What makes a poem relatable? By examining how we have been conditioned to judge our personal stories as insignificant, poet Olivia Gatwood brings to light the value in the seemingly mundane, and its potential to connect us to thousands. Olivia Gatwood is a nationally touring poet, performer and educator from Albuquerque, New Mexico. As an advocate for Title IX Compliant education, Olivia travels nationwide, speaking at colleges, universities, middle and high schools, educating young people about consent, body image, sexism in the media, and poetry as a tool for social justice. Olivia's work has been featured on HBO, Verses & Flow, and The Huffington Post as well as Muzzle Magazine, Winter Tangerine, and Tinderbox, among others. She has been a finalist at the National Poetry Slam, Women of the World Poetry Slam, and Brave New Voices. Olivia firmly believes girl power, specifically that of teen girls, and has spent the majority of her career working to create spaces where young women feel validated, represented and empowered to exercise their voices. She is the author of Amazon bestseller, New American Best Friend. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx