Taylor Alxndr is the co-founder of the annual Southern Fried Queer Pride Festival. (Photo courtesy of Taylor Alxndr)
In this series, ArtsATL asks a member of the Atlanta arts community to share 11 things on their mind. We hope you enjoy getting to know these people better.
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Taylor Alxndr (they/she) is a drag entertainer, musician and community organizer. Co-founder of Southern Fried Queer Pride, an Atlanta-based organization that empowers Black and QTPOC communities in Atlanta and the South, Alxndr’s art and performances are extensions of their community activism and organizing. They are the mother of the House of ALXNDR, an Atlanta-based drag family and events hub that creates drag-centered, inclusive spaces for marginalized folks to build community.
1. Your neighbors – I love my neighbors. I’ve been close to every neighbor that I have had since I moved here in 2011 and in all of the neighborhoods I have lived in. I bought a house in Sylvan Hills in 2020. One of the best things about where I live is my neighbors. My next-door neighbor, Ms. Bell, is like a mother figure to me. We look out for each other, have long conversations across the fence almost every day, and she makes me the best diabetic-friendly banana pudding I’ve ever had. Building community is talking and engaging with people you may not know, and the easiest place to start is with the people who live next door to you.
2. Coffee shops – Anyone who knows me knows that I love coffee. It’s basically what makes up my blood at this point. But what I love just as much as coffee are coffee shops and the community watering holes they create. I truly think that they are one of the best places to meet new people, have random thought-provoking conversations and one of the best places to get an accurate sense of the communities around you. Support local coffee shops and not these corporate chains!
3. I-20 – I’m always telling people — especially at my bingo shows when the combination I20 pops up — that I-20 is truly the best highway in Atlanta. Hear me out! 75/85? Literally always clogged no matter what time or day. 400? Not visually intriguing, and its layout is questionable. 285? Literally a ring of hell around the city. I-20 is only busy when you get to the connector, takes you through historic and scenic Black neighborhoods and artsy hubs, and, if you follow it enough west, it takes you to New Orleans, which is basically a second home to me. For all these reasons and more, I-20 is my favorite highway in Atlanta.
4. Parking garage rooftops – I’ve used several parking garage rooftops for video and photo shoots, but they are also wonderful places to get amazing views of the city, especially during golden hour. I suggest the ones in downtown Atlanta after 5 p.m. At the right time, you can see all the way to Stone Mountain, the layout of so many of Atlanta’s neighborhoods, and, often, you are alone with the views and the hum of the city around you. I totally think that the city is inundated with unnecessary parking garages, as they are not conducive to a world-class city that needs to be considering effective urban planning and development more seriously; however, one of their best uses is to view the place that we call home.
5. Parking lot food pop-ups – The best food in Atlanta is found in gas station parking lots or on the corners of streets by pop-up food vendors who are likely grilling out of the back of their trucks, selling plates in Styrofoam containers. I’ve had the best oxtails and rice from this guy who set up at the corner of Glenwood Avenue and Flat Shoals Avenue in the East Atlanta Village one night. Trust me! Go out for the night, have fun and, when those late-night cravings come, your soul will be saved by somebody barbecuing on the corner.
6. Atlanta’s natural habitat – One of my favorite things is living in the city with a robust tree canopy, but also hidden and sometimes secret getaways where it’s just you, the forest, a body of water and the animals around you. That’s one of my favorite things about Atlanta. You can go from the hustle and bustle of the city to somewhere that feels disconnected and like a refuge. I truly hope the city invests in protecting its wildlife and stops destroying the natural habitat that exists here for unnecessary and harmful government projects — like Cop City.
7. DIY venues and the local arts scene – The Atlanta DIY scene is always ebbing and flowing but also has produced some of the most influential music and art of the past decade-and-a-half. It’s a delicate ecosystem of venues and spaces that come and go depending on development and gentrification, but each iteration brings and cultivates so much new talent. Maybe I’m biased, but I’d rather pay $15 to get into a local DIY venue or dive bar to see a local act than shell out over $150 to see some touring act in a venue where you can barely enjoy yourself because you’re so far away from the stage. Go support your local art scene!
8. ATL drag – Atlanta has the best drag, hands-down! No questions. Maybe I am biased as a drag entertainer myself, but I have traveled this country performing at a wide variety of venues and spaces, and I truly think that Atlanta has some of the most consummate performers and inventive entertainers in the country. Whenever I go to different cities, people always comment on entertainers from Atlanta as being so fully formed and having an intense style of performing. I think it’s because the local drag scene trains you to have that kind of quality. Support Atlanta and follow the @atldragguide to find every drag show that happens in the city on a weekly basis!
9. Local community organizing – Atlanta is a city built on resistance and social justice movements. It’s a thread and the fabric of the city that cannot be untangled. So much of my introduction to the city when I moved here in 2011 was in movement work. From worker rights to immigrant justice to LGBTQ equality to racial justice to abolition work and so much more — Atlanta’s heartbeat is driven by justice and equality. I clearly suggest people find an issue that means a lot to them and connect with a local organization that focuses on that issue. It’ll help you and the communities around you so much!
10. The Plaza Theatre – For a very brief period, I worked at the Plaza Theatre. It didn’t work out and was totally a mutual split. Aside from that moment in time, the Plaza has often been a respite from the world outside. When you’re there, you are immersed in the art, being in a historic landmark that features a diverse roster of both mainstream, indie and arthouse films. I truly love working with the staff there. It’s where I first tried nutritional yeast on popcorn — delicious!
11. Downtown ATL – I know that people are probably looking at me listing downtown Atlanta here with confusion, but hear me out. I’m listing this because I want so much for our downtown area! It’s been plagued with a notoriety for crime, abandonment and a history of false starts and dead ends. But I truly believe that with the right movement, investment, infrastructure and local support, it can get back to thriving! I saw it briefly in the 2010s with the South Broad Street district housing so many local art venues that brought new audiences to the area. I think investing in housing, grocery store options and homegrown spaces and venues of entertainment options would be an amazing start to bringing downtown back to life.
