Posts tagged Queer

COMMUNITY SUBMISSION: QUARREL The Zine (2013)

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.

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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.

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

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/

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

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

Scene Report (POC Zine Project edition): L.A. Zine Fest 2013

Here are some moments from our first tabling and panel experience as invited guests at L.A. Zine Fest on February 17, 2013:

1. When we arrived at the Ukrainian Cultural Center and were impressed with the space

2. L.A. collaborator Chula Doula posing with flowers before assisting us with POCZP tabling needs (Thanks, Pati!)

Pati Garcia is a Certified Sexological bodyworker/Somatic Sex Educator, self-identifies as genderqueer/fluid two spirit of Peruvian-Mexican descent, loves to dig feet in the earth and throw love into the cosmos. Pati holds space for life unraveling and unwinding as a birth doula. Pati follows only the spirit led path and refuses to compromise pleasure for any reason at all. Radical feminist doula bodyworker, workshop facilitator. Wanna see your cervix?? Ask her how.

3. When Cristy C. Road, Suzy X, Chula Doula and Mariam Bastani all tabled together at the same time <3

Osa Atoe (Shotgun Seamstress) isn’t in this shot because she was reading during the Mend My Dress Press panel. Tomas Moniz (Rad Dad) was tabling elsewhere but joined us for the POCZP minutes after this photo was taken. POCZP founder Daniela was taking photos with her weird camera, which she will be replacing (sorry for the fuzz y’all).

Here is what Tomas had to say about his first experience collaborating with POCZP at an event:

Two and half hours is pushing it for a bad Hollywood movie; so when I realized the POC Zine Project workshop at this year’s L.A. Zine Fest lasted that long and the crowed remained attentive, invested, engaged throughout all six presentations, I was shocked.  But this fact demonstrates exactly how vital and important the event was!

I’ve attend and participated in many readings, but this one was special; this one was with people who have inspired me for years, Cristy C. Road and Mariam from MRR, as well as people who’s work is some of the best stuff out there today, Suzy X’s Malcriada and Osa Atoe’s Shotgun Seamstress; I also got the chance to thank the founder of the POC Zine Project organizer, Daniela, for keeping alive some of the zines that inspired me as I entered my own critical consciousness and keeping these important resources available for those who come after us.

4. Getting to know our tabling neighbors, such as Thi Bui and her son (who is also an artist!)

Thi Bui was born in Saigon, raised in California and schooled in New York. She teaches high school and has a little boy and a husband. She have been hard at work, writing and drawing a graphic novel called THE BEST WE COULD DO. It is a 15-chapter immigration epic about her parents, their place in history, and her search for her place in her family.

5. When Mariam and other folks from Maximumrocknroll joined the POCZP table with more issues featuring punks and activists of color

POCZP founder Daniela Capistrano (L) and Mariam Bastani (R)

Maximumrocknroll is a widely distributed monthly fanzine dedicated to supporting the underground punk rock scene. MRR’s 25-year plus history and large, obsessed all-volunteer staff has made its punk rock coverage the most consistently up-to-date and reliable around. Subscribe here or purchase individual issues here.

6. Quese IMC participating during our panel and speaking about #IdleNoMore (thanks again, Quese IMC! xoxoxo)

Quese IMC had this to say immediately after the event:

I had a really good time. I enjoyed myself. Was good for me to see a different perspective and meet some cool people. Look forward to hearing from you and definitely keep me updated what you have in mind for the tour…

We are in the process of figuring out how Quese IMC can join us during the 2013 Race Riot! Tour to help share information about #IdleNoMore actions in the Canada, U.S., and around the world. Stay tuned for updates …

7. When our panel at the Moth Theatre quickly became over capacity, and we had to scramble to find additional seating/make space (all great problems to have!)

 Osa Atoe reading at L.A. Zine Fest

Suzy X reading at L.A. Zine Fest (C) while Osa (L) and Mariam (R) observe

This was Suzy’s second time reading as part of a POCZP event. Osa’s commentary afterward? “Suzy is hilarious.” We agree! Check out her latest zine, Malcriada. Suzy will also be joining us next month for Chicago Zine Fest, woo! <3

Here is what Suzy had to say about her time with POCZP at L.A. Zine Fest:

I was so honored to join the POC Zine Project last week at LA Zinefest! Our panel on Sunday afternoon brought up a lot of feelings for me, as the new girl in a scene of bad-ass POC in zines. It’s really mind-blowing how long it took for someone to finally initiate a project like this, a project that centers the voices of people of color in DIY publishing. I discussed my experience— a baby feminist living in a conservative household in the South, without access to any zines, much less zines by POC, until I attended college. And after hearing all these wonderful folks speak, I felt terribly late to the party, because they had been going at it for years! And doing a damn good job of it, too.

I’m incredibly thankful for the initiative Daniela has taken in bringing us all together. But in going forward, I think a conversation should happen in which we discuss access to those who don’t belong to punk scenes or those who don’t live in urban or densely-populated areas. This project was started to shed light on the history of POC in zines; but I am interested in working on ways to make this history available and accessible to more people. This could mean partnering up with existing distros or starting one by and for POC! Whatever works you know? And I’m excited to continue these conversations during the zine tour in Fall 2013.

Suzy X was delighted to find out after sending this recap that POCZP has been engaging in this conversation with folks for years. The POC Zinester & Ally National Conference will take place in the midwest in late 2014 and POCZP’s primary zine partner, SlushPilePress, is located in a remote area of Eugene, Oregon. Our poverty zine partner Carey Fuller is based in Kent, WA, which is also an undeserved area.

COMMUNITY: If you are located in the midwest and/or rural areas without much support for independent publishers, email poczineproject@gmail.com we can discuss ways to partner. <3

Just one section of our over capacity audience - it was so great to meet many of the attendees afterward!

 Cristy C. Road reading at L.A. Zine Fest

8. Reconnecting with POCZP West Coast collaborators like Liz Mayorga

Chula Doula (L) and Liz Mayorga (R) at dinner after L.A. Zine Fest

Liz  is a writer / illustrator from Southeast LA.  She grew up watching old, Black and White, Mexican films and selling burritos with her family.  The films were her inspiration.  The tacos and burritos paid for college.  She used to work with teenagers, and they taught her what it means to be brave.  Their energy and fearlessness inspired her to write and draw for herself, but she ends up creating for them too. 

Liz is now an MFA Writing Student at CCA, where she writes both fiction and nonfiction, milks the Illustration department for all they’re worth, and experiences an existential crisis every day.  Despite the hard work and many sleepless nights, she is extremely grateful to read, write, and draw. She thanks you for your support.

Liz is helping us with tour fundraiser events on the West Coast between now and October. If you’re interested in supporting POCZP West Coast initiatives, send us a message: poczineproject@gmail.com.

9. Helping more folks discover zines by people of color

We met so many rad people at L.A. Zine Fest and will be reaching out to everyone who signed our mailing list in the coming weeks. <3

10. Meeting (in person!) & collaborating with more inspiring zinesters of color like Tomas Moniz 

Tomas Moniz (L) and Suzy X (R) at the POC Zine Project table at L.A. Zine Fest on February 17, 2013

Tomas Moniz is the founder, editor, and a writer for the award winning zine Rad Dad. Looking for radical parenting community, he created Rad Dad to provide the space for parents (particularly fathers) to share, commiserate and plan with each other, and to support each other in challenging patriarchy one diaper at a time. As China Martens has said, “Tomas has been the most vocal voice within zines, trying to start and keep a discussion within this aspect of radical politics and parenthood.” His writing has been included in many zines about parenting as well as in the books My Mother Wears Combat Boots and Don’t Leave Your Friends Behind.

This event marks the first time Tomas participated in a POCZP panel. We’re looking forward to connecting with him at Chicago Zine Fest next month and discussing ongoing collaborations!

A HUGE thank you to L.A. Zine Fest organizers Meredith Wallace and  Rhea Tepplim for all their help, as well as to everyone who volunteered at the fest. <3

Our panel was recorded and we are in the process of tracking down video so we can share it with you all.

COMMUNITY: Did we meet you in person at L.A. Zine Fest? Tell us about your experience exploring our tabling area or what you thought about our panel discussion. Submit your thoughts here or email poczineproject@gmail.com (all voices welcome, including white folks <3). 

We’ll update this recap with more reactions and photos from POCZP members and L.A. Zine Fest attendees in the coming days.

POC Zine Project’s 2013 ‘Race Riot! Tour’ Dates & Cities

Community,

Last year’s inaugural tour was amazing but that was just the beginning. 14 cities last year = 12 more cities this year <3 

Dates may shift slightly before October and we are still accepting invites from academic and community spaces, collectives, orgs and individuals. If you haven’t contacted us already, please do: poczineproject@gmail.com.

If you look at this list and think “Why the heck do they keep missing the full Midwest?” Don’t trip, chocolate chip. The 2014 NATIONAL Zinester Conference is going down in YOUR house! Yeah! Midwest all the way! And we’ll be bringing in FIVE international zinesters/activists to share their work! Yeah, buddy! If you want to help, reach out! 

Thoughts become things. Be intentional with your thoughts.

2013 TOUR DETAILS: What we know so far

#IdleNoMore solidarity will be a core component of this tour. If you’re actively involved in local efforts in your city, please reach out. We want you to speak at our events & help you distribute your printed zines/materials nationwide. We hope our small platform helps to make a difference.

We will be doing TWO events in each city, just like last year’s tour. There will be an academic event at a participating university in the daytime and one DIY/community show in the evening. The academic events will be free and open to the public, while the evening DIY shows will be a sliding scale cover. NO ONE TURNED AWAY FOR LACK OF FUNDS <3

The DIY show covers pay for our gas and food, so give what you can.

We will be able to share accessibility/child care details for each city once we have more information.

The Race Riot! touring member lineup will be revealed in the coming weeks. HINT: Think more people, rotating members and lots of guest readers in each city.

OK, enough context. Here are the dates & cities!

1) 10/1: Atlanta, GA (Tuesday)

2) 10/2: Montgomery, AL (Wednesday)

3) 10/3: Jackson, MS (Thursday)

ALERT: Jackson has the only remaining abortion clinic in the entire state, which is in danger of being shut down.

4) 10/4: New Orleans, LA (Friday)

10/5: Travel Day (Saturday)

10/6: Research/Advocacy Day (Sunday)

5) 10/7: Austin, TX (Monday)

10/8 Research/Travel Day (Tuesday)

6) 10/9: New Mexico - but where??? Let us know! (Wednesday)

7) 10/10: Tucson, AZ (Thursday)

It is very important for POC everywhere, and especially in Arizona right now, to have access to independent publications by and for people of color.

10/11: Travel Day (Friday)

8) Los Angeles, CA as recharge zone/multiple events

10/12: Research/Advocacy Day in L.A. (Saturday)

10/13: Los Angeles, CA (Sunday evening DIY show)

10/14: Los Angeles, CA (Monday academic daytime event)

10/15: Travel Day (Tuesday)

9) 10/16: Bay Area, CA (Wednesday)

10/17: Research/Travel Day (Thursday)

10) 10/18: Sacramento, CA (Friday)

10/19: Travel Day (Saturday)

11) 10/20: Portland, OR (Sunday)

12) 10/21: Seattle, WA (Monday)

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All details subject to change. We will share specifics about each city as we finalize tour logistics.

MICHIGAN FOLKS: Wow, such love! We’ve received a few requests from y’all to come out this year. We did two events there in 2012 and cannot return in 2013 (we are not a funded entity - we rely on donations and have day jobs/other obligations <3). If you’re in Michigan and want to support this tour in other ways, contact us, thanks.

We can only do so much, and we do a lot with very little. Richmond, VA and other cities: We wish we could be everywhere for this tour, but we can’t. Let’s figure out ways to partner that will yield long term outcomes for local POC orgs and collectives. Thanks for understanding.

OTHER WAYS TO PARTICIPATE

We are looking for the following:

• Guest readers in every city (you must be a person of color)
• Rotating tour buddies: Join us on the road and participate in 1-3 tour events as a panelist/reader/tabler
• POC (or POC fronted) bands to perform at each #raceriottour event!
• More POC & ally tablers for each city: come to a POCZP event in your town and table for your zine/org/collective/creative project (check out some of the POC artists/merchants who tabled last year) <3

We’re also looking for folks to help us produce #raceriottour fundraiser events between now and September. This might be a good solution for you if you are unable to travel.

Contact poczineproject@gmail.com for more details. Make sure to use “2013 RACE RIOT TOUR” as the email subject.

ABOUT THE RACE RIOT! TOUR

POC Zine Project held its first Race Riot! Tour in 2012, producing 20 events in 14 U.S. cities, which included speaking engagements at six universities. 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.

We will be taking the Race Riot! Tour through 12 more U.S. cities in 2013. Stay tuned for updates as we work on partnering with POC-affirming orgs overseas. If you are outside the U.S. and want to be a part of our emerging POCZP Global Ambassadors program, email poczineproject@gmail.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, the Legacy Series and the poverty zine series.

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

Meet POCZP’s Chief Fanalyst for the Legacy Series: Julia B. aka Ju!

NAME: Julia B. (also goes by Ju)

ROLE: Chief Fanalyst for POC Zine Project’s Legacy Series

REGION: East Coast (Brooklyn), USA

COMMUNITY: Ju has been a POCZP member since the beginning. You’ll be seeing more of their contributions manifest on this Tumblr and in other digital and physical spaces very soon …. <3

IN JU’S OWN WORDS

Hi there. I’m Julia B., or Ju (if we’re being informal, which suits me fine), and I’m the first Official (and Chief) Fanalyst to participate in the POC Zine Project’s Legacy Series!

I’m very excited to be part of this series, and I’m looking forward to sharing more about the first Legacy Series selection: Fire!!: A Quarterly Devoted to the Younger Negro Artists, published in 1926. I should probably begin by explaining what my role will be.

fan: As in, amateur. I’m not a professional historian, just an enthusiastic history lover with library access. Whether it’s sci-fi fans swapping self-written stories through the mail, or specialized distros offering up all manner of self-published work at concerts, zine readings and the like, zine culture has consistently been defined by its place outside of the traditional publishing world. Keeping that in mind, the folks writing this series are taking part because we genuinely love the works we’re talking about, and want to share those works as laypeople in an accessible way.

analyst: I’ll be doing a close read and giving background details about the magazine, page by page. Sort of like “Pop-Up Video” but in written form.

 In lieu of elaborate on-location choreography, I’ll be taking you further into not only the text of Fire!!, but also the world in which it was published—from the author’s contemporaries to the neighborhood in which their office was situated, and more. Ideally, by the time you’re done checking out what I’ve got for you, you’ll have music to listen to, visual artists to check out, books you’ll want to look for. Like I said, I’m enthusiastic about history, and my goal is to make sure that you’re just as thrilled about learning more as I was doing the research.

So why exactly am I so thrilled to be working on Fire!! in particular? Well, as a literature fan, I’ve loved Zora Neale Hurston’s, Langston Hughes’, and Countee Cullen’s writing for years. For many, those names might be the most familiar in the list of contributors to Fire!!, and I’m sure a lot of you out there are already fans of their work. But what of the other contributors alluded to in the “younger negro artists” of the magazine’s title? I see this as a chance for those who are more familiar with the writers in this publication to learn more about the visual artists who contributed, and vice versa, while I take a look at the perspectives that link them all together.

I’m also excited because Fire!! was controversial in its time. The contributors were not interested in perpetuating the politics of respectability. They did not create the magazine to keep in step with the artists of generations before them. In short, they were uncomfortable because they refused to conform to more (Black middle-class) palatable sensibilities.

I mean, check out some of the stuff people were saying when this little magazine out of Harlem made its way into print:

Rean Graves of the Baltimore Afro-American [newspaper] was incensed by the magazine and wrote in his review, “I have just tossed the first issue of Fire!! into the fire.” Benjamin Brawley went so far as to say that if the U.S. Post Office found out about Thurman’s “Cordelia the Crude,” the magazine might be barred from the mail.[1]

Pretty strong reactions to a fledgling publication! The contributors wrote about touchy subjects such as colorism among Black Americans and prostitution. They made deliberate use of Black American vernacular, in an effort to make the voices of their works ring true to the people they represented. And pissed off a bunch of uptight people in the process, even though only one issue of Fire!! was ever published. It’s easy to think of “cutting edge” in the present tense, but in exploring the magazine, we get the chance to check out what the Black American nonconformists of 1926 had to say, and what value those messages hold for us in the present day.

Anyway, enough out of me! I’m looking forward to talking with you further… hopefully we can start a cool conversation (or several) about this classic work. Stay tuned!

[1]: Patton, Venetria K., and Maureen Honey. “The Harlem Renaissance.” Oxford African American Studies Center: Guest Scholars. Oxford University Press. Web. <http://www.oxfordaasc.com/public/featureded/guest_5.jsp>

DO YOU WANT TO BE A FANALYST FOR THE LEGACY SERIES?

The only criteria is that you have to be a person of color! Submit here and tell us a little about yourself. Please include links to some writing samples. Good luck!

White allies: There are other ways for you to support the Legacy Series. Please email daniela@dcapmedia.com for details.

ABOUT THE LEGACY SERIES

Kicking off with FIRE!!, POC Zine Project will make zines by people of color created from the 1700s-1990s available to read and share.

Every Friday (Editor’s note: date pushed to February), you will find a legacy zine by a person of color on poczineproject.tumblr.com. We will share more details in 2013.

WHY WE ARE FOCUSING ON LEGACY ZINES

People of color in the U.S. have produced independent publications (zines) for decades. Many of these zines were political in nature, creating cracks in the lens of white supremacy that shaped (and continues to inform) popular culture and legislation.

These zines were new maps to our liberation, countering the negative propaganda of what people of color looked like, thought and were capable of achieving.

We want the world to know about these legacy zines, so we are going to archive and share them to the best of our ability.

We look forward to partnering with distros, academic spaces, libraries, anti-authoritarian collectives, literary journals, bloggers and more to share the Legacy Series.

“NEW” ZINESTERS: We will still share information about new and upcoming zines by people of color :) Please continue to submit your zines to the archive.

ABOUT THE RACE RIOT! TOUR

POC Zine Project held its first Race Riot! Tour in 2012, producing 20 events in 14 cities, which included speaking engagements at six universities. 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.

We will be taking the Race Riot! Tour through 14 more cities in 2013. Stay tuned!

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