#ChoosePublicService: An interview with ALOK
ALOK, '13, MA '13, is a former Gardner Fellow who worked at the Audre Lorde Project in New York City after graduating. They are now an internationally acclaimed poet, comedian, public speaker, and actor. In this #ChoosePublicService interview, ALOK shares how their start in public service still shapes their personal engagement in advocating for social change today outside of their performance work.
The #ChoosePublicService campaign highlights Stanford alumni who chose public service careers after Stanford, including those who got their start through a Cardinal Careers postgraduate fellowship.
What inspired this particular tour and what do you want audiences to take away from your show?
The world often feels bleak. I wanted to create space for delight, for people to be part of a crowd brought together by shared curiosity, wonder, and celebration. There's this beautiful way that laughter requires our bodies to expand. My hope is that people can take away the truth that joy is our birthright.
How does it feel to be back at Stanford? Any places you missed or want to see while you’re here?
Fun fact: I wrote this show "Hairy Situation" in the basement of Green Library last year! Every year I try to come back for brief writing retreats. There's something so meaningful about being able to get things done in the same cubicle I have been commuting to since 2009! Usually when I'm on campus, I try to keep it low key so I can keep my head down and get work done. This time I've invited some of my professors to come to the show. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with people who were foundational to my development as a thinker and an artist.
What was your first job out of Stanford?
The Gardner Fellowship allowed me to work at the Audre Lorde Project, an LGBTQ community organizing center in New York City. It was a transformative experience that really changed the course of my life. I met mentors and peers who helped me shape my craft and clarify what kind of impact I wanted to make in the world. Audre Lorde had long been one of my favorite poets, but being able to meet her community and learn from her legacy helped me think through so much about the relationship between art and politics.
How do you envision your work as public service? Have you had difficulty navigating the space between service and entertainment?
While I am deeply concerned with social change and advocating for LGBTQ rights, my performance work is not public service. As someone who has worked with social movements all over the world, I respect what it means to be engaged in public service work: it involves building intentional, longform relationships with local communities. It's often slow, unglamorous, quiet work that people often do not get celebrated for. While I am not directly engaged in this work day to day, when I'm on tour I often partner with local organizations who are doing public service work and help fundraise, sign petitions, register people to vote, etc.
What do you think would inspire more student engagement in arts-based public service?
To get there, first we have to create more opportunities for people to realize that being an artist is a viable professional path. Growing up, I didn't really believe being an artist was a legitimate professional trajectory. I thought arts were just a hobby—something you did on the side. I think we need more resources, especially on college campuses, for students to learn how to actually build a sustainable career in the arts. This involves inviting more artists to campus not just to share their work but to speak about how they do it. My hope is that this would increase the horizon of what people regard as possible.
