Oct. 14, 2010: Talking White Elephants with Katie Haegele

Katie Haegele is my new friend. She is also one of my new favorite writers.

We met in the Anchor Archive Regional zine library on Roberts Street in the North end of Halifax in early Sept. 2010. I biked over from my brother's house on Bloomfield St. after my beard knitting friend Rebecca told me about her project of writing about yard sales. I was visiting for a week, and I wanted to interview her for These Things That People Make. Inside the zine library, She was sitting on the little white couch so small, that it would be impossible to sleep on (except that I'm pretty sure I've tried to sleep on it at least twice). There were zines in small piles around her and two people other people in the small room worked on a flyer criticizing the "Sex with Sue" tour. Katie was on an artist residency at the zine library. She was visiting from Philly. I imagined we'd make a time to do the interview, and we'd go out to a diner or something, eat an amazing and cheap breakfast and do a cute, fun and inspiring interview. I imagined that would be it. I'd wish we'd hung out more, but we wouldn't. I'd dream up a plan to go to philly and look her up, walking in parks, having good conversations but not really knowing each other.

All of that would've been fine. Great, probably. But instead something even better happened: we ended up spending a lot of time together. Visiting my second home of Halifax that week became an intro to a really exciting and awesome friendship with Katie. I missed her when I flew in an airplane back to Toronto. I was sad to leave her at the yard sale she had to launch White Elephant #4.

Katie write about yard sales, rummage sales, going to these exciting local events with her mom. She launched this zine by having a yardsale, but she didn't have anything to sell at the sale, because she was just visiting Halifax. So people donated stuff, and we went out and tried to figure out when garbage night was. We were unsuccessful. It was tricky too, because of all the bedbugs that are around lately. We had to be careful. Mostly, we just found a handful of other people's photographs.

Aside from White Elephant, Katie also writes a zine called The La La Theory. you should check it out. In fact, check out her website. Thats a great place to start: http://www.thelalatheory.com/. Check out the Anchor Archive's website too, while you're cruising the internet for amazing stuff: robertstreet.org.

We did this radio interview, post visit, over the phone, once I was back at work in Guelph, and she was back home in suburban Philadelphia.


While I listen back to the interview, I think about how well Katie writes about being attached to old things, or the ideas of them. Memories we can't quite reach. She writes with the private conversational language of a private diary. But its also very well composed and not at all an over share.


It has come up in the last two interviews, this one, and the one with Eileen Myles, this decision to not write authoritatively.
I think I'll drink some more coffee and think about that some more.

music played during this weeks show: The Kills 7 inch, the kettle black 7 inch.

Oct. 7, 2010: Eileen Myles: New Book. Inferno

Eileen surprised me with her openess. Eileen Myles' writing kicks my ass. Her writing is like talking. Really smart, and hilarious and introspective and punk rock? Who knows what punk rock is. It was moving to talk to her. It was the best thing. Hard to describe. Listen to the interview instead of reading this blog. It speaks for itself.

Read Eileen's New Book: Inferno, published by O/R

http://www.eileenmyles.com/

Sept 23m 2010: The Calls for Submissions Show!

OMG! So many great projects happening! Check these out and get to work!

1. Studio 303 CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS : Edgy Women
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Deadline : October 1st 2010
Studio 303's annual feminist fiesta presents a programme of politicised, experimental, and playful performance and workshops, lectures.
Edgy Women presents performance work with a feminist flavour by emerging and established professional artists of any gender. While the festival spotlights work by women, we are keen to show work which whether overtly or not, addresses contemporary and ever-evolving issues around gender and/or feminism.
Edgy highlights new artistic practices, non-verbal expression, and content-driven work. For artists who have not yet presented work at Edgy, we recommend that you submit finished pieces vs. new creations. Honourariums are paid, but there is no budget at this time for travel or hosting expenses. The La Centrale program is by invitation this year, but we are accepting submissions for the following 4 categories :
-Edgy Cabaret (Sala Rossa, March 19): 5-7 min. works in a bar atmosphere);
-Tangente programme (stage work, March 24-27): 15 to 30 min. works, dance-friendly venue;
-Mainline (stage work, March 30-April 1): 40 min. to 1h piece (important : the MainLine has a cement floor, audience on 3 sides and a low ceiling) ;
-Edgy Boum (Mainline, April 2nd): party with performances or installations (mostly interactive site-specific performances)
How to apply
We must receive your submisson by the deadline by email including the following documents:
- MANDATORY : application form
- Biography (max. 1 page)
- Project Description (max. 1 page)
- Link to an online video and viewing notes. NO DVDs ACCEPTED.
Please send your submissions by EMAIL ONLY at edgy@studio303.ca
Note : We aim to give an answer within 3 months after the deadline.
On the edge of arts, disciplines and gender politics, Edgy Women (is) Studio 303's annual celebration of boundary-pushing artists.
- Lina Harper, Montreal Mirror, March 2009
Audacious entertaining art.
- Hour, March 2009
Runs the gamut from video and performance to intervention, installation, theatre and dance. Or, most often, a hybrid of all possible forms.
- Montreal Mirror, March 2009
Studio 303
372 Sainte-Catherine Ouest Montreal, Qc, H3B 1A2 514.393.3771
www.studio303.ca, info@studio303.ca


2 .Polyamory and Patriarchy Zine Questionnaire

These questions are for a zine I’m writing about polyamory and patriarchy. So often, people feel either that polyamory is the only revolutionary way to be intimate, or the worst way. I’d like to hear what you’ve learned from polyamory – ways it felt liberatory, and ways it may have felt like familiar oppressive gender roles dressed up in revolutionary language. My agenda isn’t to discredit polyamory, but to identify how much we have to learn about truly liberatory relationships.
These questions are fairly personal and ask you to revisit some painful memories, so please take your time, answer only what you feel comfortable answering, and let me know how you want your anonymity protected. Please use pseudonyms! Do give me contact info, though, if you want to review how I use your material before the zine is published. Please send your stories to: polypatriarchyzine@gmail.com, or mail them to 4951 Catharine St., Philadelphia, PA 19143.

(you can read the questions at: http://doriszineblog.blogspot.com/)

3. It’s Down to This” is a new zine compilation that aims to give space to step back, take a deep breath and reflect on where we’re at.

Reflecting on our experiences with community accountability processes, survivor support, or general efforts to cultivate community response to sexual violence- this is a space to talk about our experiences with this work, what we have learned, where we want to go from here, what we feel, what we want others to be able to hear, see, think about, engage with.

It is an attempt to further give voice to our efforts and experiences in doing this work, to give space and voice to silence. To know and hear how we have survived in this work, how we have sustained this work, or why we burned out. To further document our attempts at figuring out what community accountability looks like, or what it even is. To be able to reflect and grow from our mistakes and epiphanies.

SEEKING: stories, essays, interviews, comics, artwork and thoughts reflecting on working around accountability and community response to sexual violence:

What has it looked like? What has it entailed? What could it look like? Who does it involve? In what ways? How is a community responsible? How is a community involved? What can an accountability process look like? What has it looked like? What works? What doesn’t? What were the fuck-ups, the successes?

*These questions are asked with the assumption that confidentiality will be respected and that stories will not be shared if they are not yours to share.

*The word ‘community’ is used with the awareness that it is often used problematically.

Looking for submissions that:

- explore the importance of accountability and support work as an act of community building and collective liberation, that express the importance of this work within social justice movements.

-reflect on the support, empowerment, recovery and growth that have come out of this work

-reflect on the pain, trauma and frustration of this work or which is inherent in this work.

-develop ideas and methods of sustainability around this work

-look at the social and political contexts in which community accountability and response to sexual violence and partner abuse grows and exists.

-share our stories

Anonymity and confidentiality will be respected.

DEADLINE: October 22nd, 2010

For info and submissions contact: responsezine@gmail.com

Feel free to send in ideas/proposals and ask for feedback!

4. call for submissions - Substance: on addiction and recovery
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS ON ADDICTION AND RECOVERY

Substance: On Addiction and Recovery is a collection of peoples’ experiences with addiction and recovery in radical and/or marginalized communities. Not just a text to break the silence, Substance is an opportunity for those affected by substance abuse to make meaning of our lives and create opportunities for lasting social change. Substance: On Addiction and Recovery will be a book that transcends the mainstream discourse regarding addiction and recovery and forges new pathways towards healing and the reclamation of our lives.

I am open to essays, poetry, personal narratives, photography, art, comics, collage, and more.

Please be in touch with questions and submission ideas: substancebook at gmail dot com!

Potential topics:
• personal narratives of addiction and/or recovery • support groups • radical sobriety • harm reduction • silence and stigma • withdrawal and detoxification • the intersections of race/class/sexual orientation/gender identity/disability status and addiction • creating and sustaining community support networks • how addiction intersects with activism, sexuality, health, sexual and intimate partner violence, mental illness, privilege, oppression, identity, capitalism, the state, work, and
creativity • current or historic examples of community-based groups that focus on the politics of addiction or support of community members • healing from addiction • self-medication • overdose and death • incarceration and criminalization •

In addition to pieces by individuals, I'd like to include a few pieces about the work that community-based groups have done to address the politics of addiction and recovery and to support those dealing with substance abuse. If you are a member of such a group, please feel free to write.

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS MARCH 7, 2011

Additionally, if you know anyone who would like to donate funds of any amount to support the printing of this book, please have them contact substancebook at gmail dot com!

Please forward this message on, and spread the word!

5. Graduating into Unemployment
We’re creating a zine collecting art and writings on feelings, struggles, copings with adjusting from student life into unemployment, or into unstable employment (i.e. being in and out of work, or on
temping contracts).

Submissions can be personal stories, artwork, comics, poetry, political discussions, or whatever else you can manage to get on paper.

We would like to encourage submissions on topics that relate to identity, class, gender, sexuality, citizenship, colonisation, ethnicity, and dis/ability. Submissions should be no longer than around 1000 words.
Anonymous entries are welcome.

Submission deadline: 30 NOVEMBER 2010
Send your submissions, questions, and thoughts to unemploymentzine@gmail.com

6. Rare and Raw Exhibition: http://www.akimbo.ca/submissions/?id=20520&ref=nf

7. Canadian Gay and Lesbian Archives First Person Narrative Project: http://clga.ca/index.shtml

8. The Molotov Rag: http://hi-in.facebook.com/group.php?gid=109989430671

Sept 16, 2010: When I Grow Up!

Jae Awmack went to an independent bookstore in Vancouver looking for a book about being a transboy, so that he could share it with his young cousins. The store owner said they didn't have any and maybe he would have to write one himself. This seems like a cheesy story. A DIY story where we create the world we want to see with black jeans, thread and duct tape. Sometimes thats what you have to do, though. Sometimes you have to create the resources you can't find, as cheesy as it sounds. Jae wrote a cute, beautiful story about a young transboy who goes for a walk to find some acceptance when his parent's don't understand him. The illustrations are done in plasticine. The words and story are not complicated. Sometimes things don't have to be complicated, even though adults tend to think issues of gender identity are complicated, and tend to think children will not understand transexual, intersex and transgendered identities. In my experience, its never the kids who don't get it, its the adults who have lived in the world long enough to fear it. Jae is currently looking for a publisher for the book. I'll let you know when it comes out, and how you can find it. Jae is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Sept 9, 2010: Debbie Power is the Happiest

Debbie Power created the International House of the Happy Face above her Husband's Garage in downtown Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.Debbie is geniunely happy. Not fake. Not over the top in personality, but definitely over the top in collections. Her mueseum is a challenge to describe with any accuracy. She has shelves and shelves of toys and objects of ALL kinds that have happy faces on them, albums with images of happy faces. Thousands of happy faces. She has a garden filled with rocks she has painted with quotes to inspire happiness. Debbie Power and her International House of the Happy Face are truly unique and amazing. I'll be back to visit her again for sure. Find her at 22 Wentworth St. Call to make an appointment: (902) 463-6287

Sept. 2, 2010: Two Rivers Neighbourhood Group Daycamp Audio Collages!

I had the pleasure of spending time with the Two Rivers Neighbourhood Group Daycamps this summer. Participants learned how to use audio recorders, and made their own sound collages. This show featured the collages they made! Great Work!

For More info on the Two Rivers Neighbourhood Group, visit: http://guelph.ca/living.cfm?smocid=1833

Aug. 19 and 26: Independent Book Culture in Toronto: an interview with Charlie and Jesse Huisken of This Ain't the Rosedale Library

Toronto has money. But no money for small bookstores. Pages bookstore has recently closed. The Toronto Women's Bookstore has been calling for support to stay afloat, as well as Glad Day Books.

Toronto has money from developers and rich professionals moving in, and rent going up. Independent bookstores can't pay high rents created by condo developments.

We need small publishing houses. We need small independent bookstores. What does it say about Toronto's priorities (and Canada's priorities?) When writers can't make any money from writing, where there is very little financial support for writers, small publishers and small stores? Its looking bleak.

I met up with Jesse and Charlie Huisken of This Ain't the Rosedale Library - a great independent bookstore that has recently been forced to close (at least temporarily). We drank coffee, and sat outside in the extremely hot sun and talked about the history of This Ain't the Rosedale library (around since 1979), modernism and literature, lack of places for book events, for readings for people to meet, what it means for readers in Toronto if we can't find books we're looking for (or that we don't know exist yet?), or develop a sense of bodies of work. Ideas suffer,grass roots politics suffer, we aren't learning from eachother as much as we could be (in a big way),amazing writer's work goes unread and unknown because its just not being distributed, its all very frusterating and depressing.... and yet....talking about this with Jesse and Charlie I can't help but feel encouraged and inspired by their dedication, by their ability to reflect on, and sum up book culture, gentrification and the value of books. I have met like-minded people who have worked so hard for things I believe in too.

Since conducting this interview, I keep talking about this. I wonder about calling on our municipal, provincial and federal government, and arts councils to consider a responsibility to book and literary culture, not through sponsoring once in a while big flashy festivals, but investing in the people who really put the work in. Not just people who are famous for the moment. Not just people who get 15 minutes on the CBC.

I don't know. I don't trust the federal government. I don't trust the province of Ontario. I don't know how much I want them involved in independent bookstores. But I wonder about what could be done. Maybe rent for small bookstores could be subsidized, or maybe there could just be far better rent control for all small businesses.

When only big stars of writing are celebrated. When we have a few big festivals and awards, and those are the books that people buy, theres all this other stuff authors are making... how do we find it? How do we support authors doing this exciting and essential work? When big corportaions (like Chapters) control book distribution, consider big store's political priorities, consider what books would be threatening or challenging to this big power in various ways. Think about all the books on your shelves and where you found them, or how you learned about those authors and think about how to support small bookstores, small publishers, earnest amazing writers, how can we support all of this more? We benefit from all of this. This is how we learn about ourselves. This is how we learn about our culture and our history. this is how we continue the conversation.

Check out: http://www.thisaint.ca

August 12, 2010: Replayed interview from the World Famous Gopher Museum

Oh my Gosh!
Taxidermied Gophers Representing the town of Torrington Alberta!
I replayed this interview I originally played on June 17 because it is so great!
http://www.jky.net/albums/gopher-museum_index.html

August 5, 2010: Mary Beth Thomas aka Head Brew Mother at the Speckled Trout Brewery

My Aunt Mary Beth makes the most delicious beer and cider at her home in the Adirondacks (New York State), where she lives with my fabulous Aunt Elizabeth who is an amazing cook, photographer, and painter. They are fabulous, very in love and so easy to be around.

I visited them with my friends Lizzy Brockest, and Beth Sweeney to celebrate my 29th birthday. My Aunt Miriam came down from Pennsylvania. We ate amazing food, swam in a river, hiked up a small mountain, discussed queer and lesbian identities, played ping pong, danced, and had fires in their backyard.

I did this interview with my friend Beth Sweeney helping with the questions. While listening to this interview, imagine you
are walking around Mary Beth's Shop with us. She's running around showing all the things she uses to make beer. Theres all these steps and ingredients I would never have been able to predict - I know nothing about how to make beer - there's a lot of steps. Theres a lot of choices to make along the way. Theres nothing like standing under a sky full of stars. Standing with your queer family - chosen and by blood, drinking homemade beer you know your Aunt has worked so hard at - thats a lot to feel lucky about.

July 29, 2010: The Public Exposure Collective: Issue no. 1: For Your Safety

The Public Exposure Collective is a newish illustration art collective based in Toronto. They've recently launched a collaborative zine project under the same name. I interviewed Dmitry Bondarenko and Kassem Ahmed two of the members of the Public Exposure Collective. I find the use of police imagery just after the G20 particularly interesting.

Its mostly a zine without words, not necessarily planned to be narrative, but there is definitely at least one narrative implied. This may be because the members of the collective all graduated from OCAD in the same year, and know each other's work intimately. You can really feel the relationship of the images, even though a lot of different styles are used, which is not easy to do.

They put together this whole pretty zine in just one month. Quite Impressive

July 22, 2010: Max Stein! Richard Hunt! re-telling Amazing Parts of Muppet Making History!

I grew up on the Muppets, and Fraggle Rock and Sesame Street. Jim Henson's characters actively lived in my subconscious, and peppered my dreams. Fast forward 20 years to present day, and my friend Jeff Miller comes to town and tells me about this amazing event happening in Toronto: a presentation on a gay muppeteer: Richard Hunt, by writer Max Stein.

I love the muppets, and I love queer things. I was so pumped to hear about this event, but I couldn't make it last minute into Toronto to see the presentation so I got in touch with Max, and asked if I could interview her about her writing and research about Richard Hunt (Gay Muppeteer) for this show.

Jessica MAX Stein is a friendly, smart, and dynamic freelance writer and teacher. She's written a whole bunch of exciting things (check out http://jessicamaxstein.com/) . We talked to about the Rainbow Connection, her zine about Richard Hunt, who was a gay Muppeteer. Max kept making changes to the zine, additions and corrections until she realized the zine was growing into a book. I'm excited for this project.

We talked about the Sensibility and Humor of the muppets, Richard Hunt's charisma, courage, Richard's overwhelming generosity, the assimilation of gay marriage, and assimilation of gay people (acceptable gays), puppet work as acting, the enthusiastic response of all kinds of people to this project (because the muppets spoke to so many people), how truth is so often more surprising and awesome than fiction.

check out (and buy) her work at microcosm.com

July 15 2010: Jennifer Code: accidental, revelation,craft.

Jennifer Code is a great writer who is becoming my friend, and thats so exciting. Jennifer Code is a dreamboat.

I met her at a bonfire in my backyard. She told me she wrote poetry. Two years later I spent time with her newest book, Necessary Reservations. Mostly hearing it read aloud, and reading it aloud. I bumped into her briefly at a couple shows at the Transac in Toronto (where she lives). And then one day I gmail chatted with her and asked her if I could interview her about Necessary Reservations. She replied that she doesn't really do interviews, and she definitely does not read aloud. but she said yes to both things any way.

She gave a lovely, insightful and generous interview, that left me feeling more inspired and excited about writing (and about talking about) than I had felt for a long long time.

Jennifer Code's poems have to do with body parts and experiencing specific interactions. Emotions, memory, and details so specific that they are not type cast or stock images, but very brief, unrepeated moments. There is a visceralness that i often expect from more extreme work, or work about gore or melodramatic. And Jennifer's work is intense, but not the ways we are used to. Subtly off-putting by how real to life they feel. No, not quite like that, really like, like this. Her word choices (and rhythm and order) is deliberate and clear, metaphoric without being overly general, or grandeous.

We also talked briefly about whether or not Henry Miller is a lesbian.

We talked about a lot of other things too. Jennifer's writing process, the Humber writing program, editing, writers she loves.

Find her work and buy it (and then don't just put it on your shelf, read it!) .


Jennifer's first book: rough draft
Jennifer's second book: necessary reservations

July 8, 2010: Matthew Amos Philographer Extrordinaire!

A Philographer is a person who collects autographs. Matthew is hard working, charming and sincere philographer.

If he likes someone, he writes to them and asks for their autograph. He writes people by mail, and email and then he waits to see if he'll hear back from them.

He's been collecting autographs for 10 years, and has collected over 1300 of them.

Recently his over 1300 autographs were on display at Ed Video, 40 Baker St. in Guelph From July 9 - July 23, 2010.

My favorite part of the inteview is when Matthew Amos pretends I'm famous and asks for my interview. I love this part of the interview for the generosity in his voice that is overwhelmingly admirable. Listen to this interview to see what I mean.

July 1, 2010: Re-play of an Interview with Jeff Miller of Ghost Pine

Jeff Miller just released a book, All Stories True through Invisible Publishing. Its a compilation of his zine work written over the last ten years. This interview with Jeff Miller originally aired on These Things That People Make on May 20, 2010.


Jeff Miller and Dave Roche read at the first ever These Things that People Make public event on July 5, 2010. It was a lovely time! I so enjoyed hosting them.

Please check out Jeff's work, at http://ghostpine.wordpress.com/

Thanks to Richard Laviolette for guest hosting this episode of These Things That People Make.

June 24, 2010: Re-airing Dave Roche's Interview!`

Dave Roche is the author of About My Diappearance and On Subbing. I re-played this interview (which orignally aired in March - see older blog posts for full details) in preparation for his reading with Jeff Miller on July 4, 2010 in Guelph.

Find Dave's work at microcosm.com!

June 17, 2010: The Torrington Gopher Hole Museum. An Interview with the museum's director Diane Curta

The Torrington Gopher Hole Museum, is a handmade museum representing different parts of Torrington Alberta through homemade scenes featuring taxidermied Gophers wearing homemade outfits, in handpainted scenes. A group of people in Torrington wanted to create a museum that would put Torrington on the map. They employ a local Taxidermist, local women in the town sew the clothes and a local artist paints the backgrounds (while the displays are mounted on the walls).

The museum is now 14 year old, attracting international attention after they upset animal rights activists who were disturbed about the killing of Gophers.

Argueably, killing gophers in rural Canada is like killing rats or mice in urban settings. But you can decide for yourself. (and go see the museum!)

If you know about other creative museums, set up in peoples homes, or other amazing places, let me know. I want to interview them!

No more predictable museums! more creative ideas abound!

Check out images from the museum at: www.jky.net/albums/gopher-museum_index.html

Thank you to Diane Curta, for taking the time to do this interview!

June 10, 2010: Mike Boldt's Gophers in Farmer Burrow's Fields

Mike Boldt grew up in rural Alberta. He knows about Gophers (Richardson Ground Squirrels, Prairiedogs).

Gophers dig holes. Cows step in those holes and break their legs. Gophers need somewhere to live. Cows need healthy legs. Farmers need their cows to be healthy.

Mike Boldt made an illustrated kids book about Gophers in rural Alberta making farm art, called The Gophers in Farmer Burrows Field.

I started the interview by asking Mike Boldt to read me the story. Mike Boldt tells a good story. He reads slowly with influence. Like playful mollases. You can tell in his voice that he loves his work, its lovely.

The illustrations convey silly, colourful renderings. His slow lovely voice is such a great compliment to the style of the book. Joy in his work. His pictures are live animation you hold in your hands.

For real, gophers are a nusance to farmers. Mike Boldt's books is a playful book, but its also discussing a real life, day to day challenge for farmers. I like it when people write about politics and challenges of the people who live around them. These are meaningful, or at least relevant stories.

Mike Boldt talking about thinking creatively about solving problems, expanding the way we think about "the gopher problem" and other problems in general.

Creating contemporary folklore.

Check out Mike Boldt's work: http://www.boldtmanstudios.com/

Musicians played during this show: Rae Spoon, Duzheknew, Wax Mannequin

June 3, 2010: Ross Stuart! The Resophonic Uke Builder! Amazing!

You know how sometimes there are things you can't write about yet because you still feel awed or overwhelmed or two sad or you just can't figure out what to say?

Thats how I feel right now about meeting Ross Stuart and interviewing him about his resophonic ukeleles that he builds.I'm not fully sure how to write about meeting him yet. I'm going to try, because this blog post is overdue and I'll do my very best.

I'm so glad Ross Stuart exists. You need to hear the interview to hear Ross play his ukes, and define resophonic ukeleles. theres no way for me to reproduce that hear for you in this blog post. you've just got to hear the interview.

I'm so glad I was given his card many many months ago, and then one day I decided to email him, and he met me at The Common in Toronto, after I had asked every male bodied person in the place if his name was Ross. (They all said no) Ross walked in there, carrying a silver coloured, alumininum homemade Uke in his hand. We didn't buy any coffee. He walked in, and pointed at me with the uke, and said, "Sarah". We walked down the street to his house, and he showed me all his cool stuff in his backyard workspace.

I play the uke. And I love the Uke. and when went to art school, I welded metal death squirrels. I tell you that fact to explain that I love the smell of welded aluminum. and i love Ross's enthusiasm. He just goes for things. He just builds things. But i mean, it seems like he just goes for things, but its not like he does these things fast or impulsively. He also invests in building these things, and he does a really amazing job. So far he has devoted four years, to building resophonic ukeleles.

I'm proud of this interview because it really captures the sounds in his studio, the wind and the airplanes. I just followed Ross around in his backyard studio while he showed me all his tools and all these versions of ukeleles he made.

Before Ross built Resohonic ukes, he built canoes. but canoes are dangerous. You'll have to listen to the interview to hear more of Ross's feelings about the danger of canoes.

Please oh please! Visit Ross's Blog! http://rosbiltukulele.blogspot.com


and check out the store that hosts his ukes! Ransack the Universe! http://www.ransacktheuniverse.com/blog

May 27, 2010: New Mentalities Magazine, an interview with Breila and James. "Write how you feel. Write what you want." (Breila)

Richard Laviolette guest hosted this show today. He played the interview I did earlier n the week with Breila and James, talking about New Mentalities Magazine.

New Mentalities Guelph is a youth based mental health/illness focused magazine. No one is censored. Everyone is welcome. The magazine is full of fresh illustrations, art, poetry, rants, letters, and information based articles.

Breila talked about how the magazine got started here in Guelph. She was involved in the founding of New Mentalities Guelph. Breaks through stigma of mental illnesses. the power of art, strategizing survival.

New Mentalilites is always looking submissions! Consider submitting to the magazine!

May 20, 2010: Jeff Miller! Ghost PIne! All Stories True! (punkrock and grandparents)

Jeff Miller is my newest friend inspiration. When we talked about writing as a practise in this interview, it made me want to wake up every morning (i'm a morning person, Jeff's the opposite), sit in my kitchen under the ceiling fan and write for an hour before beginning my day.

Jeff's this lovely guy who's been writing his zine series for over 10 years. I admire that commitment and craft, and his nostalgic, impressive storytelling skill. Touching. Easy. His book of a compilation of his stories has just come out! So exciting! Its called All Stories True, published by Invisible Press.


Jeff Miller is the real deal. He didn't sort his work chronologically, he sorted it by theme, when he put it in his book. I like that. he's a great writer, a great documentor of his community, and he tells it hilarious

Check out Jeff's Website: http://ghostpine.wordpress.com/

May 13, 2010: Special Show: Call For Submissions

This show featured all these calls for submissions:

1. Art against Incarceration: Graphic Responses to the Prison Industrial Complex

This art show and fundraiser for Project NIA will encourage people to learn about the nature and impact of the Prison Industrial Complex. While public education is our priority with this art show, Project NIA will also use the art as a way to fundraise to support our programs and work. We conceptualize art as inherently political and are committed to utilizing art as a tool toward eliminating oppression.

If you make art, photography, graphic design, silkscreens or things like 'em, and you are interested in supporting restorative and transformative justice and breaking down the prison-industrial complex, here's an opportunity for you to help out a fantastic new organization in Chicago (and get your work shown)!

Project NIA (www.project-nia.org) is seeking donations of original poster designs that make a statement about the prison-industrial complex, school policing and zero tolerance policies, or the injustice and racism of the juvenile legal system. Please be as clear or as abstract as you want; use statistics and slogans, images and imagination, or whatever works.

Full-color designs should be 11"x17" and ideally already matted on white board (we can help with this). Digital submissions are okay but we'd prefer physical originals or prints--please email about the details. Silk-screen and other creative media encouraged. We will also accept 18x24 posters, and potentially other dimensions if you let us know.
Due to Project NIA by May 31, 2010
Email lewispants@gmail.com if you plan to submit so that we can arrange mailing or pick-up of your donation.

All accepted poster art will be displayed for 6 weeks in Fall 2010 and available for sale or auction, first at Neighbors United in New Possibilities and then at the Common Cup Cafe in Rogers Park. One or two of our favorite posters will be selected for mass reproduction. Your donations will help us hugely as we will use them both to raise money for the project and to spread awareness about the prison-industrial complex and its effects in people's lives. All the proceeds will go directly to covering the unjust government fees for youth who come through our Juvenile Justice Expungement Clinic seeking assistance with clearing criminal records.

Project NIA helps communities develop support networks for youth who are at risk of or have already been impacted by the juvenile justice system. Through participatory action research, community engagement, education, and capacity-building, Project NIA facilitates the creation of community-focused responses to youth violence and crime. See www.project-nia.org for more information.

Thank you so much for your time and please feel free to contact me with any questions.

-Lewis Wallace
Volunteer Coordinator, Project NIA
lewispants@gmail.com

2. Out of the Closet and Into the Street:
Posters of LGBTQ Struggles & Celebrations

July 3 – September 26, 2010

Opening Reception: July 3, 5-8 pm

at the ONE Archives Gallery & Museum
626 N. Robertson Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(entrance on El Tovar)

Gallery Hours:
Friday: 4:30-8:30
Saturday & Sunday: 1-5

Despite decades of affirmation and positive role models engendered by the LGBTQ liberation movements, discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation continues. Hospitals still refuse to allow lesbians and gays to be with their sick or dying partners by restricting visitation to “family” only. Same-sex couples are denied equal inheritance rights, pensions and health-care benefits, and lesbian and gay parents are often denied custody of their children. Violent attacks and homicides against members of the LGBTQ community continue and recent legal gains are tentative and subject to reversal—Californian’s right to marriage equality was taken away; open lesbians and gays continue to be excluded from the military; and as recently as February 2010, the Governor of Virginia signed an executive order deliberately removing gays and lesbians as a protected class in state-wide hiring procedures.

For more than 40 years, political posters have been one of the primary art forms to challenge the oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals and communities. Whether institutionalized through legislation or conducted culturally through physical violence or psychological negativity, this exhibition focuses on homophobia as a violation of human rights and uses the power of graphics to expose injustice, defend rights and celebrate victories.

For more information contact CSPG
323.653.4662 or cspg@politicalgraphics


3. The new issue of Absent Cause zine will focus on surviving. Some possible topics are:

* Your personal story of survival
* The repercussions of surviving emotional, physical and sexual abuse
* Surviving under a classist, anti-poor, racist, sexist, anti-queer and fat-phobic system
* Sex work and survival
* What should be the role of social-justice activists and organizations in personal survival issues?
* Coping methods, good or bad – alcohol and drugs, food, sexual acting out, relationship merry-go-rounds, art and writing, isolation, fashion/style, therapy — and their consequences


Absent Cause welcomes submissions of essays, poetry, artwork, photography, comix, etc. Contributions from people of color, wimmin and queer people are especially welcome!


The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 28, 2010. Send your submissions to redguard@gmail.com


To check out previous issues, contact me or visit http://redguard.etsy.com

4. [[ SUBMIT TO UPPING THE ANTI ]]]



Pitches due June 13, 2010; first draft due July 20, 2010



*WHO WE ARE*

UPPING THE ANTI: A JOURNAL OF THEORY AND ACTION
is a radical journal published twice a year by a pan-Canadian
collective of activists and organizers. We are dedicated to publishing
radical theory and analysis about struggles against capitalism,
imperialism, and all forms of oppression.

In our first ten issues, we've published articles by and interviews

with renowned activists and intellectuals, including Aijaz Ahmad,
Himani Bannerji, Grace Lee Boggs, Ward Churchill, Michael Hardt,

John Holloway, Sunera Thobani, Andrea Smith, and many more.


We have covered a wide variety of topics including Palestine solidarity

activism, trans politics and anti-capitalism, anti-war activism, Indigenous

solidarity, contemporary feminist organizing, and activist burnout.

In every issue, activists and organizers reflect on the state of
contemporary organizing in Canada and beyond. We publish theoretical
and critical articles, interviews and roundtables. UPPING THE ANTI
also includes a book review section where activists assess new writing
on the Left.


*CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS*

We are currently looking for story ideas for ISSUE ELEVEN, which will
be released in OCTOBER of 2010. If you have an idea for a story you

would like to see published in our journal, please send us a one page pitch

by Sunday, June 13, 2010. In addition to the pitch, please submit a short

writing sample (max 1,000 words).

In your pitch, please provide a brief description of the topic of your
investigation, your main questions, an account of how you will address
these questions, as well as a brief biographical note.

Before submitting a pitch, we encourage you to read back issues in
order to familiarize yourself with the kind of writing that we
publish. We also encourage you to have a look at the UPPING THE ANTI
writer's guide, which can be downloaded at http://uppingtheanti.org.

Pitches should be for original stories that have not been submitted or

published elsewhere. Please do not send us a pitch that you have
simultaneously sent to another publication.

Although we will consider all pitches, we are especially interested in
stories about the current economic crisis, contemporary labour organizing,

feminism and women's struggles, dis/ability, international solidarity work,

mobilization strategies, marxism and anarchism in the 21st Century, activist

interventions in art and culture, and struggles around questions of sex and

sexuality.

We will review your pitch and provide you with feedback. After a pitch
has been approved, writers are expected to submit their story by deadline.

Deadline for first drafts for ISSUE ELEVEN is July 20, 2010.


Please submit all pitches and direct all queries to uppingtheanti@gmail.com



*CHECK OUT ISSUE TEN!*



Our next issue will be available in May 2010. Content will include AK

Thompson on Avatar and the co-option of capitalism, Tom Keefer on

Marxism and Indigenous struggles, Dimitris Dalakoglou and Antonis

Vradis on the spatial legacies of the Athens uprising.



The issue will also feature interviews with Andrea Smith on building

unlikely alliances, Patrick Bond on climate justice and anti-capitalism,

Nandita Sharma and Jessica Yee on sex work, migration and anti-trafficking,

and roundtables on radical media, ex-cops resisting police, and student

occupations in the US.



We need your support to keep Upping the Anti running. Pick up the latest

issue, and check out our online subscription program.




For more information about UPPING THE ANTI, visit http://uppingtheanti.org

5. Venus in Scorpio : A Poetry Zine

Now accepting submissions for summer 2010 debut edition.

Venus in Scorpio is a 24 page (give or take a few pgs.,
depending on the # and length of included poems) print literary zine out
of Hollywood Ca. We are now accepting original poems, drawings and
photos for our first issue.

We can’t pay $$, but if your work is published you’ll get 2 free copies of the zine.

We love edgy, rock ‘n’ roll, Bukowski, & beat inspired poems, but we’re open to
all types of poetry except religious, political or sentimental greeting
card verse. Erotic (not pornographic) poetry most welcome.

The submission deadline is June 1, 2010. First issue slated for release on July 15th, 2010.


E-mail poems (in Word) and jpegs of photos and drawings to Jade at
vscorpiozine@gmail.com. Include a short bio, with or without photo.

You can send snail mail contributions to:

Venus in Scorpio Poetry Zine
Jade Blackmore, Editor
1626 N. Wilcox Ave, #113
Hollywood, CA 90028

Include SASE (self addressed, stamped envelope) with snail mail subs.

I'll notify potential contributors upon receipt of submission, and contact writers whose work will be included by June 30th.

Please note-I haven't created a website for the zine yet, but check out my website jadeblackmore.com to find out about my background. Many of my poems were published in the 1990s in zines like Flower, AlphaBeat Soup, Lucid Moon, Sink Full of Dishes, Shockbox and Thirteen. My cousin and I put out a zine called Untitled in Chicago in 1994.

6. The Toronto Zine Fair is always looking for Submissions! Check out: http://torontozinelibrary.blogspot.com/

7. OCAD Zine Library is also always looking for submissions: Check out: http://zinesforlunch.blogspot.com/

In this episode of Things that people make, I also read this from the Toronto Women's Bookstore website (http://www.womensbookstore.com/)
Dear TWB community,

We know you have been waiting to hear the latest update, and we finally have something to tell you - it has been a challenging process, but it looks like we have found a new owner for TWB! There are still some logistics & legalities to be worked out so unfortunately we can't give out much concrete information yet, but we can tell you that she is someone who has worked at the store in the past and intends to carry it on in the same tradition. We are expecting the transition to happen for June 1st, and we will let you know as soon as the details are confirmed.

Many of you have asked us how you can help and we have several projects in mind for late May which we will be asking for assistance with, but what we need most is for you to keep shopping at TWB and making donations to help us through this last month. There will be a lot of work and also hidden costs associated with winding down the non-profit business and transitioning to a new model, and we need your continued support in order to meet all of our ethical obligations and give the new TWB owner the best chance of success.

And speaking of shopping, on Saturday, May 22nd we will be having a store-wide sale with 10% off regular stock, lots of discounted books and cds, food and live performances! More info TBA soon.

We want to thank you all for loving TWB so much and helping us through this year. As always, we couldn't have done it without you!

The TWB Staff & Board

www.womensbookstore.com

And I also talked about the Montreal Anarchist Bookfair!
(http://www.anarchistbookfair.ca/)

May 6, 2010: Re-airing for my Mom! About knitting

My mom let me interview her about knitting and knitting zines. I originally aired this interview on April 9, 2009. and I re-aired it for mother's day! My mom's the best.

April 22, 2010: An interview with Nadine "Blades" Rainville: the top ten reasons Nadine loves Zines

Nadine is so rad. She co-organized the Kazoofest zine fair this spring.

Nadine came on These Things that People Make and did a live interview in the studio with me. We talked about Brantford, the Ford Plant, and Nadine's introduction to zine culture. We talked about Rob Michaelchuck - punk archivist. Nadine played the typewriter in his in his band for a while.

Nadine is the co-conspirator of the zines 1 kind quarterly zine, and the Blandford Explosivator. In this interview she read me excerpts from both. (the listeners are so lucky) The reading of the Brantford Explosivator included a huge list of what Laura and Nadine love about Brantford found on the back cover of the zine.

The zine fair was a huge hit! Check out the Kazoo for info on upcoming Kazoo things:http://www.kazookazoo.ca/

April 15, 2010: Gregory Burton and Richard Laviolette Guest Host:

Richard Laviolette and Gregory Burton guest hosted my show. What lovely people.
Richard started making quilts with his grandmother about two years ago.
Richard tells the story of ripping apart coats to make quilts. They talk in quiet voices. Quilts for babies, quilts for dogs, quilts for adult beds.

Richard answers the question: How is a quilt different from a blanket?

What great things are you doing with yourself when you are making a quilt?
What will your family say?

April 8 2010: Remy Huberdeau

Remy Huberdeau. The Documentarian. The author of cinema.
Remy is an AWESOME sweetheart friend who i am so happy did this interview

You should really just listen to the radio interview, instead of reading this blog, but for an enticing peek at what we discussed,
Here is a list of things me and Remy talked about during this interview:

1. The different cultures around documentary production in English Canada and in French Canada

2. What consists of a documentary on television

3. Believing in two sides of a story as if objectivity is possible.

4. When the goal and starting point is subjectivity.

5. what happens when your truth and history is not recorded.

6. Remy's film of the letter to his father, of being a transperson. french canadian white settlers in an aboriginal continent.

7. Father figure , and father figure as metaphor for the patriarchy nationstate. Dad as also patriarchal father figure of the country

8. Writing yourself into history. family history. colonial history. your role in a family

9. Showing images and making links interacting on different levels

10. History finding life in people. history living in people. Emotional layers of history stored in our body

11. On television: if you talk about a banana, you show a banana

12. Collaboration

13. Sharing work that you have done with others. Integrating feedback into the work

14. Open yourself up to that vulnerability

15. Making videos on youtube.

April 1 2010: Jeff Woods! Trepid House!

Jeff Woods lives at Trepid house in Waterloo and he's recently been taking a couple of courses at the University of Guelph. I know Jeff from playing house shows at his house... and eating pancakes and burgers and blueberries in his kitchen. Jeff helps me take breaks at work. He walks down the long hallway in the University Centre, and we get coffee or fancy juice and wander around. If you've worked an NGO office job, you know what I mean when i say I can go for days and days without taking breaks. Its not healthy or good, its just the way it is. And the radio station doesn't have any windows... and thats not good either. If Jeff doesn't show up, sometimes its way harder to take breaks.

Sometimes we go to the little greenhouse next to the University Centre.


So. all this to say during our mini 15 minute break hang-outs, i've got to hang out with Jeff a bunch, and got to hear in bits pieces ALL THE STUFF THAT HAPPENS AT TREPID HOUSE. ITS A LOT. So, of course this was the perfect thing to do an episode of These Things That People Make. Trepid house hosts Trepid Arts Collective, the house itself is a House show DIY venue, CARL ,DIY film festival, attic Gallery Space and Trepid Records

In this interview, Jeff gives us an audio tour of the house, he talk about what kind of collective they are, the fish tank window, kitchen, show space, costumes, vests,Waterloo, the pirate room and all their future plans. They've been hosting house shows since 2005.

i'm sure i'll have Jeff on the show again to talk more specifically to talk about upcoming festivals, and projects coming out of Trepid house, and also Jeff's ceramic people/puppets... but for now, we've had this lovely over-arching rambling interview where i seemed to ask many questions at once, and Jeff didn't seem to mind.

March 25, 2010: Colour your gender yourself: An interview with Jacinta Bunnell

Gender gender gender gender gender .... what do you look like? What colour are you? Jacinta Bunnell makes good colouring books for those of us who love crayons and colouring but don't like Disney, or Warner Brothers, or Hot Wheels, or Pixar... or princess colouring books, or maybe you like those things but you'd prefer something better?

Young brains are like sponges! Children are so influenced by the images around them! We need to be careful about what images kids see the most! We need to make sure they are supportive and really, REALLY reflect the world (and not fucked up fairy tales!)

Jacinta Bunnell , Irit Reinheimer and Julie Novak collaborated on Girls Not Chicks, a feminist colouring book. Its cute, and stylish and punchy. Very girl butch enthusiastic... what a relief. Work like this is easily loved by those of us who are still looking for images of ourselves, or support our gender expression. We're looking and looking... and now here is not only a book of great images, but also you get to colour them! What fun!

In this interview, Jacinta talked about the history of Girls not Chicks Colouring Book, and Girls Will Be Boys will be Girls. She talked about the evolution of Girls Will Be Boys Will be Girls from zine, to published books.

Blowing up images really large, and hanging them, and everyone colouring together is one of Jacinta's favorite thing to do with the colouring book.

If we have kids in our lives, we (as adults) should have images and kids books and colouring books and images and art that we love, that validates our identities and our friend identities.. and this book does that.

It was really exciting to talk to Jacinta. I hope when you hear this interview, you get a copy of her colouring book and/or you and your friends make your own.

visit www.girlsnotchicks.com

March 18, 2010: Part 5: Zines about Medicalization, Sickness and Health: About Dave's Disappearance: An interview with Dave Roche.

My friend Sonia Edworthy gave me a copy of About My Disappearance #1 two years ago when I had just moved into a lovely apartment on Creighton St. in Halifax with my friend Mynah. I displayed it on a little shelf on the brick wall in the kitchen. I tried to read it, but I had just started dating someone who had colitis, and it was just too close. I wasn't ready for it. About My Disappearance is about Dave's body, and diagnosis, having Crohnes. He wrote it for his friends, to explain why he disappeared, and didn't return calls. You couldn't find him at shows, because he had Crohns and his body was doing scarey things like loosing tons of weight, not digesting food, and lots and lots of diarreha and pain.

I picked up the zine again this February (2010), and devoured it quickly. I read it a second time, and emailed Dave to see if I could do an interview with him. And he said yes. And now I get to share this interview with you.

About My Disappearance now has three issues. They're all fantastic. Dave started this interview off by reading a short excerpt from About My Disappearance #3. Dave read about Sickness and Shit and Confusion. I asked Dave to talk about the relationship of depression and sickness. Dave also talked about what it means to finally have an accurate diagnosis. Dave talked about writing about things we don't think people (especially our friends) won't want to hear, because actually how important it is to write about this stuff. Dave talked about what it meant for him to revisit stories after his body was feeling better, and the importance to write about with the most honesty, without asking for pity, and just offering explaination, and advice for how to offer support that is really helpful.

Dave says " Writing helped me realize that sickness is not something you must do battle with. Its something that is a part of me. Its not that if I don't beat it, it doesn't mean I'm not strong enough,"

We ended with some very appropriate critiques of the medical industry... Listen to this interview, and email Dave Roche for a copy of his zine: poodrow@hotmail.com.

March 11, 2010: Part 4: zines about sickness, health and medicalization: Nailbiter Anxiety Zine. Repeated interview

Last March, I interviewed Chelle and Kerri about their fabulous collaborative zine project: Nailbiter.I replayed this interview because the project is so great and it fit so well with the theme of this show series. I blogged about the interview way back last march (when I first aired the inteview). This interview is great because the project is great. I encourage you to check out the old blog post, and get the zine!

March 4, 2010: Part 3: Zines/Comics about Sickness, Health and Medicalization: Funny (Awesome) Misshapen Comics: An interview with Jeffrey Brown

My friend Erin Crickett dropped off My Funny Misshapen Body by Jeffrey Brown with groceries and movies a couple days after I began my official hunt for zines and comics and resources about health, sickness and medicalization. I read the whole thing over two bus trips, to and from the daycare I am doing a placement at.

Jeffrey's comic style is refreshing because it is engaging real life. It is out of order, but thats how we remember things. I also like to include this book in this series in part because it is not just about medicalization and sickness. It is also about other things. And I like that. I mean, I emailed Jeff because I wanted to interview him about Semi Colon, which is the chapter in this book that focuses on Jeff's story of his early years of Crohns, but I like that there are subtler references to his body, his scares and his weight gain and weight loss (resulting from drugs he was on because of the Crohns) in other parts of the book, because it is a story of his life. and i like how all those things are told in the book.

In our interview, Jeff talked about finding a drawing style that fits with the content of having Crohns. Finding a drawing style with more depth than Clumsy, and other previous works. We talked about the seemingly out-of-order-ness of the stories in the book and how we draw memories so that they are accurate to how those memories feel in our brains. Because Jeff's work is so personal, I asked him how he makes sure he is not revealing other people's secrets.

Jeffrey Brown writes comics about love that are more real than TV and film - we talked about that, and we talked about having a kid, and re-arranging his routine and approach to fit in the routine of having a child, and the routine of getting creative work done.

We finished by talking about Jeffrey's new and exciting upcoming projects: Undeleted Scenes and The Incredible Changebots.

check out www.jeffreybrowncomics.com.

Feb. 25, 2010: Part 2: zines about sickness, health and medicalization: When Language Runs Dry: An interview with Claire Barrera

When Language Runs Dry: A Zine for People with Chronic Pain and their Allies, edited by Meredith Butner and Claire Barrera.

Its taken me so long to post this blog interview, because it is hard to sum up this interview in words (how ironic! this zine is all about finding words to accurately express chronic pain and illness !)

I interviewed Claire over the phone. This zine discusses limits of language in describing chronic pain and creates more language around it, by hosting many people's experiences. Explaining pain to doctors. Explaining pain to your friends/supports you have to put pain into words, requiring many voices. Seeking alternative and western medical care. Understanding your abilities and communities differently. Claire read her own piece found in the second issue " Fake it till you make it" This was the best part of of the interview. Fake it Till you Make it tells the story of navigating depression when she was 19 and reflects on how she used many of the same coping strategies when she developed chronic pain at 25. Development of personal spiritual practise. The fact that everything doesn't suddenly get better.

Calm and solid. Giving meaning and a project to their own experience of the pain they were experiencing. breaking isolation. creating a community around chronic pain and illness. Out of Portland, Oregon. personal stories (developing a catalogue of strategies and stories).

Community activism that grows out of it.

The things we connect our chronic pain.

The interview is way way way better than this blog post. Email me for a copy of this post: sarah.mangle@gmail.com

To contact Meredith and Claire, email nevertwice@yahoo.com
Visit www.microcosmpublishing.com to get both copies of the zine.

The third issue is underway! contact Claire and Merdith to discuss submission!

Feb 18 2010: Part One of Zines about Sickness, Health, Medicalization: An introduction to good work (zines and a graphic novel)

This week's episode features me talking about three great projects: Funny Misshappen body by Jeffrey Brown, About My Disappearance By David Roche, and If I Can't Dance is it Still My Revolution #3 by A.J. Withers.

Funny Misshappen Body by Jeffrey Brown (to be interviewed in more depth in a future show)
is a grahic novel about art school, growing up and Jeffrey's diagnosis and treatment of Crohnes Disease. In particular, in this episode I talked about Semi Colon, the chapter about Jeffrey Brown's experience with Crohnes Disease. Jeffrey's comic drawing style in this chapter is choppy, beautiful and accurate and illustrates the diorientation, busy, scarey, weird, experiences common to hospitalized and diagnosed situations. I highly recommend it. www.jeffreybrowncomics.com

About My Disappearance (#1) by David Roche is a detailed first person account of having chrones diesease. Tells a very personal, specific, first person story of David's first four months living with Crohnes. About My Disappearance talks about David's diagnosis, pain, disorientation, weight loss, interacting with friends his when suddenly feeling very sick, medicalization, being on new drugs. About My Disappearance (#1, and #2) is distroed by microcosm press. Visit: Microcosm Publishing: http://microcosmpublishing.com/

If I Can't Dance is it Still My Revolution? by A.J. Withers is a zine series that is now (also) a website. This episode I talked about issue #3 of If I Can't Dance is it Still My Revolution? I read from a couple of parts of this zine. A.J is a solid writer about radical disability politics. In #3, A.J writes specific letters to different clinics about specific messed up things that A.J has experienced in various clinics. There are also big essays at the beginning of the zine that are fabulous. Visit A.J's website:http://still.my.revolution.tao.ca

Feb 11 2010: In/visible Unicorn!

This episode of These Things that People Make played little excerpts from In/visible Unicorn. Excerpts that act as tiny windows into this lovely event that took place at Buddies and Bad Times Theatre in Toronto on January 31, 2010 from 2pm to 5pm.

It was good to be at an afternoon show. Walking into a dark theatre in the middle of the day.

The Full line up from In/visible unicorn was Eli Clare, Onyinyechukwu (Onyii) Udegbe, Jorge Vallejos, Kenji Tokawa, Tara Michelle Ziniuk, Big Appetite, Griffin Epstein , GIMP Bootcamp.

The event was organized and hosted by Loree Erikson and Elisha Lim. It Advertised as: "An afternoon of performances exploring and exposing imaginations, bodies and representation."


My friend Lizzy called In/visible Unicorn to it as "a celebration of disability culture". I'm not totally sure what disability culture means to those around me but I am excited to talk about this more.

Featured on these things that people make, were Griffin Epstein Kenji Tokawa, and Eli Claire.Just little excerpts.


I felt like the event was an introduction to a lot of rad people's work. I would love to see it stretched out and filled in as a regular show series.

Jan. 28th 2010: Seth Tobacman Shares his History of Anarchism Comics, and Street Art.

Seth Tobacman is an illustrator, comicbook maker, anarchist and activist based in New York City who came up to Guelph last week to launch some books and to paint a mural with local Guelph students in the University Centre on the University of Guelph of Campus.

We did our interview before Seth arrived in Guelph, over the phone.

Seth talked about his history with Anarchism and comics and communicating through comics. Making comics about things that were going on around him. In 70s Seth was involved in tenants rights activism in the lower eastside of New York City.Seth got involved in Anarchist politics in New York City. "The Anarchist Solution was lets go do something about it right now". Worked with the squatter movement in New York City. He was making comics to promote actions, and comics to document actions that he was personally involved in.

In our interview, Seth talked about starting the magazine World War Three illustrated with Peter Kuper as an attempt at politicized comics at a time when politicized comics were hard to find.

In 1979 there was not very many comics being published. '"The underground comics had fallen apart in the 70s and there was kind of nothing" Says Seth.

He has many books out worth checking out. Disaster and Resistance, You Don't Have to Fuck People Over to Survive, War in the Neigbhourhood. He is working on a new book called "Understanding the Crash" about the recent economic crisis.

I ended by asking Seth to tell me about Drawing and Metaphor. I am glad I asked him that question. Contact me to get a copy of the interview to hear what he says.

Jan. 21, 2010: Your living room is not just your livingroom. Your kitchen is a stage. House Shows. An interview with 4 people!

House Shows! An interview with Four People!

A House show is a concert someone puts on in their home, considering it a venue.

This interview features Liv Carrow from Hudson NY, Griffin Epstein from Toronto ON, Caleb Latreille from Halifax NS, and Aaron Mangle from Halifax NS all talking about house shows. I thought it was a good idea to get a whole bunch of folk's ideas about house shows, and it was good because they don't always agree, and that makes the whole thing more interesting. There is a certain punk, Do-it-yourself, arts school culture surrouding house shows.

I interviewd them each individually. I asked them all the same questions. And then I edited the thing together. The result is a cute, in depth, critique, reflection, and recipe for how to make house shows yourself, and things to think about. This interview reminded me why I go to house shows and organize them.