These Things That People Make

That Pause I talk about in Person

2011-09-14T04:47:00.000-07:00

Hi There,

Thanks so much for visiting the blog for These Things that People Make. I'm taking a break from the show to work on a documentary radio and video project about the lives of my Lesbian Homesteading Aunts who live in the Adirondack Mountains. I'll post more about it here in the near future.

In the meantime, feel free to check out past shows, and don't hesitate to be in touch.

sar

June 16, 2011: Coco Riot!! So Good!

2011-06-19T15:43:00.001-07:00

Coco Riot is a tough, smart, and charming organizer and artist who is currently based in Montreal. Coco's work often deals with issues related to gender, and migration, racism, and queerness (and lots of other stuff). Coco started making comics when they had read all the comics they could find.

Coco and I have met, as friendly acquaintances through all sorts of mutual friends and community events in Montreal, Halifax and Toronto, but rarely have Coco had the opportunity to have good in-depth conversations.

This is a great conversation I am so excited to share with you. We talked mostly about two of Coco's newest projects, Llueven Queers and This is About Having an Accent.

To hear the interview, post this address in your browser: http://www.radio4all.net/files/sarah.mangle@gmail.com/4332-1-cocoriotcomplete.mp3

Check out Coco's work, at http://cocoriot.com/

June 9, 2011: Wise Daughters Craft Market, a brief History

2011-06-19T14:32:00.000-07:00

My good friend Tara Michelle Ziniuk introduced me to Wise Daughters, and Mary Breen who started and runs the shop back in the fall of 2010. Its the best craft shop I've been in Toronto so far. Believe me, she has really great stuff!

I had the fantastic opportunity to interview Mary about how Wise Daughters got started. To my surprise me and Mary have more in common than I realized. She's worked for many non profits and she has an interest in activist archiving. How cool is that?

Listen to this interview by pasting the link below into your browser.
http://www.radio4all.net/files/sarah.mangle@gmail.com/4332-1-wisedaughters.mp3

Check out Wise Daughters' website at:
http://www.wisedaughters.com/

Oh! and PS: the knitted felt in the photo above is Mary's work! so dreamy.

June 2, 2011: Shameless Mag Turns 7! An interview with Sheila Sampath

2011-05-31T19:30:00.000-07:00

Sheila Sampath is the Art Director and Editorial Director of Shameless Magazine. She also plays in Betty Burke, and runs the Social Justice Design Company, The Public.

I met Sheila last Saturday because Betty Burke was playing a show with my band, Sarah Mangle Buys a Bear along with this other badass band called Rackula in Hamilton. It was a Sascha Fundraiser at This Ain't Hollywood. Sheila plays the piano, and the guitar, and if my memory serves me correctly, she also plays the uke (like me).

I first learned about Shameless magazine 8 years ago, before it existed. At the time I was working for POWERCamp National (now known as the Girls Action Network), a young women's feminist organization, and we met up at Pharmacie Esperanza.

Shameless magazine runs on No Budget. They just adopted, a new, more politicized focus. Sheila plays the piano and is an amazing talker and thinker. This interview is very good. You should just listen to it. Enough said.

Sheila is my new friend.

Check out the interview by pasting this link into your brower:
http://www.radio4all.net/files/sarah.mangle@gmail.com/4332-1-june2thesethings.mp3

And check out Shameless online: http://www.shamelessmag.com/

May 19, 2011: Do You Read Me?

2011-05-30T18:38:00.001-07:00

Do You Read Me? is a collaborative art book zine project done by the Oakville Gallery's Youth Council, Bronte Youth Centre, and The Art Gallery of Ontario's Youth Council, coordinated by Sarah Febbraro, Oakville Gallery's Community Arts Programmer.

Do you Read Me? contains whole zines, artist pages and answers to anonymous question cards. Its a gorgeous really interesting project that ended up being over 200 pages long.

I interviewed Cait Harben, artist educator who worked on the project and a room full of the artists from the Oakville Galleries Youth Council whose work is featured in the book. Listen to the interview to hear about the process of putting the book together, the individual artist's practices and thoughts about the role of politics in art.

Get a copy of the book, and come to the launch at Oakville Galleries: http://www.oakvillegalleries.com/

Listen to the interview by pasting this link into your browser:http://www.radio4all.net/files/sarah.mangle@gmail.com/4332-1-doyoureadme.mp3

April 14th: Breaking Knitting Rules with Lori Guest and Erin Crickett.

2011-04-20T08:12:00.001-07:00

Dear Lori and Erin,

Thanks so much for clammoring into the on air studio at CFRU last Thursday. I love that you stop doing knitting projects that you don't want to keep doing. I love that you knit in bars, and spin on your front step saying hey to your neighbors . I love that you spin garbage. I love that you knit projects that are hard, that you break the rules, or sometimes don't even know what the rules are. I love that you are so enthusiastic about what you do. Its contagious. I love that you are committed to talking about important issues, even when they're not at all popular conversations.

I love the idea that we knit and look at our hands, and don't have to look at each other, and that sometimes makes it easier to talk the hard topics.

Keep up the good work.

Fierce, tough, loud, dirty love,
sar
PS: to listen to this interview, get yourself to this website: http://www.radio4all.net/files/sarah.mangle@gmail.com/4332-1-toughknitters.mp3

April 7, 2011: Emotions, Feminism and Hair with Teresa Cheng!

2011-04-04T16:15:00.001-07:00

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

March 31, 2011: What Makes an Object Queer? An interview with Jamie Q

2011-04-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

Jamie Q and I lived in Montreal at the same time. Jamie is one of those people who - when we bumped into each other we always had awesome conversations, although we never succeeded in making plans and following through on scheduled hang outs. I remember once we made a plan to climb the mountain, but that never happened, which is also okay.

And then, a year and a half ago, we were both out in Halifax at the same time. I was there attending Camp Out, a rural Queer intergenerational activist history camp at the Mermaid and the Cow Campground in Pictou County, and she was working on an impressive hyper active mutiple colour screen printing book with James Kirkpatrick at the Ink Storm Screenprinting collective at the Roberts Street Social Centre in Halifax.

I walked up the narrow stairs that hide in the kitchen and there she was sitting on the hard green couch. I was delivering my friend Jake a rock I had gotten from the Lawrencetown beach.

Its great to bump into old art friends in familiar places always, but it was especially awesome to bump into Jamie, because she is especially awesome.

And then, you know, thank god for facebook. I don't know that I would know about Jamie Q's latest projects it it wasn't for facebook. But please oh please, please please please please check out Jamie's amazing website and look at all the Gorgeous things she has made!

Her website address is: http://jamieq.net

and THEN, while you're looking at all that amazing shit,

copy this address into your web browser:

http://www.radio4all.net/files/sarah.mangle@gmail.com/4332-1-These_Things_That_Pe.mp3

and LISTEN TO OUR INTERVIEW.

and THEN: MAKE YOUR OWN ZINES!!!

Metaphors for how we talk about the body. Making abstract objects. The language we use.
The beauty of the book.

March 24, 2011: Pet Calendars, and 24 Zine Challenges with one of my favorites.

2011-03-25T14:09:00.001-07:00

SARAHEVANSSARAHEVANSSARAHEVANSSARAHEVANSSARAHEVANSSARAHEVANSSARAHEVANSSARAHEVANSSARAHEVANSSARAHEVANSSARAHEVANSSARAHEVANS

This is an interview with the fabulous Sarah Evans who is the co-founder of the Anchor Archive Regional Zine Library found on cute little Roberts Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

I first met Sarah Evans in Halifax at a show at the One world Cafe, or at Scuzin's, Capp Larson's temporary diner, or at a porch party. I don't totally remember. OH YEAH. I actually do remember: I met Sarah Evans through one of her zines about farming. I read the zine in the grainery, 10 years ago, and then I borrowed my friend Shan's bike, and biked in the critical mass friday evening bike ride, and I saw Sarah there, hanging out with Caleb, another future friend who I thought I would never been cool enough to talk to. Caleb had taken apart his bike to paint it, but then was having trouble putting it back together.

I told Sarah I liked her zine. I was aware of having a zine awe-struck crush on her. I rode Shan's bike, and I thought: how do I even talk to these cool people?

And THEN,about 5 years later, somehow I met her again, on a porch or at a show, probably through Capp, or Sonia, and Sarah invited me to come do a zine residency and live in the little shed, and I did.

Sarah Evans just does great things, she's one of those people that does rad things all the time, and is all walk, not talk, and Halifax is a great location for that kind of behaviour. One of those really neat, heart warming, beautiful projects is the PET CALENDAR, that had been taking place for the last six years.

Listen to this interview to hear all the details, and loveliness of the Pet Calendar, and to also hear about 24 Zine Challenges

Listen by pasting this URL into your browswer:
http://www.radio4all.net/files/sarah.mangle@gmail.com/4332-1-petcalendartopodcast.mp3

Contact Sarah, and learn more about the Anchor Archive, and the Roberts Street Social Centre: www.robertsstreet.org

March 17, 2011: The Manarchist Gets the Megaphone

2011-03-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

Kaley are roomates and friends who write zines together under the name Go It Alone Together. They live in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The first zine they made together (in 2007) was A How to Guide To Manarchy. This tiny, cute, relieving, hilarious zine highlights obvious problems of macho anarchist dude behavior within so-called punk, anarchist and radical left spaces and communities. The problems of manarchism are often obvious but manarchists are rarely called out, (in my experience)to their faces or in any ongoing way. Its a hard thing to do. This zine uses humor to highlight the problems of manarchism.

This is one of the ways that zines are awesome. I'm not sure that I'm going to be able to sum this up in the right words right now. People can write things that are really true, that we know are true, but rarely say out loud to the people who most need to hear them. Zines can comfort people that need the reassurance that they are not alone in their frustrations. And zines hang out, silently holding people accountable. Showing up in bathrooms and bedrooms and info shops in cafes in bike shops in community centers.

Learn more about Go it Alone together. Visit: (http://goitalonetogether.ca/)

To here the interview with Kaley and Emily about A How to Guide to Manarchy, visit: http://www.radio4all.net/files/sarah.mangle@gmail.com/4332-1-manarchyfinal.mp3

March 10: The Awkward Sex Zine

2011-03-10T14:06:00.001-08:00

Natalie and Kim are the editors of The Awkward Zine project. They are great. All the people who wrote in this zine are also great. The Awkward Zine Project is a great idea.

listen to the interview about the zine project by copying this address into your browser: http://www.radio4all.net/files/sarah.mangle@gmail.com/4332-1-These_Things_That_People_Make_-_March_10_2011_at_10_00_-_CFRU_93.3.mp3

Learn more about the Awkward Sex Zine Project by visiting their website: http://awkwardsexzine.wordpress.com/

March 3 2011: Amy Leigh's Twelveohtwo

2011-03-04T16:22:00.000-08:00

All of a sudden time just passes. All of a sudden its not 2004 anymore, its not 2002 anymore and we have all this stuff to reflect on because things actually have changed. When I moved to Toronto I decided to finally go through these cardboard boxes of paper that i had been moving from house to house to house over the last 4 years, that I hadn't opened, I had just kept moving these closed boxes of paper from house to house. As I side note: I've kept every journal I've ever written in, based on advice from the best drawing teacher I've ever had, Adrian Norvid. I keep all those Journals in my closet.

So when I moved into my current home in Toronto last September, I sat on the floor and I listened to the radio and I opened all the cardboard boxes of paper. Among lots of scratchy drawings, embarrassing poems, receipts and letters from friends, I found these gorgeous screen printed posters for events that happened in 2002 and 2003 in Montreal, at a time when extravagant screen printed posters for events were the norm. Posters for art shows, for music shows and zine fairs. I put the posters on my wall in my new bedroom in Toronto. I realized that at that time, in 2002, I took that time of phenomenal art for granted. I thought that I would walk down all the streets of the world, and always be able to be surrounded by amazing and inspiring posters. And now I know better.

Amy Leigh has had her zine distro, TwelveOhTwo, for the past seven years. We're in a different time for zines now, then when she started the distro. Its a new era. Zines are not dead. Far from it. And theres something extremely cool, and valuable about doing the thing you do, through trends, and through changes in technology, and different political times.

It was lovely to have Amy Leigh over to my house and ask her questions about her distro, about the priorities for her distro, projects that inspire her from elsewhere, and Amy's reflections about building community, and organizing and also hear Amy Leigh's thoughts/critiques on Canzine and Broken Pencil. She's a lovely, hard working smart person.

to listen to this interview, paste this address in your browser: http://www.radio4all.net/files/sarah.mangle@gmail.com/4332-1-thesethingsamyleigh.mp3

2011-02-25T13:14:00.001-08:00

Feb 17 and Feb 24 2011: Allyson Mitchell Part 1 AND 2 !!! Serious Discussions of Unignorable Unappoolgetic Loud Fat Feminist Queer Craft.

2011-02-17T16:35:00.000-08:00

To listen to the FIRST PART of the interview, visit: http://www.radio4all.net/files/sarah.mangle@gmail.com/4332-1-These_Things_That_People_Make_-_February_17_2011_at_10_00_-_CFRU_93.3.mp3

To listen to the SECOND PART: of the interview:
http://www.radio4all.net/files/sarah.mangle@gmail.com/4332-1-These_Things_That_People_Make_-_February_24_2011_at_10_00_-_CFRU_93.3.mp3

Allyson Mitchell confronts Fake Rainbow Unity.

Confronting the social lie of (gay, lesbian, queer) acceptance. The liberal desire for us to shut up, and be the quietest smallest gay person possible.

I biked to Allyson Mitchell's house after I applied for a job wearing a grown up coat I borrowed from my roomate. I felt like I was in Adulthood Drag in this coat. I felt uneasy. I wanted my big brownish grey coat my lesbian superstar aunt Elizabeth gave me.

Drinking tea with Allyson Mitchell in her kitchen was the perfect remedy for the uneasy feelings I had previously experienced caused by the boring adult coat.

Acutally, who cares about the coat. I mean,i did feel better about myself and my silly coat after interviewing Allyson Mitchell but the coat: Who Cares? Allyson's work is way more meaningful and haunting and needed than that story about the coat. There is something (or many things) aesthetically comforting and inspiring and bad ass and it reminds you of home an is giving all the harmful things of life the finger at the same time.

Maximalist.

Allyson Mitchell makes craft/art that is impossible to ignore. It is unappologetically loud and bright and comforting and explicit and lesbionic. I love it.

Watch out for her Lesbian Feminist Haunted House that Nuit Blanche Toronto (last year) claimed was TOO BIG to accommodate.

Check out her stuff: http://www.allysonmitchell.com

To listen to the FIRST PART of the interview, visit: http://www.radio4all.net/files/sarah.mangle@gmail.com/4332-1-These_Things_That_People_Make_-_February_17_2011_at_10_00_-_CFRU_93.3.mp3

To listen to the SECOND PART: of the interview:
http://www.radio4all.net/files/sarah.mangle@gmail.com/4332-1-These_Things_That_People_Make_-_February_24_2011_at_10_00_-_CFRU_93.3.mp3

Feb 10, 2011: The Arrow Archive, and Erin's Top 11 Zines

2011-02-08T12:13:00.000-08:00

Listen to the interview here:http://www.radio4all.net/files/sarah.mangle@gmail.com/4332-1-These_Things_That_People_Make_-_February_10_2011_at_10_00_-_CFRU_93.3.mp3

The Arrow Archive Zine Library has recently moved from the Sky Dragon Centre in Hamilton to the Guelph Centre for Gender Empowerment and Diversity, room 107 in the University Centre on the University of Guelph Campus.

The Arrow Archive's Founder, Erin hung out with me in my office at CFRU and told me the history of the archive, and reccomended her top 11 zines. (I asked for her top 10, and she brought 11! I love that shit).

Here are her reccomendations:

1. Cooking With Surplus -n- Excess: by Sy Loady

2. Coloring Book for the Broken hearted by Sy Loady

3.If Death Comes by Todi

4. Infiltration

5. Xerography Debt

6. Ring of Fire

7. One a Day

8. The Fence

9. The Worst

10. S/He's got Labe

11. Invisible Invaders #4

Listen to the radio show to hear Erin's descriptions of the zines, and why she loves them.

Erin also discussed the rad zines she makes My Life in Clip Art, Evidence: Mixtape in Paper, and Fag Punk, and what it takes to make a good quality zine.

Also, check out: zinelibrary.info

For more about the Arrow Archive visit: arrowarchive.blogspot.com and/or email: thearrowarchive@gmail.com

Send the archive mail! Thats the Best!

arrow archive
box 183
Guelph, Ontario
N1H 6J6

For more information about the Guelph Resource Centre on Gender Empowerment and Diversity visit:
http://www.uoguelph.ca/~wrc/

Feb 3: Girls to the Front. an interview with Sara Marcus

2011-02-05T15:31:00.000-08:00

In our phone interview, Sara Marcus, excellent author of Girls to the Front and I talked for over an hour. She told me the story of collecting interviews from over 130 people for this archival Riot Grrl Project. The story of struggling to tell the story in her own words, the complicated and important story, stories of Riot GRRL.

I highly recommend this book,whether or not you have history with Riot Grrl (yet).

After talking to Sara, I've started actively looking for allies the projects I wished existed in the world. In particular: explicit support in Guelph for loud girl/women bands.

you can listen to the interview by going here:http://www.radio4all.net/files/sarah.mangle@gmail.com/4332-1-girlstothefrontjan2011.MP3

check out the book: www.girlstothefront.com

Jan 27, 2010: Rafaela's hands make Monsters

2011-01-30T18:00:00.000-08:00

Rafaela Vidinha met me at a street corner in the east end of Toronto and walked me around the back of the factory where she lives with lovely people. We sat in her studio space, hanging out with puppets and she told me the story of bringing foam and fun fur to life.

"...you don't need to see them blink to believe they are beings.
theres a certain moment where your mind needs to fill in the blank" (Rafaela Vidinha)

Jan 20, 2011: Bringing Back Your Childhood Brain, and the Things You Made with it.

2011-01-23T08:27:00.000-08:00

For this episode I interviewed 12 people about crafts they remembered doing as a child. I wandered around the University Centre on the University of Guelph Campus and spontaneously asked people to do an on the spot mini interview.

Childhood is often when people trust their weird facinations.Theres something beautiful and deeply serious about this practise. I want to get back to that. I want to get back to taking my weird creative interests seriously, and making things over and over without worrying or over analyzing too much.

Thanks so much to Gabriella, William, Kevin, Jan, Jessica, Melanie, Nick,Alex, Melissa, Dean, Patrick and Nicole for telling me about popcicle stick boxes, hand drawn Pokeman,homemade recipe books, pastry, paint by number (horses), felt stars with glitter glue, painted clay pots with glued on googly eyes, fireworks drawing explosion (big black blob), edible finger paint, home made weapons, knitting, crochet, quiliting, toilet paper tube men and shrunken styrofoam faces.

Jan. 13, 2011: Dog Outfits and Decoration with Missteawinkie and The Swayze

2011-01-23T07:18:00.000-08:00

I love dressing up my golden retriever, Logan. We go to parties wearing matching bandanas. I love pets in clothes.

For this episode of These Things That People Make, I interviewed two super creative awesome pet clothing designers:

Cyndi of Missteawinkie (http://www.etsy.com/shop/Missteawinkie?ref=top_trail) and Sarah of the Swayze (www.theswayze.com)

Both of these fabulous people are making custom dog clothes that people can afford. They are innovators, committed to their own styles, and they are pushing past conventional, predictable pet outfits into really interesting stuff.

They're also both extremely nice, and charming. Check out their stuff, and check out the interview! Cats in Vests! Dogs in leather jackets!

Jan. 6, 2011: The re-airing of the fabulous Dave End

2011-01-17T18:01:00.000-08:00

Dave End changed my life in a significant fashion. That would be a big thing to write about here in this blog. I'm not normally so personal. Ever since I played that talk with Linda Barry I just want to type whatever comes into my brain. Its an interesting urge to interact with as I write these blog posts.

Dave End and I did a phone interview about a year ago.

I know him because onetime he played a show in a kitchen in Griffentown, Montreal, and the place was filled with straight skinny white indie rock boys and we bitched about it outside on the street. Actually Dave was talking about how the show made him feel and I was understanding. The next day Dave and 3 of his friends and me and a baby had a picnic in the park.

When we returned from the park, Dave sat on the couch in the livingroom of the house I was babysitting in, and talked about wanting to play shows specifically for queer youth. At the time I was setting up a lot of shows in tiny to small venues. It had never occured to me to play a show especially for queer youth. I looked at him, sitting on the couch, and said I would set it up.

We chose a very difficult weekend for the show. It was Pop Montreal. Pop Montreal is a festival with way too many indie rock bands not getting paid enough all playing in too many venues all over Montreal at the same time. Needless to say, there was a lot of competition that night. It was really hard to find a venue, and in the end, my dear friend Liam Michaud arranged for us to play in the daycare where he worked at the time at the Green Centre. It was not an easy to find location at all. It was tucked away, on the edge of Westmount, on third floor. All the logistics came together just a few days before the show. Dave was going to drive all the way from New York City. Some of my friends in Queer Concordia did an amazing job of promoting the show. They made presentations in their classes and handed out flyers. I gave a workshop with my buddy Judy about Homocore music at project 10 in some kind of connection to the show.

When the show actually happened, it was full of people I'd never met. What a great feeling. We'd managed to fill the space, and the show itself felt like magic.

Dave and I ended up going on a few tours together after that. We'll go on more.

Driving for hours with Dave End is one of my favorite things to do in the world. He uses words so well.

Okay. I should probably tell you a bit about this interview in particular. Dave End is an amazing seamstress, in addition to being a very captivating performer. A year ago we did a phone interview where day talked about constituting your own reality through sewing your own stuffed animals.

We talked about fat activism and sewing your own clothes and sewing images,feelings, and comforts you want around you.

Dec. 30, 2010: 40 years of Doll Houses You Can Sit On.

2011-01-17T16:26:00.000-08:00

This December my partner and I traveled to the Adirondacks to visit my fabulous lesbian aunts who I love so much. I'm so lucky. I'm going to open a file on them in the Lesbian Herstory Archives in Brooklyn. I'll tell you more about that some other time.

Right now I need to tell you about Norman. He's an amazing woodworker. I'm going to back up my storytelling a little bit. We took a very early greyhound bus on Toronto to Syracuse. Elizabeth and Marybeth (the dream aunts) picked us up and informed us we were going to Marybeth's Christmas family dinner, and off we went. I'd never met any of Marybeth's family before.

We arrived at the house. All the streets in the neigbhourhood were named after fruits. After consuming adequate amounts of coffee, we settled into a gift giving frenzy which was really interesting because I was meeting all these people for the first time. There were three very cute dogs shuffling around. Gifts everywhere, lots of excited voices, and Norman, Marybeth's dad. He was sitting next to us, and then he disappeared for a few minutes, and returned with a plastic container with homemade wooden pens in it. We're allowed to each pick one. He has another of container of wine stoppers and ornaments. We're invited to take one of those too.

Norman has made different family members mini wooden replicas of buildings that have been significant in their lives. Buildings where they work, places they used to live, bars they frequented. They're great.

After most of the gifts were given out, Norman showed us two doll houses that he has made for his daughters. He's been making doll houses for 40 years. Initially, when Norman started talking about the doll houses and showing them to us, I asked him if we could do a radio interview right at that moment, and he said yes, and I ran out to the car to find my audio recorder.

The interview is what happened after this moment.

Dec. 23, 2010: AJ as Candyman

2011-01-16T12:18:00.000-08:00

My roomate Aj completely surprised me this December by turning our kitchen into a production facility for 900 cookies, chocolates, and scones. Over 20 variety. In This episode of These Things That People Make we brought you a baking show. Listen to an archive of the show to learn about how to make caramel chocolates (turtles) and stained glass star cookies. Aj is a baking wonder. Not only did all the food look so pretty. It also tastes great. You should come over sometime, and taste for yourself.

Dec. 16, 2011: CFRU Listening Guide 1997

2011-01-16T12:14:00.001-08:00

Why does it feel like 1997 wasn't that long ago? and yet, here we are. somewhere in the future.

In this episode of These Things that People Make, I sounded like a show on WFMU. I read the show titles and descriptions from a CFRU listening guide put out in 1997.

It was a fun show. pretty ridiculous.
I mean, thats one way to re-live history.

Dec. 9 2010: Critical Responses to Maclean's "Too Asian" bullshit

2011-01-15T10:10:00.000-08:00

On November 10, 2010 Maclean's published an article originally titled "Too Asian?". The article is terribly racist, suggesting there is an "Asian" take over of Canadian Campuses, creating hardship for upper class white students who want to have a party experience at university and are faced with "Asian" students who want to study all the time, and not have any fun creating an uncomfortable environment of "segregation". The article implies that all "Asian" students are also new immigrants to Canada, or international students, erasing Canada's immigration history. Maclean's should be extremely embarrassed to have this article exist with their name attached to it. Unfortunately they don't seem embarrassed, and instead issued another article 'explaining" their original article, which didn't seem to explain anything at all... but instead introduce some other ridiculous arguments.

This episode of These that People Make featured a youth tube video created by the Youth Coalition against Maclean's "Too Asian http://www.youtube.com/user/YCAMS#p/a/u/1/XnRTyRevm7Q and a radio documentary response created by Spitfiyah (CKUT's Women of Colour focused show) in response to the article. Give it a listen: http://www.radio4all.net/files/spitfiyah@ckut.ca/3042-1-Too_Asian_Talkback.mp3

Criticism to this article and its sentiments continue in full force.

Dec. 2, 2010 : Call For Submissions Show

2011-01-15T09:53:00.000-08:00

Every so often I host a show where I read exciting call for submissions to you on the air, hoping to inspire you to get involved and write things! Here's the call for submissions I focused on during this show:

1. Awkward Sex 'Zine

Sex can be awkward. Even women who feel sexually confident and powerful have at least one awkward sexual tale to tell. But what makes sex awkward? How does awkward sex make us feel? How do we deal with that awkwardness? We're looking for stories and artwork from women of all sexualities that deal with these themes (and/or others).   Identifying details about people should be changed to protect their privacy. Please include a short bio & use a pseudonym if you wish!   Deadline: Dec 15, 2010
awkwardsexzine@gmail.com

2. Signals: A Radio Zine needs submissions!

DJ Frederick is issuing a call for submissions for the 2011 issue of Signals: A Radio Zine. Looking for personal essays that involve radio related topics, interviews, and articles about any and all aspects of shortwave listening, free / pirate radio stations, community radio, low power radio and the “underground” era of FM radio. Radio related music, cd, or book reviews welcomed. Artwork, fiction, poetry and any unusual topics are appreciated as well. Please limit to 1,000 words. Send submissions to: singinggrove@conknet.com

3. CompZine about Bras, looking for submissions:
Possible things to write about: -first bra, favourite bra, why you love/hate bras -bra washing tips, bra fashion tips -historical facts/essays about bras -where you buy bras and why -dealing with having an odd bra size -to wear a bra, or not to wear a bra? -any interesting personal story relating to bras, bra shopping -have you ever been professionally fitted for a bra? -if you’re a male, what do you think about bras? -comics and artwork! (please note the zine will be black and white photocopies and 1/2 sized)
Please send submissions/questions to: petitspoissons AT gmail.com and put BRA ZINE in the subject line. No fixed deadline…as soon as I have enough material I will print the zine.
Thanks!
Elizabeth J. M. W.

4. Riot Grrl

i'm finally putting pen to paper to create another (but new nonetheless) riot grrrl zine. i'm after submissions from all riot grrrls and boys anywhere in the world!

here's what i'm looking for:

articles/stories on any of the below topics:

* how you first discovered riot grrrl
* what riot grrrl means to you
* how riot grrrl has helped you and your grrrlfriends
* how has riot grrrl/feminism changed the world in your point of view
* important issues that still need to be fixed
* grrrl love
* stomping out grrrl hate
* being a grrrl in the punk rock scene

riot grrrl manifestas

comics

artwork

cd/book reviews

grrrl bands in your area (if possible, include link to their site/myspace/facebook/etc.)

you're also welcome to include photos of you and your grrrlfriends to accompany your articles/stories!

all submissions can be sent to: riotgrrrl@y7mail.com

deadline for issue #1 - 15th Jan 2011

thankyou :)

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

Pitches due December 3, 2010; first draft due January 7, 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 TWELVE, which will
be released in APRIL of 2011. 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, December 3, 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 TWELVE is January 7, 2011.

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

6. Calls for submissions

The Toronto quarterly issue #7

Send us your BEST poetry (4-6 poems), short stories (1-2 stories max, 500-3000 words), artwork, and photographs. We prefer that you copy and paste your poetry into the body of your email or send as ONE attachment in word.doc format. Send ALL short story submissions as a word doc. attachment. Any poetry or short story submissions sent as multiple attachments or not in word.doc will NOT be read.

If you have a novel/poetry book, a poetry/music cd or dvd that you're interested in having us review, please email us your query to thetorontoquarterly@hotmai

l.com with REVIEW REQUEST typed into the subject box. BOOK and MUSIC REVIEWS submitted will be considered for publication.

Send us your ARTWORK and PHOTOGRAPHY. Send in high resolution (jpeg file). We will consider all artwork submitted for the COVER of TTQ7.

ALL SUBMISSIONS should contain a short biography (5-6 lines MAX) stating town/city you reside in, previous publishing accomplishments, educational background if so desired. Please DO NOT send us a novel about yourself. Make it interesting and promote your books and/or webpages if desired.

PLEASE: ONE submission per issue. Multiple submissions will NOT be read. Be sure to send us your BEST work the first time or wait until the following issue to submit again.

We DO NOT publish previously published works.

PLEASE NO SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS

ALL RIGHTS and COPYRIGHT upon publication in TTQ7 remains with the author.

PAYMENT: Each contributor to TTQ7 will receive a FREE e-book of TTQ7 as payment. It will be emailed to the contributor as a pdf file.

ALL SUBMISSIONS should be emailed to: thetorontoquarterly@hotmai

l.com

SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 28, 2011.

Nov. 25, 2010: Elisha Lim: The Illustrated Gentleman Calendar

2011-01-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

Elisha Lim and I sat in their bedroom and recorded this interview about the Illustrated Gentleman Calendar. This is a calendar that I am really excited about. It hangs between my bed and my bedroom door at eye level. A perfect place for a sexy hand drawn calendar about fashion strategy.

Elisha is extremely charming, and talented and a great dresser. Also a really insightful writer. I want to dwell on that for a second. Elisha has a really wonderful poetic way with words, and that makes interviews with Elisha and reading Elisha's work so remarkable and great. Great drawings, yes, but also fantastic word combinations, that should not go under-complimented.

The illustrated Gentlemen walks you through the whole year, trying on clothes in places we could never afford, lingering in stores and trying on hot clothes (and looking so good) while the staff are often rude or hostile - because they don't think Elisha and their friend should be shopping in the men's section.

Its a calendar where we learn about Elisha's interactions with friends, family and inspiration (this sentance is really cheesy, but its true!!!) and learn style tips. Its also about more than that.

Its a great concept, and a great thing.

Now get yourself to the men's section dressing room, or wherever you dream of shopping, with the best things you can find.

(image from http://www.nomorepotlucks.org/article/chance-no-13/illustrated-gentleman)

Nov. 4, 2010: Lynda Barry Speaks at the International Festival of Authors

2011-01-13T18:11:00.000-08:00

Lynda Barry. What a wonderful, inspiring, brilliant, hilarious, enthusiastic person. What a dream.

The day Lynda Barry spoke at the Harbourfront Centre for the International Festival of Authors (Oct. 30, 2010), I spent a bunch of time at the Pearson Airport. My friend Anna Leventhal was flying across the Atlantic Ocean to visit her friend Suzy who makes feminist dolls. Or at least she used to, when we were both in art school.

Anna brought me a t-shirt from her radio show, Venus, which airs on CKUT in Montreal and is over 10 years old (of which I am a big fan, and have been for years!). I was wearing a sports bra, so I just took off the shirt I was wearing and put on the Venus shirt. The man in charge of keeping that area of the airport cafe clean and orderly got really pissed off at me and told me there were families around. Families scared of sports bras!

And then I took the long bus back into Toronto and gradually realized that I didn't really know where the Harbourfront Centre was, and I wasn't sure what subway stop to get out of, and If i didn't run from where ever I got out of I was going to be late and miss the beginning of Lynda's talk! All the Sky Dome tourists really pissed me off as I ran. They walked so slow, their heads rolling around on their shoulders as they looked up at all the shiny tall buildings. I really had to pee. My friend Laura Mac was waiting for me in the lobby. There was no time to pee! We ran in and sat in the front row of the theatre.

I don't air talks on this radio show, normally. My usual format for These Things that People Make is interviews I do myself. And I don't aspire to be the Globe and Mail, or the CBC, or whatever more mainstream things exist (who are media sponsors of the Author's Festival) but Lynda Barry's work is raw and deeply sad sometimes and honest and great. And I didn't want to miss the chance to hear her and see her face, and record it to share it with you.

Me and Laura held hands as we listened to her. I fumbled with the recorder and half way through the talk a festival staff told me I wasn't allowed to record it because i didn't have a media pass around my neck (I had been given permission to record, but was only given comp tickets, no media necklace). Eventually she let me keep recording. (hooray!)

Soon I'll interview Lynda Barry for real. Sometime soon. She said she was into it, when we talked to her after the show in the book signing line up.
Until then, I have this great talk that you should listen to right now, if you haven't already. it will make you want to draw. trace you hand, and make a turkey smoking a cigarette.

Oct 28, 2010: Funding Drive Retrospective Show

2011-01-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

These Things that People make has be so lucky to feature so many rad people on this show over the year and a half that it has existed.

To celebrate These Things that People Make, and to invite people to donate to the CFRU funding drive (that took place on air from Oct. 23 - 31, 2010), I played excerpts from some of those great shows, featuring:

Rebecca Singer - talking about how to knit your own beard.(originally aired in April 2009)

Elisha Lim - 100 Butches! (this interview took place June 2009)

Liam Michaud - The Prisoner Correspondence Project (originally aired Summer 2009).

Claire Barrera - When Language Runs Dry Zine:a zine for people with chronic pain and their allies (originally aired (Feb. 25, 2010)

Dave Roche - About My Disappearance (originally aired March 18 2010)

Caleb Latreille, Liv Carrow, Griffin Epstein and Aaron Mangle: HOUSE SHOWS!(originally aired Jan 21, 2010)

YAY! There are SO MANY PEOPLE doing SUCH GREAT THINGS, making INSPIRING, CHALLENGING and much needed THINGS. I love it. Keep it up people, and thank you.

(and thanks for donating to the funding drive!)

Oct. 21, 2010: Hallowe'en and You and Me.

2011-01-08T13:31:00.000-08:00

Halloween can be a fun time.

For this episode of These Things That People Make I asked several people to tell me about their childhood or adulthood Halloween costumes. That was really great! Costumes are fun.

Homemade identical dad and kid costumes, wishes for homemade costumes, limited Hallowe'en costume choices mandated by controlling siblings, dressing up as famous people who you don't actually know anything about, Christmas themed Hallowe'en outfits, costumes that prevent you from fighting back like you usually do, this episode illustrates that real life is often weirder than any fiction than we could make up.

I'm going to start planning next year's Hallowe'en costume now... so I come up with something really amazing....

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

2010-11-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-09-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-09-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-07T08:01:00.001-07:00

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!

2010-09-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-07T06:54:00.001-07:00

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

2010-09-06T14:43:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-06T14:18:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-09-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-09-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-08-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

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!`

2010-08-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-20T19:11:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-07-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-07-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-19T18:51:00.000-07:00

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 29, 2010: Jasmine Marsh, host of Doula Right Thing

2010-07-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

Hey! check out this blog! http://doularightthing.blogspot.com/. This is where my dear friend Jasmine Marsh host information related to Doula stuff:(such as)

Self education
Doula resource
Fertility Tea
Baby Hat
Breast Milk Cookies

She used to post more news stories, and moved towards things people can make. Birth related products can be really expensive, but people don't need to buy them all the time.

We also had this really interesting chat about Jasmine's experience with Google analytics. Its an internet program that can tell you who searches the blog and the keywords people use to find the blog.

People typed in:
Doable Shit
Photos of a beautful 60 year old woman
Can a man drink Fertility?

and found Jasmine's blog.

Also: Check out the volunteer doula program: single parents network in Halifax: http://www.nscouncilfamily.org/FRC_Directory/Centres/Central/SingleParentCentre.htm

Also: check this out: http://radicaldoula.com/becoming-a-doula/volunteer-programs/

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

2010-07-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

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:

2010-07-19T07:50:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-26T17:16:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-04-25T17:34:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-05T15:56:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-04-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-05T13:13:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-05T11:18:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-02-27T05:40:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-11T13:43:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-02-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

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.

December 24, 2009 and Jan 14, 2010: Damien Luxe. Femmes Fight Back

2009-12-24T07:56:00.000-08:00

Femmes Fight Back is a travelling roadshow that encourages people to talk about their various femme and sex worker activism projects, build queer and femme community, and remember femme heroines.

This interview was conducted in Dec. 2009, and aired on December 24, 2009 and January 14, 2010.

Part 1: Damien told me the story of the development of the Femmes Fight Back project, and tour, and the role it played in femme community building in her home city of New York, and in the places she went across North America, in her conversion van.

We talked about taking seriously the work you do, and considering this, when you talk about the projects you work on, regardless of how much or little you get paid for them. (A very important point! I am thinking about it all the time! It is my new motto for 2010).

Part 2: Damien talks about the role of sex workers and sex worker activism in the Femmes Fight Back project. Damien talks me about how sex workers and femmes are the 2 main axis of her feminism, and her world. Of course, these identities overlap. Damien identifies femmes for their (and her) fierceness, sense of power, agency and clear mindedness. And sex workers for their (and her) sense of choice, dignity and independance, being self directed, self motivated. Damien says "Sex workers in femme activism are the fierce ass mothers sisters neighbour boyfriends, girlfriends who are willing to put their minds and bodies on the line, because that is not a foreign concept to them".

We discuss Femme Visibility, and Femme Remembrance.

The role of femmes in the world of compulsive heterosexuality. The experience of sexual harrassment. The power of having a whole room of femmes together. What that means. Creating community and increasing femme visibility.

And then we talked about the butch nod and the femme glance. I have to say i love the butch nod. Thats when i see another butch person and its such a relief and thrill and we give a little nod to each other. Butch nodding was especially exciting when i used to go to community college on the edge of a suburb, and it was a very isolating experience. it was so good to nod to other butches in the halls.

Damien talks about the femme version of the butch nod. "I'm trying to give them a little shot of strength, like Boom, I'm trying to tell them that I love them.. I think being in a room with a whole bunch of femmes helps to develop the femme glance, instead of the nod."

We ended this episode discussing jealousy and competition within the femme community,

"Maybe we can both get what we want. this idea that there is only so much love to go around and only so much money is kind of capitalist in a lot of ways, you know?"

This is a rad, inspiring interview. Make sure you listen to it.

Damien performs under the name Axon D'Lux, and is regular in the world as Hadassah Damien.

Check out Femmes Fight Back, and other rad projects, at: www.axondluxe.com/ffb.html

December 17 2009, and January 7 2010: Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore (Part One and Two)

2009-12-23T16:55:00.000-08:00

(photo by Chris Hammett)

Mattilda . Many Ways to Sleep Badly. Writing about decay, and politics, and community. Writing about sex work, sex, and roaches.

How do I write about this interview when all I want to do is gush, and fall off my chair? This interview was done on Dec. 16 2009, and aired in two parts: on Dec. 17 2009, and Jan. 7 2010.

Part 1: Mattilda starts by reading an excerpt from So Many Ways to Sleep Badly (published by City Lights). There is something dynamic and important in hearing Mattilda's voice to read the words. Stories loop back on themselves. We get to know people slowly and all over the place. It feels real life, even though this book is very different from my life. Hyper real. Referencing the BBC and NPR. Irony, humor, politics.

We also talk about Mattilda's writing process for this book.

Political decay. Decay inside the apartment.Chronic pain, sex and tricks. Politics, and activism. Relationships, and friendships.
putting it all in the same place. leveling the playing field. Explaining Less. Writing about music, and dreaming, roaches, rats,parks and pigeons.

Part 2: Mattilda talks about what it means for her to write about sex work, and sex in general and highlights some of her reccomendations for other authors who write about sex work, Carol Queen and David Wojnarowicz among them.

We finish the interview by talking about the value and pitfall of The International Day to End Violence Against sex work.

Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore was generous, passionate and so so so insightful in this interview. It. Was. So. Great!

Read her books. Check out her website.

www.mattildabernsteinsycamore.com

Contact me for a copy of this interview.

December 3, 2009: Danielle Dyson! Quilts, Films, and Family

2009-12-23T12:41:00.000-08:00

Danielle Dyson lives in Guelph, and works as a cinematographer. She collaborated with the work of her son, Taj Dyson, and her mother Sheila Dyson to put together Home Again, an interactive installation at Ed Video.

Home Again features Quilts by Shelia, Animation by Taj, family heirlooms, Films by Danielle and sticks, dirt, snow, and bark.

In this interview, Danielle walked me through the space, telling me the history of various family objects, describing the films that were going to play, projected on quilts. Danielle's films in this piece are memories, dreams, evoking childhood, adulthood, seasons, life and death.

Danielle wants to break boundaries of how quilts are presented. I think she successeds.

november 26 2009: See-through Rainbow Bugs Everyone Can Make! The Spectra Focus!

2009-12-23T10:54:00.000-08:00

Paul Winstanley invented the Spectra Focus over 25 years ago on the west coast. The Spectra Focus uses a crystal and sunlight, or a light bulb with metallic surfaces such as mirrors, metallic mylar, metal cooking bowls and other things to project magic rainbow membrane 3-D shapes on a wall, ceiling, floor, outside of house, or whatever.

Paul has brought the Spectra focus to schools, festivals, concerts, science fairs, and people's homes. Its a moving, interactive, all ages animation project.

In this interview Paul and I discuss the history of the Spectra Focus, and his interest in creating experiences where people feel like they are seeing something they have never seen before, and they appreciate humanity and the beauty that nature brings us. Paul talks about studying perception and alternating states of consciousness.

See it for yourself at www.spectrafocus.ca

November 19, 2009: Sweetie Box Studios

2009-12-23T10:21:00.000-08:00

"Fashion is so easy, style is much harder" -Amy Smania

Amy Smania lives down the street from me. She has a workshop in her backyard that looks from the park like a secret shed. Inside though, its roomier than you would imagine. There is an electric stove, and enough room for Amy to make jewerly, and display it in an area that looks like a dreamy living room dressingroom studio.

We met on a rainy night with a portable recorder in Amy's workshop, to talk about her work. Amy has been making jewelery for over 20 years. Her work is stunning, often asemetrical, can be worn more than one way, and evokes dreams and stories. They remind me of the tough and gritty parts of fairy tales... those parts you wait for.

In this interview Amy talks about the intimacy of making custom work (which the is the majority of the work she does), She talks about her process, and history with jewelery making. We talk about what it means to pass on things with meaning. To let go of work, and to make work in collaboration with those who will wear them and pass them on.

Check out Amy's work at www.sweetieboxstudios.com

November 12: Simon Strikeback: Where kink and radical politics meet.

2009-12-23T09:33:00.000-08:00

Simon Strikeback is someone I want to get to know better. He is inspiring and does all sort of rad projects i want to sit next to, and spend time with.

I originally asked Simon to do an interview about the zine series: Bound To Struggle (that Simon edits). Bound to Struggle is a collection of essays, poems, art, and short stories that approach the topic of radical politics and kink. How our communities overlap, and how we bring these different parts of ourselves to bed, to school, to work, to the streets.

We started off by talking about Bound to Struggle in the interview. We talked about all the different things we love about the zine. We talked about Simon's experience of being an activist, and academic, and someone who loves kink. We talked about what is means for the zine to get submissions from all over the world, and be distroed in all sorts of places, and we talked about play, and playing, and the value of play in politics and kink.

We also talked about Riot Acts, a Transfabulous Rockumentary a film that debued on November 12, 2009.

And we talked about Camp Trans and the Michigan Womyn's festival, and shifts that have (maybe?) taken place recently, so that trans women are welcome at the Michigan Womyn's Festival.

Simon currently lives and works in Chicago. He plays ukulele in a trans folk punk band called Actor Slash Model. You can find out about his band, Riot Acts, and other projects, by visiting:www.actorslashmodel.com

email me to get a copy of this interview! its worth it: sarah.mangle@gmail.com

Nov 5, 2009: crowsnest bike bags! and the art of talking about money

2009-12-20T12:04:00.000-08:00

noam lapid designs and makes courier bags. Ze has started a company with the love and support of hir father. In this interview, we definine what a courier bag is. We talk about the beginning of the project, as a family business, and what it means to make something that reflects your communities.

Noam talked about hir work making bags that reflect and work for different bodies, and the soupy and exciting project of figuring out how to work within the capitalist system while still honouring anti-oppresion values and ideas.

Check out Noam's bags at www.crowsnestbags.com, or email:
info@crowsnestbags.com

Oct 29: Violent Women in Comics Part 3: Hothead Paisan Hommicidal Lesbian Terrorist

2009-11-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

For three episodes of These Things That People Make me and my friend (and comic expert) Cecilia have been talking about depictions of violent women, and other kinds of violence in Tank Girl, Stray Bullets, and now Hothead Paisan.

We spend some time talking about Hotheads style and outfit, things that tend to be important to any comic book character.

Cecilia says: "I think also a lot of her violent episodes, even though they are pretty obvious can in some ways bring attention to something that is often glossed over that its going to happen" ( I agree with her)

Hothead Paisan is a much needed project of rage, and fighting back. Hothead Paisan is the hot fucker we wish we could be more often .

In this episode of These Things That people make we talk about how Hothead Paisan blatantly names oppression, and fights back through being violent back to the world. It is often very flashy, and sketchy and almost always instant and fast. There is a little bit of blood. Lots of penises get cut off.

We spend some time comparing Hot head to Stray Bullets and Tank Girl.

This week in the Ontarion, a local student based paper at the University of Guelph, where CFRU is housed, there was an article written on behalf of the staff, shit-talking a flyer that depicts a person with a strap on fucking the pope in the eye (a recruitment flyer for Bash Back Guelph) which was distributed at a recent art and activism conference. The Ontarion article was suggesting that the readers of the article should be fearful of marginalized, or oppressed people using 'violent' imagery, as if imagination, or cartharsis doesn't exist as necessary. Hot head paisan in some ways is very much in the vein of that flyer, although they serve (slightly) different purposes.

Cecilia and I don't always agree with Hothead's politics. Hothead is a butch who is not always supportive of femmes, and at times trips them, and is mean is other ways. Do we always need to like characters in all their actions? Its hard to find things, when we spend a lot of time trying to find role models, or inspiring comics and then they do something we really don't agree with.

Listen to the radio show: www.cfru.ca, follow the archives to hear the discussion!

Check out this comic and other work by Diane Dimassa http://www.hotheadpaisan.com/

Oct 22: Andrew Hood: writing like a girl

2009-10-26T05:50:00.001-07:00

Okay, so before i begin this entry, I want to say a BIG APPOLOGY for not keeping up with this blog. now shows have gone past that are not included here! ah! there were a lot of fantastic shows that are not documented here.

one day. one day i will get to them. but for now, i need to get to what has happend recently. sometimes thats the best place to start.

Andrew Hood and I both live in Guelph. Andrew is a fantastic short story writer who is also really great to interview.

Andrew Hood and I talked about what it means for him to write stories from the "female perspective." We talk about how to write a story that is queer enough to count. We talk about writing unlikeable characters, and reading them. And finding them more interesting.

Andrew made some good author reccomendations.... and we also talk about how white folks still love to collect other cultures, and sometimes that means novels from other places.

Its a good interview! ask me for a copy, or find it on our archives for the next 6 weeks. or buy Andrews new book: Pardon our Monsters!

July 2nd: The Futures of the Past an interview with Conrad!

2009-10-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

This interview discussed "The Futures of the Past" photo exhibit in Portland Maine, in June and July 2009! Conrad talked about how the project developed, and what it means to have photos of real people, involved in rural queer organizing. What that means for us now. What it meant to have archives, and what it means to archive.

We talked about urban attitudes about rural queers. This interview is great!
contact me to get a copy of it, and check out their blog, at http://futureofthepast.wordpress.com/

June 25: (B)(b)erlin: a photo project! By Aaron Mangle! Lets talk about Shortcuts!

2009-06-27T16:28:00.000-07:00

For the last 3 weeks I have been interviewing my brother about cities and art. This is the last (for now) of my interviews with my brother. Aaron photographed 100 shortcuts in halifax with poloroid film. He was thinking about how we all work together to make short cuts, without even talking about it. We make these paths on the ground.
He made a book called "100 Shortcuts". In this interview Aaron talks about what shortcuts do as metaphors. And practically what it means. A place between to points that are meant to be traveled on.... meant to be separated by space. Thinking about political histories and how walls, fences and shortcuts show up in city histories.
Aaron went to Berlin on a scholarship art project last fall... starting his project by looking for shortcuts, as a way of showing a city that had been so significantly divided, now joined by shortcuts. The project changed a bunch once he got there.Listen to the interview to hear his good smart voice, and all the things he says. Contact me for a copy of the show : sarah.mangle@gmail.com, or visit the archives at www.cfru.ca

June 11 and June 18: Cities and Art. Art Bikers. Aaron Mangle. a great interview! Part 1 and 2

2009-06-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

Aaron Mangle is my great brother who does lots of exciting things.
Here is one of them. Aaron Mangle has been working with Art Bikers in Halifax for the first 3 summers. Aaron Mangle talks about the beginning of the art biker project, a mobile art and community building project.

This year, the Art Bikers project that Aaron is involved in is based primarily in Bayers Westwood. Aaron describes the neighbourhood. Aaron talks about how Bayers Westwood situates itself in Halifax.

In Part One of the our interview (June 11) Aaron speaks of a tension and challenge involved in working in a neighbourhood not his own, and the negotiation of his priviligde to come and go. The negotiation of personal/professional boundaries. We talked the limits of printing pamphlets about information, or websites, how that is not enough. How you need to meet people face to face, and spend time with them, to really meet people, and do things together that mean anything.

I found this interview particularly interesting because i kept changing out how i thought about what Aaron was saying. He is talking about a subject he has obviously thought a lot about and it shows.

In Part Two of our interview (June 18) We talked a lot about the words CRAFT and ART. Its going for me to some up all the nuances of what we talked about, so it might be best for you to listen to this episode to really get a sense of what we talked about. We talked about kids being given crap for art materials, and doing projects that are mostly invidualized. Aaron talked about the shifting focus of art bikers' projects from individual art projects (using a lot of crappy craft supplies) to collective projects, using cardboard and other materials to create collective projects, but that they were still perscriptive, and Art Bikers' shift to incorporating traditions of craft and skill into their projects. We also talked about the different assumptions of importance placed on Fine Art, as opposed to craft, how those things are tied to specific mediums... and the limits of that.

Check out the archive of this interview at www.cfru.ca, or email me at sarah.mangle@gmail.com and i'll send a copy to you.
check out the 4Cs foundation at:http://www.4csfoundation.com/

June 4: Elisha's 100 Butches! An interview with Elisha Lim

2009-06-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

oh dear dear dear, Elisha is so great! I met with her in Toronto. She tells the history of the beginning of her project: 100 Butches.

We talked about her comic style, and process. We talked about the nuances, and limits of the word butch. We talked about how what she originally wanted to acheive through the project has changed. We talked about the gay-stream main stream, and how Elisha's idea of her audience has changed.

I think her work is really important, as a historical, and continually relevant archival project. As a hot, great conversational art piece that holds up a mirror, crumples it up, and lays it out in a series of bright, personal, and realistic portraits. I love it, and it was a joy to meet her. Buy the book when it comes out.

Check out the archives at cfru to hear the interview at http://www.cfru.ca/archive.php or email me and i'll send you an audio copy of the interview!

Check out Art Threat for another interview with Elisha Lim http://artthreat.net/2008/01/100-butches-an-interview-with-elisha-lim/
Find her on No More Potlucks at http://www.nomorepotlucks.org/article/ego/butch-46

May 28: Cake! An interview with Steve Mason! An interview with Jack Locke! The poet who says: don't become a baker, do something else!

2009-05-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

Jack Locke is an old friend who has baked in many different settings for many years.
Jack Locke is also a fabulous poet. We talked about baking for money, and love. Jack read some poems about baking. Its great!

Steve Mason is sometimes Red Velvet Cake. Steve Mason is sometimes apple pie. It just dependes. I interviewed Steve about decadence, cake, and identity. Steve is the tech coordinator at CFRU, and a great, thoughtful, eloquent speaker.

Steve emailed me a recipe for his favorite cake these days, red velvet cake.
Check it out, at http://pinchmysalt.com/2008/11/10/red-velvet-cake-recipe/

here's what steve says about this recipe:

"The only thing that I have trouble remembering to buy from the ingredients list is buttermilk.

The white cream cheese icing is important. It gives the whole cake a different persona. It's kind of fleshy actually."

next week: 100 butches with Elisha Lum!

May 21: Mooswood Cookbooks are great! An interview with co-owner and collective member David Hirsch

2009-05-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

David Hirsch inspired me go home and cook a great meal for my roomates. He is one of the 19 collective members and co-owners of Moosewood Restaurant, who have also made over 10 cookbooks. In this interview we talk about strategies for recipe development, and creative and logistic processes involved in developing a cookbook. David shares a favorite recipe and we talk about the Food Network on TV , and how Davids cooking style has changed in the last 30 or so years.

David was great to interview. I encourage everyone to go listen to this interview, and then either cook yourself a great meal, or hitch hike or drive to Ithaca, to eat at the Moosewood Restaurant.

Look for an archive of the show on www.cfru.ca , and if its been more than 6 weeks since this post, contact me and i'll mail you a copy of the interview! its so good!

next week: the cake panel!

May 14: Messy Baby! Messy Dog! An interview with Sarah Evans and Julie Hartley

2009-05-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

Two sisters made a split zine about simple, make-able meals for Dogs and Babies. In this interview Sarah and Julia told me about the recent trend of fancy dog food and babyfood recipe books, and Sarah and Julie's share more reasonable recipes. We talk about why it makes sense to make baby food and dog food instead of buying it, and tricks to get your baby or dog to eat food they don't like. (yet)

This zine was completed in July 2008 as part of the 24 hour zine challenge at the Anchor Archive Zine Library in Halifax.
To find out more about the zine challenge, the zine library, or to order a copy of 'messy baby messy dog!' check out http://www.robertsstreet.org/n/

you can also order copies of the zine from Learning to Leave a Paper Trail Distro at http://www.papertraildistro.com/

listen to archives of this episode of 'these things that people make' on CFRU's archive page: http://www.cfru.ca/archive.php

and contact me if you want CD copies of any of the shows! I will mail them to you.
Thanks for listening!

Next Episode: An interview about Moosewood Cookbooks!

May 7: The Story of The Mountain and the Cloud, an interview with Chris Yang about his latest kids book project

2009-05-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

Chris Yang and I sat in his bedroom. We each brought some illustrated books most commonly market to children and talked about illustrated books that are about weather patterns, or objects or capitalism. Chris has just self published "The Story of The Mountain and the Cloud." Chris described the book, and at the very end, reads it.

It is priceless listening to Chris Yang read his book. It is highly recommended. Contact me for a copy of this edition of 'These Things that People Make' to hear our voices (and Chris Yang reading his book!). Email me at sarah.mangle@gmail.com

Chris Yang is a musician with a voice like a sad river, rolling through a busy city. Listen to his music at www.myspace.com/chrisyangchrisyang

April 30: Sew Dolls of Yourself! Alter clothes so they'll look fabulous: An Interview with Dave End

2009-05-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

Dave End is a touring queer folk singer, originally from rural Maine (Now based in Philly). Dave End makes stuffed animals, and stuffed people, and stuffed portraits of himself. In our interview, Dave talks about his history of making fabric versions of himself, altering his own clothes, and outfits for dancing and a musical he is writing.

He talked about rad art school projects he did with fabric and panties and huggable walls. And we talked about DIY culture and Fat Actvitism, connecting all these things: queer performance, DIY projects, fat activism, and self love. We talked about how to make the things you can't find in the world. To just make them yourself.

Check out Dave End's music at www.myspace/daveend

Contact me if you want the audio interview! Its good! email me at sarah.mangle@gmail.com, and i will send it to you in the mail.

April 23: Performance Art with knitted Creatures. An Interview with Lin Hood

2009-05-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

Lin felts little critters out of wool, and found things. They live around her house, and come out to play during performances. Lin composes fantastical, hilarious, dreamlike, and emotionally durable performance pieces. They blow me away.

In this interview, Lin talks about how artschool (NSCAD) led her away from using fabrics and fibres, and how friendships, and interesting people in her life led her back once she was done. She talks about her love of children's books, and their use in her process, and what she would do if she ran her own performance art workshop series.

Lin was a joy to interview... all the way in her beautiful apartment in Halifax.

Contact me if you want a CD copy of the interview. Sarah.Mangle@gmail.com

April 16: Knit your own Beard! An interview with Rebecca Singer

2009-05-10T08:52:00.000-07:00

This interview was so extremely inspiring! Rebecca is so rad! She made a zine about kniting beards, and she also cuts hair!
I was so happy and excited to interview Rebecca. We talked about knitting beards. We talked about advice on hair cutting. And we made good plans for the future. Rebecca's beard zine is one of my favorite zines. Picture people biking in winter with beards!

Think of all the beards you can make... and then email me to get a copy of this interview! you will love it. you will start knitting beards right way.

April 9: My interview with Jane Mangle (my mom) about Knitting Zines, and other advice

2009-05-10T08:19:00.001-07:00

My mom has been knitting for over 40 years. She has a lot of good advice. Plus she's a great person. In this interview, she talked about some knitting zines, and blogs she found useful, her history with knitting and advice for beginning knitters. Mom also talked a little bit of her understanding of the history of gender and knitting, and the importance of knitting clubs, and how to start one.

This interview is a heart warmer. Let me know if you want a copy.

2009-05-10T08:19:00.000-07:00

April 2: Chad and Super Rick T present their kazine article:"ARC Industries and Torchlight: Job training or Slave Labour?

2009-05-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

Super Rick T wrote this article in the latest Kazine (a local edited collage of poetry, images and writing, that is made in Guelph):

"ARC Industries and Torchlight: Job Training or Slave Labour?
Part One

There are work placements that people with special needs and seniors
with special needs work at called Torchlight and ARC Industries (aka
Adult Rehabilitative Centre). Torchlight only pays their workers
$0.20 an hour, ARC Industries only pays $0.70 an hour. I think this
is slavery. I think they should pay the same as a regular work
placement, or at the very least substantially more than these slave
wages.

These placements are funded by the government who gives disability
pensions to people who need them. I've heard one of the possible
reasons the wages are so low is so that the earnings of the employees
won't be high enough to affect their pension. If a person with
special needs has a part time job they get $0.50 taken off their
pension for every dollar they make at their job so the less they make
the less will be taken off. But a person with special needs would be
better served to get paid more cause they would still be up $0.50 and
get motivated to work more maybe. Paying them such little amounts is
degrading and is sort of exploiting them.

When i did a telephone interview with ARC Industries they told me
the reason why they pay so low is because it's a training allowance,
not a wage. I think that's nonsense. The lady I spoke to was very
rude to both me and my friend Boston when we spoke on the phone to
them. They tried to get rid of us right away, then tried to pass us
off to an extension that was a dead end, and then finally talked to us
but not before saying we better keep it short. I've also heard that
some of the supervisors there are rude to the workers and not very
patient which seems believable after how we were treated on the phone.

Another problem is that some people who work there will never go on
to work somewhere else. So ARC saying that they don't pay a wage and
instead a training allowance is bogus because some of the people
aren't even being trained to move onto anywhere else. I realize these are
the only work placements for some people to work at but at least the
supervisors could be a little more patient and kind.

This issue is complicated and I know ARC Industries and Torchlight
have a lot of pros and cons so I will further explore and research to
figure out more what is going on. I plan to do a second more in depth
interview with them before the next kazine that is why this is just
part one of this article.'

They came on the show, and read the article, and discussed their experiences and impressions of Torch Light and Arc Industries. The article is great. And Both Chad and Rick are clear and thoughtful in their approach of the issues they address.
What really stuck with me from the article was the importance of respect for disabled people to speak for themselves. There has clearly been a severe lack of consultation from the folks who are employed at Torchlight and Arc Industries, and using their programs, as to how things could improve.

Let me know if you want a copy of this interview.

March 26: Kerri and Chelle talk about "Nailbiter: an Anxiety Zine"

2009-05-10T07:26:00.000-07:00

'Nailbiter: An Anxiety Zine' was my zine catch of last year's Montreal Anachist Bookfair. My favorite. Its precious material, and composition as well as smart vulnerable useful content is essential heartbreaking and heartwarming. I love it. I love this zine. And after talking with Kerri and Chelle about it in this interview, I got more excited for the new issue thats being put together right now.

Kerri and Chelle do a really good job in this interview, of laying out their process. They talk about the lack of resources for folks who have anxiety, and their desire to make a really beautiful zine compilation discussing anxiety. You should really just listen to the interview. (just ask, and i will mail you a copy!)

We sat down on their couch in their apartment in Montreal, and I held a copy of the zine between us. There were cats running around.

Kerri and Chelle are both eloquent, honest and charming. They do good work. They are a part of the St Emile Skillshare.
Check it out: http://snap.mahost.org/distro/

March 12: Cecilia, Helene, Jasmine, and I discuss ‘Identity Crisis: Punk Community and Subculture” a zine edited by Jen Lorang

2009-05-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

Jen Lorang's 'Identity Crisis: Punk Subculture and Community' is a zine I would love to have 100 copies of all the time. And just hand it out to people at shows, at work, at my house. It seemed to come at a very good time in my life, and in the lives of our friends.

Its a zine that compiles many interviews, and beautiful portraits of the people being interviewed about what Punk Culture and Punk Community means to them, and has meant to them in the past. There are many discussions about RiotGrrl, disability and identity, sexual assault, patriarchy, queer identity, and spirituality.

On 'These Things That People Make' we had a panel of 3 folks who live here in Guelph with various relationships to punk: Cecilia, Helene and I, and we were joined over the phone with Jasmine from Halifax, who had originally introduced me to the zine.

We discuss what resonated for us about the zine. The relationship the images had to the interviews, racism and sexism in punk communities, and what we appreciate about DIY and Punk ideas.

It seemed fitting to have a group of people discuss a zine that is very much about bringing people together to talk in depth about our experiences with the culture and language of Punk stuff. What we love. What we want to keep, and what we are frusterated with.

You can find 'Identity Crisis: Punk Subculture and Community' at various zine libraries all over the place. I ordered my copy online, at Microcosm Publishing:http://microcosmpublishing.com/

Let me know if you want a copy of this episode of 'These Things that People Make! I'd love to send it to you!'

March 5: AJ Withers: If I Can't Dance, Is It Still My Revolution?

2009-05-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

AJ Withers is the author of “If I Can’t Dance is it still my Revolution”, and is a disabled anti-poverty activist living in Toronto. AJ is a prolific artist, activist, and writer.

We met in a friends house, in Toronto and talked about their zine project 'If I can't Dance Is it Still My Revolution', and its shift to being an online resource. You can find it at http://still.my.revolution.tao.ca

We talked about the limits of zine distribution, and AJ's history with making zines. We also talked about Damn 2025, and the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and AJ's upcoming website launch in Toronto, featuring Eli Claire.

Check out http://still.my.revolution.tao.ca for more info on Damn 2025, http://www.ocap.ca/ for more info about OCAP,
and http://eliclare.com/ for more info about Eli Claire.

And as always, let me know if you want me to email you or mail you a copy of this interview

February 17: Doris Zine and Otis and Otis!

2009-05-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

CINDY CRABB: a DORIS ZINE, SUPPORT ZINE , and LEARNING GOOD CONSENT interview

Cindy Crabb's Doris is a very important zine series to me. Doris is a difficult zine to describe, and its been around for at least 10 years. There are hand-drawn comics. Book reviews. Personal stories. Frank discussions of sexual assault and other hard things about patriarchy. We talked about Doris, and we talked about 'Support Zine' and 'Learning Good Consent'. We also talked about Cindy's performance projects.

check out www.dorisdorisdoris.com for more details about her projects. You can also write to her atCindy Crabb, PO Box 29 Athens Ohio 45701

JENNY MITCHELL/ JENNY OMINCHORD: Otis and Otis go to the moon!

Jenny and talked about her kid's book project Otis and Otis, featuring Otis, her child and Otis, her rat. Jenny makes fantastic collages. We also talked about other trends in kids books, and kids books that she loves. Jenny Omnichord is a fabulous local guelph one-woman omnichord band. Check out her music at: www.myspace.com/jennyomnichord