Purple Mag 8: Make Yourself

Underrepresented Modern Myth and Indie Culture

image: K.Gregory

Purple Mag.

D R E A M D E F I N I T I O N * M A K E Y O U R S E L F

image: Yelnoc

#8

Letter from the Editorial Chief tess This issue's focus in our series on Dream Definition, 'Make Yourself'; namesake of a song that says everything that needs to be said about the importance of independence (Thankyou Incubus), is dedicated to the underlying reality we've been oft-conditioned to misunderstand:

Currently Frequenting The Zones of These Heartlight Conductors Lecoil.tumblr.com Franchesca.net ? or .com?

Bassagirl.tumblr.com

We don't learn who we are in life, so much as we make who we are.

You walk this Earth defining yourself.

akiackee.com SocietyHae.com Soulvegfolks.com (Always)

Waiting for things to happen to us, serves nothing. Waiting for others to define us only serves whatever poverty consciousness miseducated us into our mental patterns.

Goldinuniverse.com Vegansofcolor.wordpress.com oyinhandmade.com corinnestevie.com

May the waking dreamers, or 'Ecstatics' as Mos would say, who've graced this issue serve as a reminder to us all (as any of us, no matter how awake we may be today, can regress into thinking that doesn't come from our core when we're not vigilant), how beautiful we are when we are who we are, and how we are who we are when we create who we are from a place of true passion for that which makes our hearts glow.

Enjoy the enchantments, color-in illustrations, and bright shining lights of the indie stars in this issue of (Violet Paper's) Purple Magazine.

trula.org SteampunkMagazine.com AriseMagazine.net LipstickRoyalty.com LimeCrimeMakeup.com goldinuniverse.com JasonNg SpaceshipGeorge.blogspot.com kwesiabbensetts.carbonmade.com booooooom.com Metadrone.DeviantArt.com3030

In love and light -PurpleZoe

TekkyTechno (Flickr) Spoonflower.com youngfatandfabulous.com

P.S Enjoy the Saul Williams Afropunk experience kicking off CMJ, feat Living

GhettoManga.com

Colour! The tour includes a roster of Amp Fiddler, Hollywood Holt, CX KiDTRONiK

lookbook.nu

& Tchaka Diallo, Activator, Rough Francis, Saidah Baba Talibah, and The oOohh

indierpgs.com

Baby Gimme Mores (Love them). Send pics if you make it to one of the events *_^

rpg-awards.com

New PurpleMag.com satellites have emerged:

epicwords.com Drawlikecrazy.net 1km1kt.com

CandyAnomaly.tumblr.com Drinkyourlavendersoda.tumblr.com

nevermetpress.com NeetMagazine.com ComeBienbooks.blogspot.com

( The Purple Mag Tumblr is en route...)

Fasconcepts.com Moodlites.etsy.com

Call for Submissions:

ArmourSansAnguish.etsy.com Bent.co.in

Black Faery Antho Issues ( 100% of the profit will go to Motherland Aid programs w/ emphasis on Refugee Aid and Healthy Education)

Blogs you should sign-up to email updates and feedreaders for (so you can

Phoetry issue [Poetry in images- Celebrating the photogs] Imagery, and 1-3 line poems/ mini stories

Happy Gratitude Day (11/23,24,27 See Issue 3) and Sleeping Green (December 15� New Year's)

experience them on the daily: Boldaslove.us GhettoManga.blogspot.com UltravioletUnderground.com (naturally :P)

Within

Purple Mag issue#8 Dream Definition: Make Yourself Cover art: The lovely Corinne Stevie.

ModernMyth/VioletFete:

Editorial Chieftess:

06 Dream definition intro

PurpleZoe

08 Harlequin by Tonya Moore 19 Dream definition‐ Allow

Ink Faery Staff:

25 Artschool

Dazjae

17 Story of Eve‐ Dreamland

Q.

37 Community of Mythmakers

[Current Candy Anomaly Bloggers]

i

38 Immortal

Bassagirl

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46 Sweets for Lalinette

PurpleZoe

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42 Copper Angels

Dollmatic

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Mythic Visuals 40, 41

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Contributing Ink Faeries:

:

The Grassroute/Crystalheads/Headcheck:

Tonya Moore [Miko Dragonfly]

S

13 William's Windmill

Dazjae

h

34 Reciprocity is the cure

Janine 'Inspired Sis' Jackson

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34 The perfect microblog

Valjeanne Jeffers

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06 You ordered it

Bassagirl Osedra

t

Q.

i

Indiefied:

n

32 The Mind of Samax Amen

About:

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27 The Metaheart of Robert Trujillo

[VioletPaper's] Purple Magazine serves Modern Mythmaking

11 A Conversation w/Valjeanne Jeffers

for underrepresented Indie culture, ranging from Speculative

B

29 The Wonderworld of Corinne Stevie

Fiction [Fantasy, Scifi and Magikal realism] to Indie artists

r

36 Electric Fables in Aqua Island

all of mediums traditional and experimental. Our hope is

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43 #Noneverypersonsuperheroes

that the 'Other Black/POC experience can be celebrated and

o

embraced in its beauty, rather than in the poisonous

k

Phoetry:

stereotypes found so often in mainstream media.

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1, 5, 7, 9, 12, 20

We began this journey in '06, and hope to continue for many

y n

moons to come. We are not for profit (and plan to remain that Inkwings&Heartdrums:

way), using any coinage from donations, and print issues, for

10 Z. Bediako

overhead/magazine projects and events.

34 Poem to Openmoko

Contact us through purplemag@gmail.com or the CandyAnomaly Tumblr's contact form.

PurpleEdu:

Please bear with us as we are primarily digital w/ archival

14 Small Changes (Green)

print options, learning our way in the printing realm *_^

15 Seedsmats

Print issues are typically available within 2 weeks of the

26 Milinery 101

digital release.

16 Cardboard decor experiment

Made with Opensource Technology.

Twigs and Berries:

Gimp, Scribus, OpenOffice.

39 Essentials for the plant‐eating heart

All Purple Mag Issues (c)2006‐Current Purplemag.com/PurpleZoe

Grassroots, baby!

The Curious Bazaar: 48, 49

note: While there may be some images published under the fair use clause, most if not all are credited to specific contributing photographers who shared

The Last Word: 51

images with feature-rights and Creative Commons alike.

p u r p l e m a g

Part 1:

Identify

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Our dreams can't manifest without def inition. What are they? Why are they? Identifying the things we'd like to correct, and envisioning the ideal solution is imperative to remaking our world.

pg 4 image: Skye Suicide

p u r p l e m a g # 8

image: SpecialK

pg 5

Healing Resistance to Abundance lit: PurpleZoe

Working with Reiki the other day, I found some hard blocks that were resistant to several sessions of healing energy, so I tried something different, and redirected the healing focus to the resistance I was putting up, seemingly unwittingly.

It worked like a charm, fueling the theory that it's us disallowing the good to come in, not others. Others respond to what we allow. If we don't let ourselves enjoy sunshine, we'll attract a rainy season and the characters that fit into that scene, whether victim or predator.

Bears giving it a moment of thought. What do you want that you won't let in, and why won't you grant it entrance into you're life?

Next time you're working with Reiki, Pranic energy, and etc focus on healing 'your resistance to success', and keep a journal for a little while. Track what changes. For me it was instant. I felt the hardened bubble of energy move and start to unravel. For others, it may play out differently. One thing I know for sure, 5 days or so later I'm powering through old patterns of self-doubt, and making the most of my time creatively without having to strain. To experience that, this year, as complicated as events have been for me in 2009, is amazing.

If your inclined share your experience with this new focus by dropping us a letter.

You ordered it. -Dr. Mutwasze I was looking for holistic health videos awhile back and found the red pill messenger Dr. Mutwasze on Youtube. The good Doctor had a down to Earth style, simplifying things that others would complicate to make themselves appear more knowledgable. I went through his videos, enjoying the purity in his delivery, and eventually found the video with a mantra for the ages.

'You ordered it.'

It brings to mind a definitive question.

What have you ordered and why? Further, are you happy with it or is it maybe time to place a new one? Conscious decisions make for happier paths, though we often forget... Reread your universal menu.

p u r p l e m a g # 8 pg 6

p u r p l e m a g # 8 pg 7 image: Skye Suicide

Harlequin lit: Tonya R. Moore

[a.k.a Miko Dragonfly] * A clock-work doll sits atop a wobbly mountain of rubble. He has dry, empty sockets where his eyes should be. His smile is wide and full of teeth. A fat tear hangs in suspended animation, mid-dribble down one dirty cheek. The aging sun is going down on the distant horizon, casting its purple gaze across the broken remains of a barren metropolis. There's a tentative click, then the sound of slowly grinding gears.

Suddenly, a sharp melody explodes into the air - a relentless, one-man merry-go-round of a carnival. It's that kind of song; the kind of song that spins you round and around in your nightmares before grabbing you by the throat and squeezing the breath out of your lungs.

How many times has he played this tune? He has no one left to applaud his remarkable musical wit; no comrades, no culture.

The ones who built and broke this continent have long since been forgotten by the insects that buzz there. Even the scum clawing its way up out of the ocean knows little of its sordid origin. Nothing animal moves in this derelict town without first, listening intently for the distant sound of thunder. All creatures here know that a certain rumbling in the sky always precedes the flapping of many gargantuan wings. They arrive, hawkish cries drowning out the mechanical man's tune. A seething cloud of arcuated eyes and rapacious beaks, they darken the sky. They descend in droves, adopting the military precision of the freight-trains

"The ones who built and broke this continent have long since been forgotten by the insects that buzz there. Even the scum clawing its

and torpedoes of an era, long gone. In the heat of the hunt, they stir up chunks of history

way up out of the ocean knows little of its sordid origin."

from his dusty perch. His menacing gaze fixes upon the blind harlequin, the jerky motions of

mingled with gritty particles from bones they already picked clean a hundred years ago.

One majestic crow swoops down upon a crumbling spire and regards their sagging kingdom

its wiry hands; the pneumatic, spinning mechanism lodged in its skeletal chest. Its head tilts, one black eye reflecting the rising moon and the stirring stars. The crow contemplates the faint, alien sound threaded into the cacophony of winged beasts. It spreads its massive arms and dives down into the rising dark for the kill. The earth shakes. The music stops. It takes flight once again. The doll's iron bones stick in the crow's craw. The red wetness raining from the sky goes unseen. Darkness has filled the whole, wide world. The great

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beast plummets awkwardly to the stony ground, a multitude of bones cracking.

Tonya R.Moore is a prolific maker of myth and wonder. You can find her works and open archive of Spec Fiction at TonyaMoore.com

The winged emperor now knows he will not live to see another ghostly dawn. He utters one long, mournful cry. The eager swarm hovers overhead, a pulsating mess of gleaming eyes

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and snapping beaks. They know no remorse, the voracious giants feasting on the flesh of their kin. They have not changed since they first dominated the earth, millions of years ago.

This world was made for these birds. They've known that since the dawn of time.

CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

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image: (Top) John Steven Fernandez (Bottom�left) Spacedust Design Bottom�right Pilya

Inkwings & Heartdrums:

Z.Bediako

A short poem for the ones who think we are free. you are so easily pleased. and for that my belly is pregnant with stones and due time i shall open my legs wide against the world and birth my agitation.

Call me Indigo i am the blues the lower pitch of major chords i am the blues. bigma's sigh at holes in shoes. i am the blues -b.b.'s handkerchief -ma raineys stool. i am the blue Billie's mood just call me indigo i am blue.

Southern-bred Philadelphian Z. Bediako describes herself as a perpetual learner, avid reader, womanist, pan-Afrikanist, and 'womanchild in a land where nothing is promised'.

The 24 year old scribe and poet is a 'bundle of sounds', harboring words that take shelter in her mind garden. Sometimes she says, they stay with her for years aching to marinate, as she awaits the spices to calm them and saturate them.

In return they perform sacred dances 'pon the tongue, revealing ancient rhythms with new names, and destinies.

Taste them at: TongueRhythms.blogspot.com

p u r p l e m a g # 8 pg 10

A Conversation with Valjeanne Jeffers With an acclaimed indie novel series under her belt, Valjeanne continues to spread a lovely pair

it as two novels. I discussed this with my sister, Honoree (who’s

of wordwings to the delight of a community of

also a writer) and she told me to let my publisher make this

diverse speculative fiction readers finally

decision. Ultimately I decided to self publish, so I made the

seeing a wealth of multi-cultural speculative

decision myself.

works in abundance.

Do you f ind it challenging balancing writing with everyday Have you always felt a strong drive to put pen to paper?

What inspired you most early on in your artistic journey?

Yes I have. I’ve been writing stories and poetry, since I was around nine or ten years old. But after high school, I put my writing aside for years. When I rediscovered it, it wasn’t as a fantasy author but as graduate student, passionately involved in studying media myths. Years later, after I was bitten by the science fiction bug, I did a 360 degree turn and wouldn’t touch anything that wasn’t fiction. I started to roam the libraries looking for new books to read – especially those about shape-shifting and magic. I was inspired most by revolutionary themed novels, with strong female heroines. Now my nonfiction and fiction muses are comfortable roommates; and I’ve found my voice in both.

When did you know you absolutely had to write Immortal?

My journey began around 2004 when I began to see or envision a man appearing in a woman’s bedroom urging her to “seek” him. That was the story that must be told; or as one Sister described it: the fire. As it began to develop, I became fascinated with the idea of my main characters as werewolves – but werewolves on a mission. Shape-shifters are such bold, sexy creatures; yet they always seem to get a

activities? Do you think writer's retreats are a good avenue for authors to consider, or do you feel a book will write itself, even amidst other demands?

It’s very difficult. You really have to make time – I call it stealing time – to write. I think writer’s retreats are an excellent idea, for those of us who’re fortunate enough to be able to get away. I’m not that lucky. I do work in a field where my hours are flexible. Yet even when I didn’t, I found time to write. I’d steal an hour or two at bedtime or lunchtime. Or take a Saturday morning and just do it. The novel or story or poem won’t write itself. Or perhaps I should say, it will write itself inside the author’s mind but he or she has to put it on paper. You have to give yourself permission to do something that you love.

Who are some of your earliest inf luences, and what would you like to share with others interested in writing Speculative f iction for underrepresented culture?

Honestly, my earliest influences were Richard Wright, Chester Himes and Ralph Ellison: writers who took me on a very surreal trip. As a child, I was also heavily influenced by novels about ghosts, as well as the Nancy Drew mysteries. I fell in love with Zora Neale Hurston too (but in my thirties).

raw deal. I thought it would be awesome to cast them in the role of heroes for a change. As my journey continued, other

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supernatural folk were added. This vision wouldn’t leave me alone. And so I had to write Immortal.

Was it diff icult completing your f irst book?

Sometimes, but it was a labor of love. I can remember sitting at my computer until my eyes burned, because I didn’t want to stop writing. That’s how it is. Writing becomes an

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obsession. I did a lot of editing; where I’d go back read a scene and rewrite it or develop it further. In the beginning my writing group, The Carolina African American Writers’ Collective, helped out a lot with this (by pointing out when a

# 8

character was flat or a scene underdeveloped).

Did you f ind the experience to be similar writing Immortal

pg

II? Immortal and Immortal II really began as one long novel. But actually, even before I’d finished it, I began to see

continued on pg 47

11

"Why do you doubt your inherent ability to grow? The signs of our strength are all around you." ‐Aki Hirata‐Baker www.akiackee.com image: Aki Hirata‐Baker

Mr. KamKwamba's Windmill When 14 year old William Kamkwamba saw windmills in library books with no instructions, he asked his rural library for books with instructions. None were available to him, but it didn't quench the fire of curiosity and purpose sparked by the possibilities wind technology could bring to his village, Masitala, a tiny rural farming community in Malawi.

Deciding to make a windmill regardless of lack of instruction, William's inner genius emerged with strategy that hacked PVC pipe strips, vintage (and rusted) bike and car parts where they could be found, and matter from blue gum trees. He started with a smaller prototype, which he went on to remake into a large version with the aid of a family member and friend. He dreamed

William has overcome the struggle of not being able to afford an 80. dollar tuition that caused him to have to leave school 14, and his old dreams of becoming a mechanic have grown in scope with the aid of knowledge and ingenuity within. How then in countries abundant in (albeit stolen or funded by theft) resources can we allow ourselves to despair over our options?

of powering a lightbulb in his room so he could read past sunset, but his creation would become much more significant, as there are now three windmills that fuel a number of lights in his

How'd he do it?

family home, television and radio, pump water to the fields of the village, and even refuel cell phone batteries. And his aims continue to expand. Despite being called a 'pot-smoking madman', his local fame grew, until eventually a government education official learned of him and funded his education at the government's expense, amazed that he'd been out of school for 5 years. Eventually organizers for the Technology Entertainment and Design conference became interested in him as well, and he recieved a standing ovation for his presentation at the 2007 TED conference. Awards and donations helped him to pay for the tuitions of more family members, as well as cover medical bills and other needs. After this he aet out to install drip-irrigation for his father's fields, and solar panels for the 60 family village.

He plans, and will no doubt succeed to help Africa to become selfsufficient again. To this end, he will be working to construct a drill machine to bore 40 meter holes for water pumps. He believes the crux of the problems Africa faces are water and electricity related, and hopes to find a way to decrease and even eradicate Africa's reliance on foreign aid.

KamKwamba has inspired the children in his village to pursue science, and has changed the duality of life in his community by following the course of a dream others thought mad. Now his

The plan was to attach blades to the back axle of a bike, creating electric current through the dynamo when the wind blew at the blades, the sprocket would spin along with the bike wheel, which would then fuel the dynamo and send the current to the house through a wire.

To make windmill blades, he slit a bathroom PVC pipe in two and curled the edges by soddering them over hot coals to press them flat. He stuck a nail through a halved corn cob, heated the metal until hot red and twisted it through the blades. He attached the long plastic blades to the short metal blades of a tractor fan upcyycled from a junkyard, stripped the piston from a shock absorbers for a windmill shaft, and secures the plastic blades to the metal ones with nuts and bolts, with the caps of beer bottles recovered from a local Brewery serving as washers.

The dynamo, once connected to a hand-crafted transformer powered a 12 volt battery that fed a current to a small outlet in his bedroom made of the C socket from a radio, copper wire, parts of a rubber flip-flop and a plastic mount of flattened PVC pipe. Finished, it stood atop a rickety 15 foot tall tower, which has since been replaced with a tower that stands 39 feet, to accomodate the 8 foot wingspan of the tower (Vertical Axis Wind Turbines ,

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though somewhat less powerful, don't require such height due to their S-rotor, but the Horizontal Wind Turbines like Williams' grow more powerful the higher they're are stationed).

fellow villagers see that putting ones mind to something, the

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seemingly impossible can be achieved. Villagers are no longer subject to the health risk of using kerosene, are no longer dependent on the sporadic benefit of rain, and have time to pursue other interests where fetching water and other supplies would once eat most of the hours of daylight.

Related intel: http://movingwindmills.org/documentary

# 8

coalwindwater.org http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/09/refugee_radio.php

pg 13

DIY:Small tutorial and

Changes

awesome imagery: Inspired Sis, Janine Jackson

Visual Manipulator of plantfolk.wordpress.com

In an effort to make life simpler, I decided to construct reusable bag(s) for bulk items as well as provide my own container when purchasing smoothies from the juice bar.

These small actions are powerful reminders of what you can do differently to generate transformations (for yourself and others).

Sewing up reusable bags is simple if you have access to a sewing machine or are patient enough to hand sew them.

They are lightweight, washable, and will reduce the amount of plastic that would normally clutter your environment. In addition, depending on your health food store, you may receive a discount with each bag you provide.

Basic reusable bulk bag Useful items: A sewing machine, Sewing thread, Scissors or Pinking shears for an interesting edge, Sewing pins (Optional),

Glass jars

Fabric marking pencil or a regular No. 2 pencil, Cotton muslin fabric, ½ yard (This is the amount of fabric I used

Drinking smoothies and vegetable juices out of mason jars

for the bag, but you can adjust the size to your liking), Iron

are much more enjoyable (for me) than drinking them out of Styrofoam or plastic containers. Glass jars are aesthetically pleasing, reusable, and will decrease the amount of waste

1. Fold the fabric in half.

produced. They can also be used in place of plastic water

2. Iron the now folded fabric.

bottles to ensure you are properly hydrated throughout the

3. Draw guidelines a ½ inch from the lengths edge as well

day. Give it a try!

as the bottom edge.

4. Sew the fabric together following the guidelines.

5. Turn the sewn fabric inside out and use as needed.

Note: I left the opening unfinished for an unrefined appearance and I fold the bag over to close it. A ribbon can be used as well to secure it.

Inspired Sis' is a prolific creatress who knows her way around a paintbrush, sewing machine, and natural tress to name only a few of her skills. Visit her at plantfolk.wordpress.com

Green DIY: Seedmats

Gardening can be off-putting for alot of people in this 'modern era', but it's quickly becoming a necessary skill in a

[ For compost tea place compost in a bucket of water and stir -

society, as we seek to sucessfully fight off the (often

Use next day if there's no foul odor- which indicates anerobic

genetically-engineered) poisons peddled from supermarket

bacteria/a lack of oxygen --Additional gardening tips are here:

shelves via the hand of Big Business. Planting successful

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/ways-succeed-

seeds doesn't have to be difficult though. Whether you're

organic-gardening.html}

hoping to join the movement of Permagardeners who believe in allowing nature take its course, or you hope to one day

Making the SeedMats:

host your own farm, starting a small garden with seed mats is an easeful step in the world of DIY greening. And you can

Cut the length of the cardboard to match your desired plot. If

make them yourself. As the cardboard breaks down, the

you're starting off with a window garden you might want

seeds will germinate, and fertilizers aren't usually needed

to make a number of small cup-bottom sized mats.

when you're companion-gardening different but alike-need

Measure the space between seeds recommended on the back of

seeds.

your seed packets so the seeds will be able to bloom, spread your wheat paste on the mat and place seeds in the appropriate areas.

You'll need:

Allow to dry, and store for the time you've designated for planting.

(Contrary to the 'popular' belief big business peddles, seeds can

Several strips of cardboard (enough for the amount of seeds

last anywhere from 2-6 years dependent on the seed type- Check

you want to plant)

seeds for divots or indentations to be sure they're viable., or place them in a moist paper towel and check on them within 2-3 weeks

Organic Seeds [check growing times on the back of the

to see if they germinate.).

package and plant seeds that have the same requirements] Organicaseed.com sells seeds that aren't genetically

To use, loosen the soil of a well-sunned patch of ground, place

engineered [Always seek Non-GMO].

your mats into it, add a layer of compost, water as directed on the seed pouches, and kiss your green thumb. Sing to your plants or play music for them for added measure *_^

Wheatpaste Easily made by mixing 2 parts flour to 1 part heated water.

It's stronger than whiteglue and stands the test of time

*Check groups like Blk Projek's Libertad Urban Farm: http://purplezoe.blogspot.com/2009/09/libertad-urban-farm.html

Opt'l Compost tea of old grass possibly from moving a lawn

for inspiration.

as it will have already have begun some brown and green Composting is easier than it seems. Any organic matter will

*Make seedbombs [mudcakes with organic seeds in them] and

breakown overtime. Turn it every 3-4 days to a week or so for cast them into vacant lots in your city. two weeks to be sure aenaerobic bacteria don't take over and decompost the compost. Keep a pile of old vegetables, grass and the like in the sun or look into vermi-gardening [live worms in a bucketcreate compost with non-meat materials.]

Greenies we Love:

HauteNature.blogspot.com GreenYourDecor.com Crushgroovcosmetics.com

p u r p l e m a g # 8 pg 15

Join The Cardboard Decor Experiment lit: PurpleZoe I'm in love with a chair made of cardboard that I'm setting out to make my own version of. With all of the information available there's no excuse to oggle, when you can make your own.

It would appear the extendable chair/bench that makes my heartlight flicker is made by several parties, including Flexible Love's engineer. Good sources insist this style of chair, though made of cardboard, will retain a fairly high price for sometime, or even indefinitely. The DIY-minded like myself know better than to drop 800 beans on a chair, when we can make a signature-type at home.

There are a few very cool approaches to cardboard furniture in general [criss-cross stacking of boards cut in places to slide into other ready-made cut areas--- Numerous stacked cardboard cutouts with holes that string can be pulled through tied at the ends to hold tightly together, and the ingenious folding techniques some have devised to create chair-desks and similar), but the faux-beehive board layering approach allows furniture to stretch, which makes my particular heartwarm because that renders it portable and easily stored away. A sistah like myself loathes heavy furniture that's over-priced and incapable of shape-shifting.

Believe it or not, I always have, and now I can make my own cardboard-nirvana, with a little experiementation, and love.

Interested in joining me? We can post our successes [ or even failures] at UU, and feature them in future Purple Mag issues. If you're experiencing a yes-response, send the pics of your handmade splendor and/or cardboard furniture stories to: PurpleMag@gmail.com The experiment will require: -A surplus of cardboard or surplus large paper [news paper or magazine collage], possibly collected from a local store [Which they'll gladly donate when told it's for DIY-artistry *_^] -a set of circular stick/skewer or long pen/pencil [for placing in the middle of two boards so the sections between them can be glued down to make a single faux-beehive sheet] -WheatPaste [ stir over medium heat in a pot-1 part flour to 2 parts water - The more water the less sticky it will be] -opt'l spraypaint [ to create specific color versions]

The plan: Once at least 50 sheets of squared faux-beehive boards are created with the technique listed in the ingredients, it will be necessary to glue them back to back by placing the indented parts of the boards over the protruding parts, trimming the excess off board so the sides are uniform squares. For added measure creating a handle on each end of the extendable seat with leftover board-ofcard could make it easier to open asnd close. This handle could be a simple rectangle or even a bit of braided or crocheted string attached with wheatglue.

The result should be an accordion like chair that will stretch well into a long settee of sorts or shrink into a single seat, or storable book.

You're not limited to this plan however, I do in fact encourage you to try any tutorials you find interesting, or experiment with your own (file for patent if they're extra unique- I hear you can do Google patent searches online

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now *_^).

Inspiration: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6161486.html

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softwall.com flexiblelove.com

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Story of Eve:

DreamLand lit: Valjeanne Jeffers

"The key is in remembering what is chosen for the dream.

In the silence of recovery we hold the rituals of dawn..."

Paula Gunn Allen, Laguna Pueblo and Sioux writer (Amott and Matthaie, 1991 p. 61) "The business of films is the business of dreams..."

Michael Woods (1975) American in the Movies (p. 16) Mary Pickford was Lillian Gish's successor and she soon became a star playing childlike, plucky virgins (Leish, 1974).

Pickford stared in such nauseating family classics as Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and Poor Little Rich Girl. At the opposite end of the purity spectrum stood Theda Bara, who made her debut on the silver screen as a sexual vampire in A Fool There Was.

image: public domain

just take a peek shall we?

Native Americans also made their debut on screen shortly before the 1920s: as savages attacking White women and helpless settlers in covered wagons. Of course these weren't real Indians -- they were White actors in red face. And they appeared in films just as the radial Pan Indian movement of the 1920s was taking shape.

Draw your own conclusions about this "coincidence." Native Americans had drawn attention to the kidnapping of their children, as well as reservation disease and poverty (Amott & Matthaie, 1991). And by 1928, Senate investigations were being conducted.

Yet as films edged into the 1920s, a curious thing happened. The dream weavers got raw: the 1920s has been described as one of the most liberated eras in film history.

Enter "Flappers:" wild, young women who liked living on the edge. Flappers drank liquor from silver flasks, rode with young men in fast cars, and had sex -- and plenty of it. OK what's the catch? Did Flappers die in car crashes or wind up in poverty? Or were they cruel monsters like Bara who sucked the life from men? The answer is none of the above.

And Hollywood didn't stop there. The dream weavers began to portray unfaithful wives in movies such as Male and Female, Three Weeks and Don't Change Your Husband. In these films sex-starved wives had affairs because they weren't receiving satisfaction at home (Leish, 1974; pp.45-54). Even more amazing they were depicted as perfectly justified (Leigh, 1974)!

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p u r p l e m a g # 8 pg 17

What on earth was going on? The answer lies in the economy which was booming.

World War I was only recently over, and the war had generated jobs for everyone. The Great Migration (1910-1930) had already begun and Black folks were leaving the South in droves to escape poverty and racism. After WWI Black folks -- last hired first fired -- especially Black women began to lose their jobs. White folks however did not (Giddings, 1988).

Films were reflecting this zeitgeist in their generous attitude towards White women: a generosity which would end during the Great Depression and infamous 1930 Production Code. American films would witness two more similar transformations during the 1940s and the 1960s.

The catch was that Hollywood's portrayal of Peoples of Color hadn't changed a bit -except for the depiction of Black sexuality on the Silver Screen -- a depiction colored by racism. As history tells us where there is slavery for some, there can only be so much freedom for others. It wouldn't take Hollywood long to begin demonizing White women. But for the time being they were free.

And the first Black love goddess made her debut. The Sexy Twenties/part 2 "Gee Brown boy/I loves you all over...

Take my hand and I will read you poetry...

Fill your throat up with laughter and your heart with song..."

Harlem Renaissance poet Helene Johnson (Giddings, 1988; p.185).

The first Black screen goddess, Nina McKinney, made her debut as "Chick" in King Vidor's musical Hallelujah (1929).

Hallelujah took as its theme the age-old problem of the good colored boy gone bad and the battle between the callings of the

"..as films edged into the 1920s, a curious thing happened. The dream weavers got raw: the 1920s has been described as one of the most liberated eras in film history."

spirit and the temptations of the flesh (Bogle, 1973; p. 29).

The film opens on the idyllic little Johnson farm, where the family -- Pappy Johnson, Mammy, their adopted daughter, Missy Rose, their eldest son Zeke, and their younger boys -- energetically gather the cotton harvest.

Nearing the last rows the group burst into song, singing to the heavens...Good gentle folk, the Johnsons are pictured as serene and uncomplicated -- as long as their baser instincts are keep in check. When these are unleashed, however, trouble's a -brewin'! (Bogle, 1973; p. 29).

Director's King Vidor’s portrayal of Black folks was both racist and sexist. And the characters he portrayed in Hallelujah were depictions not based on real people -- but hallucinations based upon his fantasies. Thus their problems did not spring from oppression, but from their own animal instincts gone awry.

This same surrealistic approach was used to create "Chick" -- a character conjured from Vidor's imaginings: his dark meat fantasy. Vidor would pull this same stunt with Native American women in Duel in the Sun (1946) -- branded in “Lust in the Dust” by facetious film critics 20 (1946). For Vidor women, sexual women -- and by definition this meant any woman of color -- were the embodiment of evil and the foil of mankind: the gateway that opened the door to mankind's base instincts.

Chick is trouble in paradise. She is Vidor's dark Eve.

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p u r p l e m a g # 8 pg 18

Pt 2: Allow To accept, you have to relax and allow your dream definition's way to being. To relax and allow, embrace the reality that there is positivity in every experience adding texture to your imagination's memory vault for your future remixing pleasure.

painting: Bassa Bassa Girl

Art School: Finding The Best Art School In The World lit: Tiffany Osedra Miller Let the content of your dreams inspire the creation of your art. If you can’t remember your night dreams engage in conscious daydreams. Some of the best art lessons come from within. Some of the best landscapes, fantastical characters and themes come from within you. Unwrap the blueprints to neighborhoods inside you and build them up with colors, metaphors, blacks and whites. Build them with your words, your clays, your drawings, your movements. Visit those neighborhoods - located deep in imaginative realms - that eagerly await your arrival. At first these neighborhoods may appear dormant, but that’s only because you have forgotten to look with your innermost sight.

Look at these neighborhoods, now, with your most powerful vision. See the people that occupy these neighborhoods. Observe the interesting characters. Listen to their unique voices. Hear them tell their stories and whisper to you their poems. Watch them dance and feel how their dances move you. Allow your new, loving, eccentric and most interesting acquaintances to take

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you into deeper journeys. Have outstanding adventures and when you return from these adventures, record them, by expressing them, using whatever artistic medium you choose. Then proceed to craft these adventures so that those of us who haven’t experienced what you have, can feel what it was like to be there, and also become enriched by what you’ve learned.

Craft them in the ways they wish to be expressed. Respect the independent spirit of your creations. Remember that your art is

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in constant collaboration with seen and unseen forces. Allow your conscious life to become enhanced by your unconscious journeys. Walk your art. Preach it. It’s yours. It’s ours.

Visit Lady Osedra @ Bassa Bassa Arts

Bassagirl.tumblr.com Candyanomaly.tumblr.com

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Zahrah artist's title: Musically Serene

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Shutter-guru Anyabwile Love's amazing eye has captured many moments in bloom. You can find his works at: alovephotog.carbonmade.com

The Beauty, Zahrah Aya, is an artist based out of Philly. Find her on SocietyHAE.

p u r p l e m a g # 8 pg 24

p u r p l e m a g # 8 pg 25 image: Skye Suicide

DIY for Copper Angels:

A.

Millinery: Hatmaking 101 Mini top hats

A B. B. C. C.

Gathering materials

for Steampunk Chokers and

other Reconfigured-Gems Cut a circle into your chosen fabric (see side diagram).

Suggested brim-circle (diagram C.) size would be 4 inches wide. From the circle cut a donut-hole (diagram A.) out of the interior that is approx 2'1" inches wide.

Next cut a 3x6 strip (diagram B.) of your chosen fabric [or if you wish to adhere fabric to a cardboard version with hotglue, cut out the cardboard parts to your hat first, before cutting out identically sized fabric equivalents w/ a tad extra fabric for glue-allowance].

Gather your old clocks and watches and break them apart for parts. If you don't own any old watches look at both your local thrift and jewelry stores for brassy cogs, springs, maritime steering wheels that represent airships, large and even gaudy jewels, wings, metal beetles, and etc. With a pair of pliers you can bend metals to make links for your jewelry and connect them. Hot glue guns also come in handy. Your experiments could include, rings made by twisting wires around cogs, clockparts and gems, cufflinks, pendants [especially lockets and adorned Afro-cameos],

Now take your donut-hole circle and strip, and either sew them or hot-glue them together with a glue gun. The donuthole should act as the top of the hat with the strip making it's way around the circumference of the donut hole. Cut

earrings, chokers. If you choose to sodder metal, please do good research and wear protective gear for your eyes, and hands at least. Steampunk Mag 5 has a Soddering tutorial if memory serves. *_^

the excess carefully from the strip and hotglue or sew the vertical seam.

Go crazy, and send us pictures ^_^

Finally, take your brim-circle and carefully glue or sew it to the bottom of your topped strip. When your ready [after the glue has dried if you're using glue], you can adorn the hat with strips of netting, flowers, gems for the netting, ribbon to affix it to your head slightly askew [if desired] and a hat band.

Accompanying Ensemble suggestions: Search Threadbanger.com for their Steampunk week episode to gather inspiration for making bustles, corsets, and Steampunkian upcycled button down shirts. Play with fabrics to create spats for your shoes. There are a great many possibilities, and a good amount of inspiration to get the imagination centered in the right alterna-era.

Send us our pics for a possible feature on purplemag.com or in a future print issue ^_^

Enjoy the Steampunk and Khempunk (Zoem's Afrikan steampunk effort) of:

Tip:

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Ariel of OffbeatBride.com advises you can check the craft store for mini-top hats used on stuffed animals.

Dazjae Zoem's Copper Angels Novella (The Books of Zambarau

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Community.livejournal.com/steamfashion

http://fetishfaerie-stock.deviantart.com/art/Mini-Top-HatTutorial-79563375 Minitophat.com

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SteampunkMagazine.com Maji Omnibus) and excerpts in the forthcoming Wonderdark novel.

Find inspiration at topsyturvydesign.com

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Random factoid: Did you know locs can be combed out? It's true. Ask Naptress (Supasolsista.blogspot.com)

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The Metaheart of Robert Trujillo Robert Trujillo is one of the sparkling few people who would rather do something to solve a problem than sit and complain about it. Founding the Trust Your Struggle collective, and Come Bien book press to name just a few endeavors, he's come to the aid of the underrepresented community with emphasis on the arts as a healing force, and literary fists that come in more than just one overrepresented shade.

What were you like as a child?

I was very chill, because I was an only child. I spent a lot of time going with my mom to her jobs, and playing with friends around my neighborhood. Whenever I went with my mom to one of her many jobs, I always drew to pass the time.

Have you always found activism fueling your art?

Definitely,ever since I was a child my mom and dad made me aware of the things around me. I think they didnt want to lie to me. They knew the public education I would get was bullsh-- for the most part, so they explained some pretty heavy concepts and never shied away from answering my questions I had. And I had ALOT of them, just like my son does. My parents actually met doing political work. They continued it when I was a child for many years, and I soaked up a lot of what I heard in meetings and even tried to read some of the books. I always went with my mom to protests and marches and witnessed cops do some pretty foul sh--, even with children present.

In terms of translating that through art, I could have done it

"I was fed up with the lack of creative representations of people of color. Coming from the background/and schools of thought in either trained in/studied in with friends and fam....I just wanted to stop blaming white folks for not representing us right, and take a step toward "doing"."

many ways, it came very naturally and unforced as I got older and began to not only question life and the inner workings that control us, without my parents ideas; using my own. Yeah, it was a gang of fun sharing these ideas on the playground at four square!

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What inspired you to establish Trust your struggle and Come Bien Books?

TYS was an idea that Borish(TYS) and SkotLA Rockwell brought to me after we all participated in a show called "In struggle we

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trust" back in 2002 I believe. Skot had been playing with the letters and came up with the name for the crew. We had all been doing a mixture of graffiti/street art, mixed media, and political

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messages in our personal work at the time, so we all agreed in my living room i think, to form this crew. Three of us at first. And we just wanted to present art that was visually stunning like we had

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grown up seeing on the walls of fame in San Francisco, Oakland, and all across the bay. And we wanted to scrap the idea that our art shouldnt be political. We wanted to make some statements and to back them up with skill and theory.

So we, went about creating more pieces, and doing actual workshops where we showed young people how to do what we do and what we were about. And the response we got was always very sincere, touching, and real. We presented some of the first workshops at an event in the Bay Area called the Ethnic Studies Conference. This was an event where young people of color, and working class white kids from all kids of hoods, barrios, etc came together-no fights, no violence, just a committment to learn, and soak up game. And it was like "Ok, we need to take this to the next level". We weren't the only ones either, there were hella (many) different artists there dropping science and recieving it from the young peoples energy.

In terms of Come Bien, whew! I was fed up with the lack of creative representations of people of color. Coming from the background/and schools of thought I either trained in/studied in with friends and fam....I just wanted to stop blaming white folks for not representing us right, and take a step toward "doing". I knew I wanted to talk about some basic things like ways for young people to maintain or increase their health. I wanted to get stories from all the cool brown folks I knew who were leaving the comfort of their homes, blocks or whatever to travel, I wanted to take poems or short stories and turn

"Normal parents stuff. Im persistent and diligent with my goals, plans, and craft because I'm around dope artists from so many different disciplines, doing what they love, loving, and pushing me so its very inspiring. I focus on the topics or themes I choose because its vital to my purpose in life. "

those into illustrated stories and with a myspace page, I just started. That was in 2007. It started with myself and my homeboy Brian Augsburger who started writing about how he grew his own herbs, and cooked a lot of his own food instead of going to eat fast food. And since then its been a slow, but steady growth with more illustrators( some from TYS), and creative writers I knew personally or who I met through similar interests online to create these short pieces.

How do you refuel when things seem to be moving slowly? Are you naturally persistent, or does the reminder of the difference you have the ability to make in the community keep you from falling off into inactivity? What do you f ind most inspiring and restorative, when it's time for you to receive some of the light you put forth?

When things get slow, I practice my craft. I try to spend as much time with my son as possible, just playing, eating home cooked food, going to the library, or the park.

Continued on page 47

Above images: Robert Trujillo

The Wonderworld of Corinne Stevie lit: Dazjae

There aren't alot of minds I'd like to be a tourist in. Most folks are still learning who they are, and struggling with whether to go against the grain and bloom in their uniqueness or choose the safety-illusion that comes with being a cog.

Minds like Corinne Stevie's make it possible for the cogs to muster up courage and take another look at the glories of autonomy.

I would so buy timeshares in Corinne-land in a dimension with 'being-ness' evolved enough for that to be possible. I've settled instead for the closest thing currently available to us, a cover image of Corinne Stevie's Whirlwind painting to oggle with wonder, and an interview to clutch to the heart, which I hope you will cherish as much as I.

p u r p l e m a g # 8 pg 29

What inspires you to create the worlds and f igures you reveal in your art? Were you always daydreaming in school, or were you one of those practical masters that balanced daily demands with the whimsical desires in your heart?

Being bored with reality inspires me to create interesting figures I can enjoy and look at.Instead of watching tv, I create paintings. I love interesting visual and musical things.When I was younger I didnt know what daydreaming was but I'm sure I was always doing it. I dont remember much of anything but sketching. I sketched my way through all of my classes. I dont even know how I passed my middle school math class because I was drawing most of the time in there. I think my teacher passed me because I drew really well. Middle school is where my artistic career actually started. I did a visual arts program.

Your images look like they could be stories. Are you interested in storytelling in the literary medium, or do you prefer working mainly with visual art and music?

Sometimes I'm really into writing poetry and rhymes and sometimes I'm really into the visual arts and sound. I like to tell stories in single images but ever since I started this children's book class, I've been exercising my story telling skills. It's tough writing a good story with a moral.

"My older brothers were always drawing around me so it was natural What are some of the works (of any medium) that have stayed with you and helped for me to want to pick up a pencil. I sustain your inner child? drew a lot in elementary school and when I was getting ready for middle I remember seeing this cool graffiti mural in my neighbor but cartoons sustained me school, my big sis thought it would be a especially the ones my older brothers drew. My older brothers were always drawing good idea for me to go a school that around me when I was younger so they were the first ones to inspire me. had visual arts program. I auditioned for my middle school and made it in.

When did you f irst begin creating works of visual and etheric art? Can you give us a little background on your early creative life and how it shaped your artistry now? Are you self-taught, formally trained or a mixture of both? Do you have a preference for self-taught methods or traditional approaches to creative work?

I was born and raised in Miami, Fl. My mother and father are originally from Haiti and both came to the states in their early adult lives. I have one older sister, two older brothers and a younger brother. Like I mentioned earlier my older brothers were always drawing around me so it was natural for me to want to pick up a pencil.

I drew a lot in elementary school and when I was getting ready for middle school, my big sis thought it would be a good idea for me to go a school that had a visual arts program.I auditioned for my middle school and made it in. After middle school there was a similar process where I had to audition to get into my high school (DASH), which is one of the best design schools in America. I pretty much studied fine arts my whole school career. I'm currently attending Savannah College of Art in Atlanta,GA and I'll be graduating with an illustration degree so I'm excited about that. I definitely work a lot outside of school and experiment on my own but school has definitely helped me refine my style.

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p u r p l e m a g # 8 pg 30

Your work has a signature kind of vibrance coupled and haze. What colors, patterns and techniques do you most like to work with?

I love working in mixed mediums.I use acrylics, spray paint, house paint, oils occasionally, and photoshop if I have to.I love painting and drawing so I work traditionally all the time. Sometimes I'll throw in the signature pattern I like to use just to bring another layer to my work. Once I even glued beer bottle caps to a painting.

In addition to your musical releases 'Strawberry f ields in the sky', 'The Other Sistah', and the visual works you share at your blog, what can we look forward to next from your mindgarden?

I'll definitely be working on more Illustrations and paintings. I only want to paint things that make people, stop and look and think for a while.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with the readers?

Never give up on your self, surround yourself with like minded people and have fun with everything you do.Oh yea check Art Nouveau Magazine, An-mag.com.and shouts out to Purple for having me!

p u r p l e m a g # 8 pg 31

The Mind of Samax Amen

I l l u s t r a t i o n : S a m a x A m e n

I've long been a fan of the works of Ghettomanga founder Samax Amen. The personality in his imagery brings a 3rd dimension to his characters that can be comical at times, and razor-edged at others. His flair for capturing mood, and infusing social commentary into his work makes his art among the most important being created in times where few place any value whatsoever on the underlying message of their creative spill. He graced us with a peek into his mindgarden recently. Enjoy the revealings below in the following Q&A. When did you know visual arts was your medium? I've always enjoyed drawing. I had no idea people got to draw as a job when I was little. but once I knew that, I was sure that would be my job. I decided I would draw comics in elementary school. Do you dabble in other mediums? I learned to paint in college, and do watercolors and acrylics. I tried sculpture, but my mind isn't wired for it. I'm actually very interested in learning to deejay, but haven't really explored that yet.

Who are some of your earliest inspirations?

The first artist I knew by name was a comicbook artist named John Byrne. He has worked on just about every major character (X-men, Fantastic Four, Spiderman, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc.). I noticed that he drew lots of black people as supporting cast and extras. also, he drew Power Man and Iron Fist (Power Man is also known as Luke Cage, one of Marvel's prominent black superheroes). That book had a kung fu sister named Misty Knight in it with a big afro and a samurai sword! Good times...

Another VERY important artist for me is Dawud Anyabwile, artist and co-creator of an indie comic called Brotherman.

Brotherman had as much of an influence on me as any other comic i can think of (read my post about it here) When did the inspiration to establish GhettoManga strike you?

GhettoManga started as a series of posts on the now-defunct

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ghostWerksComics.com message boards. GhostWerks is my crew, and we make comics together sporadically. Back then, we were VERY tight, and had a website together. Anyways, I

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wrote movie and album reviews, and ranted about comics, hip continued on the following page.

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hop and current events. Now that I think about it, many years ago when I was in a religious retreat, one of the preachers prophesied to me that I would start a magazine...he also said several other things that turned out to be dead wrong, but I guess the part about creating a magazine stuck with me! LOL! Anyways, after ghostWercomics.com went away, one of my friends explained to me what a blog was, and I took the url ghettoManga.com which I already owned (I'm addicted to buying cool URLs... I resist the urge to buy URLs all the time! but that's a whole other story!), hooked up the blog and hit the ground running!

Is it a challenge putting out a magazine with such a small staff?

YES! lol! however, it's important to me that it not be something I don't want it to be, so I just stick with it and it comes out when I can get it out.

What's your vision for GhettoManga quarterly?

I'm mostly trying to make a dope underground culture magazine/anthology that speaks about what's going on

Ross Campbell- good to recommend to someone who doesn't read

at the intersection of comics, hip Hop, art and street

comics much. His stuff is so well done, it seeps right from the

culture. It can get monster truck godzilla big, or be

paper into your brain! I was attracted to him because he can

small and under the radar. If it can be an underground

draw women of any shape, size and race/ethnicity and make her

success, that works for me.

look totally natural and sensual. He shows a real understanding

My desire is to spread "the gospel of fly sh--" to the

of how women think in his writing, too.

world. People are so depressed about art, comics, music

Felipe Smith-he draws with all the raw energy and detail of the

and culture in general. If you listen to people talk, you

best manga, but writes stories that seem autobiographical. His

would think everything sucks and there's nothing good

books are bold (even offensive), but well worth consuming if you

happening, and I just don't believe that.

like comics.

Unfortunately, the people that we used to trust to teach us what was fly and good are either gone, or just can't

For rapping, right now, people depressed about hip hop need to

be trusted anymore. So people need to step up and

just watch Jay Electronica youTube videos until they feel better!

meet that need... that's my mission.

What is the quality that makes a thing mythic in your opinion?

Who are some of the groundbreaking artists you feel

I don't know how to answer that. I think things that reach that

the readers should be aware of?

status do so out of the control of their handlers.

There's so much art, I'll focus on comics: Brandon Graham- he has so much energy... He

What do you think causes one person to 'Make themself' while

combines the fly intellectual quality and slick wordplay

another clings to homogeny? Formulas. people think they can

of classic hip hop in his comics. you can tell he works

crack the formula of success or happiness. so they try to

hard on them, but you can also tell he is really enjoying

duplicate what other people have done. What they don't know is

himself too!

that the key ingredient in YOUR happiness is YOU! You have to look inside to find the master, like the old sensei in The Last Dragon said.

Continued on page 48

above illustration: Samax Amen

Poem to Openmoko lit: PurpleZoe

Reciprocity is the cure.

There are plenty in modern society who expect something for nothing because of the way they've been raised, or due to other societal factors and suggestions, but artisans (of various mediums), energy healers, intuitives and etc eat to live like the next person, and they're often given the side-eye if they establish a set

In the future now, when I'm raising my Openmoko

rate for their services. They live on air afterall. Eating and providing a roof

to capture the image of a dear moment, or I'm

over their heads isn't something they should concern themselves with right?

pressing gently at the touchscreen to select an

In the case of intuitives and energy healers the argument that, 'the gift is God-

ebook on a long train ride or some other such

given; they have no right to charge' often finds its way into the equation, but

moment of leisure, I'll think on the people who

consider the fact that the fruits that bloom on the tree branch are also God-

chased after lesser phones wrapped in shinily

given and we pay the harvesters, packagers, distributors and retailers without

marketed schemes that hid their locks and fetters,

qualm. Where's the difference? Time spent is time spent, and until we're all

and perhaps then I'll sigh for their lack of

evolved enough to manifest our needs out of thin air, a barter, or currency-

Opensource freedom, imagining with sympathy

involved exchange will make it possible for people to extend their gifts to

their tears spilt on 10 foot long contracts, and

others.

rather limited program menus that lack any of the

Don't get me wrong, I don't agree that a Reiki healer should charge 300 beans

creativity of programmers that don't fall under the

an hour, but doesn't the Reiki healer (who in alot of cases paid a hefty fee to

complete control of telecom tyrants.

take classes and become atteuned) deserve to charge for their time? What is the difference between they and the allopathic Doctor who charges for their

Dreaming of a perfect microblog lit: PurpleZoe

service?

Respect is often given when there are boundaries ensuring it's extended. Free services are rarely if ever respected in this current society. Trust. I'm a free Reiki healer, and will continue to to be, but have no illusions about those who

It's no secret that I don't like the bluebird's house (because they censor activists on the low), but I do like some of the fabulous microbloggers on that network, and a few similar others, so I hope Socialscope or someone like them eventually makes a lifestream that unites all microblogging services, allowing all replies and friend's streams from all services to be seen and answered in one place (and even emailed ^_^).

Texting is not the bluebird's invention, and that's really what microblogging is. Why not allow status texts to be answerable through any platform? Is it possible for a widget to be created that can do this?

charge. They recieve more respect, and their time is appreciated. I can't say the same for myself and other free healers. I do it without charge because the world is in a crazy state and it's needed. It doesn't mean some folks don't feel entitled to treat me like boo-boo the fool because I'm offering a free service.

In reality you don't get something for nothing in this world. One should at least pay the good deed forward with another good deed to support a positive chain reaction.

Even in the underground, indie artists can find ways to promote themselves and recieve pay for their work through the bartering of services. No need to be shorted for one's work, or look for a hook-up when you can enhance your brand presence by writing articles, taking photos that place attention on you throughout various blogs, zines and etc. In a time where we truly need to

*dropping a coin in the wishing well*

relearn how to share without forgetting how crucial it is to avoid nonreciprocal 'take' mentality, such approaches get the community working

note: I have hope for this one.

Past wishes have come true afterall... e.g Wix.com, sumo-fi and etc...

Dreamvision is power.

together again, in respect. Respecting one another's time will assuredly remake the world, as giving back keeps the cycle in flux.

Mere talk afterall, is cheap. Action usually speaks the most truth.

A MoC do em rm nun Mi yt ty hmo af kers Most of us grew up seeing tokenized versions of Euro-culture at best when we were permitted to see people of color in fantasy and sci-fi positions. A great portion of us weren't told about Charles Saunders, Octavia Butler, or Sam Delany coming up, even though their works were available as early as the 1970's and 80's covering the wide spectrum from adventure fantasy, to High Fantasy to straight-up Science Fiction. Fortunately, our children don't have to live through that, because many of us, discontent with what we were given have put out our own works, banding together as a community of media creators unwilling to sell our indigenous beauty short in the age of information when even the smallest press can publish revolutionary works.

From Fantasy to Scifi, conscious and talented scribes, and artists have emerged bearing gifts for children, and the inner children of adults alike. Of

Stop by Purplemag to help fill in the gaps in the ConsciousInk Diverse Spec List, and enjoy more realms that champion Diverse Spec Fiction:

these there are a shining bunch to keep watch on. We've mentioned a few in Issue 7, but didn't have enough room to get into depth. As time goes on we will continue to seek out the works of seriously bright pens of color and publish them in each issue under the Modern Myth banner. We will also make room for pens/paintbrushes that express interest and send reasonably edited works for coming Purple Mag/ConsciousInk anthologies.

On the literary front the pens of T.S.Snowden (Issue 4), Valjeanne Jeffers (Issue 7 and 8), Tonya Moore (Issue8), Cailloux Williams (Issue 7), Stafford Battle (hopefully in a future issue), B. Sharise Moore (Planned for a future release), Kirk Anderson (See his shorts at Black ScienceFiction Society) range from brimmingly imaginative to mind-bogglingly smooth, weaving the ethers

BlackScienceFictionSociety purplemag.com ExpandedHorizons.net Ghettomanga.com ComeBienBooks ZettaElliot TonyaMoore.com BottomofHeaven.com Zambarau.com

of vivid mindgardens. These indie pens have made me swoon, grin at their cleverness, and manage to make action-scenes works of literature.

In image Brandi Epps (Issue 4), Eurayo, Samax Amen, Mantatakhan (issue 2), and Corinne Stevie (Issue 8) produce works that will transport you to the worlds in their imagining effortlessly. There are yet more emerging on the regular with a wealth of imagination that inspires in the embrace of indigenous beauty.

Where is the mainstream coverage? It's coming, surely, because the majority of the world's people are tired of going along with the play-pretend thatthere's-only-one-culture presentation of Western culture. But the fact is, we don't need to the mainstream to enjoy our beauty as rendered in exalted imagery both etheric and visual. We need only take the time to seek it out for ourselves. And fortunately the emerging community of Modern Mythmakers are making it easier than ever to find diverse works of Speculative fiction. A visit to the Black Science Fiction Society, Purple Mag.com's ConsciousInk column, ExpandedHorizons.net, BottomofHeaven.com and others (see sidebar for collected links) is making it easier to find the underrepresented wealth of diverse beauty everyday.

Purple's calling for your trolls, mergents and mer ladies, Anansi spiders, Elves, and other High fantasy folk of color (Afrikan, Asian and other Indigenous Eastern peoples). It's long been time to enjoy the fantasy of the world's indigenous cultures.

The coming Black faery/High Fantasy Antho will donate 100% percent of proceeds to refugees, and peoples in redeveloping countries.

Contact PurpleMag@gmail.com for guidelines or visit the group at BSFS. Deadline for the first窶進ssue anthology ends

p u r p l e m a g

November 20th. Mild extensions may be accomodated so long as we know what to save space for by the 20th November.

Think your name belongs on this list? Send your website, book, link to your art gallery, or etc, to be considered for review/ and/or feature.

# 8 pg 35

Electric Fables on

Aqua Island

image: (left) (right) Startist Painting Hiphop Aqua Blue, with plans to keep it that way, Aqua Island extends itself as an ether haven to ears that embrace the universality of their music, even when some of them don't speak the language of the rhymes they take in. Keeping the kiss of island roots alive in their sound, they're recieving much love over international airwaves, having brought a sound infused with passion, and the vibrance that comes with celebrating beauty in its myriad forms .

Can you give us a little history on how Aqua Island came to be? Would you share some background on group members? When did you know this wanted to pursue music and do you work with other artistic forms (were you drumming on lunchroom tables)?

Startist: We started Aqua Island last year, 2008. Our first name was the Immigrants, but that didn’t last too long. We definitely

p u r p l e

want to mix our Caribbean cultures with hip hop. I was born in Rochester NY. My father was born in Trinidad, so I grew up loving Calypso and Soca music, and definitely Trini cooking. I could eat Roti patties everyday if I had to.

I started rhyming in like 1992, and recording in 1996. I would freestyle and rhyme more in ciphers on corners, passenger seats of cars, and basements more so than at school. I majored in Film in college for directing and screenwriting so I am also a big movie

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geek.

Bacchanal: I was born in Inch Marlow, Barbados and moved to New York state when I was 4 years old. I have been recording

# 8

since 1987. But I have rhymed since 1985. No drumming, but I was rhyming to people beat boxing. I am also involved in acting and writing. I have been working in television for the last 12 years.

pg 36

"If you paint, PAINT. If you write, WRITE. If you sing, you are a SINGER. Don’t wait on anyone else to legitimize you as an artist."

"Stay dedicated. And do not compromise your integrity"

What advice would you give to other indie's interested in pursuing the arts on an underground level?

Startist: If you paint, PAINT. If you write, WRITE. If you sing, you are a What are some of your inf luences, musical and otherwise? Do you feel they

SINGER. Don’t wait on anyone else to legitimize you as an artist.

come through in your sound? What inspires you to get up and create?

Bacchanal: Stay dedicated. And do not compromise your integrity.

Startist: Musically: De La Soul, The Mighty Sparrow, The Doors, Bob Marley, J Dilla, Brand New Heavies…creative, passionate, colorful artists.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with the audience that we

Hopefully my feelings are coming through in my music more than my

haven't covered?

influences. I am inspired by beauty, in whatever shape it comes in.

Startist: Listen out for our production collective and extended fam: Cello Bacchanal: Anthony Braxton, Leon Thomas, too many to name. I like the

Brown, Junkee Carmichael, Destin, Yqus, Atlas, LB, Ultra, EP Cuth, B

way that Leon Thomas uses his voice as an instrument. I try to write my

Original, DC Maestro, Mraq from Croatia, Melinda, Danielle, and

lyrics as if I were a saxophone player soloing. Artists that came before me

everyone we work with. Come get your passport to Aqua Island at

inspire me.

www.myspace.com/aquaisland and www.youtube.com/thisisaquaisland.

And support the Super Sister Purple Zoe and Purple Magazine, keeping

What are your future plans for Aqua Island? When can we look for your

physical art alive in this era of digital art.

album release?

Words of wisdom?

Bacchanal: To go as far as our music can take us. Our debut EP is called

Startist: Time is more valuable than money, because we can’t count how

“Above Sea Level” and will be out on I tunes and physical CD before the

much time we have left to spend. So do what you love!

end of this year.

Bacchanal: Live life to the fullest.

Startist: To keep painting hip hop Aqua blue, making World music, out of vibrant vibrations from around the world, electric storytelling, and love.

We have currently been getting airplay on our friend and producer Mraq's radio show in Croatia, where many listeners may not even understand English. So music truly is a universal language. And we want to continue to bring all human beings together with our sound.

Visit Aqua Island @ Afropunk, and via Myspace.

Immortal 2 An excerpt

lit: Valjeanne Jeffers

was talking about the likelihood of rain. “When did you become an enchantress?”

Opal smiled thinly. “I am many things. Will you let me do this for you?”

The tall woman hesitated. “What are you going to do?”

“It’s best if you don’t know.” Not yet. “Please, just trust me.

Give me your ID card.”

Karla reached into her pocket and handed Opal the plastic card. “Wait here, I won’t be long.”

Once inside Karla’s flat, the old woman went into the bedroom and took strands of the young woman’s hair from the comb on the nightstand. She breathed softly on to the hair, walking from room to room. Pulling the strands as she journeyed. Spinning the wards of protection. When Opal finished, she used her finger to trace invisible circles on her friend’s door, and the outside entrances to their building.

Back in her own apartment, she handed Karla the ID card.

“You think I’m seeing things, don’t you?”

Opal regarded her with dark, liquid eyes. Anger flickered across her face, but it quickly vanished. “No Karla, I believe you,” she said calmly.

“You – you do?”

One wrong word and this child will shut down. “He just disappeared?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And it was the man from your dream?”

Karla stared, open-mouthed. “How did you know?”

“You’ve been dreaming of his escape for weeks now. It’s a natural conclusion.”

No it isn’t.

“What did he say?”

“Say? He didn’t say anything. He just nodded.”

Passion briefly lit Opal’s face again. “Nodded?”

“Yeah nodded…like he was glad to see me.”

“Maybe he is a spirit,” Opal replied, with as much emotion as if she’d said: “Maybe he is old.”

“A spirit?” Karla’s voice trembled. “You mean a ghost?”

“Spirits are a diverse group, Karla. Only a few are ghosts. But if you’ll let me I can keep him away from your apartment.”

Silently, Karla wondered, how an ex-history professor could sit calmly discussing the paranormal, as if she

“You can go to bed now dear. He won’t visit your flat again.”

“Thank you.”

She’s so beautiful. Why haven’t I ever noticed how beautiful she is? Every line, every crease seemed to tell its own story, its own tale of struggle, pain and triumph – and joy too.

There was so much joy in Opal’s familiar, well worn face.

The two women stood looking at each other. Into each other.

Time and space were suspended. The ceilings and walls around them receded, and grew shadowy…an unspoken knowledge was passed to Karla, as palatable as an embrace.

I’m not alone! There’re others like me! Relief washed over her, and she began to cry.

Opal hugged her and when she stepped back, Karla saw that her eyes were damp too. The older Indigo woman patted her face. “Now go get some rest. And don’t forget – no matter what happens – that you are protected.”

That night, as Karla lay in bed, she thought of her strange, wonderful gift and pondered Opal’s last words. She said: ‘He won’t visit your flat again. Not: ‘He won’t bother again’ or ‘He won’t come near you.’ She said no matter what, I’m protected.’

She’s more than what she seems to be. I don’t know who or what she is, but she’s more than what she seems.

m a g

More gems from Valjeanne Jeffers can be found via Goodreads, the Black Science Fiction Society, and BlackScififantasy24.ning.com

# 8

You can find Immortal 1 and 2 on Amazon.

Enjoy the Q&A w/ Valjeanne Jeffers , as well as the latest installment of her Story of Eve series in this issue.

p u r p l e

pg 38

Essentials for the dazzling of the plant-eating heart, Pt.1 Blackbeans are an amazing food for herbivores and omnivores alike. From blending canned or pre-soaked and boiled beans with onions, garlic, and flour to desired consistency then fried or baked as Blackbean burger patties, in sauces over pasta (garlic and onion truly bring out the flavor and are incredible combined with Sazon seasoning, blended with flour, vegan milk, and fair trade cocoa powder to make bakeable brownies or chocolate cakes.

They're the perfect not-beef, where garlic and onion seasoned chickpeas/garbanzo beans make excellent not-chicken patties, or amazing not-tunafish with a bit of powered kelp (seaweed), and chopped onions and vegenaise.

Peas are excellent, excellent in stirfry., alone baked with onion, garlic and oil, blended into a seasoned sauce, as a ravioli filling (good w/mushroom) 2-3 cups of peas have the same amount of protein as a small piece of meat.

Almond Flour with water added can be milk, sauce, soup, pate, and pastry base... The possibilities enthrall. Make breads, cookies, empanada circles, calzones... It's also low in carbs, like Coconut flour (also versatile, though quite expensive) which is a good thing for your blood sugar levels.

EarthBalance (all Vegan),, Parkay Light (it has to be light- others aren't vegan), or coconut oil are great butter substitutes. Earthbalance is a vegan butter sustitute identical to the real thing. Parkay light is okay but horrible when you're trying to fry pancakses.

Tip: Unless a package lists the word 'Vegetable' before the words Mono Digyclerides, the package is sure to contain meat bi-products,

Non-GMO Soy Milk For the non-pregnant woman (Soy is not good for pregnant women, or infants) non-genetically manufactured soy (it will state it does not use genetically modified beans on the bottle) is a very strong staple for a number of reasons including making tofu at home without having to soak beans and

often pork-based. I've seen this even in socalled 'Healthy-start' -type popsicles, and breads. Be careful to avoid Mono Diglycerides that aren't identified as vegetable-based. It pays to read the label.

grind them, as a sauce base, and coffee creamer, curdled with lemon juice into a whipped cream.

Zizeru

e.g (Tofu) You can add 1/4 cup lemon juice to a 1 cup boiled water to curdle it and make tofu. Let the curdle sit ten minutes then pour it into a drainable mold with something heavy, but light enough to sit over it until reaches desired consistency, usually less than half of an hour. The longer it sits the firmer it will be.

Scrambled tofu with 1 part turmeric and 1 part Soy sauce ( preferably Braggs Liquid Amino) added to the oil used in scramble adds an authentic scrambled not-egg taste *_^ You can also use Kala Namuk (Indian Black Salt) which naturally tastes and smells like egg yolks. The Veg world is full of underreported treasures.

Mushrooms and Onions- go with damn near everything.

Sauteed and Carmelized they're great with veg burgers, and onion oil made by soaking raw onions, is amazing in a cold veg sandwich or wrap.

Zizeru, vegan cuisine of the Greenbones, is slowly coming to light due to the recipes smuggled out of Zambarau by the brave and willing. Check future issues and Zambarau.com for updates. The updated version of The Books of Zambarau Maji Omnibus contains more information as well. Look for the next print edition which is undergoing illustration (in the meantime you can enjoy its digital form).

image: JPMatth

image: T.Shundler

Copper Angels & BrassMoors: The Creaking Hand lit: Dazjae Zoem a.k.a PurpleZoe

The dirigible's copper exhaust trumpets calmed to a lull; a

He could feel the eyes of the others peeking from the

purr offering reassurance of a kind to guide the will beating

windows, unsuccessful in shutting out the whispers

in Essien's chest.

wafting out to the street from the watering holes, and craftperson's shops, as he made his way into Haven

'Your ticket, Sir.'

City, eager to turn in his ticket at the Firsthouse and

Essien accepted the yellow ticket from the youth at the

be done with it. It was always gossip with groups

podium ending the descending air-plank, nodding but

wasn't it? They would want to exchange stories, or give

reluctant to meet his, or anyone's eyes, for that matter.

him pitying eyes; hollow words goading him, under the

Leticia Mweze hadn't come. Not even to stand at the door

guise of love and care, to remember.

and see him off. It would be silly to wait for her. He was

And who knew when he would, or if he'd see Leticia

probably less than an afterthought. He sighed to himself.

Mweze before he did. Nearly all of the air-ship's crew

Essien was a patient, a slow one who still had a portion of

who weren't *Greenbones or **Bookeaters had long

his being to recall before he was fully restored. What did he

shaken themselves out of mechanica and broken the

suppose she'd want with him?

chains of their kidnappers.

He struggled to avoid glancing down to his arm, but lost

He paused at the thought with a tendril of hope in his

inevitably, frowning at its brassy glinting in the sun; still

breast. He had seen a cook with a brass thumb and

missing the memory that would unlock its dna, the

forefinger, hadn't he?

knowledge of himself still spiriting the cruel piece of

Fanciful thoughts waste under scrutiny however, his

automata unwilling to let him forget. Could he ever? Forget?

especially so. They wouldn't have him aboard as a

Did anyone?

worker yet. What use had they for one who'd proven himself a psychological cripple, no matter the hours Leticia worked to helped him remember the women-kin in his line.. .' You would think he would at least remember his own Mother, but you'd be wrong.

'Essien? I'm so sorry I'm late. You must have braved terrible thoughts.'

The voice caught him where he suffered in thought, lifting him to a softer place in his mind, kindly as it always was. His throat clenching, he turned at the door to the Firsthouse, a bit dumbfounded to see her there, proving him quite sane, for he had heard her voice. Her cherrybark skin was flushed. It was clear she has rushed, and even run in her heeled lace boots, comfort be damned. Leticia. Chest heaving. Smile that could warm any heart, beaming.

p u r p l e

'I was hoping we could write an ether mail from time to time. Just to talk,' she managed shyly, somehow still the very measure of grace, disheveled or no.

m a g #

*Greenbones are the Motherland Fae of Zambarau, and Loomcity. ** Bookeaters will remain a mystery to you until you read Wonderdark (forthcoming see Zambarau.com for updates).

8 pg 42

#Noneveryperson superhero(es): Signif the gift

Name: Signif the Gift Skills: Femceeing, Commentary with substance, Tolerance for the growth process of other emcees.

Weaknesses: Not yet identified Stamina: Far exceeds the average Steez: Capeless, denim and tee Archnemesis: Not yet identified Contact: Erect a golden mic symbol and place over areas in need of etheric healing Gems: Check the EP Vitamin of choice: Uncomprimising beatsmithing

Additional #NonEverypersonSuperheroes to look for in the digiverse:

Why she's saving music: There's nothing rough around the edges about the lyrics she's lacing, or the producers she's working with. The lyrics are conscious because she's a woman of substance, not because

In the war against payola radio [wack on wax], it will take a strong force to bring good ethers back to the masses.

she's preaching to the choir. The beats... are ridonkulous.

Extra intel: Check purplemag.com for a coming interview feature w/ Signif the gift

Goldilox, VisitorQ, Dwarfstarr, OMG, Aunt Keke, MILLS, MilkPlus, Mr.Boyd, Dope Boy C, Blk Jks, Sabatta, The Oooh Baby Gimme Mores, BoogBrown, AquaIsland, Game Rebellion, Trezure The Empress, Micah James, A.R.M, Fabulous C, Sepsenahki, Choklate, Haz Solo, Phraim, Moon Satellite, Sewandi.. the list goes on.

p u r p l e m a g # 8 pg 43

Story of Eve cont'd from pg 18 Chick is a liar and a cheat. She is also a mulatto and thus a woman at war with herself. Her white half represented her spiritual aspect, the black half the animalistic side of her nature (Bogle, 1973). Against Chick's simmering sexuality Vidor placed Hallelujah's good girls: Zeke's childlike asexual true love Missy Rose, and American mythology’s own special blend of mother-virgin, Mammy; who is also asexual.

Everyone even her man, calls her "Mammy."

Many critics did not take kindly to Vidor's portrayal of Black folks. One letter to the editor of a Black paper charged that Vidor's "filthy hands were reeking with prejudice" (Leab, 1975; p. 93). Another writer referred to the movies insulting

"Tragically, King Vidor's intention was to create a film that would dramatically break from Hollywood's mythology of Black Americans. Yet Hallelujah was little more than a remake of Birth of a Nation with Chick starring as the uppity Negress."

"niggarisms" (Leab, 1975; p.93).

Tragically, King Vidor's intention was to create a film that would dramatically break from Hollywood's mythology of

I'm very fond of movies from the 1940s the acting and directing was superb

Black Americans. Yet Hallelujah was little more than a

and filmmakers really knew how to tell a story. Also, they could tell a tale

remake of Birth of a Nation with Chick starring as the

without blowing somebody up or sexually degrading women. In fact 21th

uppity Negress.

century dream weavers could learn a lot from the old masters.

As the British critic John Grierson later remarked: "I note

The downside, of course, was that Hollywood was still saturated with racism

from a publicity puff that King Vidor freed the Negro from

and sexism. It is fascinating to watch America's changing roles (remember

misunderstanding just as Abe Lincoln freed him from

that we are now in the 1940s, at war and the labor force is full of women) and slavery. Both statements are exaggerated" (Leab. 1975; p. 93). dream weavers struggle to portray these changes on screen.

Dreamland Part II: The Problem Era

The 1940s -1950s is called the "New Negro" era. The filmic face of peoples of color had begun to change. This was no accident. America had just journeyed

"I feel that for White American to understand the

through the Depression and she was at war. Certainly America didn't want

significance of the [Negro Problem]‌.will take a bigger and

peoples of color to feel that WWII was a "White folks war" and of thus of no

tougher America that we have ever known... Our too-young

concern to us. This is was exactly how some Black folks felt.

America lusty because it is lonely, aggressive because it is afraid, insists upon seeing the world in terms of good and

As Horace Clayton joking described it, a black sharecropper greeted a white

bad, the holy and the evil...the white and the black; our

man at his gin with the news: "By the way, Captain, I hear the [Japanese]

America is frightened of fact, of history...Therefore if within

done declared war on you white folks" (Cripps, 1993; p. 30).

the confines of its present culture, the nation ever seeks to purge itself of its color hate, it will find itself at war with

Yet many African Americans felt it wise to link their cause with winning

itself..." Richard Wright (1993) from Black Boy (American

WWII -- after all we wanted equality. And so began the oh so slow change in

Hunger) (pp. 320-323).

the portrait of Black America.

Our journey will take us into the midst of this war. The

The Problem Era/Part II

1940s is the era of the New Negro. It is the era of the Black

Before American entered WWII in 1941 it was taboo for married women to

and White woman. But repression of Native Americans is in

work. This doesn't mean that they weren't working (by 1940 six out of seven

full force. Repression of Peoples of Spanish descent has been

married women were working) it was just taboo for them to do so. The cult of

renewed. There is war raging upon American soil -- one

domesticity, the mantra that a woman's proper place was in the kitchen, the

which has never really ended. The dynamics of sex, race and

nursery and the bedroom, had endured.

class are in furious dialogue upon the Silver Screen. Let us go into the midst of this conflict.

continued next page.

p u r p l e m a g # 8 pg 44

Continued from previous page.

Continued from pg 33,'The Mind of Samax Amen

But In 1941, American attitudes changed, seemingly overnight. Suddenly it became women's -- married or not-- patriotic duty to work. Men were being drafted by the thousands. Factories needed warm bodies to make bombs, guns, uniforms -- and they weren't picky about whose. As White women filled "men's professions" the so-called "women's jobs" opened up and Black women stepped up to the plate.

It was during the WWII era that the so called "Problem Films" emerged: movies

"Be productive, and be bold. Live out of your faith, not your fears. Don't worry about failing, because you are going to fail... Get okay with it! There is no success without failure.You don't need permission to make a living from your work. Just trust your gifts to make a way for you."

which made an effort to critique racism. How did Black women fare in these movies? Generally Black men were much more visible than women. Hollywood thrived upon sexism. And so it is no surprise that when the dream weavers began to depict racism they would ignore African American women. Yet two actresses did manage to break from the usual: Lena Horne and Hazel Scott.

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

Right now, I am focused on publishing. 2 more issues of GhettoManga by the end of the year, hopefully!

Someday, we will get it where it's coming out on time, and then LOOK OUT!

A proud and demanding performer, Hazel Scott was one of the first Black artists who refused to appear before a segregated audience (Bogle, 1973). She also refused to play a role in a film, well aware, as she informed Ebony in 1944 that Black women were often cast as maids or whores (Bogle, 1973). Instead she always appeared in movies seated at the piano just as she would be in a

Also, I'm working with an awesome illustrator named Goldi Gold from atlanta. I will be publishing a book of his art called Complex Simplicity. Look for more news on that soon.

nightclub (Bogle, 1973). The dream weavers soon realized they'd bitten off than they could chew with Sister Hazel and her film career ended almost as quickly as it had begun (mid-forties).

The second volume of my freestyle comic/artbook/sketchbook/ series Spontaneous will come out before the end of the year. I'm compiling the

Lena became a star during the WWII era playing in classics like Cabin in the Sky and Stormy Weather. But Hollywood just couldn't seem to create a decent image for her -- what a surprise! Cabin the Sky, for instance, a popular Black musical is at its bare essence just more trouble in Black Eden jive, with Lena as the sexy mistress, Ethel Waters: the long suffering wife, and Eddie Anderson:

art as I go, so it shouldn't be as hard to put together as the first one was! People who buy it should be able to enjoy it even if they don't get the first one, but there will be little rewards for people who have both books.

the weak willed Black man.

And my wife and I started a business called Rock But for the most part, women were thrust back into the twisted heart of film mythology. Film women of the 1940s were diabolical, double-crossing, murderous and very, very powerful. The curtain was pulled back to reveal Woman in all her splendor and wickedness.

Paper Soul creating illustrated invitations and stuff.

It's still in the embryonic stages, but we are already making baby shower invitations with my art and a couple other artists we like. Stay tuned to RockPaperSoul.com for the details there!

Even wives became "bitches" during the 1940s. Women and marriage were depicted in films as symbolic of everything the hero was on the run from: society, children, community (Woods, 1975). It was Woman who trapped the hero and made him give up his freedom. Thus during the 1940s, Hollywood really had

Are there any words of wisdom you'd like to impart to artists seeking to establish themselves?

a damned if you do, damned if you don't motif firmly in place. Men and women had two choices: be miserable together or be miserable apart.

Just be productive, and be bold. Live out of your faith, not your fears. Don't worry about failing,

Mary was gone now. And Eve was large and in charge.

because you are going to fail... Get okay with it!

There is no success without failure.You don't need

Valjeanne Jeffers-Thompson Valjeanne Jeffers Copyright 1997, 2009 all rights reserved

Check issue 7 for the begining of the Story of Eve series.

permission to make a living from your work. Just trust your gifts to make a way for you.

Visit Samax @ ghettoManga.com,

samaxAmen.com, Ziontific.com, and RockPaperSoul.com

p u r p l e m a g # 8 pg 45

e t t e n i l a L r o f s Sweet dark Wonder g n i m thco he for t f o t) excerp

.

(

azjae lit: D

Zoem

'Shh...'

After a few minutes she spits the gum away with a hrumph,

She leans over me then, walnut brown finger to her lips, turning

scanning the empty parking lot in a half-decided turn.

the clasp of my purse with a weak click. Her hand comes away

Unreasonably long dreadlocs reach to her knees like thick

with 3 packs of butterscotch Vegly gum, eyes intrusively intimate

kinky vines of ivy, almost hiding a filmy chocolate brown

with me as she moves back over my lap and out of the car.

cloth; torn, linty and too short to be called a dress, even for something as rail thin as she. A small courtesy lollipop from

'I-'

Mweze Gold Bank emerges from the pocket sewn onto the frayed cloth, twined in her long fingers. Delicately

Looking to me again she turns her head slowly from side to side,

unfastened, the wrapper returns to the pocket without its

eyes flickering to a gumstick she neatly unwraps. A strange sigh,

candy gem, the air smacking with a loud POP. I realize my

warm like nectar-pulp, escapes her. Her too-pretty mouth chomps

heart is thumping, before I comprehend she's learning how

at the gum furiously.

to eat it.

I jump when the girl thing's hand closes around mine preventing

She turns to me when I exhale, louder than intended.

me from grabbing the OpenMoko, just as it reaches the phone.

Pulled from her mouth the red ball atop the paper-stick sceptre has shrunk, now clear enough for the stick to peek

She shakes her head.

through its hardened sugar mass.

'I know what you are.'

'Sweet.'

I sound about as brave as I feel. I'm lucky she isn't laughing at

She comments.

that.

'Uh... yeah. It's a Lollipop.'

She cocks her head to the side, tracing my face with her eyes, and after a stretching while she places a long conic finger to my lips.

'Laline wants.'

'Shh.' 'Um.' The urge to talk stops then, and the colors start.

They sway around her in muted tones.

'Give to Lalinette,' she smiles, large teeth showing.

I lied. I don't know what she is.

Faerypunk Dazjae Zoem is the author of 'Do peace, Laline,' she says in a voice of scrapes and bells, like a

the Motherland Faery tome 'The Books

child parroting their guardian.

of Zambarau-MajiOmnibus', and the forthcoming Wonderdark novel. Her writing, visual and experimental art

p u r p l e m a g # 8

can be found via Zambarau.com and purplemag.com

pg 46

Continued from pg 11- A conversation w/Valjeanne Jeffers

The Metaheart of Robert TrujilloContinued from pg 28 Normal parents stuff. Im persistent and

class, hood, ethnic background, show

diligent with my goals, plans, and craft

them "you". That is a artivist act in

All of them helped me see beyond and inside

because I'm around dope artists from so

itself because so much of our brain is

everyday life. They helped me to imagine the

many different disciplines, doing what

clouded with "be like someone else,

fantastic.

they love, loving, and pushing me so its

or abandon who you are in order to

As an adult, my science fiction appetite was first

very inspiring. I focus on the topics or

have shiny things". Next I would say

reawakened by Stephen King – I swear I would

themes I choose because its vital to my

practice!!! Whatever it is you do,

spend my last dime on one of his novels! The

purpose in life. Beyond doing the artwork making a new form of oil or cream to

Talisman (co-authored by Peter Straub) is one of

I do, I have also been teaching art in

moisturize dry hair, making organic

my all time favorites. This is of course before I even

schools all across the cities in the Bay

smoothies for your people, or

knew Black folks wrote science fiction. Now there

Area and New York City and our people,

challenging mainstream stereotypes

are Black, Native American and Latino folk writing

our children, our babies, they need it. Im of who you are in very closed minded

speculative fiction. But 20 or so odd years ago they

fortunate that I have many family

arenas such as private college

weren’t around – at least not within my reach.

members who have always been down

institutions...practice youre craft.

Later, I discovered a copy of Octavia Butler’s Wild

with what I do and pushed me to do

Practice everyday, whether its 5

Seed in my mother’s office. A doorway opened, and

more and many times I dont see young

minutes or 5 hours. You must put in

I consumed the works of Tananarive Due, Stephen

people getting that. If youre mom and

a lot of time, and really love putting

Barnes, Nalo Hopkinson, Tad Williams – and a

dad have always had to work hella hard,

that time in -in order for someone to

whole host of others.

they always struggled, or even if they

see that and be inspired.

I’ve always looked for novels that can transport me

earned enough, but were discriminated

Helping TYS? well, keep reading

to another place – a book that’s so excellent I

against despite it-its hard not to want

about what were doing. For example,

become passionately involved in the lives of the

your child to be protected. Meaning, work were getting ready to embark on our

characters. This is what all authors aspire to, I

hard as hell day and night and you wont

third mural tour to the Phillipines

think. To write well, we must create characters –

starve! Not necessarily, "examine this

in 2010, where 3 of our members

create worlds – that are not flat cardboard cut-outs

system we live in", "create opportunites

have family, and where an armed

of good and evil; but “real” with flaws, weaknesses

for your family to do the trade that was

struggle for freedom is currently

and strengths. Worlds and individuals readers can

passed down and so much more",

taking place. We have already

identify with. I look for books that challenge

"challenge the powers that be, whereever traveled through Mexico, Central

injustice too: either on personal or global level.

you are".

America, and across the United States Check out

Science fiction and fantasy are the perfect metaphors for this, because you’re only limited by

Which methods would you advise fellow

www.trustyourstruggle.com and let

your imagination.

'artivists' to employ when seeking to

us know what you think, good and

spark a hope-light in the minds of folks

bad.

Join Valjeanne's Immortal network

in the community who may feel positive

at BlackScifiFantasy24.ning.com,

changes are far off, or not likely to take

With Come Bien, if youre a poc

and read the Immortal excerpt and

place? How can readers assist efforts

(person of color) who likes to write,

her Story of Eve series installment

with Trust Your struggle, Come Bien

rhyme, draw, paint, design etc,,,hit

featuring in this issue.

books, and other conscious

us up! I mostly run it but my homie

organizations/coalitions, to gain a

Joy Liu, a talented painter/designer

transformational presence in the larger

is working with me on turning it

world community? Which organizations

into an actual publishing house. If

movements would you also recommend

youre a parent, adult, or elder of

readers be aware of?

color please spread the word about

I would say to sing, paint, dance, or

what we do and support by leaving

speak from the heart. Come from the

comments, saying hello, etc..

heart first. No matter what youre social

Continued on page 50

We love all that is curiously bold, triumphantly introducing its own personal mold, despite the monotonous drone of the cogs as the machine grinds to a halt.

image: Ra Kuza

Alerts from The Curious Bazaar: Brigitte Taylor.com Artistic blocks can be among some of the hardest hurtles to overcome, but they don't have to be...

p u r p l e

Wolfe FX cosmetics: Play in cruelty-free makeup

Plantfolk.com Buy the teeshirt.

m a g

BooksforAfrica.org and Coloronline (Blogspot)'s Bookdrive place contributions in worthy hands.

# 8 image: Ra Kuza

pg 49

Continued from page 47, The Metaheart of Robert Trujillo If your'e an person of anglo descent, check us out too! It's for everyone to enjoy. We have a lot of work to do in order to make our ancestors proud!

Hmm other folks puttin it down...wow, thats a long list! Well as far as folks I know or follow: Legal Bees Productions, Coup De Tat Brooklyn, TNS, TCB, Ghetto Manga, Brotherman Comics, Morning Breath,

N rfiynoiunrg dplreeexaatsmu�frdoe e ...

Hustlenomics crew, Msquared crew, Pueblo Nuevo Gallery, Fresthetic Gallery, Hard Knock Radio, The Coup, SOL collective & 2hermano, Dstructure SF, the Filipino Community Center in SF, Cant Stop Wont Stop, Frank 151 in NY, Younity in NY, Door Knockers blog, Blank Bare Clean Blog, Rock Paper Scissors Collective,Harriets Alter Ego, Clenched Fist Productions, Parallel mvmt, Driving School for Life,The Living Word Project, The Wampanoag Nation in MA, The Trinity Hip Hop fest in CT, Roof Top Legends at New Design HS in NY, USAC en Guatemala, Agora, Nesa en DF-Mexico, National University of Bogota, Credhos and APC en Columbia, The Victory Grill in AustinTX, Craige Cultural Center in New Orleans,Omenala Griot Center in Atlanta, Black Mesa Water Coalition, Indigenous Peoples Network, and Black Sheep in Flagstaff-AZ, Samurai Graphics and Dignidad Rebelde in the Bay, ahhh theres prob more but I cant think of anymore right now.... image: Terry Moore

What does the future of Come Bien Books hold? Will there be anthologies, and/or graphic novels?

YES! Yes we will be releasing an anthology of the collaborations created, hopefully in early 2010. We will also be releasing some "zines" focusing on African/African American cultural history, and one about what it means to be Raza, Latin@, Hispanic, or indigenous.

Graphic novels is something I would like to put out when we're ready.

Regarding the next issue of the Dream definition series:

We're building up our catalogue slowly but surely. In terms of what were looking for, I'd say the main focus is on teenagers and young adults, but every contributor brings something unique to the picture.Oh, and were planning to launch the www.comebienbooks.com site real soon so look out for that.

Can you tell us more about Trust Your Struggle's Mission?

The mission is currently being revised actually, but we have always stood for using street art, mixed media, installations, workshops, and large scale murals to reclaim spaces and to speak on issues such as Ethnic studies, social justice and revolutionary movements, working class struggle, and political education, and every day peoples lives..

To be continued....

Words of wisdom for the community at large in these uncertain times?

Family, positivity, and health. Connect them, maintain them, and nurture them. So much flows from these three things. And some good music doesnt hurt either.

Visit Sir Trujillo @ ComeBienBooks.blogspot.com

Word in the underground is there may be a closer look at Lady Aki Hirata-Baker, Anyabwile Love, More of the vibrance of Samax Amen's imagery, and Terry Juku, with a heavy focus on finding one's Bliss Lense in the next installment of the Dream definition series.

The Last Word: Is Yours (Enjoy a Happy Place fill-in dedicated to your dreamvision)

I'm happy because I've managed to ___________ despite the __________ _________that almost __________ the _______. It's cheery on the otherside of a manifested dream. I once thought that _________ could never ___________, but indeed, I've learned __________ can __________ __________ ____________.

It inspires new goals, still young in mind, and as I stand in this place of transitory delights beckoning me to birth them from what I now know to be a successful mind garden, I will dream of __________, and ___________, and _________, because ____________ a bit of ________ makes this feeling plentiful.

And should a relapse of gloom beset me while I bend over a dream steady at work in my lab, I will remember ____________, because it has that silly way of reminding me that _______ can _________ and __________ can ___________ ___________.

The End? Not nearly. Think of it as a installment.

youth contributor image: Q.Zoem

p u r p l e m a g # 8

(Who you be is not necessarily who you've been)

purplemag.com