Teresa and I really met when we were crammed inside somebody's parent's SUV, driving on icy roads to a Queering Social Work Conference at Wilfred Laurier University. As a side note: Social Work school is often terribly homophobic and filled with gross outdated, fucked up mythologies about queer people. Its gross!
Teresa and I met before that car ride. At parties a few times, but this car ride at 6:45am was when we really talked, and sat very close to each other, because we were squished in a car. I chattered on in my early morning hyper way, and everyone else in the car tolerated me, while they woke up in the navy blue early morning sunrise on the highway.
We wandered around Kitchener before the conference started, or while it was going on, to find coffee and food and figure out what to say on the panels we were invited to speak on. And then we all drove back home. Somewhere in there, Teresa offhandedly said she made zines. She had a new one coming out. Honestly, I hadn't met anyone -like, a new person - a friendly stranger who made zines in a while. I was surprised and excited and I said I wanted to see them. Teresa said she'd be selling them at an event that I was actually performing at. It was an anti valentines day event that Elisha Lim had organized at the Transac.
So, I waited for that event so excited to see Teresa's zines. And then she had a photocopying or layout mishap, which is sooooo normal for zine makers, and often so fruterating.... and THEN, one day, in the morning, in my bedroom, on facebook I saw that Teresa had posted this cute photo of herself holding three copies of her newest zine. and we met up at a cafe on College Street, and I bought two copies of Feeling Words (the newest zine that Teresa has made).
I get the sense that Teresa makes zines because there are these conversations we need to have. About how we police ourselves with feminist rhetoric, and become less accepting of ourselves, and honest with eachother as a result. Conversations about racism in the Queer community that shows up in Acceptable Queer Hair Stylings, and conversations about how we FEEL. And lots more conversations inside those conversations. Is urgency the right word? Teresa's zines have a timely resonance and relevance that is really cool, and useful.
Check out our interview! Teresa will read to you and tell the stories of her three zines: Dykes and their Hair, Upskirt: Dirty (Un)Feminist Secrets, and Feeling Words: A Pocket Zine of Emotions.
I hope Teresa makes zines for a million more years. And I hope I get to see All of them.
To listen to the interview, paste this address in your browser:
http://www.radio4all.net/files/sarah.mangle@gmail.com/4332-1-These_Things_That_People_Make_-_April_07_2011_at_10_00_-_CFRU_93.3.mp3
Download Upskirt from the Queer Zine Archive Project:
http://www.qzap.org/v6/index.php?option=com_g2bridge&view=gallery&Itemid=41&g2_itemId=1179
Download Dykes and Their Hair from the Queer Zine Archive Project:
http://www.qzap.org/v6/index.php?option=com_g2bridge&view=gallery&Itemid=41&g2_itemId=795
Get a copy of Feeling Words: A Pocket Zine of Emotions by emailing Teresa: poopytoothpaste@gmail.com
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