This event takes place in person at Charis and on crowdcast, Charis' virtual event platform. This event is free, but registration is required for virtual attendance. Click here to register to attend virtually. Please read the in-person event guidelines at the bottom of this page to be sure you can participate in the event.

Charis welcomes Katherine Yeske Taylor in conversation with Amber Ritchie, Board Member of Y'all Rock Camp ATL for a celebration of She's a Badass: Women in Rock Shaping Feminism. In She's a Badass, music journalist Katherine Yeske Taylor interviews twenty significant women in rock, devoting an entire chapter to each one, taking an in-depth look at the incredible talent, determination--and, often, humor--they needed to succeed in their careers (and life). This event is co-sponsored by Y'all Rock Camp ATL. Y’all Rock Camp ATL is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating an empowering and supportive community for trans and nonbinary youth and cis girls through music education, creative expression, and performance.

Feminism has always been a complex and controversial topic, as female rock musicians know especially well. When they've stayed true to their own vision, these artists have alternately been adored as role models or denounced as bad influences. Either way, they're asked to cope with certain pressures that their male counterparts haven't faced. With each successive feminism movement since the 1960s, women in rock have been prominent proponents of progress as they've increasingly taken control of their own music, message, and image. This, in its way, is just as revolutionary as any protest demonstration.

Interviewees range from legendary artists through notable up-and-comers, including Ann Wilson (Heart), Gina Schock (The Go-Go's), Suzanne Vega, Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Orianthi, Amanda Palmer, and more. Their experiences reveal the varied and unique challenges these women have faced, how they overcame them, and what they think still needs to be done to continue making progress on the equality front. Their stories prove that promoting feminism--either through activism or by living example--is undeniably badass.

The women interviewed for the 20 chapters are: Suzi Quatro, Ann Wilson (Heart), Exene Cervenka (X), Gina Schock (the Go-Go's), Lydia Lunch, Suzanne Vega, Cherie Currie (the Runaways), Joan Osborne, Donita Sparks (L7), Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Tanya Donelly (Throwing Muses, the Breeders, Belly), Paula Cole, Tobi Vail (Bikini Kill), Laura Veirs, Catherine Popper, Amanda Palmer, Bonnie Bloomgarden (Death Valley Girls), Orianthi, Fefe Dobson, and Sade Sanchez (L.A. Witch).

Katherine Yeske Taylor is a longtime New Yorker, but she began her music journalism career in Atlanta in the 1990s, interviewing members of Georgia bands such as Indigo Girls, R.E.M. and the Black Crowes while she was still a teenager. Since then, she has conducted thousands of interviews with a wide range of artists for dozens of national, regional, and local magazines and newspapers, including Billboard, Spin, American Songwriter, FLOOD, etc. She is the author of She’s a Badass: Women in Rock Shaping Feminism (out January 16, 2024 via Backbeat Books), and she's currently helping Gogol Bordello frontman Eugene Hütz write his memoir, Rock the Hützpah: Undestructible Ukrainian in the Free World (set for publication in early 2025 via Matt Holt Books/BenBella). She contributed chapters to the prestigious music books Rolling Stone’s Alt-Rock-A-Rama and The Trouser Press Guide to ’90s Rock. She has also written album liner notes and artist bios (PR materials) for several major musical artists.

Amber Ritchie is a native of Altoona, Alabama. She moved to Birmingham, Alabama in 2010 at eighteen and graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and sociology. Amber has developed a career in the nonprofit sector for nearly a decade, and she currently serves on the board for Y’all Rock Camp Atlanta. She moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2020 before settling in Atlanta, Georgia in 2022. She started a podcast, Checking-In: A Self Help Book Club in 2022, and began performing comedy live in 2023. Amber loves traveling, cooking, horror, yoga, reading, writing, podcasts, documentaries, live music, and all things vintage. She currently resides with her partner, Adam, his two sons, two cats, two dogs, three chickens, and honey bees. https://amberritchie.my.canva.site/ ambermritchie@gmail.com    @badgal_ritchie

This event is free and open to all people, especially to those who have no income or low income right now, but we encourage and appreciate a solidarity donation in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Charis Circle's mission is to foster sustainable feminist communities, work for social justice, and encourage the expression of diverse and marginalized voices. https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/CharisCircle?code=chariscirclepage

All attendees must wear a face mask at all times inside the building

We will begin seating people at 7:00 PM ET.

This event will be live-streamed via crowdcast. Click here to register to attend virtually.

As a reminder: If you are not feeling well, please do not come to the event.

If you have any questions regarding these guidelines or to request specific accessibility accommodations, please contact info@charisbooksandmore.com or call the store at 404-524-0304

If you would like to watch the virtual event with computer-generated captions, please watch in Google Chrome and enable captions. If you have other accessibility needs or if you are someone who has skills in making digital events more accessible please don't hesitate to reach out to info@chariscircle.org. We are actively learning the best practices for this technology and we welcome your feedback as we continue to connect across distances.

By attending our event you agree to our Code of Conduct: Our event seeks to provide a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), class, or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate. Anyone violating these rules will be expelled from this event and all future events at the discretion of the organizers. Please report all harassment to info@chariscircle.org immediately.

Please enter an amount between 0 and $500 to reserve your virtual seat.

She's a Badass: Women in Rock Shaping Feminism--Katherine Yeske Taylor in conversation with Amber Ritchie