A new affirmation / Una nueva afirmación I AM BRAVE ENOUGH TO COMMUNICATE WITH HONESTY. WHEN I COMMUNICATE WITH HONESTY AND COMPASSION I CREATE PEACE.
ME COMUNICO VALIENTEMENTECON HONESTIDAD. CUANDO ME COMUNICO HONESTA Y COMPASIVAMENTE CREO PAZ.
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: Working Through Change Recently I was talking about transformation with a friend who moved to the U.S. from Mexico City. She reminded me that change is the one constant we an always rely on. Whether or not we accept that is important. Later after our conversation, my thoughts turned to how often I get stuck in how I am now – how I have learned and grown and how often it seems like I have it all figured out. But the longer I am alive the more I realize that I don't know much. Sometimes I can hardly wait for a new transformation even when I know it is going to be rough. Other times, I resist change with a defiance fueled by a terror of what could go wrong or refusing to be wrong. As I embark on a massive transformation in a few months– moving to another state and giving up a place I have lived for most of my life – I am looking forward to the change while simultaneously grieving the life I have been building here. Exploring both the negative and positive aspects of whatever transformation is on the verge in my life helps me find ways to adjust and move forward with love instead of struggling against what I cannot change. I encourage you to do the same and have provided several questions to get you started. Get your focus on with some journal questions! 1. What can I control in this situation? 2. What am I unable to control? 3. What are the positives? 1. How can I focus on those instead of the negatives? 4. What am I afraid of? 1. Which if any are real threats? 2. If there are real threats, how can I face those? 5. What are my priorities in this transformation? Introspective – Long Term Questions: 1. Do I regularly resist change? 2. Am I holding on to ideas or activities that cause me to be stuck in place? 3. Would I rather have other people change, so I don't have to? 4. If the unknown is not known, what is there to be scared of? Find more self-care guidance and activities in previous issues!
Zine Spotlight Muchacha Fanzine – Topics covered include art, writing, and political education on indigenous resistance, intersectional feminism, youth liberation, black lives matter, environmental justice, coalition building, body positivity, LGBTQ rights, migration, decolonizing travel, & more. https://www.muchachafanzine.com/
That Gray Zine is a space to discuss all things mental health in order to reduce stigma, foster a sense of community, advocacy, validation, and empowerment. https://www.thatgrayzine.com/
Diary of a Sista Grrl delves into being a Black person with the alernative scene. https://sistagrrrlzine.bigcartel.com/
Cyclista Zine Feminist response to the cycing industry. A biannual zine focused on sharing knowledge, art, and stories of BIPOC + WTF folks in cycling.
https://www.cyclistazine.com/
Accession Jasmine Farrell
Not nary a weight can crash my flight. No dark magic sniff my light. I'm free in this skin. Love my flava from within. I know where the sauce come from too. Dem prayer warriors and preachers, uttering Psalms on cue. Fiery hearts that beat to selah. I know where sauce come from. Dem witches and warlocks that unbind, remove the green snake eyes and evil ones too. My steps are heavy from the fusion lineage. Ain't scared of where I come from. You can't stop this journey. You won’t cease the yearning, the overflowing ambition, the consistent intuition, the evolution of self, the annihilation of self-sabotage. This growth got muscle. Past pain turned into endurance. My lane can't be touched. Ain't no competition, I aint lookinthis is for myself. A friend reminded me to take my destiny off the shelf.
So, I'm here: Walkin heavy, talkin deeply, not givin a fuck who sleepin'. Suga, this woman got bass and all that shadeyou can keep it. I'm free in my skin. Love my flava from within. My purpose sittin’ pretty underneath my footsteps. I've seen enough to know, fate flows under every path I take. Just wait.
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
The Observer Nia
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
I AM ALL These Things By: Eliza Lopez from Mariposa Healing I wish I could be like the ocean No one asks the ocean why it’s fluid, it just moves and it's okay I wish I could be like a cactus No one questions cacti for defending itself, it just protects and it's okay I wish I could be like flowers No one judges a flower when it blooms, it just opens up and it's okay I wish I could be like the leaves of a tree People actually celebrate when their leaves change colors, heck even when they fall, even when they grow back. They just change and it’s okay I wish I could be like a butterfly People actually dedicate sanctuaries to witness their metamorphosis; they even pay to see it They transform and it’s okay I wish I could be like the moon No one asks the moon with whom it sleeps at night, because who the heck thinks the moon sleeps at night anyway? It just lights up and it's okay, it moves and it's okay, it expands and it's okay, it contracts and its okay, it even affects our behavior and the tides, and the plants and the animals and its okay Oh to be like an ocean To be like a cactus To be like a flower To be like the leaves of a tree To be like a butterfly To be like the moon But I am all these things I am all these things I am all these things Can't you see? But you’re too busy trying to figure out if I am he or she You’re too busy wondering why my hair changes colors by the week You’re too busy questioning why I don’t have kids You’re too busy wanting and wanting and wanting from me
Wanting information, wanting education, wanting labor Wanting my body without accepting me You’re too busy, You’re too busy, You’re too busy, To just let me be But with or without your support or understanding I AM all these things I am fluid like an ocean and move my waves as I please I protect myself and my people like a cactus when I have to I open up like a flower when I feel nourished and secure I am ever changing like the leaves of a tree I transform like a butterfly over and over again I light up like the moon and influence the ones connected to me I am all these things, even if you’re too busy or refuse to see
Eliza Lopez (They/She) is a brown, queer, non-binary artist who uses movement and expression as healing. Eliza is the creator of Mariposa Healing, a community resource for QT+BIPOC in which she provides healing services. Eliza focuses on topics like trauma healing, inner child healing, reconnecting to Indigenous roots, abolitionist care, decolonizing, reconnecting to nature, reconnecting to our bodies, and taking up space as queer people. Website: https://www.mariposahealing.org/
Blog: https://www.mariposahealing.org/blog Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariposahealing/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRr3UWvV/
I hate the loneliness but it does not scare me Nathalia
I wouldn't wish this loneliness on anyone And if someone must carry it, let it be me I've taken to solitude like a bird takes to a cage I've seen others take flight in the endless sky I know freedom only by seeing, Wouldn't know what it feels like I've made friends with the emptiness inside me I've held it tightly so I could survive A wild animal wouldn't survive like I have Once you've tasted freedom you can't let go Loneliness as a state of being rather than a state of feeling like you've lost makes it better to cope I am stronger because I know my cage Because if I escaped, I'd know where to go But confinement just might kill you because you've never called it home
Nathalia (as she is more mononymously known for her poetry) is a 20 year old poet living in Guyana. She has dreams of publishing her own book of sapphic poetry celebrating different forms of love between women, but faces the challenge of living in a society where same sex intimacy is still criminalised and there are little to no rights and protections for members of the LGBT+ community. Her work also ranges between mental health, mythology, friendship, social issues and nature. You can check out more of her work or reach out to discuss collaborations at instagram.com/nathalia_thepoet
Art for sale on Etsy: https://elliebyhand.etsy.com Instagram: OneEyedLauren "I go by Lauren or Ellie, depending on my mood. Either works! I live in Normal Heights, San Diego with my cat, Chibi. My art is generally really colorful and vibrant and I love a good mashup. In my latest piece, I took a classic 1930’s cartoon icon and fused her with a well recognized 90’s horror manga character by Junji Ito named Tomie. I chose these two characters because both are symbols of powerful women with jet black hair from two entirely different eras. Their powers may be different but in this painting, I think I captured their similarities."
No More Stolen Sisters Daisy Salinas Originally published in Muchacha Fanzine's "Reclaiming Feminism" issue.
Daisy Salinas is a Xicana feminist zinester, punk musician, fest curator, activist, and overall rabble-rouser sin vergüenza. With the purpose of amplifying the voices of radical artists of color, Daisy founded the decolonial Native Xicana Feminist publication Muchacha Fanzine in 2011. Along with zine-making, she also founded the feminist punk collective Xingonas in the Pit and fronts the Tejana punk band Frijolera Riot. You can follow her on instagram at @muchachafanzine and support her work at www.patreon.com/muchachafanzine.
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Teri Anderson
Teri Anderson creates work that looks into the idea of craft in art, textiles, installation and sculpture to create a linear or surreal environment which the audience have to inhabit. The work links to her heritage and how textiles were key in their family history including sample machinists and pattern cutters. Building on this Teri proposes an art practise which incorporates a craft based techniques into the art based discipline of installation. https://teriandersonsite.wordpress.com/ @tinyteri13 - instagram @teriandersonartist - Facebook
La Spooks: https://www.instagram.com/lasp00ks/?hl=en Bio: If you know me in real life, no you don't. Anything goes and anonymity is the goal. Enjoy my art!
Women of the Earth Dia de los Muertos Altar 2022 by Leah Oviedo
(L to R: Berta Isabel Caceres Flores, Wangari Maathai, Fannie Lou Hamer) Hola todos! I'm Leah Oviedo, an artist, writer, and self-love advocate from a mixed family that reaches across borders. My interests include intersectional equality, healing, and nature. I am so imperfect. I mess up often and try to learn from that and repair as needed. 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. Gracias y abrazos.
SONG SPOTLIGHT!!!
In The River: A Protest Song by Raye Zaragoza Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4eosRdP5gQ Quote: “I am proud to be a multicultural brown woman with insecurities and a vibrant intersectional identity that I continue to grapple with. I hope young girls of today will know that the It Girl is whatever they want to be.” Website: https://www.rayezaragoza.com/bio
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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