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Photo courtesy Alli Royce Soble
VICKI POWELL
One name has become synonymous with the city’s music and party scene for the last several years, and that’s Vicki Powell. She’s intent on bringing what she calls “light and happiness” to Atlanta through her parties and charity work, and she’s followed through on the promise one beat at a time.
How would you define your role in Atlanta’s LGBT community?
I try to bring light and happiness to Atlanta through my parties and events by creating a space that is free for everyone to come and be who they are. I think people can really “let go” at my parties and dance their daily worries away – that’s what I want for them! Being LGBT is hard for a lot of people right now – with all the teen bullying we hear about, politicians denying us rights and treating us like “lesser people” – I think it’s important to create a space that lets Atlanta’s LGBT crowd – and our allies – feel safe, free, and happy. This community has given me so much, and it’s also important for me to give back through my charity and activism work. I feel very intertwined with Atlanta’s LGBT community on many levels.
What do you forecast for Atlanta’s LGBT community in the next 5 to 10 years?
I think Atlanta’s LGBT community is really on the verge of something great. I’m a native Atlantan and I’ve seen some really good times in Atlanta’s LGBT scene. There is definitely an “upswing” of creative musical and artistic energy in this city right now, and I think it will only continue to develop and flourish over the next 5-10 years. A lot of this creativity is youthful energy coming out of SCAD, which is also really cool to see. I love seeing Atlanta continuously recognized as a great place for LGBT people to live, but I think if we really want to let the world know what great energy this city has – if we want to make our mark on the international urban scene – we still have some work to do. I think Pride is a great way to celebrate who we are as a community, and where we’ve come from. It is really my hope for Atlanta’s LGBT community that we can take Pride back to June where it belongs – in recognition of Stonewall and the folks that fought for our rights before us – and in solidarity with the other greatest cities in the world. Let’s infuse some of this great creative energy that is blossoming in Atlanta’s LGBT community into our parade and festival and take Pride back to June!
We learn from all our experiences, both good and bad. Tell us about a negative life experience you’ve had that you learned a valuable lesson from.
My dad passed away at 72 years last January. We were really close, and it’s been a hard transition for me. I still really miss him a lot. But I guess when you lose someone close to you, as hard as the experience is, it is a good reminder that life is precious and you really do have to make it what you want it to be while you’re in it. It also changes the relationships around you, you know, like losing my dad has brought my mom and I close in a way we weren’t for a long time. It’s been beautiful and fun to get to know her in a different way now.
How has being LGBT shaped your outlook on life?
I have been queer for as long as I can remember, so it’s the only outlook I really have on life. I feel the challenges that LGBT people struggle with, but I also feel the joys that being out and free in my community bring me.
Tell us a little more about yourself. What are your hobbies? What are your goals?
I love music, but I guess that’s no surprise to anyone who knows me. I spend a lot of time searching for new music to bring to people through my parties. I also spend a lot of time hanging out with my pit bull Cornbread and riding around town on my bike. Most recently I’ve been working on a project to help foster some of Atlanta’s creativity and also bring business to Atlanta’s up-and-coming neighborhoods through electronic music. Together with local business owners in the Edgewood Corridor I’m putting on Atlanta’s first Edgewood Electronic Music Festival November 13-14 – ya’ better be there!
If you were stranded on a desert island, what’s the one book you would want with you?
That’s a tough one. I guess I would want something timeless with lots of positive, beautiful messages, like The Little Prince. Reading that book always brings me a certain happiness, like when I was a child, and I never get tired of reading it.
