POC ZINE PROJECT

SCENE REPORT: Pocket Zine Workshop with Girl Scout Troop 30280

Mon, 13 May 2013 20:09:00 -0400

By Joyce Hatton, POCZP Midwest Coordinator

Back in February of 2013, Joyce independently led a pocket zine workshop with Girl Scout Troop 30280, an all Native Girl Scout Troop in Fargo, North Dakota. Here is her recap:

On Wednesday February 20th I taught Girl Scout Troop 30280 how to make pocket zines. It was especially meaningful to me because Troop 30280 is an all Native Girl Scout Troop. I was grateful for an opportunity to pass on zine making skills to youth of color. (I wrote more about the troop here).

I met with them at the Native American Center, where the troop holds their meetings. The girls in the troop range from about 5 to 11 years old. One of the first questions I asked was how many of the girls were artists or writers, and all of them said they were!

I told them a little bit about the history of zines, which they weren’t very impressed with. They were, however, very impressed when I got out a stack of an unfolded pocket zines I’d written and told them “On this one sheet of paper, I wrote a book. And I published this book myself. I made twenty copies of my book for two dollars.”

I told them how cool zines were because they can be about anything you want. I asked some of the girls what they were interested in, and what they would want to make theirs about—overall the group was pretty interested in animals.

So I told them “You can make a zine about your favorite animal, and then you can copy it, publish it, and give it to your friends. Zines are a really cool way to teach your friends about things that you’re interested in.”

The girls seemed to be really excited about that. I felt like a broken record reiterating that “you can write about anything at all, anything that is important to you,” and “there’s no wrong way to make a zine,” but I really wanted to dissolve the fear of doing it perfectly so the girls could just dive in. Dive in they did!

Here are some pictures of the zines they made that evening:

Photo #1: A. doesn’t like to draw, so she wrote about animals in the zoo.

Photo #2: I was really impressed with the art in D.’s zine. She told me all about her technique for finger-painting with markers.

Photo #3: S. loves to read, so she wrote her zine about books. The book on the cover is called “Book of Doom.

Photo #4: The picture of this zine is cropped to keep identifying information out. M. had a huge blond streak in her hair, and talked about her mom’s salon quite a bit.

Photo #5: N. started out drawing animals, but decided to draw animals pooping.

———————

MAKE YOUR OWN POCKET AKA MINI-ZINE

Video by pinkyshow

DO YOU WANT TO BE A POCZP COORDINATOR LIKE JOYCE?

If you are in the Midwest and want to support POCZP with Joyce, let us know! We are also looking for representatives in every state, as well as regional support, as we build toward the National POC Zinester & Ally Conference/Convergence. Ideally you have some experience with organizing events and building community, but experience is not required. All are welcome. Priority will be given to people of color who apply but allies are definitely welcome.

Contact poczineproject@gmail.com for more details with “regional coordinator” as the subject line.

If you are outside the U.S. and want to be a part of our emerging POCZP Global Ambassadors program, email poczineproject@gmail.com as well to stay informed as opportunities arise.

SUPPORT POC ZINE PROJECT

If everyone in our community gave $1, we would more than meet our fundraising goal for 2013. If you have it to spare, we appreciate your support. All funds go to our 2013 tour, the Legacy Series and the poverty zine series.

DONATE link via PayPal: http://bit.ly/SHdmyh

SCENE REPORT: MidWest Zine Fest 2013

Fri, 03 May 2013 19:51:00 -0400

On April 13, 2013, POCZP Midwest Coordinator Joyce Hatton attended MidWest Zine Fest for herself and on behalf of POCZP. She created this report back as part of POCZP’s advocacy to help address safer space issues and to encourage more communication/outreach between white zine fest organizers and POC in the community where the event is taking place.

As a result of Joyce’s recap, we have been directly in touch with MidWest Zine Fest organizers. Our advocacy is about building relationships and sharing resources—with the focus always being on the liberation of POC.

We understand the utility of call out culture but we prefer to directly address issues with people one on one. We have found this leads to more tangible positive change than simply reading someone/an entity online (although sometimes it is needed!).

Enjoy the recap and let us know what you think!

————-

MidWest Zine Fest 2013: The Awesome and the Not-So-Awesome

By Joyce Hatton

Joyce Hatton and POCZP member Mimi Thi Nguyen at MidWest Zine Fest 2013 (photo by Joyce Hatton)

On April 13th, 2013, I attended MidWest Zine Fest in Urbana, IL.

There were two speakers: Joe Coyle, and Kevin Hamilton. There were 21 tablers listed on the schedule, but a few more attended than were listed- myself included. I met some really interesting people and left with a huge pile of zines. I was really glad I went. Other events that I didn’t attend included a photo scavenger hunt, a stencil workshop, a film screening, and a punk show.

THE AWESOME

When I walked in I saw several people wearing “radical librarian” name tags. I <3 librarians, especially radical librarians.
I was delighted to see Georgi Johnston there, because I had just ordered the zine “Erik Satie was a Punk” through the mail. I was excited to read one zinester’s analysis of “punk” in a decidedly non-punk context (Satie was born in 1866 and and punk broke in 1977, as Georgi points out in the zine). I talked briefly with Georgi and we ended up doing a zine trade.
Joe Coyle gave an excellent talk titled “Young People, the Prison Industrial Complex, and Writing” about work at a writing program based out of the Champaign County Juvenile Detention Center.

Joe said:

“The voices of young people are often neglected in discussions about the justice system and other social issues. This talk showcases some creative work by detained young people that critically addresses these topics and imagines alternatives.”

A view of the crowd during Joe Coyle’s talk at MidWest Zine Fest 2013 (photo by Joyce Hatton)

Coyle commented that sometimes even auxiliary prison workers get flack for being a part of the broken system that is the PIC. As we talked we agreed there is value in the efforts of working through the system to improve the lives of incarcerated people, and value in working for radical change of the system.

Joe Coyle and Becca Sorgert tabling at MidWest Zine Fest 2013 with zines made by incarcerated youth and adults (photo by Joyce Hatton)

Joe and Becca Sorgert tabled zines written by incarcerated youth and adults as a fundraiser for the Beat Within thebeatwithin.org, an nonprofit magazine that publishes works by incarcerated youth.

Kevin Hamilton spoke about the process of making the zine “A Place in Time: Two Paths to a Television Broadcast.”

Kevin Hamilton (on stage) speaking about the zine making process at MidWest Zine Fest 2013 (photo by Joyce Hatton)

Kevin’s talk was a bit hard to hear because there was no microphone and zine fest was very busy at that time. Fortunately I was able to borrow a copy of “A Place in Time,” and I really enjoyed reading it.

Kevin was motivated to make it after seeing a video of the 1967 TV show “Public Broadcasting Lab.” In the zine, images from one of the broadcasts were used to recap a discussion amongst students and faculty talk about racism on campus. Black students are very anxious to talk about it, and the white students and faculty much less so.

[POCZP Editor Annotation]

FROM LAST YEAR: Chicagoian Jonas of “Cheer the Eff Up” zine tabling at MidWest Zine Fest in 2012 (in the black hat and hoodie)

Photo Source: Nicole on WeMakeZines

Update via Jonas on FB:

The final 2 issues of Cheer the Eff Up will be available this year! #5 will be finished in time for The Portland Zine Symposium in August. Issue #6 will be done in early November!

In the meantime, you can get issues #1-3 at a few cool distros on the internets. The most recent issue #4 can be found through Mend My Dress Press or Portland Button Works.

Please support those distros, because they are run by some of my favorite zinesters on the planet. But, hell, I’m not going to lie to you: if you write me a letter asking for a zine or 2, I’ll probably just mail you stuff for free. Meh. I’m a sucker for mail. Message me privately for the P.O. Box addy.

Later gators,
-Jonas

[/POCZP Editor Annotation]

A view of the zine tablers at MidWest Zine Fest 2013 (photo by Joyce Hatton)

Participants during the stencil workshop at MidWest Zine Fest 2013 (photo by Joyce Hatton)

COMMUNITY & ALLIES: Here is where Joyce raises some very important concerns that we hope sparks an ongoing and collaborative conversation between white folks who organize events and POC in the communities where they hold these events. If we don’t address these issues, POC will continue to feel unwelcome, unsafe and shut out from community. We cannot abide this. <3 Let’s change the game.

THE NOT-SO-AWESOME

Both Joe Coyle and Kevin Hamilton, the only two speakers, were white men.

Joe spoke for incarcerated youth, which due to the institutional racism of the justice system, many were people of color. Kevin’s zine spoke to racism on University of Illinois campus during the 1960’s and in my opinion, serves as a reminder that at any moment any one of us could be an individual that shapes history.

I appreciated Joe’s talk, and Kevin’s zine very much, but I always feel uncomfortable when white people speak about racism to a white audience (there did not appear to be people of color sitting in the audience of either talk.)

I appeared to be one of two people of color tabling zines there. There were some people of color who attended the event, which I was very glad to see. But I think it’s very important for POCs to have an active role in events, to have an active voice in presenting information. It seems like a distraction to talk about issues of race out there when your own space isn’t integrated.

I spoke with event organizer Jeanie about the lack of POCs at the event. Jeanie said that some zinesters of color were planning on coming from Chicago, but were unable to at the last minute. We talked for a bit about the need for more representation of POCs at zine events, and discussed barriers and solutions to making that happen.

POCZP stopped by Urbana-Champaign last year and put on an event at the Independent Media Center where Midwest Zine Fest was held. A few people commented to me that they had attended. While it was exciting to hear that, it was a little discouraging hear at an event with so few POCs tabling zines at MidWest Zine Fest.

There was a zine there about “ghost hunting” and it included an image of a “proud Native American.”

The zine said that ghosts followed Natives around, and encouraged ghost hunters to follow Natives around in order to hunt ghosts. I asked the tablers of the zine about it in and they said “it’s just a joke” and offered to give me my money back.

I told them I hadn’t bought the zine, I had just noticed it while flipping through it. They repeated “it’s just a joke,” a few times, and eventually one person said “oh, you know, our friend made that joke. She’s a member of United Tribes.”

This is even more troubling when put in the context of the still-active controversy surrounding University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s recently retired mascot Chief Illiniwek.

Dan from leaveyourbookmarks.com was wearing a tshirt that said “Chicago ain’t no sissy town.”

I approached him and had a brief conversation with him about the fact that “sissy” is a very loaded word that might make some people feel unwanted at the event, particularly given that he was tabling, which gives him the appearance of a person with power over the event. Dan was extremely polite, and offered to put on his sweatshirt to cover the shirt up.

We traded a couple of emails about our discussion a week or so later, and I think our interactions were very positive and educational for both of us.

I was very impressed with Dan’s immediate willingness to accept a new perspective, and complete lack of defensiveness.

I appreciate all the hard work the organizers did to host MidWest Zine Fest. I do not want to detract from the awesomeness of the event. What I wanted to do is give my honest perspective so that MidWest Zine Fest can grow to the be inclusive event that we all want it to be.

[/END]

——

THOUGHTS FROM POCZP

POCZP founder Daniela Capistrano reached out to MidWest Zine Fest organizer Jeanie Austin this week after Joyce requested support.

Jeanie has been one of the organizers for the three MidWest Zine Fests, is a zine librarian with the UC-IMC Radical Librarians, goes to school for library science, and works with youth through Mix IT UP!

Here is the thread from our convo with Jeanie:

JOYCE’S EMAIL

Hi Jeanie and Daniela,

Jeanie, Thanks for your email. I apologize for my lack of response. I appreciate that you shared your concerns and experiences with me, but I was really unsure how to respond to information that I was supposed to keep secret- not just off the POCZP tumblr, but from Daniela and others. I think that growth and accountability can only happen in an open, transparent environment.

If you do have any comments or notes that you want to go with the blog post, please let us know.

Thanks,

Joyce

To her credit, Jeanie responded in a very honest way that frankly we rarely see from white zine fest organizers after this kind of interaction:

JEANIE’S RESPONSE

joyce -

i totally understand. i felt yucky as soon as i sent that e-mail. sorry to put you in that position.

i think that i would add this as an addendum to the notes “if i were to offer a word of advice to organizers who want to maintain safer spaces (which we do), there needs to be a lot of talk about what that looks like in action, including a patrol team that looks around and is ready to ENFORCE safer spaces (even if it means kicking folks out).”

PART OF POCZP’S RESPONSE

Hi Jeanie,

Thanks so much for weighing in. POCZP does not use call out culture tactics because (although we understand when it is needed), we find it more productive to focus on solutions directly with folks we’re addressing. So we really appreciate your response and will include your note in the write up later today.

I would also like to suggest the possibility of us all brainstorming by google hangout later this week or next week ways to collaborate in the midwest moving forward, with Joyce being a part of that in ways that make sense for her/work with her schedule. <3 Let me know what you think.

Warmly,

Daniela

POCZP founder Daniela and Jeanie are in touch about ongoing collaborations. Daniela, Jeanie and Joyce will be speaking about issues that came up at MidWest Zine Fest in more detail in the coming weeks so that resulting solutions can be shared publicly.

Jeanie is like many zine fest organizers—a person with a lot of other stuff going on who is passionate about building community. She reached out to us earlier in 2013, in fact, to present at MidWest Zine Fest. She also approached POCZP about a possible collaboration with a juvenile detention center in Urbana, IL and made an introduction on our behalf with Joe Coyle, who oversees the writing project.

This post isn’t about “calling out” Jeanie or anyone else at MidWest Zine Fest. We are about building community and making safer spaces for POC.

COMMUNITY: Think about Jeanie’s comment:

to maintain safer spaces (which we do), there needs to be a lot of talk about what that looks like in action

This hits close to home for POCZP. We made our own mistakes during our first tour last year that we will not make again this year. We discussed these mistakes at Chicago Zine Fest and you can find all details within our prezi.

Despite POCZP being founded by a person of color, and being made up of POC and allies, we still made mistakes during last year’s tour that negatively affected some attendees. Some of our partner venues wouldn’t let people under 18 in, some of the venues were not wheelchair accessible and and we never created a Safer Space Policy for our volunteer event coordinators.

Even as POC, we need to examine our various privileges and how that informs the way we produce events.

So even as we ask the MidWest Zine Fest organizers to examine what went wrong and how to produce more inclusive events in the future, we continue to identify our own mistakes so that we can learn from them and then share that knowledge.

MidWest Zine Fest DID create a safer space policy. The challenge is (one that many event organizers face) how to make sure that everyone is adhering to that policy and whether or not everyone is one the same page about what the policy means.

These conversations about accessibility, inclusivity and white privilege can be awkward, yes. But we need to keep having them. All the time. That is the only way positive change can occur. We need to all be a part of the solution.

Another factor to consider when assessing how the same mistakes keep happening over and over is volunteer organizer turnover rates. If there isn’t a handoff of information and a training component to onboarding new volunteers, critical information doesn’t get transferred.

In the case of MidWest Zine Fest, there is talk that the festival may not event continue after this year (not confirmed). Jeanie herself will no longer be involved with planning the fest after this year, due to moving out of state.

But even if MidWest Zine Fest doesn’t continue, it’s likely that the past organizers will continue to create community in other ways and in other spaces. We encourage these organizers to think about how their various privileges informed their decisions that resulted some of the problematic realities of this year’s fest so that they can ensure that their next event is genuinely a safe space for POC attendees.

Check out Joyce’s roundup of zine fest posters that includes a note about MidWest Zine Fest’s problematic poster choice.

Again, we aren’t interested in simply calling out issues and walking away. We appreciate the time and energy it takes to organize zine fests and would like to partner with MidWest Zine Fest (if it’s still around) in the future.

For additional context, here is a very positive review of MidWest Zine Fest written by a white male attendee. Here is another very positive review published by The Daily Illini.

Zine fest attendees can have very different experiences, even while being at the same event together. This is something to keep in mind when discussing what true inclusivity looks like.

COMMUNITY: How can we create a praxis - a constantly evolving framework - for zine fest organizers to reference as they build toward a goal of producing an event that is truly inclusive? We should all be sharing resources. Send us your ideas: poczineproject@gmail.com.

Also, feel free to reblog this recap and include your own thoughts and links to resources. We’ll be sure to find them and share <3

- POC Zine Project

airhornoftruthandlove: I thought I noticed a trend regarding...

Fri, 03 May 2013 17:53:43 -0400

airhornoftruthandlove:

I thought I noticed a trend regarding images of people on zine fest posters, so I googled “zine fest poster” and here is what I feel is an accurate sampling of what I saw:

Midwest Zine Fest
Appears to be a white woman.

One of the LA Zine Fest posters.
Appears to be a white woman.

Paper City in Melbourne.
Appears to be a white young woman.

One of the Brooklyn Zine Fest posters.
Appears to be a white woman.

Birmingham Zine Fest
Appears to be a large community of exclusively white people.

Belgium Feminism Fest?
Appears to be women of color represented equally with white women.

I’m not a fan of putting people on posters, for many reasons. It sends unintentional messages that often alienate people.

When a decision is made to use images of people on posters, I appreciate when there are alternate, person-free posters used as well. If I want to support the project by taking a couple of flyers or posters to give to friends, I want to be able to give them one I don’t have to apologize for.

And if images of people are used on posters, I do like it when it’s cartoony, rather than representational. The picture here, from Chicago Zine Fest 2011, is adorable. It shows people somewhere with many skin tones, even purple! And all the people in this fanciful place are the same. Whether they are young or old, purple or orange, they have the same love for reading zines!

Excellent analysis by POCZP Midwest Coordinator Joyce Hatton <3

We’d love to see more white folks who organize events factor in how representations of people at their events on materiality (physical and in digital form) both welcome and alienate POC.

A facet of white privilege is just assuming everyone is OK with an entire event being represented by a white person on a poster. That is no bueno. If you want more POC to attend your events, make your promotional materials more inclusive.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: 'nin,' a new journal of erotic poetics devoted to exploring sex and the body through language

Fri, 03 May 2013 17:24:41 -0400

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: August 1, 2013

RELEASE DATE: September 2013

CONTACT: ninjournal@gmail.com

From nin’s Tumblr:

welcome to nin, a journal of erotic poetics devoted to exploring sex and the body through language.

nin is currently accepting submissions for its inaugural issue in september 2013. please click on the SUBMIT tab for instructions on how to send us your work. submissions close august 1.

nin will appear in both print and digital formats. for more information about the journal and the motivations behind it, please click on the ABOUT tab.

check back here often for inspiration of the erotic (and nsfw) kind. nin’s primary goal is not to titillate, but if it is provocative and well written/produced, this is a common side effect. this does not mean that we overlook the raunchy. in fact, it might be our favorite.

finally, nin is run by queers, and is devoted to representing all sexualities, gender expressions and ethnicities in our publication. you are encouraged to submit if you are non-native, gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, queer, genderqueer, transgender and/or a person of color.

we look forward to receiving your work.

COMMUNITY: We encourage people of color of all backgrounds to submit to nin and other publications, as we need more records of more expressions of sexuality and gender from POC around the world—in OUR voices. xo

COMMUNITY SUBMISSION: Women Who Rock 'Zine #1 (2013)

Fri, 03 May 2013 15:35:00 -0400

ZINE NAME: Women Who Rock: Making Scenes, Building Communities

AUTHOR: NA (compilation of POC and ally voices)

RELEASE: February 2013

ORIGIN: Los Angeles, California, USA

DESCRIPTION: Women Who Rock ‘Zine #1 is based on material created for, during, and inspired by the Women Who Rock Conference, which highlights both contemporary and past movements in and outside of Seattle by bringing together musicians, activists, writers, advocates, and scholars to talk about questions of female representation and access for women with music scenes. The first conference was held Feb. 17-18, 2011 in Seattle, Washington.

The ‘zine makes conference material accessible beyond typical academic journals.

READ NOW

As part of our advocacy, POCZP has made this publication available as an embed and free download so you can share as you like <3 Our dear ally Kate Wadkins has an essay you should check out on page 3 under Essays!

MORE INFO ABOUT WOMEN WHO ROCK http://womenwhorockcommunity.org/

———-

Editor’s Note: A Community Submission post results from POC folk submitting their own zine or zine call to be featured on the POC Zine Project Tumblr and other digital platforms. If you would like to share your zine with the POC Zine Project community, here’s how to do it.

When you submit, feel free to add some background, a description of your work and art and your mission statement. If you just send us the name of your zine, we’ll simply link back to a source for purchasing it and use the language you already have on your site.

As long as the zine was created/co-created by a person of color, we will always share Community Submissions. Enjoy!

POCZP accepts anonymous submissions and zine donations from POC. Click here for submission guidelines.

COMMUNITY SUBMISSION: QUARREL The Zine (2013)

Fri, 03 May 2013 14:28:00 -0400

TITLE: QUARREL The Zine

AUTHOR: Bay Area survivor led group QUARREL

REGION: Bay Area, California, USA

DATE: 2013

DESCRIPTION: Stories of survivor self determination, direct action, strategies for safer spaces and ripping patriarchy to shreds.

QUARREL was a Bay Area affinity group that formed to take names and kick ass with an anti-colonial, queer, feminist, boot. We support the Self-Determination of survivors and use harm reduction inspired techniques in survivor led actions to transform our communities into safer spaces.

We worked towards developing alternatives for addressing harm outside of the misogyny, racism, and classism of the police state. We support and value accountability processes, see them as critical to the practice of transformative justice, and believe they can take many forms. In this work we have found the tools of harm reduction useful for addressing people with patterns of abuse who are unwilling to be accountable. we have confronted perpetrators of assault, set boundaries, presented community demands and shared information as an act of self defense.

READ NOW

QUARREL has made it possible to read the entire zine online and download it from their blog. A highlight for us was “insurrecto-eggers-esque” by Ralowe trinitrotoluene ampu (page 77).

POCZP founder Daniela Capistrano met Ralowe at the Anarchist People of Color Convergence in New Orleans in the summer of 2012, where we also met our first zine partner Xeryle of SlushPilePress!

DOWNLOAD

Booklet print layout:

http://quarrelthezine.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/quarrel_zine_booklet_final1.pdf

POCZP will be making a read-only/web friendly layout available soon as an embed and download. Bookmark this page, as we’ll add the link here.

———-

As long as the zine was created/co-created by a person of color, we will always share Community Submissions. Enjoy!

POCZP accepts anonymous submissions and zine donations from POC. Click here for submission guidelines.

We LOVE OOMK! <3 We were happy to support their fundraiser in...

Fri, 03 May 2013 14:02:56 -0400

We LOVE OOMK! <3 We were happy to support their fundraiser in December of 2012 and have added their first issue to the archive.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Janelle Monáe - Q.U.E.E.N. feat. Erykah...

Thu, 02 May 2013 13:08:00 -0400

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Janelle Monáe - Q.U.E.E.N. feat. Erykah Badu

This video, forever. <3 #janellemonae #pleasemakeazine

If Q.U.E.E.N. inspires you to make a zine (so many incredible visual references and symbolism), let us know!

"There were heretics, but thousands of us were thrown on the fire. Most of all our memories were..."

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:46:00 -0400

“

There were heretics, but thousands of us were thrown on the fire. Most of all our memories were burned. The voice was replaced with paper, and a greater silence came to reign. Any stories that were not in their one Book were banished. Memories of magic, of healing, of speaking with the forest, of our origins, memories of the time when we shared everything and nothing was owned, were suppressed.

This is how they destroyed our roots. And this is why, on May Day, we tell stories. Stories of our lives, of our struggles, of the future we want, of a past we invent because we no longer remember it.

”

- The Witch’s Child

i honestly wish that anarchists put more effort into writing weird stuff like myths. theory gets really boring as the only way that people wanna communicate ideas and i think that storytelling is a really important form of communication which is still present in some ways in what we do but not enough. (via hystericalqueen)

—-

Great comment via POCZP touring member Suzy X <3

POCZP founder Daniela Capistrano would like to add that storytelling - as a conduit for affirming and deconstructing our realities as POC - is a critical component of our past and upcoming Race Riot! tour.

Meet POCZP’s West Coast Coordinator Liz Mayorga! Part of...

Wed, 01 May 2013 17:20:00 -0400

Meet POCZP’s West Coast Coordinator Liz Mayorga!

Part of POC Zine Project’s advocacy is empowering new and seasoned zinesters of color in the U.S. (and soon worldwide) to share their stories while supporting other POC. Liz is the second official regional coordinator for POCZP (meet Joyce, our Midwest Coordinator, here). We are excited to share developments as this part of our experiment in activism and community through materiality unfolds.

LIZ, IN HER OWN WORDS

Liz was born in Los Angeles, California, but moved back and forth between Mexico and LA throughout her childhood. She is the youngest of three and the only female in a traditional, Catholic, Mexican-American family.

Though her brothers taught her how to throw a good punch, she was often confused by the strict gender roles in rural Mexican society, which told her to be passive and meek. Luckily, Los Angeles was a place where contradiction could exist, a place where you could an aggressive girl, and a Mexican Punk. LA and the influence of popular culture gave Liz an identity she could be proud of.

She moved to the Bay Area for school, but ended up falling in love with SF Zine Fest, and community of artists. They pushed her to pursue her passion for Art and Literature.

Liz now writes fiction and non-fiction, makes comics (check out Inked), and is a working illustrator. Her inspiration comes from her crazy family and Chican@ Pop Culture. She is the Co-Director of San Francisco Zine Fest (SFZF) and is now happy to be a part of the POC Zine Project.

See Liz in action at a recent POCZP Youth Zine workshop in San Francisco, where she led activities with assistance from POCZP intern Itoro Udofia.

Liz hopes to expand and connect the DIY West Coast community and serve as a resource. She wants DIY projects (and zines) by people of color to be especially accessible to youth, because she needed community this open and empowering as a teenager.

It is also a goal of hers to promote multi-media as a part of zine/DIY culture and expand the limits of what a zine could be, because artists, especially artists with a story to tell, need to be more visible.

Learn more about Liz here: lizmayorga.com

COMMUNITY: Join us in welcoming Liz. We are excited to support zine culture and POC storytelling on the West Coast! We will have several events in this region during the 2013 Race Riot! tour. Stay tuned for details …

DO YOU WANT TO BE A COORDINATOR LIKE LIZ?

If you want to support POCZP with Liz, other coordinators, interns and our touring members, let us know!

We are also looking for representatives in every state, as well as regional support, as we build toward the National POC Zinester & Ally Conference/Convergence. Ideally you have some experience with organizing events and building community, but experience is not required. All are welcome. Priority will be given to people of color who apply but allies are definitely welcome.

Contact poczineproject@gmail.com for more details with “regional coordinator” as the subject line.

If you are outside the U.S. and want to be a part of our emerging POCZP Global Ambassadors program, email poczineproject@gmail.com as well to stay informed as opportunities arise.

SUPPORT POC ZINE PROJECT

DONATE link via PayPal: http://bit.ly/SHdmyh

“Thank you for bringing the joy of reading back to my...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:48:00 -0400

“Thank you for bringing the joy of reading back to my life!” - Xicana Aguila on FB

#whywedothis #weloveourcommunity

If you identify as a person of color and you’re working on a zine - or have one you’d like to share on our platforms - let us know! Email poczineproject@gmail.com with any questions <3 Please allow 3-5 days for a response.

—-

ABOUT POC ZINE PROJECT

POC Zine Project’s mission is to makes ALL zines by POC (People of Color) easy to find, distribute and share. We are an experiment in activism and community through materiality.

ABOUT THE RACE RIOT! TOUR

POC Zine Project held it’s first-ever Race Riot! Tour, producing 20 events in 14 cities, which included speaking engagements at six universities. Our time at the University of Maryland was part of the tour. Click here to view photos from the POC Zine Project: 2012 Race Riot! Tour tour finale at Death By Audio in Brooklyn and access all the tour stop recaps.

STAY INFORMED

We will be taking the Race Riot! tour through 14 more cities in 2013.

Facebook.com/POCZineProject

Twitter.com/poczineproject

poczineproject.tumblr.com

SUPPORT POC ZINE PROJECT

If everyone in our community gave $1, we would more than meet our fundraising goal for 2013. If you have it to spare, we appreciate your support. All funds go to our 2013 tour and the poverty zine series.

DONATE link via PayPal: http://bit.ly/SHdmyh

You can also send well-concealed cash or a check! Email poczineproject@gmail.com for details or if you have questions.

Info about the poverty zine series: http://bit.ly/RLVTVt

"immigrants, poor people, queer people of color, disabled folks, women (esp trans women of color) and..."

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:48:00 -0400

“

immigrants, poor people, queer people of color, disabled folks, women (esp trans women of color) and gender-nonconforming folks if you are in academia and you don’t feel smart enough, remember that you are in the playground and training grounds of the elite. academia was not designed to include you. you are surviving something that has been systemically designed to exclude you in order to keep power in the hands of white, middle class, able bodied cis-men.

knowing this, don’t let academia train you to believe that elitism is the right way to make it through school. you can learn shit, hold the knowledge of your people in your heart, discard shame for your humble beginnings and/or marginalized identities. move through this experience knowing that the changes it offers you don’t have to include accepting academic elitism, inaccessible language or superiority. you can can simultaneously own the privilege that comes with being college educated and connections to your roots. academia does not have to kill your spirit.

”

- fabian romero- indigenous immigrant queer boi writer, facilitator and community organizer (via fabianromero)

——

THIS. THIS FOREVER. POC zinesters have gone on to navigate the complex underbelly of the academy. Their writing - before, during and after academia - inspires many of us.

A zine can be just as transformative as an academy-approved text. Don’t be afraid to share your truth.

ZINE SPOTLIGHT: 'Colita de Rana: Love, Identity & Panochas' and 'Watermelon: and other things that make me uncomfortable as a black person'

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:05:00 -0400

By Cata, POCZP Intern

“Colita de Rana…Love, Identity & Panochas” by Tracy García and company (2012)

This zine opens with a labeled cartoon vagina. Ok, wait. Back story: Colita de Rana = frog tail—it’s from a saying that signifies healing. And: Panochas = Pussy.

The ideas in this zine were loved into pages by anger, angst and ambition. I know this because I saw it’s spirit awake when one of my friends (a co-author) attended a QPOC, Queer People of Color conference back in the day and we took a Panocha workshop. The most powerful experiences, people, books, zines, movies, artwork plant the seeds of future creation. This is the fruit of one of those seeds. In Colita de Rana there are plenty of female anatomy lessons, self-love reminders and a gesture to genetic trauma.

My favorite page is a poem by a lady from Inglewood (my dad’s old stomping grounds). She talks about the domestication of love… “how did love become so scary? was it the moment it got domesticated?” This a powerful question hidden on the third page of the zine.

Seeing this quote through the zine’s title can lead the question: How can we heal from domesticated love? What is that? Certainly it involves government control and production of a certain kind of love.

Page 8 displays a cut-out of a dinosaur called a “clitosaurus” above the prehistoric animal is a quote about the deportation of lesbian undocumented immigrants in the 1990’s. Shit is real. Colita de Rana lets us know.

Disarming dinosaurs still deliver through history. Our history, herstory unknown rather wished erased and gone but still lingers at the bottom of some hearts. This anatomy textbook for the “exploration of love, identity and panochas” is humble but proud. Check yo’ self, she says.

Page 10: heterosexual questionnaire. It’s your turn, straight folks, to have your coming of age story be commodified, died this hue then this shade and retried again and again —tooth combed for possible in-congruencies or untruths.

I love this zine and I hope they keep on the riot. This zine would be a great new friend to all questioning and angry Xican@s. Bring them on.

READ & DOWNLOAD COLITA DE RANA

“Watermelon…and other things that make me uncomfortable as a black person” by Whit Taylor (2011)

I found this gem at zine fest in dc this past July. Really, nothing can beat a fantastic new zine in the dead of summer heat when you think who is so noble and great that they are out promoting their zine? And then, there is someone.

Besides the fortuitous timing Whit Taylor is a great mini story shower/teller. In her zine she is showing us why certain things don’t roll so smooth for her. She keeps the tone light even during more serious topics. Taylor is able to do this because of a dry and even tone through out the story. Her drawings rock. They remind me of the drawings from Tina’s Mouth, another awesome lady comic.

Watermelon can easily find a place among folks working to deconstruct the stereotypes that can plague different communities. Humanizing an experience is a big part of breaking down stereotypes. When you don’t know someone personally its easier to paint them as something their not.. literally. Tayor does a great job at this. In fact my favorite quote from her is: “I love Alice in Chains, which according to my uncle makes me a teenage white boy. I grew up on my parents’ 1960’s & 70’s soul music but became a victim of 90’s suburban life. So sue me.”

Her honesty is fresh. And yet it leaves me wondering about somethings… like what about her cousins in the frame about New Orleans? What kind of comic/zine would they write? Would they agree with her? These are questions that often come up for myself as I and many other creators find pieces of their autobiographies show up in their work…would my family/community agree? How do they see it?

And this is what’s great about Watermelon. This is how Taylor experienced growing up where she did, being who she is. Really that’s all we got: our experience and it’s one that others are either going to learn from or identify with. And zines really open up a space for folks who usually don’t show up in books or magazines to share their version.

Thanks Ms. Whit Taylor, for sharing yours.

Watermelon is a great zine about one girls’ reflections on the stereotypes that live in her world. Specifically this zine helps to thwart the power these stereotypes might have on others by simply humanizing them and breaking them down. After all it did spark a pretty humorous discussion in my house about our own battles with awkward/embarrassing moments striving to straddle the lines between our cultures and the way others see us in our culture.

It’s a daily deal, as is shown by Whit Taylor in Watermelon.

ORDER WATERMELON HERE.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHIT TAYLOR whimsicalnobodycomics.com

COMMUNITY: Do you want to review zines for POCZP? Learn more about POCZP internship & volunteer opportunities here. We are still accepting applications.

If you are interested in POCZP leading a workshop or other event in collaboration with your organization - worldwide - email poczineproject@gmail.com.

ABOUT CATA

Cata is a two-spirit mixed race writer/yogi/graphic novel reader/zine lover in Washington, D.C., originally from the LBC (Long Beach California).

http://agraphiclens.wordpress.com/

http://uchueca.tumblr.com/

"Just last month, Hatton was named Midwest coordinator of The POC Zine Project, a nationwide..."

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:49:00 -0400

“

Just last month, Hatton was named Midwest coordinator of The POC Zine Project, a nationwide organization dedicated to making zines by people of color easy to find and enjoy.

“Joyce embodies somebody with a lot of strength and a lot of courage. And frankly, she’s also somebody who’s in a position to do a lot of good where she is at,” said Daniela Capistrano, POC Zine Project’s executive director/founder.

”

- Big thanks to Diane Miller of the High Plains Reader for covering POCZP efforts in the Midwest.

Read more: http://hpr1.com/arts/article/zines_an_inside_look/

COMMUNITY: Learn more about POCZP internship & volunteer opportunities here. We are still accepting applications.

If you are interested in POCZP leading a workshop or other event in collaboration with your organization - worldwide - email poczineproject@gmail.com.

SCENE REPORT: Oasis for Girls and The POC Zine Workshop

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:33:00 -0400

By Liz Mayorga, POCZP West Coast Coordinator

Photos by Itoro Udofia, POCZP Intern

The Oasis for Girls Program, located on Mission St in San Francisco, serves under-resourced girls and young women ages 11-24. They focus on empowering women by helping them reach their full potential through lifeskills, art, and career planning. They are part of Writer’s Corps, which brings professional writers to teach youth.

These writers are placed in a community setting to encourage youth to explore their talents and dreams. Oasis for girls creates a safe space within that spectrum for African American, Arab, Latina, Native, Ascian-Pacific Islander, low-income, immigrant women, transgender and queer women. And I felt honored to work with them as part of the POC Zine Project on March 27, 2013.

Students and Roseli Ilano, WritersCorps Teaching Artist, Oasis for Girls, (center) at the POCZP Youth Zine Workshop on March 27, 2013, at the San Francisco Arts Commission

Itoro and I had the pleasure of leading a POCZP Youth Zine Workshop for Oasis for Girls. We met Roseli Ilano, the Writer’s Corps teacher, at the San Francisco Arts Commission. She greeted us with a warm smile, and introduced us to eight students, all young women of color from different High Schools in San Francisco.

Roseli lead us into a conference room, asked the girls to take a seat, and everyone introduced themselves, awkwardly, like the way we do when we’re in conference rooms, but it didn’t take long for this group to open up. Roseli created a level of comfort that not only encouraged the girls to speak, but helped me and Itoro feel at home.

We started by talking about The POC Zine Project, it’s mission, and our involvement in it. We covered how zines allow people to write between different worlds and form communities, and why they’re so important to communities of color. We highlighted these points with examples of work by Tomás Moniz, Mimi Thi Nguyen, and Osa Atoe.

The girls were impressed to hear about a father who writes about his daughters and his own struggle to help them stay strong and true to themselves, were surprised to hear about a Professor who started off as a zinester, and a musician who broke all norms and expectations by following her passion and creating the fanzine she wanted see. Most of all, they were happy to see people writing about people and topics we’re told to ignore.

After a brief history of zines as a radical self-expression and DIY publishing, we showed examples of Youth Zines and moved on to create one-page minis. This part of the workshop started with a circle and ended with a circle. Itoro asked, “If you could write about anything, what would you write?” We went around sharing the topics that were on our minds.

The topics varied from sexuality to social-economic issues, how women were too often blamed for being assaulted, and how their experience of San Francisco was nothing like the San Francisco people expected to see.

Roseli asked the girls to arrange the art supplies. As they did and prepared to create their minis, I asked them to make two or three zines, and proposed for them to write about the most important women in their lives, unless they wanted to write about something else. Most of the girls wrote about the women they admired, their mothers and grandmothers, their friends and role models.

We ended the workshop by going around the circle again, sharing our minis, our stories with each another.

I can safely say that Itoro and I gained a lot from working with this group of women. Making zines is gratifying, but it doesn’t come close to the satisfaction I feel when working with other people, especially youth, on art projects. Roseli and the girls were a wonderful group: curious, intelligent, engaging, and they had a lot to say.

I felt privileged to be there, to be a part of their circle, and to see their zines.

TESTIMONIAL

“The POC Zine Project creates a space for young women of color to explore their stories in a fun and fresh medium- a medium where the only rule is to take risks and let your creativity soar.

Our young women raised their voices, told their truths, and shared their dreams on paper, fully supported by the POC Zine Project workshop facilitators. In the process they not only learned about the radical history of zinemaking, but became a part of it.” - Roseli Ilano, WritersCorps Teaching Artist, Oasis For Girls

For more information on the Oasis for Girls program:

Phone: (415) 701-7991

FAX: (415) 701-0131

MAIL: Oasis For Girls, 1008 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94103

OR WALK-IN: Office Hours are Mondays – Fridays from 11:00 am – 7:00 pm

EMAIL: sfoasis@sfoasis.org

On the Web: www.sfoasis.org

Blog: sfoasis.blogspot.com

ABOUT LIZ MAYORGA

Liz Mayorga is an MFA Writing candidate at California College of the Arts. She writes and illustrates comics and storybooks, often featuring monsters. Her inspiration comes from her crazy family and Chican@ Pop Culture.

She is the Co-Director of San Francisco Zine Fest, and is now happy to be part of the POC Zine Project.

Learn more about her here: lizmayorga.com

COMMUNITY: Learn more about POCZP internship & volunteer opportunities here. We are still accepting applications.

If you are interested in POCZP leading a workshop or other event in collaboration with your organization - worldwide - email poczineproject@gmail.com.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Not Enough Fest in NOLA This event is...

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:17:29 -0400

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: Not Enough Fest in NOLA

This event is happening in in New Orleans TOMORROW 4/26! Organized by POCZP member Osa Atoe & No More Fiction, Not Enough Fest will be held at The Big Top, 1638 Clio Street, New Orleans, Louisiana. $5-25 sliding scale at 7pm.

INFO: http://nomorefiction.tumblr.com/notenough

Osa Atoe started Not Enough Fest. Debuting this spring, the fest will feature all brand-new bands fronted by women or queer people.

Atoe created Not Enough Fest to further No More Fiction’s mission and goals: supporting all-girl, mixed gender, female-fronted, queer and feminist DIY punk bands locally and nationally (read more here).

No More Fiction began in 2009 to create woman-positive and queer-positive spaces in New Orleans for local DIY bands and for bands on tour. No More Fiction is inspired by the riot grrrl movement and by the existence of Girl Gang Productions a group of queer women who put on queer punk shows and drag shows in New Orleans up until around 2006.

Aside from booking shows, No More Fiction has held workshops open exclusively to women, queers and people of color to encourage their participation in DIY music making.

Want to collaborate? Email: nomorefiction@gmail.com

Not Enough Fest would not be happening without the support of Queerspiracy. Look them up & get involved: http://nolaqueers.tumblr.com/

Help spread the word about Not Enough Fest! <3

Follow the Fargo-Moorhead Zine Fest Tumblr!

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:29:00 -0400

Follow the Fargo-Moorhead Zine Fest Tumblr!:

fargomoorheadzinefest:

Want to make a zine, but not sure what to make it about? Struggling with writer’s block? Convinced that _you_ have nothing worth saying? Don’t think your art/drawing skills are up to par? Still not sure what the…

FMZF was founded by Joyce Hatton, Midwest Coordinator of the POC Zine Project. YAY!

See POCZP member Cristy C. Road on tour with Sister Spit: The Next Generation!

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:59:46 -0400

Go support Cristy C. Road (and say hi! - tell her POCZP sent ya! xo) as she continues her queer literary and artistic journey with Sister Spit: The Next Generation!

This year’s tour features Michelle Tea, Ali Liebegott, Dave End, Texta Queen, Daniel Levesque, and of course CCR!

As Cristy aptly put it:

Too many queer boners in one sentence? Its okay, the universe prefers it that way. Come out and listen to us read and perform from our latest projects, laugh a little, rage a little, gaze into your lovers eyes and cry a little……

Tour dates are listed below (CHECK THIS CALENDAR FOR MOST UP TO DATE LISTINGS & VENUES). More info can be found at the RADAR PRODUCTIONS Website.

March 31, 2013 2 PM

San Francisco Public Library

Koret Auditorium

100 Larkin St. San Francisco, CA 94102

April 1, 2013 7:30pm

Rock, Paper, Scissors Collective

2278 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, California 94612

April 2, 2013 7PM

Pasadena City College/Creveling Lounge

1570 East Colorado Boulevard Pasadena, CA 91106

April 3, 2013 2PM Panel/ 7PM Show

UC Riverside

900 University Avenue Riverside, CA 92521

April 6, 2013 8 PM

Richard Hugo House

1634 11th Avenue Seattle, WA 98122

April 7, 2013 8PM

The Intercultural Firehouse at IFCC

Portland, OR

April 8, 2013 4:30pm

University of Oregon

585 E. 13th Avenue Eugene, OR 97403-1279

April 9, 2013 7pm

The Voice Shop

1296 N Wishon, Fresno, California 93728

April 10, 2013 7PM

Otis College of Art and Design

9045 Lincoln Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90045

April 11, 2013 7:30PM

REDCAT Theater

631 West 2nd Street Los Angeles, CA 90012

April 12, 2013 7:30PM

MADHAUS Gallery

624 Pacific Ave., Long Beach, California 90802

April 14, 2013 3PM

New Museum

235 Bowery, New York, New York 10002

April 15, 2013 7:30PM

Pride Center

332 Hudson Avenue, Albany, New York 12210

April 16, 2013 7PM

Gladstone Hotel

214 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario

April 18, 2013 7pm

Ann Arbor

April 19, 2013 6PM

A Room of One’s Own Bookstore

315 W. Gorham St., Madison, Wisconsin 53703

April 20, 2013 9:30PM

Part of the CIMMFEST

The Hideout

Chicago, Illinois

April 21, 2013 7PM

Rachel’s Cafe

300 E Third St, Bloomington, Indiana 47402

COMMUNITY SUBMISSION: menudo & Herb: A Little Book to Reach...

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 17:44:02 -0400

COMMUNITY SUBMISSION: menudo & Herb: A Little Book to Reach for During Big Bowel Movements

ZINE NAME: menudo & Herb: A Little Book to Reach for During Big Bowel Movements

AUTHOR: Myriam Gurba

RELEASE: January 2013

ORIGIN: Long Beach, California, USA

WHERE TO BUY: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Lesbrain

DESCRIPTION: “A poetryish, smart alecky zine that has too much Spanglish”

menudo & Herb is a little book designed to do as its title suggests, ease you through those moments of hygienic struggle by “lightening your load.” It contains approximately 57 poetry-like substances, such as “Blended Families Taste Like Chicken,” “Egyptian Geese,” “Recipe for Lasagna,” “Cannabis Sisyphus,” and “Pain in My As.” If you don’t enjoy this product as a poetry collection, you might enjoy it as rolling paper.

SAY HI: lesbrain.wordpress.com

A White Girl Named Shaquanda is Myriam’s most recent novella.

———-

As long as the zine was created/co-created by a person of color, we will always share Community Submissions. Enjoy!

POCZP accepts anonymous submissions and zine donations from POC. Click here for submission guidelines.

COMMUNITY SUBMISSION: Mixed Girl Zine ZINE NAME: Mixed Girl...

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:37:00 -0400

COMMUNITY SUBMISSION: Mixed Girl Zine

ZINE NAME: Mixed Girl Zine

CREATOR: Sister Bell Zines

RELEASE: September 5, 2012

ORIGIN: Curated in Sydney, Australia. The submissions are from worldwide.

BUY NOW (Vol.1 & 2): http://sisterbellzines.bigcartel.com/

DESCRIPTION: ”It’s a collection of art, poetry, writings (including personal and essays) about the complicated and often contradictory experiences of being a mixed-race girl. Submissions were open to any girl who identifies as mixed, biracial, and/or multiracial.

It created a space where people understood each other as girls and as mixed race, which is something rare when being mixed race means you are often an outsider in most situations.”

SAY HI: sister-bell.tumblr.com

COMMUNITY: If you are looking for more zines about being biracial/mixed-race, you can’t go wrong by exploring Nia King’s many zines <3

———-

As long as the zine was created/co-created by a person of color, we will always share Community Submissions. Enjoy!

POCZP accepts anonymous submissions and zine donations from POC. Click here for submission guidelines.