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{{Short description|American poet}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2019}}
{{BLP sources|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox writer
{{Infobox writer
| name = Olivia Gatwood
| name = Olivia Gatwood
| image =
| image =
| caption =
| caption = Olivia Gatwood by Alissa Wyle
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1992|2|23}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1992|2|23}}{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}
| birth_place = [[Albuquerque]], [[New Mexico (state)|New Mexico]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]], U.S.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}
| occupation = [[Poet]]
| residence = [[Santa Cruz, California| Santa Cruz]], [[California (state)|California, U.S.]]
| occupation = [[Poet]]
| nationality = American
⚫
| website = {{URL|oliviagatwood.com}}
| nationality = American
⚫
| website = {{URL|https://www.oliviagatwood.com/}}
}}
}}


'''Olivia Gatwood''' (born February 23, 1992{{citation needed lead|date=January 2020}}) is a poet, writer, and educator on topics that include coming of age, feminism, gendered violence, & true crime.
'''Olivia Gatwood''' (born February 23, 1992) is a poet, writer, and educator in sexual assault prevention and recovery.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bowdoinorient.com/2017/04/07/spoken-word-poet-and-activist-olivia-gatwood-to-speak-on-feminism-sexual-assault/|title=Spoken word poet and activist Olivia Gatwood to speak on feminism, sexual assault|last=Fosler-Jones|first=Elizabeth|date=2017-04-07|website=[[The Bowdoin Orient]]|language=en|access-date=2018-12-19}}</ref> She was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is known for her poems such as "Manic Pixie Dream Girl", "Alternate Universe in Which I am Unfazed by the Men Who do Not Love Me", and "Backpedal". Gatwood has toured internationally and has spoken at more than two hundred universities across the U.S. She currently resides in Santa Cruz, California.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oliviagatwood.com/|title=Home {{!}} Olivia Gatwood|website=Home {{!}} Olivia Gatwood|language=en|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref>


== Life and career ==
== Early life and education==
Olivia Gatwood was born in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]] on February 23, 1992.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} Her mother, Jill, is a sex educator and H.I.V. epidemiologist and her father, Byron, is a middle school teacher.<ref name=":0" /> She spent three years in [[Port of Spain|Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago]] where she began writing poetry at age 11 at the suggestion of a librarian.<ref>{{Cite news|author = Tardiff, Sara|author2 = Gatwood, Olivia|display-authors = etal | date=April 24, 2017|title=Five Spoken Word Poets Whose Work Will Change You: Olivia Gatwood|work=Nylon.com|format = interview|url=https://nylon.com/articles/spoken-word-poets-poetry|access-date=November 13, 2018|language=en}}</ref>


⚫
Gatwood's continued interest in poetry stemmed from her use of the art form as an outlet for her emotions; in an interview she explained, "teenagers have a lot of feelings and thoughts, but are often told that there's no space for those things to exist. But spoken word is the exact opposite. The more you can express, the better."<ref name="Abelis">{{Cite web|url=http://www.bkmag.com/2015/06/29/speak-like-a-girl-two-of-brooklyns-best-feminist-poets-take-their-show-on-the-road/|title=Speak Like a Girl: Two of Brooklyn's Best Feminist Poets Take Their Show on the Road|last=Abelis|first=Ona|date=June 29, 2015|website=Brooklyn Magazine|language=en-US|access-date=April 2, 2019}}</ref>
⚫
=== Early life ===
Gatwood was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on February 3, 1992. She is the daughter of Jill and Byron Gatwood. She is a writer, poet, performer, and Title IX educator in sexual assault prevention and recovery. She began writing at the age of eleven years old.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://nylon.com/articles/spoken-word-poets-poetry|title=Five Spoken Word Poets Whose Work Will Change You|date=2017-04-24|work=NYLON|access-date=2018-11-13|language=en}}</ref> She has performed her poems on various platforms, including Brave New Voice, Women of the World Poetry Slam, HBO, The Huffington Post, VH1, and BBC. Her poems have also appeared in print in ''Muzzle Magazine'', ''The Winter Tangerine Review'', ''Poetry City USA'', ''Tinderbox Poetry Journal'', and the ''Missouri Review''. She is an up and coming writer,{{Editorializing|date=December 2018}} with her debut book ''New American Best Friend'' having been met with positive reviews.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://bust.com/feminism/194178-olivia-gatwood-poetry-feminism.html|title=Poet Olivia Gatwood Writes Like Teen Spirit: BUST Interview|last=Albert|first=Victoria|date=|work=BUST|access-date=2018-10-02|language=en-gb}}</ref>


While still in high school, Gatwood led a collection of women who reported a local bakery to the [[Equal Employment Opportunity Commission|U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission]] for sexual harassment and won a settlement of over $10,000.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|author = Balsamo, Adriana | date=January 7, 2020|title=Olivia Gatwood, a Poet With a YouTube Following, Branches Out|work=New York Times|format= article|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/07/books/olivia-gatwood-poet-life-of-the-party.html|access-date=March 10, 2020|language=en}}</ref>
=== Social activism ===
Gatwood has been an advocate for sexual education, human rights, and gender equality through various platforms. Gatwood has creating numerous workshops accessible to anyone. Her writing workshop focuses in on students of all ages and experience levels, and gives students the chance to read works of poets around the world. Her performance workshops are geared towards students interested in slam poetry, with an emphasis on incorporating the use of body, vocal range, and enunciation and projection techniques. Her community building workshops cover topics from consent, being an active bystander, gender equality, relationships, and sexual health.{{Citation needed|date=December 2018}}


Gatwood graduated from the [[Pratt Institute]]'s fiction program in 2015.<ref name="Abelis"/>
⚫
Gatwood, along with Megan Falley created an interactive poetry show called ''Speak Like a Girl''. ''Speak Like a Girl'' is a traveling poetry show that focuses on topics such as gender issues, body image, and growing up. <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bkmag.com/2015/06/29/speak-like-a-girl-two-of-brooklyns-best-feminist-poets-take-their-show-on-the-road/|title=Speak Like a Girl: Two of Brooklyn's Best Feminist Poets Take Their Show on the Road|last=Abelis|first=Ona|date=2015-06-29|website=Brooklyn Magazine|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-02}}</ref>


==Career==
== Spoken word poetry ==
{{expand section|with=standard elements of a WP biography career section, including professional, organizational, publishing, and speaking commitments|small=no|date=January 2020}}
One of Gatwood's most used activism platform is spoken word poetry. Spoken word poetry is "poetic expression as a word-based performance, often (though not exclusively) in free verse and at times confrontational and personal in nature".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://scholar.googleusercontent.com/scholar?q=cache:VVvCy44z4DoJ:scholar.google.com/+national+poetry+slam+olivia+gatwood&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5|title=Social Protest in Urban Youth Spoken-Word Poetry 'They've Got Us So Conditioned That We Purchase Our Oppression': Human Ri|last=Kim|website=scholar.googleusercontent.com|access-date=2018-11-08}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|reason=I need more information as to where this was published (ie, journal, etc)|date=December 2018}} Slam poetry is expanding across many cities in America because of the experiential and transformative nature. Gatwood often uses spoken word poetry as a platform for her activism and has participated in shows and festivals like Brave New Voices, Women of the World Poetry Slam (WOWps), and the National Poetry Slam. Gatwood has competed in the WOWps for two years, and earning sixth place in 2012 out of 72 contestants. She has also competed in the National Poetry Slam two years in a row, with her team coming in second place in 2014.{{Citation needed|date=December 2018}}
Gatwood is a poet, writer, activist, speaker, and educator on topics that include sexual assault prevention and recovery.<ref name = FoslerJones2017>{{Cite web|url=https://bowdoinorient.com/2017/04/07/spoken-word-poet-and-activist-olivia-gatwood-to-speak-on-feminism-sexual-assault/|title=Spoken Word Poet and Activist Olivia Gatwood to Speak on Feminism, Sexual Assault|last=Fosler-Jones|first=Elizabeth|date=April 7, 2017|website=[[The Bowdoin Orient]]|language=en|access-date=December 19, 2018}}</ref> Gatwood was a finalist at [[Brave New Voices]], [[Women of the World Poetry Slam|Women of the World]] and the [[National Poetry Slam]]. Her performances have been featured on HBO, Huffington Post, MTV, VH1, and BBC among others. Her work has been featured in Muzzle Magazine, The Winter Tangerine Review, Poetry City U.S.A., Tinderbox Poetry Journal, and The Missouri Review.

Gatwood and fellow poet Megan Falley created an interactive show called ''Speak Like a Girl'', a traveling poetry show that focuses on gender issues, body image, growing up and other topics. The pair has performed "Speak Like a Girl" in cities across the United States, including Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Detroit.<ref name="Abelis"/>

Gatwood is the author of two poetry collections, ''New American Best Friend'' (2017) and ''Life of the Party'' (2019). She also contributed to ''Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice'' (2020, with [[Mahogany L. Browne]] and [[Elizabeth Acevedo]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://us.macmillan.com/woke/mahoganylbrowne/9781250311207|title=Woke {{!}} Mahogany L. Browne {{!}} Macmillan|website=US Macmillan|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-28}}</ref> Her first novel, ''Whoever You Are, Honey'', was released by [[Dial Press|The Dial Press]] at Random House in 2024. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Olivia Gatwood |url=https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/olivia-gatwood |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=The Poetry Foundation}}</ref>


== Works ==
== Works ==
=== ''New American Best Friend'' ===
=== ''New American Best Friend'' ===
After numerous published poems, Gatwood began creating her debut novel, ''New American Best Friend''. Gatwood writes about her childhood, the transition from teenage years to young adulthood, her views on gender and sexuality, and the violence and joys in her life.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://radio.wpsu.org/post/bookmark-new-american-best-friend-olivia-gatwood|title=BookMark: &quot;New American Best Friend&quot; By Olivia Gatwood|last=Bastress|first=Samantha|website=[[WPSU (FM)]]|language=en|access-date=2018-12-19}}</ref> She made this book in an effort to celebrate ones one body, with short poems such as "Ode to my Bitch Face", "Like Us, and "The First Shave".{{Citation needed|date=December 2018}}
After numerous published poems, Gatwood presented her first published collection, ''[[New American Best Friend]]''.<ref name=Bastress2017>{{Cite web|last=Bastress|first=Samantha|date = Oct 19, 2017 | title=BookMark: "New American Best Friend" by Olivia Gatwood|website=[[WPSU (FM)|radio.wpsu.org]]|language=en|url=http://radio.wpsu.org/post/bookmark-new-american-best-friend-olivia-gatwood|access-date=December 19, 2018}}</ref> In it, Gatwood wrote about her childhood, the transition from teenage years to young adulthood, her views on gender and sexuality, and the violence and joys in her life.<ref name=Bastress2017/> “One more thing when they call you a bitch, say thank you. say thank you, very much.” quote from the book.


⚫
In 2017, ''New American Best Friend'' was nominated for the [[Goodreads Choice Awards]] Best Poetry.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-poetry-books-2017|title=Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Poetry!|website=Goodreads}}</ref>
''New American Best Friend'' has been met with mixed criticism. It has been both praised for being a raw and unedited view into the glimpse of a teenage girl's life, and criticized for being too critical and biased about common occurrences in society, and for being too feminist based.{{Citation needed|date=December 2018}}

⚫
In 2017, ''New American Best Friend'' was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Poetry.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-poetry-books-2017|title=Best Poetry 2017|access-date=2019-04-09}}</ref>


=== ''Life of the Party'' ===
=== ''Life of the Party'' ===
Life of the Party is a poetry collection by Olivia Gatwood that is 'deeply inspired by true crime and murdered women.'<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://genius.com/Olivia-gatwood-and-melissa-lozada-oliva-ep-6-true-crime-and-selena-annotated|title=Transcript of EP. 6- TRUE CRIME AND SELENA|access-date=2019-04-09}}</ref> It will be available for purchase in August 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/600047/life-of-the-party-by-olivia-gatwood/9781984801906/|title=Life of the Party: Poems|access-date=2019-04-09}}</ref>
Life of the Party interrogates the author's relationship to fear and true crime, as well as the media's obsession with the murder of women. It was published in August 2019 by Penguin Random House.<ref name="LifePublication">{{Cite book|author = PRH Staff | date = January 9, 2020 | url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/600047/life-of-the-party-by-olivia-gatwood/9781984801906|title=Life of the Party by Olivia Gatwood | isbn = 9781984801906 | publisher = [[Penguin Random House]] (PRH) | accessdate = January 9, 2020}}</ref>


=== Podcast ===
=== Podcast ===
Along with her best friend and fellow poet [[Melissa Lozada-Oliva]], Olivia started a podcast called ''Say More''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/say-more/id1446786288?mt=2|title=SAY MORE|access-date=2019-04-09}}</ref> in December 2018, in which they interview each other on topics and answer emailed questions from listeners.
In December 2018, Gatwood started the podcast, ''Say More'', with "her best friend and fellow poet", [[Melissa Lozada-Oliva]],{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} in which they interview each other on topics and answer emailed questions from listeners.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} It had presented its fortieth episode by the end of 2019.<ref>{{Cite web| author = Gatwood, Olivia| author2 = Lozada-Oliva, Melissa| name-list-style = amp | date=January 8, 2020 | url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/say-more/id1446786288?mt=2|title=Say More|format = podcast | work = iTunes.Apple.com | access-date=January 8, 2020}}</ref>


The second season of the podcast began March 4, 2020 with episode 41, "AMERICAN DIRT, REPRESENTATION & TECH BROS."<ref>{{Cite web| author = Gatwood, Olivia| author2 = Lozada-Oliva, Melissa| name-list-style = amp | date=March 23, 2020 | url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/say-more/id1446786288?mt=2|title=Say More|format = podcast | work = iTunes.Apple.com | access-date=March 23, 2020}}</ref>
⚫
=== Select poems ===

⚫
* "Jordan Convinced Me That Pads Were Disgusting" (2016)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.muzzlemagazine.com/olivia-gatwood2.html|title=Jordan Convinced Me That Pads Were Disgusting|last=Gatwood|first=Olivia|work=Muzzle Magazine|access-date=2019-04-09|language=en-US}}</ref>
⚫
== Selected poems ==
*"Back-pedal" (2016)
Many of her recorded readings can be found on Gatwood's website and at [[Button Poetry]]. Among her most widely recognized and lauded poems are the following:{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}<!--Someone besides us need to speak to which poems ought appear in this "Select" section, or all this is personal opinion/WP:OR.-->
*"The Autocross" (2016)
{{Div col}}
*"When The Prettiest Girl in School Asks to Play Cricket at Recess" (2016)
⚫
* "Jordan Convinced Me That Pads Were Disgusting" (2016)<ref>{{Cite journal | author = Gatwood, Olivia| date=Winter 2016 | title=Jordan Convinced Me That Pads Were Disgusting | journal=Muzzle [magazine] | issue = 17 | url=https://www.muzzlemagazine.com/olivia-gatwood2.html | access-date=January 8, 2020|language=en-US}}</ref>
⚫
*"Bubblegum or Bruise" (2016)
*"When The Prettiest Girl in School Asks to Play Cricket at Recess" (2016)<ref name=wtMOCundated>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wintertangerine.com/moc-toc|title=Mythology of Childhood TOC}}</ref><!--Mythology of Childhood "wt spitfire series"-->
⚫
*"Hey Science" (2016)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-perfect-response-to-sciences-sexist-approach-to-womens-bodies_us_56b21688e4b08069c7a59962|title=The Perfect Response To Science's Sexist Approach To Women's Bodies|last=Vagianos|first=Alanna|date=2016-02-03|work=Huffington Post|access-date=2018-12-19|language=en-US}}</ref>
⚫
*"Bubblegum or Bruise" (2016)<ref name=wtMOCundated/>
*"Ode to my Bitch Face"<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/one-poets-ode-to-her-resting-bitch-face_us_57065c88e4b0b90ac2714ea1|title=One Poet's Ode To Her Resting Bitch Face|last=Hatch|first=Jenavieve|date=2016-04-07|work=Huffington Post|access-date=2018-12-19|language=en-US}}</ref>
*"Liberty" (2016)<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.wintertangerine.com/gatwood-liberty|title=Liberty|last=Gatwood|first=Olivia|work=Winter Tangerine|access-date=2019-04-09|language=en-US}}</ref>
*"Hey Science" (2016)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-perfect-response-to-sciences-sexist-approach-to-womens-bodies_us_56b21688e4b08069c7a59962|title=The Perfect Response To Science's Sexist Approach To Women's Bodies|last=Vagianos|first=Alanna|date=February 3, 2016|work=Huffington Post|access-date=December 19, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref>
*"Liberty" (2016)<ref name=wtMOCundated/>
*"Two Poems" (2017)
*"Two Poems" (2017){{citation needed|date=January 2020}}
*"Poetry Suite" (2017)
*"Poetry Suite" (2017){{citation needed|date=January 2020}}
*"Ode to the Women on Long Island" (2017)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsday.com/long-island/valley-stream-poet-pays-homage-in-ode-to-long-island-women-1.13228439|title=Poet's ode to LI women shared by 'Star Trek' star, goes viral|last=Uda|first=Rachel|date=July 24, 2017|website=Newsday|language=en|access-date=2018-12-19}}</ref>
*"Ode to the Women on Long Island" (2017)<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.newsday.com/long-island/valley-stream-poet-pays-homage-in-ode-to-long-island-women-1.13228439|title=Poet's Ode to LI Women Shared by 'Star Trek' Star, Goes Viral|last=Uda|first=Rachel|date=July 24, 2017|journal=Newsday|language=en|access-date=December 19, 2018}}</ref>
* Aileen Wurnos Takes A Lover Home (2019)<ref name = LifePublication/><ref name=LotPperformamce>Each of these poems were performed by Gatwood at an author's book reading for ''Life of the Party'' in Brooklyn, NY. See {{cite AV media | people = Gatwood, Olivia | date = September 5, 2019 | title = Olivia Gatwood performs poems from LIFE OF THE PARTY, The Bell House, Brooklyn | format = streaming video | location = New York, NY | publisher = Penguin Random House | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5sOap899Fg | accessdate = January 9, 2020 }} and the Further reading... section below.</ref>
*"Backpedal" (2019)<ref name = LifePublication/>
* All Of The Missing Girls Are Hanging Out Without Us (2019)<ref name = LifePublication/><ref name=LotPperformamce/>
* Girl (2019)<ref name = LifePublication/><ref name=LotPperformamce/>
* Mans/Laughter (2019)<ref name = LifePublication/><ref name=LotPperformamce/>
* Murder Of A Little Beauty (2019)<ref name = LifePublication/><ref name=LotPperformamce/>
* My Grandmother Asks Why I Don't Trust Men (2019)<ref name = LifePublication/><ref name=LotPperformamce/>
* My Mother Says I Wasn't A Bad Girl (2019)<ref name = LifePublication/><ref name=LotPperformamce/>
* Ode To Pink (2019)<ref name = LifePublication/><ref name=LotPperformamce/>
*"The Autocross" (2019)<ref name = LifePublication/>
* She Lit Up Every Room She Walked Into (2019)<ref name = LifePublication/><ref name=LotPperformamce/>
* We All Got Burnt That Summer (2019)<ref name = LifePublication/><ref name=LotPperformamce/>
* "Alternate Universe in Which I am Unfazed by the Men Who do Not Love Me"{{when|date=January 2020}}{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}
* "Manic Pixie Dream Girl"{{when|date=January 2020}}{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}
⚫
* "Ode to my Bitch Face"{{when|date=January 2020}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/one-poets-ode-to-her-resting-bitch-face_us_57065c88e4b0b90ac2714ea1|title=One Poet's Ode To Her Resting Bitch Face|last=Hatch|first=Jenavieve|date=April 7, 2016|work=Huffington Post|access-date=December 19, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref>
{{Div col end}}

⚫
==Personal life==
{{As of|2020|February}}, Gatwood resides in [[Santa Cruz, California]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Meiser|first=Britnee|date=February 26, 2020|title=How true crime inspired Olivia Gatwood's raw, feminist poems|work=[[i-D]]|url=https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/n7j4mz/how-true-crime-inspired-olivia-gatwoods-raw-feminist-poems|access-date=October 9, 2021}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading and viewing==
* {{Cite news|url=https://bust.com/feminism/194178-olivia-gatwood-poetry-feminism.html|title=Poet Olivia Gatwood Writes Like Teen Spirit: BUST Interview|author=Albert, Victoria|author2=Gatwood, Olivia|name-list-style=amp|date=February 17, 2018|work=BUST.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180217130452/https://bust.com/feminism/194178-olivia-gatwood-poetry-feminism.html|access-date=January 8, 2020|archive-date=2018-02-17|language=en-gb}}
* {{cite AV media | people = Gatwood, Olivia | date = September 5, 2019 | title = Olivia Gatwood performs poems from LIFE OF THE PARTY, The Bell House, Brooklyn | format = streaming video | location = New York, NY | publisher = Penguin Random House | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5sOap899Fg | accessdate = January 9, 2020 | quote = 0:00—Girl; 3:00—My Mother Says I Wasn’t A Bad Girl; 6:15—We All Got Burnt That Summer; 9:15—My Grandmother Asks Why I Don’t Trust Men; 12:06 Mans/Laughter; 16:40—Murder Of A Little Beauty; 18:05—She Lit Up Every Room She Walked Into; 20:38—Aileen Wurnos Takes A Lover Home; 24:10—Ode To Pink; 26:23—All Of The Missing Girls Are Hanging Out Without Us }}.


== External links ==
== External links ==
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[[Category:Writers from Albuquerque, New Mexico]]
[[Category:Writers from Albuquerque, New Mexico]]
[[Category:American feminists]]
[[Category:American feminists]]
[[Category:LGBT poets]]
[[Category:American LGBTQ poets]]
[[Category:LGBT writers from the United States]]
[[Category:Poets from New Mexico]]
[[Category:21st-century American women writers]]
[[Category:Albuquerque High School alumni]]

Latest revision as of 22:22, 29 November 2024

Olivia Gatwood
Born (1992-02-23) February 23, 1992 (age 32)[citation needed]
Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.[citation needed]
OccupationPoet
NationalityAmerican
Website
oliviagatwood.com

Olivia Gatwood (born February 23, 1992[not verified in body]) is a poet, writer, and educator on topics that include coming of age, feminism, gendered violence, & true crime.

Early life and education

[edit]

Olivia Gatwood was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on February 23, 1992.[citation needed] Her mother, Jill, is a sex educator and H.I.V. epidemiologist and her father, Byron, is a middle school teacher.[1] She spent three years in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago where she began writing poetry at age 11 at the suggestion of a librarian.[2]

Gatwood's continued interest in poetry stemmed from her use of the art form as an outlet for her emotions; in an interview she explained, "teenagers have a lot of feelings and thoughts, but are often told that there's no space for those things to exist. But spoken word is the exact opposite. The more you can express, the better."[3]

While still in high school, Gatwood led a collection of women who reported a local bakery to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for sexual harassment and won a settlement of over $10,000.[1]

Gatwood graduated from the Pratt Institute's fiction program in 2015.[3]

Career

[edit]

Gatwood is a poet, writer, activist, speaker, and educator on topics that include sexual assault prevention and recovery.[4] Gatwood was a finalist at Brave New Voices, Women of the World and the National Poetry Slam. Her performances have been featured on HBO, Huffington Post, MTV, VH1, and BBC among others. Her work has been featured in Muzzle Magazine, The Winter Tangerine Review, Poetry City U.S.A., Tinderbox Poetry Journal, and The Missouri Review.

Gatwood and fellow poet Megan Falley created an interactive show called Speak Like a Girl, a traveling poetry show that focuses on gender issues, body image, growing up and other topics. The pair has performed "Speak Like a Girl" in cities across the United States, including Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Detroit.[3]

Gatwood is the author of two poetry collections, New American Best Friend (2017) and Life of the Party (2019). She also contributed to Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice (2020, with Mahogany L. Browne and Elizabeth Acevedo).[5] Her first novel, Whoever You Are, Honey, was released by The Dial Press at Random House in 2024. [6]

Works

[edit]

New American Best Friend

[edit]

After numerous published poems, Gatwood presented her first published collection, New American Best Friend.[7] In it, Gatwood wrote about her childhood, the transition from teenage years to young adulthood, her views on gender and sexuality, and the violence and joys in her life.[7] “One more thing when they call you a bitch, say thank you. say thank you, very much.” quote from the book.

In 2017, New American Best Friend was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Poetry.[8]

Life of the Party

[edit]

Life of the Party interrogates the author's relationship to fear and true crime, as well as the media's obsession with the murder of women. It was published in August 2019 by Penguin Random House.[9]

Podcast

[edit]

In December 2018, Gatwood started the podcast, Say More, with "her best friend and fellow poet", Melissa Lozada-Oliva,[citation needed] in which they interview each other on topics and answer emailed questions from listeners.[citation needed] It had presented its fortieth episode by the end of 2019.[10]

The second season of the podcast began March 4, 2020 with episode 41, "AMERICAN DIRT, REPRESENTATION & TECH BROS."[11]

Selected poems

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Many of her recorded readings can be found on Gatwood's website and at Button Poetry. Among her most widely recognized and lauded poems are the following:[citation needed]

  • "Jordan Convinced Me That Pads Were Disgusting" (2016)[12]
  • "When The Prettiest Girl in School Asks to Play Cricket at Recess" (2016)[13]
  • "Bubblegum or Bruise" (2016)[13]
  • "Hey Science" (2016)[14]
  • "Liberty" (2016)[13]
  • "Two Poems" (2017)[citation needed]
  • "Poetry Suite" (2017)[citation needed]
  • "Ode to the Women on Long Island" (2017)[15]
  • Aileen Wurnos Takes A Lover Home (2019)[9][16]
  • "Backpedal" (2019)[9]
  • All Of The Missing Girls Are Hanging Out Without Us (2019)[9][16]
  • Girl (2019)[9][16]
  • Mans/Laughter (2019)[9][16]
  • Murder Of A Little Beauty (2019)[9][16]
  • My Grandmother Asks Why I Don't Trust Men (2019)[9][16]
  • My Mother Says I Wasn't A Bad Girl (2019)[9][16]
  • Ode To Pink (2019)[9][16]
  • "The Autocross" (2019)[9]
  • She Lit Up Every Room She Walked Into (2019)[9][16]
  • We All Got Burnt That Summer (2019)[9][16]
  • "Alternate Universe in Which I am Unfazed by the Men Who do Not Love Me"[when?][citation needed]
  • "Manic Pixie Dream Girl"[when?][citation needed]
  • "Ode to my Bitch Face"[when?][17]

Personal life

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As of February 2020, Gatwood resides in Santa Cruz, California.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b Balsamo, Adriana (January 7, 2020). "Olivia Gatwood, a Poet With a YouTube Following, Branches Out" (article). New York Times. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  2. ^ Tardiff, Sara; Gatwood, Olivia; et al. (April 24, 2017). "Five Spoken Word Poets Whose Work Will Change You: Olivia Gatwood" (interview). Nylon.com. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c Abelis, Ona (June 29, 2015). "Speak Like a Girl: Two of Brooklyn's Best Feminist Poets Take Their Show on the Road". Brooklyn Magazine. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  4. ^ Fosler-Jones, Elizabeth (April 7, 2017). "Spoken Word Poet and Activist Olivia Gatwood to Speak on Feminism, Sexual Assault". The Bowdoin Orient. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  5. ^ "Woke | Mahogany L. Browne | Macmillan". US Macmillan. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
  6. ^ "Olivia Gatwood". The Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  7. ^ a b Bastress, Samantha (Oct 19, 2017). "BookMark: "New American Best Friend" by Olivia Gatwood". radio.wpsu.org. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  8. ^ "Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Poetry!". Goodreads.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m PRH Staff (January 9, 2020). Life of the Party by Olivia Gatwood. Penguin Random House (PRH). ISBN 9781984801906. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  10. ^ Gatwood, Olivia & Lozada-Oliva, Melissa (January 8, 2020). "Say More" (podcast). iTunes.Apple.com. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  11. ^ Gatwood, Olivia & Lozada-Oliva, Melissa (March 23, 2020). "Say More" (podcast). iTunes.Apple.com. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  12. ^ Gatwood, Olivia (Winter 2016). "Jordan Convinced Me That Pads Were Disgusting". Muzzle [magazine] (17). Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c "Mythology of Childhood TOC".
  14. ^ Vagianos, Alanna (February 3, 2016). "The Perfect Response To Science's Sexist Approach To Women's Bodies". Huffington Post. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  15. ^ Uda, Rachel (July 24, 2017). "Poet's Ode to LI Women Shared by 'Star Trek' Star, Goes Viral". Newsday. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Each of these poems were performed by Gatwood at an author's book reading for Life of the Party in Brooklyn, NY. See Gatwood, Olivia (September 5, 2019). Olivia Gatwood performs poems from LIFE OF THE PARTY, The Bell House, Brooklyn (streaming video). New York, NY: Penguin Random House. Retrieved January 9, 2020. and the Further reading... section below.
  17. ^ Hatch, Jenavieve (April 7, 2016). "One Poet's Ode To Her Resting Bitch Face". Huffington Post. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  18. ^ Meiser, Britnee (February 26, 2020). "How true crime inspired Olivia Gatwood's raw, feminist poems". i-D. Retrieved October 9, 2021.

Further reading and viewing

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  • Albert, Victoria & Gatwood, Olivia (February 17, 2018). "Poet Olivia Gatwood Writes Like Teen Spirit: BUST Interview". BUST.com. Archived from the original on 2018-02-17. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  • Gatwood, Olivia (September 5, 2019). Olivia Gatwood performs poems from LIFE OF THE PARTY, The Bell House, Brooklyn (streaming video). New York, NY: Penguin Random House. Retrieved January 9, 2020. 0:00—Girl; 3:00—My Mother Says I Wasn't A Bad Girl; 6:15—We All Got Burnt That Summer; 9:15—My Grandmother Asks Why I Don't Trust Men; 12:06 Mans/Laughter; 16:40—Murder Of A Little Beauty; 18:05—She Lit Up Every Room She Walked Into; 20:38—Aileen Wurnos Takes A Lover Home; 24:10—Ode To Pink; 26:23—All Of The Missing Girls Are Hanging Out Without Us.
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