 they published "Beyond the Gender Binary," a treatise on how moving beyond the binary of man/woman creates a better world for everyone. And I think that I still practice that commitment for better or for worse. Before making any financial decisions, you should consult with professional adviser, such as a financial planner or CPA. Well hear from authors, artists, wisdom bearers, and Buddhist teachers, people who have experienced a shift in their perspectives on life throughout their personal journey. Gender is not what people look like to other people; it is what we know ourselves to be. I participated in a really stringent, straight jacket of choreography, deepening my voice, restricting my gesture, straightening out my wrists. "I'm just doing this to help." Tragedy, death, loss and love are essentials we struggle to accept. We speak with internationally acclaimed, gender non-conforming writer, performer, and public speaker Alok Vaid-Menon, whose work speaks to themes of trauma, belonging, and the human condition. I used to love dancing, and I think dance was my first language. The feeling I get in me is that we have been so structured by the logics of cinema that have made us feel like there has to be this kind of transcendental moment of realization. The sight of me walking with my head high -- brown, bearded, and in a bold red lip -- was too much for them. I sacrificed so much. And its just a model for me of what I want the world to bethat. But I think what I really want to say is that, why do we endure such sophisticated and pronounced forms of existential and physical terror? And I can feel it there in my voice. And I wanted so badly back then to be a dancer. What feminine part of yourself did you have to destroy in order to survive in this world? Theres a conviction in it. What a joy it is to be able to curate the sounds of my own soundtrack. Why do engrained beauty standards so often require some of us to become invisible in order to make other people feel more comfortable? They are the author of "Femme in Public" (2017) and "Beyond the Gender Binary" (2020). "I don't need your help," they said, adding that they "have an unshakable and irrevocable sense of who I am" and don't need to prove anything. And so freedom for me is a daily practice, and its constantly evolving and absolutely not linear, which is so unfortunate sometimes. In this 10-part series, we explore the dynamic path to enlightenment and what it means to wake up. Before a baby is even born, well-meaning well-wishers will often ask, Is it a boy or a girl? The baby only becomes real to most people once they know the gender. 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. Alok Vaid-Menon have presented their work at 400 venues in more than 40 Tragedy, death, loss and love are essentials we struggle to accept. Vaid-Menon's response, which broke down how Heath could actually better support trans people, has gone viral. It felt like I didnt have a body anymore. "So I guess I would rephrase your question to be, 'Can you help me get free?' On their website, they have almost 200 poems and blog posts with titles ranging from cis feminisms double standards to The Grief of Having No Language to Express Your Grief. But Im less concerned with what I sacrificed as much as I am with what I gained. They later added that people need to have compassion before "comprehension" meaning they need to have empathy for trans people even if they don't understand them. Josefina Santos for The New York Times By Julia Carmel Dec. 4, They performed this poem as a part of a recent appearance on The Laura Flanders Show. In her eyes my journey was about hurting her, not about healing myself. And so the connotations that we inherit of color are that color is something that should be feared or something that should be relegated to the special event. In this sculpture, the Buddhas right hand is depicted touching the ground as he calls the earth to witness his triumph over the demon Mara. I am awake.. And then I ask it until I can remember that the shame was not my own. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. not, 'Can you help me help you?'" So who am I going to prioritize? Beauty is about looking like yourself. The reason you don't fight for me is because you're not fighting for yourself fully. In one memorable moment, Mx. AWAKEN is produced by the Rubin Museum of Art in collaboration with Sound Made Public. . I began to use color to return to my own color and to see the large swath of colors in the world and realize its not that color is the problem. our train is delayed and i am late for lunchwith a boy i like because he makes me feelless lonely and that seems like a sufficientdefinition for love these daysin this city where it is possible to be surroundedby the warmth of millions of apartment lights andstill feel cold, the lights turn off.and its one of those momentswhen we are forced to look up from our screens and remember that we exist outside of them. Color became language. Alok has a vast and deep body of emotional, educational work. The work of soul searching came to me through being an artist. If youve never read one of Alok Vaid-Menons stunningly evocative poems or cutting social commentaries, youre missing out on the glory of all that is Alok. During normal business hours, we respond to most inquiries within 4 hours. Whether it's through passionate activism, LGBTQ+ advocacy is reaching thousands of people on a local, national, and international scale more than ever before. The live and virtual event speaking fees listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only. I was raised Hindu, and I associated religion with organized religion, with a set of parameters and protocols and scriptures that had to be followed explicitly. WebAmanda and Liam Lezra. And I began to use color to communicate, theres something else going on here. When I first told my grandmother I was transgender she responded, "How could you do this to me?" And I had to alchemize it and hack at it. What kind of person do I want to be? And the alchemic work of rematerializing what was into what could be is the work of being alive, I think. Femme In Public (2017) is a collection of poetry by nonbinary artist Alok Vaid-Menon. Could it be that we actually are practicing something thats so important and organic and necessary that its more important than that? And then practice that. For more information about our guest and to see images of the artwork in this episode, visit AWAKEN Podcast. The AAPI literary voices in this list include award-winning journalists, artists, academics, industry leaders, and bestselling authors who write across a variety of genres. But Im less concerned with what I sacrificed as much as I am with what I gained. Vaid-Menon said. No one is purely good or evil. "Orange is the New Black" star Cox wrote, "@alokvmenon with the full sermon. Eyes on the Prize: Fashion plays an important role in Mx. That sense of safety, of trust, of legibility and coherence. And sometimes you wonder if you should have kept shaving and the hair keeps coming back and the wounds keep throbbing and the man inside keeps knocking and you, who are impatient, keeps running. We silenced our own differences, subdued our creativity, and toned down our own gender non-conformity in order to fit in. And what I gained was my life back. Every time Im feeling shame, I breathe into that location. Welcome to AWAKEN, a podcast presented by the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. Valheim Genshin Impact Minecraft Pokimane Halo Infinite Call So my organic predisposition was actually one of radical self-acceptance. Is this my own beauty? Trans activist and actress Laverne Cox and actor Billy Porter both shared clips from the episode. #degenderfashion love & need you contact@alokvmenon.com They tell us to be ourselves, but if you listen closely, theres more to that sentence: . A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent. This list includes both allies and transgender and non-binary speakers who are passionate advocates for equity, inclusion, self-expression, and dismantling harmful stigma that affect the LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming "Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful," asserts poet Rita Dove. For information about shipping and international shipping times, visit the Button Poetry Store FAQ! Are you willing to go back to living someone elses lie? 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. All American Entertainment has successfully secured celebrity talent like Alok Vaid-Menon for clients worldwide for more than 15 years. Please click here to let us know what you think: bit.ly/manenoughsurvey The Man Enough Podcast, produced by Wayfarer Studios, P&G Studios, in partnership with Cadence13, an Audacy companyLaunch Partner: P&GHOSTS: Justin Baldoni, Liz Plank, and Jamey HeathJOIN THE MAN ENOUGH COMMUNITY:Instagram: https://instagram.com/wearemanenoughTikTok: https://tiktok.com/wearemanenoughFacebook: https://facebook.com/wearemanenoughSubscribe to our newsletter for behind the scenes, updates, and new episodes: https://manenough.com/newsletterRead the book: https://manenough.com/booksFOLLOW THE HOSTS:Justin Baldoni Instagram: https://instagram.com/justinbaldoniJustin Baldoni TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@justinbaldoniJustin Baldoni Facebook: https://facebook.com/justinbaldoniJustin Baldoni Twitter: https://twitter.com/justinbaldoniText Justin: +1 (310) 845-6909Liz Plank: https://instagram.com/feministabulousLiz Plank TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@lizplankLiz Plank Facebook: https://facebook.com/feministabulousLiz Plank Twitter: https://twitter.com/feministabulousSite: http://www.elizabethplank.com/Jamey Heath Instagram: https://instagram.com/jamey_heath_Jamey Heath TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@jameyheathJamey Heath Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamey_heath_Jamey Heath Facebook: https://facebook.com/jameyjazSite: http://www.jameyheath.com/ALOKALOK Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alokvmenon/ALOK Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlokVMenon/ALOK Twitter: https://twitter.com/alokvmenonALOK youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG_G2mCoGdNUIOPaPrgorHgFollow: https://manenough.com/podcast#ManEnough #ALOK #GenderPRODUCED BY:Wayfarer Studios: https://www.wayfarerstudios.comWayfarer Studios YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/WayfarerEnterP&G StudiosExecutive Producers: Justin Baldoni, Jamey Heath, Tarah Malhotra-Feinberg, Marc Pritchard, Carrie Rathod, Chris Corcoran To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. 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