Radical Issue Eleven, March – April 2019
Click something BOLD below for things that make you feel good.... Honorable Mention: Miss Major Griffin-Gracy Featured Artist Interview: Jasmine Farrell Writing: Stop Family Fat Shaming by Diasy Salinas NEW ARTIST Nia Art: Portrait of a Woman, 2018 by Kendal Fong Writing: No Love is More Understanding by Inisa Fajra Writing: Musica Meastro by Erika Reyes Art: think think think by Lauren Elizabeth Writing: Finding Spring by Iris Orpi Art: Rich Soil by Leah Oviedo D.I.Y. Therapy: Seven Steps to Emotional Balance Shop: Free Things & Great Things List of Healing Resources Closing Affirmation
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Honorable Mention: Miss Major Griffin-Gracy Miss Major Griffin-Gracy is a human rights activist and community leader with a focus on raising up the voices and protecting the lives of trans folk. Though she has been around for a while, I learned about her this summer when a parent set up a screening of her documentary at the library. I left that event feeling so happy! I was impressed, motivated and inspired with the amount of love this woman has for others She is a truly radical hero because of how openly that love that shines through in her work. “MAJOR! explores the life and campaigns of Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a formerly incarcerated Black transgender elder and activist who has been fighting for the rights of trans women of color for over 40 years...Her personal story and activism for transgender civil rights intersects LGBT struggles for justice and equality from the 1960s to today. At the center of her activism is her fierce advocacy for her girls, trans women of color who have survived police brutality and incarceration in men’s jails and prisons.” From the website: www.missmajorfilm.com.
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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. Website: www.mamablack.org Instagram: www.instagram.com/blackwomensblueprint
Featured Artist Interview: Jasmine Farrell Jasmine Farrell is an author, poet and blogger. With the passion and drive to inspire others, Jasmine has utilized her words to uplift and inspire others from the age of 9. She had a way of painting pictures with her unique style of poetry which led her to connect her audience through her performances and written work by encouraging and reminding people that they aren’t alone. In 2014, she released her first book, ‘My Quintessence,’ then later added, ‘Phoenixes Groomed as Genesis Dove,’ which was inspired by her major life experiences that triggered her consciousness and allowed her to blossom into her true self. The book embodies her current style and shows her commitment to encourage others on similar paths by allowing herself to open her heart and share her personal experiences with the world. In addition to graduating Nyack College with a Bachelors in Communications in 2014, she has performed and shared her works with many. Radical: What is something good that showed up for you recently? Jasmine: Quite a few things. However, the highlight was being apart of a showcase at The Bowery Poetry Club. It’s been awhile since I’ve performed in my home city. I love performing poetry. No matter how nervous and shy I get before I get on that stage. Radical: What are 7 words that describe your essence? Jasmine: Quirky, Nurturing, Dominant, Sensitive, Red, Yellow and Silly. Radical: Do you remember what inspired you to write your first book of poetry? Jasmine: Yes, I do. I’ve always wanted to publish at least five poetry collections. What inspired me to get the ball rolling was realizing that the only person stopping me was me. I want to inspire people with my narrative and the experiences of my loved ones. I want people to hear my story and feel comfortable with their own. In 2014, I realized my excused were only hindering me from doing that. After watching a documentary, The Last Days of Lefteye it really hit me: If I was to die right now, my words, the legacy I want to leave will only be in my head. I began collecting my poems and had my friend edit my first poetry collection, My Quintessence Radical: Will you share one or two of your favorite self-care tools? Jasmine: 1. Unplugging: I log off of all social media accounts, cease texting and observe my surroundings for at least twenty minutes. I focus on my breathes and make sure my feet are shoulder length apart. 2. Meditation: I meditate for five minutes daily. Survival Busyness is inevitable, so the least I can do is be more present throughout the
day. Radical: Who is one of your women/womyn role models and why? Jasmine: One of my women role models is Nikki Giovanni. She is straight forward, confident and speaks her damn mind. Radical: Will you share with us one of your favorite poems? Jasmine: Nikki-Rosa By: Nikki Giovanni childhood remembrances are always a drag if you’re Black you always remember things like living in Woodlawn with no inside toilet and if you become famous or something they never talk about how happy you were to have your mother all to yourself and how good the water felt when you got your bath from one of those big tubs that folk in chicago barbecue in and somehow when you talk about home it never gets across how much you understood their feelings as the whole family attended meetings about Hollydale and even though you remember your biographers never understand your father’s pain as he sells his stock and another dream goes And though you’re poor it isn’t poverty that concerns you and though they fought a lot it isn’t your father’s drinking that makes any difference but only that everybody is together and you and your sister have happy birthdays and very good Christmases and I really hope no white person ever has cause to write about me because they never understand Black love is Black wealth and they’ll probably talk about my hard childhood and never understand that all the while I was quite happy
Website: JasmineFarrell.com Twitter: Twitter.com/justbreathejas
Facebook: Facebook.com/justbreathejasmine Instagram: http://Instagram.com/JustBreatheJasmine
Books by Jasmine Farrell
Stop Fat Shaming Disguised as Health Concerns Daisy Salinas @MuchachaFanzine Diet talk from my family during the holidays is traumatizing af. When visiting my family this past summer, I was praised by nearly everyone for losing a little weight. NO ONE asked me about my success with my job, my projects, or gaols. They were only interested that I had less fat on my body. But this visit, I gained back the wight and the microaggressions and fat shaming disguised as health concerns. It makes me realize once again that their love and praise of thin bdies comes from a deep level of self-hatred that is rooted in colonialism and capitalism. Since colonization began, we've lived in a world where body terrorism, white supremacy, and the heteropatriarchy have constructed a society in where “deviant bodies” (fat bodies, disabled bodies, trans bodies, bodies of color) are not seen as fully human and are deserving of ridicule, mockery, and violence. Through capitalism, companies reinforce these ideas to profit off of our self-loathing and make billions in the process. Desire for thinness masked as “health” is historicall raced, misogynistic, and heteronormative. Weight does not equate to health, butmy family is already conditioned despite how much I try to educate them. They will continue to glorify thin bodies and shame fat ones. So why not cut them off? I still love them and I have chosen instead to set healthy boundaries by visiting less often. I am a nepantlera on a bridge between family life and chosen family I've come to terms that my parents, my tias and most of my primas have internalized a single story of what makes up healthy bodies. I can only control my own. I am learning to let it go and that my body ismine and mine alone. I am honoring the ancestors and descendants by breaking the colonial rooted self-hatred that consumes my family. As hard as it is, I choose to loudly and unapologetically love the shirt out of myself and fight to practice daily radical self-love as a form of decolonoization and resistance. This is my survivial.
Daisy Salinas is a Xicana feminist punk zinester (Muchacha Fanzine), musician (Frijolera Riot), activist, curator., and poet (Wake-Up!). She started the quarterly decolonial feminist punk fest "Xingonas in the Pit” with the purpose of promoting punk as an act of resistance and selfsufficiency for people of color. Her goal for the third Xingonas in the Pit: "Black and Brown Punk Fest TX" is to build a safe space for punks of color to reclaim their identities, their art, and their collective liberation.
New to Radical: Nia
Nia is a queer, black, self-taught visual artist living in Baltimore City. Her love for animals and nature has inspired her to draw and paint both domestic and wild animals, and wildlife for the past 25 years. Nia loves to work on both large and small-scale projects, from painting murals and building signage to creating greeting cards and pet portraits. Her artwork is a way for people to focus on the elements that make up this planet, whether that be animals, wildlife, or other people. Nia is a co-owner of Red Emma’s Bookstore and Coffee House and also works for Baltimore Roundtable for Economic Democracy. Through both of these positions and through her artwork she hopes to break the cycle of silenced emotions, and to create moments where feelings are present, raw, transformative and valid. FOLLOW NIA: www.instagram.com/little.tree.art & www.facebook.com/nia.draws.things
Portrait of a Woman, 2018 by Kendal Fong
Acrylic, mixed media, embrodery “I am an artist currently based in San Diego. I graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a Bachelor’s in Fine Art with a focus in printmaking in 2013. Since, I have been working at the San Diego Museum of Art. My current works have predominately been portraiture, using acrylic paint, water color, embroidery, and various other media.” – Kendal Fong Instagram: Instagram.com/kendalistrash Website: Kendalfong.weebly.com
You deserve to practice self-care daily. Download past issues of Radical for free self-care lessons.
No Love That is More Understanding by Inisa Fajra There is no love that is more understanding to me than the love of the night She knows everything, she does but doesn't need to show it She's quiet, peaceful, wise the ending of all the long days of existing We sit together on the uncomforatbale cornes of the the stars with smiles that glisten We've fallen many times before yet here we are glowing in the sky and hugging the world that we've masked in darkness The depth that swalllows is is the warmest of feelings though my skin, still awake can feel the cold breeze of endings A reminder of my phsyical, still here, but a whole separate enttity when the night comes She notices I;m cold and saddens for a minute, fearing distance I reassure her that the harshness, which she carries is necessary and appreciated It's asking for retreat within Our smiles – our secrets, reflecte in the shapes of the moon Our eyes, speaking cold facts that only know the language of the truth sometimes hidden, but always there 'They are scared of us' and her smile grew bigger, so did mine 'because they ca't see through it, and they're paralysed for not seeing a path to run back to their safety' 'A path' I replied 'as if we ever needed one to keep moving Fear is but a door to knowledge that wouldn't open toa trembling hand, whose knocks are too cowardish, to quiet to be answered.'
Inisa Fajra is a fire woman, a believer in the transformative powers of fire and everlasting change. She has traveled and worked in countries across the world, igniting her passion for the new and unknown. Recently abandoning her biggest passion and dreams of a career, Inisa decided to pursue a life, where careers are of no importance, but spiritual exploration, uplifting and love give life a meaning. We often seem to have it the other way around. She currently resides in Vietnam. As her priority in life, Inisa puts believing & dreaming (both carrying the same meaning) - into making yourself and your world into whatever you’d like it to be and being part of the energies that shift, move & travel through time. She writes by ‘translating poetry in people talk’, silencing external distractions with real food for the soul through her poems and short stories. Follow Inisa at Instagram.com/inisa.fajra.poetry
History is radical! Did you know that in 1969, Native American activists occupied Alcatraz island in San Francisco for 19 months? Learn more about Native American activism from the 1960's through today from the Zinn Education Project! www.zinnedproject.org/materials/native-american-activism-1960s-to-present
Musica Maestro by Erika Reyes Music moves one leg then the other heavy beats heavy drum The soul sings a different melody confused by sounds left on the road. The wind whistles new harmonies through every strand Black hair makes the loveliest sound. A spectacle-turned-dance fills space eternal or so it's thought as the evening knocks. Songs are sung in sync with life's orchestra. To be a conductor, we pretend. As we move to the music. The music it moves us instead. ----Erika Reyes is a word-enthusiast based in Los Angeles, California. Background is Mesoamerican, Mexican, and Angelin@. With Spanish and English writing, she focuses on short stories. But you can also get a copy of her plays, poetry, and prose, or zines about travel and erotica +++ if you direct-message or email. She also does freelance translations between English and Latin American Spanish. Please contact her for comments or questions at IG: Iinstagram.com/artificialaltar or email erikaisreyes@gmail.com
think think think Lauren Elizabeth
Lauren Elizabeth is a 32 year old artist who still finds it odd to call herself an artist and even stranger to write about herself but really enjoys trying new things so let’s party on. She grew up in Las Vegas, NV and moved to San Diego, CA just shy of graduating Basic High School. No really, that’s the name of the school. Look it up. She secured a job in corporate retail and after 10 years, landed work at the San Diego Museum of Art as security. Lurking in galleries surrounded by artists such as Goya, Dali, Warhol, and Kahlo really sparked a creative flame under her cute cheap leggings, and she started drawing on scratch paper with whatever she found lying around. She was eventually promoted to part time event planner for the same museum and upgraded the cheap leggings to cheap dresses. Today, she lives with her black cat in a tiny studio apartment in Normal Heights, holds down 2 jobs (3 in October) and produces as much art as she can in her spare time, primarily working with gouache, acrylic, marker and ink. She hopes to raise enough funds from her crafts to eventually make prints and sell them in shops around the neighborhood for money to maybe go back to college. She thinks a higher degree will make these bios more interesting. The focus of her works comes from heartache, financial struggle, and being half blind. She wrote this description under the California Tower in beautiful Balboa Park while pretending to work at her 2nd job. Find her on Instagram.com/oneeyedlauren & buy her work on Etsy.com/shop/SymmetryIsSilly
Finding Spring by Iris Orpi not a trigger for remembering the past and the shades of swoon that turned sidewalks into grottoes of desire nor a bequest for the future to surfeit a longing that’s been holding out its hand to the unyielding cold because it is neither a compromise nor a conquest, no matter what the mythology of antiquated cultures told you but a loose sheet of familiar writing bearing the love child of immortality and movement and the password that unfetters the frigid months of waiting, the fogging up of windows with breaths that fall like sentences in an hourglass, folded in halves with the clean slate showing lost among the papers of living that never quite slows down or goes according to plan but will materialize one fine evening when the moon decides to take its time Iris Orpi is a Filipina writer living in Chicago, IL. She is the author of the novel The Espresso Effect and two books of collected poetry, Cognac for the Soul and Beautiful Fever. She was an Honorable Mention for the annual Contemporary American Poetry Prize in 2014. Her work has appeared in over two dozen online and print publications around Asia, North America, Europe, and Africa. Follow Iris at Sheisiris.wordpress.com
Rich Soil by Leah Oviedo
(From her book of poetry and illustrations Start From The Root) Leah Oviedo was raised in a mashup of cultures between her mothers Midwestern GermanAmerican and Miscellaneous roots and her fathers Californian Mexican-American immigration in various states. This pushed her to have an intersectional interest in art, writing and activism. After suffering from depression for 17 years, she was inspired to heal her trauma with art therapy. Her current focus is connecting with nature, smashing the patriarchy, and eradicating colonialism through self-care and radical ideas with the help of a diverse group of creators sharing their stories and their magic. Instagram: Instagram.com/impoweryou - Patreon: Patreon.com/Loviedo
D.I.Y. Therapy: Seven Steps to Emotional Balance 1. Pay attention to how you feel. Am I hurt, sad, anxious, unsettled or angry? 2. Choose whether to let that emotion take control. Is this a good time to feel this way or will allowing this emotion to continue cause me more problems? 3. Look at problems from a different perspective. Write down the reason you feel this way and imagine alternate ways you can feel about it. 4. Find a solution or a different path. Choose one of those alternates and go with it. 5. Be patient and loving towards yourself. Accept that like everybody, you are imperfect. Accept and love yourself for your ability to change, grow, and learn. One of my favorite sayings is, “I am perfectly imperfect.” 6. Focus on feeling good and healthy, not constantly happy. Stay balanced with breathing exercises, grounding, short meditations, or affirmations. Know that you can only do so much and that it’s okay to just be present in your situation. Work on what you can and think of the future only in terms of how you can solve problems. Don’t focus on concerns or worries because that won’t get you anywhere. As my grandma likes to say, ‘Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair. You’re doing something, but not getting anywhere. 7. Remove unhealthy people from your life. You don’t need those who are negative and insist on pulling you into drama situations. If someone makes you feel bad or unsettled then keep them at as much a distance as possible. You deserve family and friends who respect you and your boundaries. We are all deserving of happiness despite mistakes we make. With inner peace our lives improve because we aren’t muddled with problems and worries. You decide when to soften your edges and when to set strict boundaries. Journal Prompts: • • •
What emotions ruled my life today? What were the results of those strongest emotions? How could I respond differently in the future? For more free self-care resources visit www.impoweryou.org
FREE THINGS & GREAT THINGS! Everytime you purchase from independent artists, you are supporting local & small businesses as opposed to large corporations who often think they should have the same rights as people. Shopping small is a powerful act.
Free E-Book
By cultivating radical self-love, you are choosing to believe in the radical idea that you are whole and valuable as you are. Loving your imperfections is one of the bravest things you can do.
Featuring work by Michelle Minero, Kiyoshi Shelton, Jaz Gray, Corry Lang, Natalie Small, Rae Lawrence, Jason Freeman, Jasmine Farrell, Anaid Garcia, Donovan Cheney, Vidya, Katrina Mendoza and Leah Oviedo. These amazing people are different genders, skin tones, sexual orientations, abilities, and hold various spiritual beliefs. What they all share is knowing that selflove is an important aspect of everyone’s journey. Choose your complimentary e-book format or PDF on Patreon.com/Loviedo. __________________________________________________________________________________ Poetry and illustrations that meet you in your lonely places and inspire you to find your own, unique healing path. This is a collection focused on the journey of a woman who discovered a way to heal after seventeen years of depression. Her words are full of despair and pain, heroes and hope, losing loved ones, and learning that healing is not about happiness, but finding balance while navigating a world in turmoil. Recieve the e-book version when you become a patron for $3 per month at Patreoncom/Loviedo. Recieve the e-book free when you by the print version on Amazon.com
Phoenix Law #7 No one has the power to determine your worth, to make you curtsy at mediocracy, to determine how high you can soarunless you give it to them. Buy it on Amazon.com.
To all the families everywhere setting up your own rules, learning, loving and leading the way to a better life. Forgive yourself as your forgive others. Love yourself as you love others. Dare to create your own values and live them every day. Families consist of both our biological connections and our chosen families–people with whom we share common values, resources, and vision. Families look all sorts of ways, but what I have found is that the most important ingredient to a family is love and acceptance. When we are loved within our family structure, we are each allowed to expand over time. When we are accepted, we can be our true and authentic selves free from performance, guilt, and shame. Featuring original artwork by my sons, Meditations for Radical Families is my family’s way of offering grace, kindness, humor and truth to the world. We hope you find gems, laugh, share, and connect with your inner values. Join us as we detox from the modern world, stripping down our egos to reach a place of purpose, joy, and peace. Want a copy? Send book payment of $10 to paypal.me/afrofuturesociety. Gia M. Hamilton is an applied anthropologist who employs Social MagicTM methodology to investigate land, labor and cultural production while examining social connectivity within institutions and community. Fnd her at www.giahamiltonstudio.com.
Find all of Iris's books on Amazon.com
“Things I Didn’t Know How To Say” is a collection of poems from 20132018 written by Wendy Rodriguez. Buy it on Amazon.com.
“Queerotica and Other Delicacies� by Erika Reyes delves into the ecstasy within love, sex, and also through mysterious encounters. You can send payment of $5.00+shipping & handling to paypal.me/erikaisreyes for a copy. Please include your address, or email erikaisreyes@gmail.com when you've made a payment. Thank you.
WEL-being is an empowerment and support group for women, currently residing in Hanoi and worldwide. Its main focus is on promoting self-love and self-care. Facebook: Facebook.com/welbeing369/ Instagram: Instagram.com/wel.being
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. 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 Try the free Healing Journey e-course on Impoweryou.org/healing-depression
A New Affirmation You are loved I am loved You are supported I am supported You have power I have power You are strong I am strong You are limitless I am limitless
What is Radical zine? I created this e-zine to spread a message of sustainable self-care and to promote independent artists, writers, and healers, especially those who face oppression and exclusion. I was depressed for seventeen years and now am thriving! Healing my trauma has been an epic journey. I’m still learning, still healing the little things. Along my journey I became interested in smashing the patriarchy and ending the oppresion of women of color and our queer communities. Choosing to love myself unconditionally and heal is the reason I am still alive. Choosing to support others gives me a greater purpose than just my own needs. Peace and hugs, Leah
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