Issue 23 - June 2022

A new affirmation / Una nueva afirmación My past is not a reflection of my future. I'm allowed to make mistakes – they don't form my story.

Mi pasado no es un reflejo de mi futuro. Tengo permitido cometer errores - no forman todo mi historia.

What is Radical zine?

Radical started as a way to spread a message of sustainable self-care and unconditional love as a healing tool. Choosing to love myself unconditionally and heal is the reason I am still alive. This zine project is an extension of my own journey. Art, poetry, & choosing to support others gives me a greater purpose than just my own needs.

Radical also strives to support independent artists, writers, and healers with a main focus on woc and queer creatives.

XOXO, Leah Oviedo

D.I.Y. Therapy: Process Pain Through A Letter This tool is great if you don't have access to justice, or need to find closure without inperson contact. Writing a letter – that you don't send – to someone who harmed you can help you feel heard and say what you need to say. This was originally suggested to me as a way to deal with my grief as a way to clear up an issue that wasn't resolved before death. It's an easy opportunity to speak the words you want to say and process events or emotions!

Some great aspects of writing a letter that you don't send are: 1. You can be as angry as you want to be and use words that you normally would feel uncomfortable to say!

2. There's no need for confrontation.

3. You can be totally honest.

4. It helps you process things - similar to journaling.

5. You can read the letter out loud to someone who has agreed to hold space for you.

6. It can provide closure 7. It keeps you safe if the person who caused you pain is too dangerous to be around.

8. And it can feel really good!

Let's all keep our self-love practice going.

Remember to practice self-care that is specific to your needs. If something isn't working, try a different tool or approach it from a different perspective.

As you grow and heal, you will need different tools and skills to stay healthy. This is part of the healing process.

Find more self-care guidance in all previous issues!

If you found this helpful, please pass it on! Sharing is free and so is this zine. (:

Indigenous American: Poets to Know-its Tanaya Winder – author, singer, poet, motivational speaker and educator. https://tanayawinder.com/music/ https://www.instagram.com/tanayawinder/ https://twitter.com/tanayawinder/

Elizabeth Woody – author and speaker Illumination: https://www.poetryoutloud.org/poem/illumination/ Coquille: https://www.loc.gov/item/2020785213/

Arielle Twist – author and multi-disciplinary artist Disintegrate / Dissociate: https://arielletwist.com/books-2/ https://www.instagram.com/arielletwist/?hl=en

Billy Ray Belcourt History of My Brief Body : https://billy-raybelcourt.com/a-history-of-my-brief-body Poems: https://griffinpoetryprize.com/poet/billy-ray-belcourt/

Stranger Storms It's strange how you can sense the storm before it arrives Feel the lightning charge the air before it sparks the sky You ever notice how a smile or chuckle erases the pain And with just one blissful moment, everything's alright again It's strange how nostalgia makes things seem sweeter than they were The rage, the pain, the tension - all becomes a blur

Hey, I'm Jessica Nathalia Callender and I am a poet. I write as a way for me to express myself and to let people see things from a different perspective. I like to believe that everyone experiences the world differently, and my poetry is a lens for someone to view the ordinary world the way I see it, as as a beautiful and amazing place. instagram.com/nathalia_thepoet

Nia is a queer, black, self-taught visual artist living in Baltimore City. For over 25 years Nia has created both large and small-scale projects, from murals and sign making to creating greeting cards and painting pet portraits. Their artwork focuses on the different living beings that make up this planet, including flora and fauna. As a co-owner of Red Emma’s Bookstore and Coffee House and with the work they do with BRED, they hope to break the cycle of silenced emotions and create moments where feelings are present, raw, transformative and valid. Follow on Instagram.com/little.tree.art

IVORY TOWER (In honor of the writing fellowship whose steep application fee I saved up for, because the organizers brandished "diversity and inclusion" on their mission statement, only to accept 34 white writers, one Black writer, and one Asian.)

Equally loud as the excluded voices, the unchallenged vector of repeated stories ricocheting in the cavernous space where there might have been other eyes, other colors, other pains, other eloquences with which to climb out of the pain.

The sledgehammer words, crushing words, with neither nuance nor secrets never been fed solids, never knowing grace in opposition or breathing in layers, just white light in a white room with all white corners and one door that only opens outward.

White poetry on white paper.

Uniform cadence beating ad nauseam. Outside, the world writhes and articulates in a box that quickly becomes inadequate for an orchestra of revelation that anyone would know better than try to contain.

DON'T LEAVE HERE WITHOUT SAYING WHAT YOU CAME HERE TO SAY You should let go of the words that they are not saying in praise of you You were not meant to compete with the names they are calling instead of yours Compete with the silence when you know breaking it will give someone their freedom (even if that someone is you) Your enemy isn't the spotlight that you think belongs to you but is being shined somewhere else Your enemy is the space in the world where the story that keeps telling and retelling itself inside you should exist but doesn't Your enemy is your voice erasing itself because you'd rather not use it than start and not have enough come to listen

Follow Iris on https://twitter.com/irisorpi https://www.instagram.com/irisorpi/ & https://www.facebook.com/irisorpi

Writer I remember when I first saw my article stuck in gloss, pinned between my index finger and thumb.

My words, permeant and vulnerable.

Random eyes ingesting about a play I wrote.

I was seen.

Heard.

Fell in love with being only seen in words and the 5 w’s.

Happiness knows my name in pen.

In pencil.

In crumpled napkins, littered in ink.

Jasmine Farrell, from Brooklyn, NY is a freelance writer and author. With poetry being her first love, she has published three full-length poetry collections: My Quintessence (2014), Phoenixes Groomed as Genesis Doves (2016), Long Live Phoenixes (2018). She released a poetry series that included three micro collections titled, The Release Series (2020). She recently published her debut novel, Sloppy (2022).

Website: www.jasminefarrell.com Instagram: @justbreathejasmine Twitter: @authorjfarrell

Photography and text by Nanxi Medrano

Photos description: SUNDAY, MAY 1, 2022 May 1st International Workers Day | 1ro de Mayo Día Internacional Trabajadores Chicano Park END THE WAR ON THE WORKING CLASS! ¡ALTO A LA GUERRA CONTRA LA CLASE OBRERA! For International Workers' Day, people from all around the world assemble to protest the many injustices they continue to encounter at corporations that put profits before people.

Year after year, the community of San Diego, with the assistance of organized groups, gathers in the center of Chicano Park to march against and raise the consciousness of the working class's battle against the global corporate capitalist system. In the center of Chicano Park on May 1, 2022, the community and groups began a demonstration demanding the following: – Dignity for all Workers – End To War Funding – Housing as a Human Right – End to the Domestic War on Black and Brown Communities – Critical Education and Democratic Schooling – Health Care for All These photographs document our common history of protests like May Day and other actions to demonstrate that our people have the power to effect change and better our living circumstances for future generations.

Interdisciplinary Fronteriza Artivista based in San Diego, California. I was born in Los Angeles, CA but raised in the border region of San Diego/Tijuana. I am "muy orgullosa" of being binational and embracing both American and Mexican cultures simultaneously.

My vision as an “artivista” is to allow viewers to realize that all change begins from within us. I use photography, social practice, digital graphics and drawing, pottery, and installations for my artivismo; these mediums allow me to convey the issues which impact underprivileged communities such as food sustainability, chronic disease, social justice, and more.

Not going out tonight I’m not going out tonight I’m gonna stay inside I’ll go through all that’s in my closet see what’s still there that I hide I’ll wake the skeletons and take the shadows out I’m gonna put them in a song sing their asses off shake their bones jump about and shout I’m gonna have a party that’s for one Send invites to all that I am made of roll the carpet out and sound the drum.

Inisa Fajra is a writer & poet whose work explores our unconscious and our ego in equal measures, venturing into themes of alchemy & psychology.

Symbolism is weaved throughout her poems and short stories to enable connection with the readers who might have experienced its influence in their own lives. Her book of poetry “New Skin (Rubedo Edition)” is available on Amazon.

You can follow Inisa at instagram.com/inisa.fajra

I’ve been told never to talk politics unless it’s the hill I’m willing to die on. Well, it may literally be. There have been twenty mass shootings since Robb Elementary school in Uvalde on May 24, where 19 children and 2 teachers were killed. Still, there have been ZERO gun reform at the federal level.

It’s been obvious for a long time that many politicians do not support the will of the majority, and a lot of it has to do with too much money in politics. While that problem could be resolved with federal election finance laws to limit the amount of campaign contributions to political parties and candidates (similar to what Canada passed in 1974), I am also proposing another path in addition. What if we also require politicians to take personality/psychological tests?

Many companies already require job candidates to take psychological/personality tests to assess their “fit” for positions. Why can’t we do

the same for politicians who are interested in running for office? After all, they are in a sense our employees.

Hiring a new employee is a big decision. The more information and insight we have about the person who we choose to represent us, the better our hiring decision will be. We can use this assessment to detect and weed out power hungry candidates who only care about building their legacy and wealth with no regard for human life. This data will assign scores for trustworthiness, greediness, the tendency to abuse power, etc. The information will be public, and we as voters can decide whether, along with their stances on certain policies, we are electing someone who should be in a position of power.

If you do agree with this proposal, I have created a petition at Change.org.

Please consider signing it and share.

Link https://www.change.org/p/require-politicians-to-take-psychological-tests-toweed-out-power-hungry-candidates Petition contributed by Sarina Dahlan

Blade and Chalice by Natalie Allgyer

The Blade and Chalice are ancient symbols. The Blade represents the doer and giver of the Divine Masculine energy. The Chalice represents the receiving, compassionate, Divine Feminine energy. Both exist in each of us. We all have male and female energy inside of us. Embracing both allows us to embody our human form fully.

In an ideal world, the energies would be balanced. The thing is, I don’t think I’ve met anyone who has unconsciously balanced both. Not that they don’t exist! I

just haven’t met them. Aligning the two takes effort, work, and a shit ton of healing. For the most part, please don't assume that it’s our fault that the two are misaligned. Most of the time, the trauma starts way back in our DNA from our ancestors and conditioning in our youth.

If you look closely, you can see that society is working on the problem. Gender equality, healing toxic masculinity, embracing feminism. Aligning the two means you can be comfortable in your skin.

I love what the younger generations are doing. They are leading with their hearts. I can’t wait to see and feel the world when it is all theirs.

Bio: Human connection is what fuels my creativity. I love knowing that my pain can help heal your pain. Making a difference in this life is vital to me. What I have to offer is my whole self, my camera, and my pen. The artistic creations born of me have to move on to make a home in the heart of someone who needs to see them. We are all made of stardust. I'm just doing my part to make our walk this humans experience, together as one, a little bit brighter.

I was invited and attended parallax art fair in London. My work has been featured in industry magazines, such as Almost Real Things and a few others EU. More to come too! Pre-COVID, my work resided in several galleries around the USA. I’ve since changed my business model to an “open edition format” to reach the people who need my work the most. This change has filled my heart and my cup.

Website- www.natalieallgyer.com

Threadbare Jacket Grief fits like an old jacket Threadbare and worn It's rough against my skin A little too tight Constricting my breath The sleeves too short My wrists are bare Exposed Holes and rips allow in cold air The musty smell assaults my nose Patched and stitched over multiple times The sewing done poorly Rushed The fabric speaks of love, anger, regret, denial, sadness, friendship, death, survival I've been wearing it frequently Every six months or so I want to throw it away But its mine I begrudgingly take ownership I know this jacket by heart Yet I notice new pieces Feel new embellishments each time I pull it from the bottom of my closet Grief is familiar, but always a little different...

Hola todos! I'm Leah Oviedo, an artist, writer, self-defense instructor, and self-care advocate from a mixed family that reaches across borders. My interests include intersectional equality, healing, and nature. My art is meant to inspire a love of self and healthy self-growth, of inner and outer peace, and the possibilities that we can all take action to be the change we want to see. I'm not on social media, you can enjoy my work at ImpowerYou.org. Thank you.

Abrazos

SONG SPOTLIGHT!!!

“LIBRE” por Mora Navarro Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrLsa-UPm00 Song: https://soundcloud.com/moranavarro/libres Letras:

Hoy me levanto, otro día siendo mujer Desayuno con otra muerta más por la TV Que su pollera, que era fiestera Y su asesino qué?

Me voy de mi casa, quién sabe si podré volver Solo quiero caminar en paz, dejá de chiflar Que nos paren de matar!

No quiero correr más Por mis hermanas voy a luchar Porque vivas nos quiero, libres, sin miedo Vivas nos quiero, libres, sin miedo de ser lo que quieras ser Voy a vestirme como quiera, con jean o con pollera Y voy a luchar por el aborto legal Para que mis sororas no mueran más en manos de este sistema que nos condena Vamos a gritar en nombre de las que ya no están Vivas nos quiero, libres, sin miedo Vivas nos quiero, libres, sin miedo de ser lo que quieras ser Yo soy mi dueña aunque todavía no lo entiendas Ya no voy a correr, porque juntas vamos a vencer

Learn about Prison Abolition!

"Prisons do not disappear social problems, they disappear human beings." Angela Davis Angela Davis and Abolitionsit Feminism: “When someone asks me about violence, I just find it incredible, because what it means is that the person who is asking that question has absolutely no idea what Black people have gone through,...” https://rebelarchives.humspace.ucla.edu/exhibits/show/sisters-instruggle/introduction-

Wedding Bells and Prison Bars: Why Prison Abolition Is a Queer Rights Issue “Since the beginning of imperial colonization, policing gender and sexuality has been a major focus of white supremacist heteropatriarchy. “ https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/03/prison-abolition-queer-rights/

Black & Pink National is a prison abolitionist organization dedicated to abolishing the criminal punishment system and liberating LGBTQIA2S+ people and people living with HIV/AIDS who are affected by that system through advocacy, support, and organizing. https://www.blackandpink.org/

INCITE! is a network of radical feminists of color organizing to end state violence and violence in our homes and communities. https://incite-national.org/

My Body My Choice!

National Latina Institute of Reproductive Justice https://www.latinainstitute.org/ The Center for Reproductive Rights; https://reproductiverights.org/ Planned Parenthood: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/ ACLU: https://www.aclu.org/other/keep-marching-what-you-can-do-protectreproductive-freedom The Abortion Diary – Break the silence about abortion with your story. https://www.theabortiondiary.com/about-the-abortion-diary

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Social/Environmental Justice Resources The official #BlackLivesMatter Global Network builds power to bring justice, healing, and freedom to Black people across the globe. https://blacklivesmatter.com/ This launch of A People’s Orientation to a Regenerative Economy: Protect, Repair, Invest and Transform guides us collectively into a sustainable future, wherein Indigenous sovereignty and values are front and center. https://www.ienearth.org/regenerativeeconomy/ Mama Black uplifts the voices of Black women across the African Diaspora, continuing the powerful legacy of Black feminist traditions, womanist inclinations, and radical leanings. This platform offers cutting-edge perspectives and radical thought on Black women's issues, centering the lives of Black women survivors of rape and sexual violence across the spectrum of assault. https://www.mamablack.org/ March for Our Lives mission: To harness the power of young people across the country to fight for sensible gun violence prevention policies that save lives. https://marchforourlives.com/

Healing Resources Nationwide Suicide Prevention crisis line: 1-800-273-8255.

Don’t want to call? Use a text help line. Text 741741 anywhere in the USA for a live trained counselor.

Black Line – A crisis line that gives priority for BIPOC folk. Callblackline.com 1-800-604-5841. You can also report incidents of vigilantes and police.

The Trevor Project – Suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth, 1-866-488-7386 or TheTrevorHelpline.org There are apps that support mental health. The My3App connects someone who is feeling suicidal with their three main support contacts. My3app.org Mental Health America offers free mental health first aid training, Mentalhealthamerica.net NAMI – Alliance of mental illness has a program called Peer to Peer, similar to Big Brother/Big Sister, which is a way to socialize and give support for those who are feeling isolated. Nami.org DBSA– Depression, Bipolar, Anxiety. Dbsalliance.org Survivors of Suicide Loss. SOSLSD.org The Love Warrior Community focuses on helping people work on self-love and body acceptance. Lovewarriorcommunity.com Affordable healthcare is available through various local clinics and through Planned Parenthood.

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