An Anarchist: Discovering Voltairine de Cleyre, Neglected Poet of American Radicalism

Great write-up about Voltairine de Cleyre, and I’ve been kinda obsessed ever since. Chick was a badass. She was self-taught, grew up in poverty in Michigan, and rose all kinds of hell as a public speaker, feminist, and anarchist writer.

She ditched labels and embraced what she called “anarchism without adjectives.” Basically an inclusive, no-bullshit version of anarchism.

The more I read about her, the more I see how much she actually did. She led free speech fights in the early 1900s, risked arrest, and got thrown in jail for standing up for unemployed workers.

A great quote that stuck with me comes from her essay, Anarchism and American Traditions: “Direct action... means that the workingman knows what he needs and how to get it, and does not need any intermediary to secure it for him.”

That line pretty much sums her up. No gatekeepers. No waiting for permission. Just straight-up action rooted in real people’s needs. She deserves to be talked about way more than she is, IMHO.

And me and gf adopted a kitten last night, and we named her "Voltairine de Cleyre" cuz this cat don't take shit from anyone. lol