RFD Issue 11 Spring 1977

C O N T E N T S

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Staff statement Letters Faggots everywhere Difficulty at the Beginning: a wolf creek journal Webb OR The Sled Philip Paris NY Blurbs Recorder Blues Chart Evan Tonsing OK Mechanics Section Introduction Machine Faygele ben Miriam NC Grease & Busted Knuckles Rich OR Sex Roles & Machinery Len OR Hints on Auto Maintenance Len OR B Patrick Purdy WA My Car Mark Sherkow IL Poetry billee song Chenille OR Mechanics Haven Dave Sunseri CA Three Revolutionary Songs Stephen Abbott CA Human Machination: A Case Jim Cawston BC Against It Quotes

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Confessions of a Kitchen Queen

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Poetry 2 Untitled Poems Quentin AUS 3 Short Poems Jai Elliott OR When Do I Sap William J. Riley CA The Peau Rouge Parle Bruce Boone CA Book Review: The Night Sun Le Bete Noir & Magick Jai Elliott OR Behind Bars Prisoners' Section Image Exchange Poetry A Shaggy Chicken Story Bruce Boone CA Food Stamps David Sunseri CA hewer of wood drawer of water spencer BC Advertisements Contact Letters Michael Staff Finances Candor OR Bug Off Chuck Bauer WI Thanks Staff Pansy Patches Chuck Beckwith WI Barter Information

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Candor OR

G R A P H I C S Brender a Brandis ONT 14, 43 Collective Member OR 35, 42 Demi an MS 7 Thomas Ellery CA 38 Jai Elliott OR 1, 10, 13(after G.O'Keefe) Larry Henson CA 42, Inside back cover Michael OR Cover, Inside front cover, 4, 5, 8 , 20, 30, 36, 47 Candor Smoothstone OR 16, 18, 21, 23-29, 32, 41 Tim Speck CA 31 Richard Wilson CA 12, 42, 44, 46

*Rfd is published 4 times a year

by RFD, 4525 Lower Wolf Creek Road, Wolf Creek OR 97497.

Second Class Post Paid at Wolf Creek OR. © RFD 1977.

RFD is a non-profit corporation.

Donations tax deductible.

Subs: $4 per year 2nd class, $6 first class, $5 Canada & other countries, $8 institutions, $15 sustaining, free to prisoners, bookstore discount 32% (40(f).

concept & design on pp.32-35 & 39 by Jai & Michael 1

February drew closer and closer. It seemed we had a clearer idea of who wouidn t work on RFD than who would. By February 1st, our starting date, five of us had pulled together (.Mich­ ael, Candor, ten, Webb, and Jai). In our first meeting we talked of wanting this RFD to be art enjoyable experience. As we proceeded with the business at hand, however, we tound this wasn t as easy as we might have hoped. We had several rather intense discussions centered on Landon's Response" (issue #10, pg. 11)* We were divided as to how to respond to the criticisms we The discussion became a blowout confrontation as politics became personalities, received^ The ^ c u s s i o ^ b e c a ^ e ^ ^ ^ ^ (The production group change* each issue with an accompanying change in attitudes.) We did, , b s '_ penv for the wav in which Bill Morton's article was treated. We feel RFD shou d be more sup ^ r U e of Its Lntribitors than RFD #10 was of Bill Morton. There is continuing controversy K to the editorial role of the RFD staff, especially as pertains to politics. We encourage feedback as we struQdle to define this further. , ... , Althouah there were five of us who did-the bulk of the work on this issue, we did have help from others who visited us in the midst of production. Steve from the Ozarks came at our invitation near the beginning of the process and helped us in material selection, editing, a d aeneral suoaestions He stayed with us for ten days and headed back to his home and business.

Atout*thls^time, Jerry and flm came up fro. Ashland to visit. Their arrival coincided with the aPPe" r h a d 1 e a « earSunrha“ nghv l s r t o r r ™ r ^ 9 lajSut of the magazine and in the past have had a policy of no visitors during RFD production. We had a meeting with ail concerned. The out come was a consensus to integrate our visitors' energy rather than reject it. There was much to do-— layout sheets to be lined, rough copy to be typed, editing and proofing. There were also the regular chores to be done, things which during RFD often go by the way. So ,im, Jer­ ry and Jade not only helped with RFD but also cooked meals, cut and chopped wood, and gathered the old hay from the field. Jade also discovered a way to start our 1947 John Deere tractor, . days before Len finally stumbled across the crank, which had been lost in the field fot thiee WeCkSThe injection of energy was just what we needed. RFD layout started rolling, but in the process we discovered we could be on top of each other too much. Group energy became, at times distracting and detrimental. We have worked on this some and seemingly it will have to be worked on by production crews of future RFD's. .

How does RFD come together? Who works on it? How do we work together. These are quest­ ions that are answered each issue by those people who commit themselves to work on it. If you think you may like to commit yourself to an issue of RFD (about a three week ^ORmitment), write to RFD and begin a dialogue. We especially need people who type well and fast. We are paying Jai a salary to type this issue, though we are also questioning that role of typist.

We are questioning much through the process of RFD, and not incidentally ourselves. The process sometimes flows; sometimes it grates. It is often intense, but contains a flreat notential for growth and understanding. We work, talk, scream, cry, hug, talk, laugh, and work again. Through it all RFD remains a reflection of our struggle.

From Wolf Creek with Love, Webb, Michael, Len, jai and Candor The following autobiographical sketches were written by each member.of the #11 production staff in an attempt to give you some sense of who we are.

LEN Presently on RFD. Residing at Wolf Creek OR. Past has been college, world traveler, profes- j sional driver, money maker and husband:wife.

I am caretaker, machine worker, haiku dreamer, ; celestial musician, potential printer, straight identified retentive version of Moth­ er Kali. I believe that high consciousness can be brought about by unification of pur­ pose. My goal is to destroy the conditioned ideas and beliefs that homosexuality is a per­ version and abnormality, by educating the maj­ ority to show them that homosexuals as a mi­ nority are competent and responsible beings e- j qual to any majority.

2

MICHAEL '.’...an ex-prize fighter - pilot - toe dancer chauffeur to Greta Garbo - 'Little Miss Sun­ beam' look-a-like winner - cheerleader psych-therapy guinea pig - visionary - wanton -etc."

CANDOR'S THING candor tries to live up to his name.

Is constantly amazed and delighted by Life.

Burn out candor slow down, honey, there's time kung fu faggot doing a dance that won't quit.

Making something beautiful.

I can cry.

Anchored in change Love becomes politics.

Is Life a marathon encounter group?

Should it be?

JAI native Oregon / sissy / driven motherless / in the eye of terror / through horse heaven fog / puberty / faggotry / paranoia / over the shoulder greatest fear / until m. baba told me / don't worry be happy / so i came out / gaily active in eugene or / & anarch­ ist / obsessed in poetry of every day / the sound / and so the state / must be smashed / in transition / black stars / from there to here / collective member of hundred flowers there / work on RFD here / love cats, box cameras, machine photos, rock n roll, wr/or, the mother / & tie the pony to my heart / beat.

Me too, jai. Klamath Falls, also sissy.

We know.

I am at least as crazy as this is coming out.

I Love my craziness.

It is magi ck.

It is powerful.

Ta da!

Theatre Life is not a commodity.

It is not bought or sold.

Yet Life can't live without money honey, funny.

Richman, poorman, beggarman, thief doctor, lawyer, Indian chief (?) skip it. i may not have class, but at least I got a sense of humor.

If humor was 88 , how many more do i have to write to make this a contact letter?

If I could tel 1 it al1 then we would both understand.

I don't.

So I won't.

'■ I

DONOR'S PROFILE (Pronounced Dawn-hers "Faggot Label") NAME: E. Mergent-Webb AGE: Unpublishable PROFESSION: Hobbyist HOBBIES: Violinist, homesteader, sociologist MOST MEMORABLE BOOK: Against Method: Outline of an anarchistic theory of know­ ledge, by Paul Feyerabend LAST ACCOMPLISHMENT: Visiting section violi­ nist with Plum Ridge Symphony QUOTE: "At first giving up a profession and moving to the country seemed pure­ ly a personal choice. Since moving, I have come to see its political importance in liberating me from social inanities and providing me . with space to develop capacities to care for myself and become a net producer rather than a consumer."

PROFILE: Avid reader and chamber musician, likes both solitude and company.

SCOTCH: Hop

but that means share, not give. You share the cost and work load, Michael, and most all of the "privileged faqgots" will welcome you with open arms.

Next, let me tell a little of my life story so that you may judge if I know of what I'm talking or not. I grew up on an acreage where my parents raised most all of our food plus enough extra to bring in a few dollars besides holding down jobs all the while. We all worked at the project; milked the cow, fed the chick­ ens, wrestled the sheep, hoed the garden, helped with the canning, and so on and so on. A hard life perhaps but a good and healthful life.

Starting with my eleventh year I spent the summers at my aunt's ranch in the high coun­ try (9000 feet). This was a one room cabin (plus loft), wood stove for cooking & heat, coaloil lamp, carry water from the spring in a bucket, milk cows and feed skim milk calves for a living, put up the hay from 600 acres with teams of horses. More work but I thought it was heaven. Then a stretch in the service and a try at city life, yuk! Then several years at building and running my own business --a nursery. It did fine until Interstate 70 was put in beside my growing field and the sulfur oxide from the auto exhaust began kil­ ling my plants. Next a try at running a motel and camper park in the country. Double yuk to the tourist trade! So I sold it and bought the ranch I live on now. Financial realities required that I divide the ranch and sell it in 40 acre parcels. Now I own part of it, and lease part of it, keeping a couple of milk cows, their calves, a few sheep, chick­ ens, geese, ducks, and rabbits. Seven cats and a dog also make their home here. ...

KA P H OT O PH OBIA?

Dear People at RFD, I received issue No. 10 the other day and, as usual, devoured it in one gulp. But my in­ sides felt siightly un­ easy this time and I decided to take another look to see what was causing it. I guess it was a combination of the collective state­ ment, the info pages and something (intangi­ ble) else. For me, there was once a cer­ tain magic in the magazine--when each issue was put together by a different group of peo­ ple in a different part of the country--that is now lost. In addition to the loss of variety and spontaneity, the fact that you are now getting paid, even min­ imally, to put out the magazine makes me feel a little uncomfortable. Even though I have never had anything of mine printed in RFD, I have always felt that it was "my" magazine-that I had a personal stake in its survival.

Now that it's put out by basically the same people in the same place each time, and you are starting to get paid for your work, I feel a sense of loss. ...I know that you're trying not to be too "professional" (in the negative sense) and that in any case, RFD is far better in that respect than almost any other magazine around. But having read RFD since issue No. 1, I detect small, gradual changes in a direction that scares me, and I thought you might like some feedback on that. ...

Love, Larry 76 Day St. Jamaica Plain, MA. 02130 COUNTRY LIFE IS HARD WORK

Keep up the good work!

John Hartman Bx 9 Rangely Rt Meeker, CO. 81641

Dear Brothers, First, may I make a small answer to Michael Oglesby's statement in his fine "A Critique of the Conference." He said that "Privileged faggots have to MOVE OVER and share their re­ sources." While I don't consider myself a "privileged faggot" I'm sure he would and so my answer.

Most all of the faggots living alone and operating a ranch, farm, or self-sufficiency unit would like nothing more than to have a helper/lover to share their life but it must be on a pull-your-share-of-the-load basis.

Virtually every working class/city bred per­ son feels that country life means living away from the city, continuing the life they have known in the city. No way!! Country life is hard work! Food doesn't just appear in supermarket form, but for free. It is expensive to raise and a lot of work to prepare. We would gladly share what we have

HEART WARMING STORY Dear RFD, What I'm concerned about is the growing political bias of RFD, which I feel has lit­ tle to do with the realities of day-to-day country existence. I fully expect your next issue to contain editorial references to "Amerika," and I'm sorry for that. What you have done in your winter issue, by commenting (editorially) negatively on William Morton's article on Toad Suck Farm and then not com­ menting at all on Michael Oglesby's confer­ ence critique, is tacitly to approve Mich­ ael 's mani festo.

I value RFD. I look forward to it every 4

issue, and read each one three or four tires before I file it. I share RFD and encourage others in this area to subscribe. But I" sure I'm not your only reader who under­ stands that there is a big difference be­ tween freedor from oppression as faggots and freedom from oppression as economic units.

Our unifying work should be to rid our envi­ ronment of sexually oppressive laws and at­ titudes.

When you announced your theme for the Winter issue as having to do with how we, as gays and as people, manage to make it in the country, you received good articles.

Why should you feel it necessary to put down one of your contributors because he has more (financially) than you do? The point of his article was that there are traps and pitfalls for anyone new to the country, and he tried in his way to point out a few (e.g., that one must be careful of the "good deal' in land purchase; that even good land takes more work than anyone can at first imagine; etc.).

Would you rather have had an article detailing the heart-warming story of a simple city faggot who bought ten acres of swamp, was immediately disabled by malaria, and now is barely making it on hand-woven marshgrass baskets plus food stamps? Or are you willing to let hard work and commitment tell their own story? ...

Our economic perceptions seem to differ. I think our emotional attitudes do not. Gays must unify before we can achieve any com­ munity goals: putting down any segment of the gay world cracks our mutual effort and creates a house divided. I'm glad to know, that you're struggling, and I'm glad to struggle with you--for our communal right to personal freedom, not for social anarchy.

Bill's rapid financial gains, truly is capi­ talism, but it is also survival. After all, survival these days happens to be spelled m-o-n-e-y. Many are able to survive with less money than others, but few, if any, are able to survive with no money.

Also, one must consider that locale can dictate the degree of financial success nec­ essary to survive. The Florida "Gold Coast" just happens to be one of those places where a lot of money gets you very little. I know, having spent two years in Ft. Lauderdale recently! Forty grand is a lot of anybody's money for ten acres of swamp, yet is a bargain for South Florida land. And "net worth is more than 200 times the $1700.00 I started out with" and "spendable income is low, profits marginal," as Bill states, all translates to little more than survival for his locale. That he made this much pro­ gress in about six years is a bit more than remarkable! And in Florida!!!! ...

Peace & Love, Duane L. Dittus Box AE, A-81790, Rm. 1392 San Luis Obispo, CA. 93409 GASP! Dear RFD: In response to the "Behind Bars" letter from Jack W. Hoffman in the winter issue, I am in sympathy with his desire to have "sex­ ual reassignment surgery and hormonal treat­ ment" upon his release from prison. It is his prerogative if he so wishes.

What offends me is his blaming the Mormon Church for keeping him behind bars because of this desire. One needs only to realize that the Utah State Department of Correc­ tions is governed by the State of Utah, not the Mormon Church. The officials of that institution are not on salary or under control of the Mormon Church. ...

I attend a Mormon Church here in Chicago on Sundays, and most all of the members know that I am a homosexual, and though I am not allowed to become a member, I am not mistreated in any way by the church and/or its members. ...

The point in being who and what we choose to be in this world is mostly ours individually, especi­ ally in the United States, but the other half of any choice is the act of being responsible for our choices. It's seldom easy to swim against the.tide, but one can „ . never blame the tide for the choice we make. ...

My love and best wishes ..., Pieter ABOUT LANDON'S RESPONSE Dear RFD: ...After reading RFD from cover to cover five times, all I can say is WOW, FANTASTIC, RIGHT ON MI! Where have you people been all of my life? I've been look­ ing for you for years! At last, here are people I can relate to. Gays who are far removed from the commercial­ ism and frustrations of the bar and bath crowd, with a for real outlook on life. Please don't change even a little bit and please, please keep RFD coming! ...

The "Toad Suck Farm" article was very interesting, as were views ex­ pressed in Landon's Response. But Landon, let's not be so hard on Bill Morton before reviewing all of the facts. That Bill has amas­ sed what appears to us to be a fortune and the possibility ex­ ists that he did this while ex­ ploiting others who worked for him at low wages, taking no part nor reaping many benefits from

Best, David Fairchild 2437 N. Bernard Chicago, IL. 60647 DYDEE Editor: This is a reply to Landon's Re5

ure of monetary success permits me to be gay around those chain-saw and bulldozer operators and fuck 'em if they don't like it; it's about time they got uptight.

Your response to Toad Suck left me feeling like there wasn't any room for gay business­ men in the revolution. I want to openly, and lovingly, and gay-ly, be a member of society (at least some aspect of it).

So. It looks like running a business al­ most requires some amount of exploitation of the employee unless I'm equally dividing profits among everybody, which I won't do because m^ efforts won't become "worth it."

I'm trying to minimize that element of ex­ ploitation several ways: pay the help at least a fair wage, tax-free. Encourage interest & participation with cash bonuses. I am also a carpenter; I work on all my jobs. My current desire is to hire only gay carpenters and hel­ pers (witness my ad in #10). And then, perhaps a collective of gay tradespersons will come to fruition--it's my dream now.

I feel like my little capitalistic venture can b£ an important part of the gay community and contribute to our liberation.

Anyhow, I wonder if this was any part of Toad Suck's vision. Sometimes I feel out of step with RFD & its readership and almost em­ barrassed to say I'm not poor & not country.

And I think there's a lot of aging, working faggots out here who look to you for strength for our awakening political consciousness. ...

sponse on p. 11 of the Winter Edition.

Landon sounds very infantile. Why doesn't someone change his dydee for him?

Gay Guy GLASSES FOR RED? Landon, White middle-class men have always used the very tactic you used to deal with something that doesn't go along with their own personal ideas--strike and strike hard when the "oppo­ nent" is most vulnerable and unable to defend or strike back. I'm very disappointed in the lack of sensitivity and consciousness that you in particular and RED in general displayed.

No one ever resolved differences of opinion by "attacking."

My ideals, values, politics, etc. are not necessarily the same as William Morton's, but neither are they like yours but if respect and openness are there we all can learn and grow from sharing these thoughts with each other--and all of us can be richer (in spir­ it) for it. ...The statement on that same apologetic introduction of the section which went: "Bill's experience in Florida is not typical of most country gay men" displays an incredible near­ sightedness on the part of RFD staff. Most gay men I know who are rural own their own places and are working their butts off to pro­ duce something of value (not only $) on it.

It takes a real respect for the land or ani­ mals to work with it. If you are going to demonstrate such strong opinions on economics it would be worth your while learning about the real world that we must al 1 relate to in some way. And it is n£t necessary to lose one's integrity of values in doing so. ...

Your brother, Tim Rice 159 Briarcliff Rd. Athens, GA. 30601 RFD BLOOD RED? Dear RFD, After reading Landon's Response I re­ read the Toad Suck Farm article in winter edition No. 10 and my blood began to boil.

Landon's words are not responsive at all and I could clearly detect envy as well as sour grapes in the stupid response. Nowhere in the article does Morton indicate a "lack of concern for the people around" as accused

by Landon. ...I know that Landon is a member of the RFD commune, but I have never understood that RFD was politically Communistic or even So­ cialistic. Does Landon think that all coun­ try gay men must take a vow of poverty? If so, perhaps he should not be in a commune but in a monastery.

Yours, Ted Edwards 26263 High Pass Junction City, OR. 97448 BUILDING STRENGTH Dear Landon, RFD #10 is a beautiful issue and really spoke to me ... . Not knowing too much where he's coming from, I guess I'm going to try to defend Toad Suck as it relates to a faggot's life.

All my life, every aspect of my sexuality was (and is) denied by the straight man's blaring, perverted advertising. I couldn't establish any kind of a gay identity, and it's only in the last few years I've found any strength through my gay brothers and sisters. My political awakening is recent.

I guess my way of establishing strength and independence was by working hard and finally starting my small house-building business. I am determined not to be the pawn of any straight man, and it looks like I've done it by grabbing the goods from him.

The results feel good--I am not owned by any straight man and the (currently) small meas­

Sincerely, E. Topaz San Francisco SOME MORE CRITICISM Dear Friends: I like your editorial introductions to sections and to articles; they give us the collective thinking of RFD where none of the material is staff written. They also let us 6

see how RFD's emerging political analysis applies to different issues. However, I feel that Landon's Response was improperly placed, rude and, therefore, counter-productive. The intro to the Country Survival section al­ ready noted that many on the staff felt un­ comfortable with the Toad Suck Farm article and went on to explain why in a political statement that seems to express the percep­ tions of the collective. Landon's response was angrier and more personal and should perhaps more properly be printed as a letter in issue #11. As it stands, it comes across as a further editorial swipe and afterthought and can only serve to discourage readers from sharing their rural experiences for fear of being either politically incorrect or per­ sonally odious to a member of the RFD staff.

I suppose it would be lovely if RFD had such an abundance of material to choose from that it could select only the material that supported its political sensitivities. For the moment, that appears to be an unreasonable expectation; and perhaps it is not even so de­ sirable. Elsewhere you say: "We want RFD to connect with a wider audience." You ask read­ ers to help "widen the scope and appeal of RFD." This suggests that you are continuing to invite gay men everywhere to participate in the definition of rural gay sentiment and life style. And that means you will be receiving material from gay men in the coun­ try, in the city, in prison, in the suburbs; from rich and poor. The disappearance of the small farm, the growth of Agribusiness toge­ ther with the all-pervasive homophobic op­

pression of American culture forces most of us into the cities sooner or later. Most of us stay. Some of us find our way back to the land. The romance of this journey seems well worth recording. Perhaps this is the purpose of RFD: to provide a journal, to record the love affair between fairies and the earth. To be sure, the journal would be grossly incomplete and criminally "person­ al istic" without a political vantage point.

Especially valuable would be some discussion and analysis around the issue of agriculture in our present economic system. We are all in the same dilemma if we love the land and want to find some way to live and work on it productively and respectfully. I suspect that we will all be forced to see, by the press of circumstance, that the only way to do it is collectively. Our Corporate rulers of the Agribusinessstate learned that lesson, to their own profit, a long while ago.

I sense also that Landon's dissent rep­ resents, in part, a failure of the group to come up with a mutually acceptable political critique. I submit most lovingly and respect­ fully that establishing ahd pursuing princi­ ples of unity among yourselves that allow you to deal with such issues be given top priority. And I apologize for even presum­ ing that you aren't already at work on it.

Love--Struggle--Unity, Sandy Lowe Box 408 Windsor, CA. 95492

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PROLOGUE One of the hexagrams in the Book ot Changes signifies 'difficulty at the beginning'. Its top three lines represent water, the aby- ■■■■■ — — smal, the dangerous; they meet three oth­ er lines representing thunder, the arous- — — — — > ing. The Chinese call this hexagram Chun, which "connotes a blade of grass — — — ^ pushing against an obstacle as it sprouts out of the earth...The hexagram indicates the way in which heaven and earth bring forth individual beings. It is their *"■“ 1 first meeting, which is beset with dif­ ficulties.. .The situation points to teeming, chaotic profusion; thunder and rain fill the air. But the chaos clears up. While the abysmal sinks, the upward movement eventually passes beyond the danger. A thunderstorm brings release from tension, and all things breathe freely again."(I Ching, Pantheon edition, pp.15-16)

Author's Note In RFD #8 there appeared a transcript of a tape made by five men describing their lives in Wolf Creek ("Golden Conversations", pp.4-12). In the months since that tape was made, many changes have taken place in the men's community here. This article describes some of the changes. Unlike the Golden Conversations, this article is written by one person. Hence the reader should bear in mind that this is a subjective and one-sided account of events with many sides. Other men in the community might select different events than I, and they would view these events from different perspectives than I. 8

SUMMER SOLSTICE WEEK

BEGINNINGS

Wolf Creek, June 1976. The summer began with a burst of activity. On Sunday eight men gathered at Golden to mark the solstice: Landon, Samuel, and Sean from Lilac Ridge; George and Kenny from the Creekland; Carl and Allan from Golden; I from Woodford Creek. We walked through a part of the forest that had been spared from BLM devastation (see "Letters from the Forest", RFD *9, pp.14-20), then returned to Golden for a festive evening of eating, singing, and talking.

Monday. George came over to Woodford Creek to visit me, prompted by a note I'd sent him seeking to clarify what was going on be­ tween us. On two of my previous visits to Or­ egon my attraction for George had all but van­ ished in the midst of our becoming physical with one another. George had responded to my withdrawal with coldness and condescension.

Our conversation on that first Monday of Sum­ mer led again into physicality, with the same result as we had experienced earlier. Al­ though we parted cordially, I was again to feel George's coldness in the coming weeks.

Tuesday. Allan visited along with sever­ al other men from outside the community. Mus­ icians all, we began readying for a Gay Pride concert the following Sunday. Playing togeth­ er was not easy; it had quite a different feel than the violin duos Allan and I had done be­ fore. But we began to work out several pieces for the concert.

Wednesday. The harpsichordist had wound up spending the night with me, and we were off to such a late start that we missed a workday at Golden. Carl later lent the harpsichordist a copy of Eros and Civilization.

Thursday. I had arranged to go to the Ridge for supper, having learned from Allan

Although Carl had already lived in Golden for several years, the seeds for a men's community at Wolf Creek seem to have been sown in the summer of 1974. It was then that RFD began publication, then that Landon began to live at the Ridge, then that quite by accident I dis­ covered these gay men in the country not far from where I was beginning to build. I re­ mained peripheral to the community during that summer and the following one, partly because I was spending most of the year in Illinois at a teaching job, and partly because I was not comfortable thinking of myself as gay. I pre­ ferred to regard myself as bisexual.

It was after a Northwest faggots gather­ ing at Elwha in the summer of 1975 (RFD #5, pp. 22-25) that talk of a men's community in Wolf Creek became especially intense. It seemed then that the community might be cen­ tered at Golden, and shortly thereafter George arrived at Golden to live. When I visited in December I heard from all sides how difficult it had been for Carl and Allan to live with George, and vice-versa. George talked of finding some land nearby.

In April 1976 George wrote that he had taken a mortgage at the Creekland. After mov­ ing around the country for its first seven is­ sues, RFD took up permanent residence there with the summer issue. When I arrived in Ore­ gon in May, I met Kenny at the Creekland and learned that Len and Michael, both of whom had worked on the summer issue, would be returning there to live. I also heard of Samuel and Sean's arrival at the Ridge and of the work­ days that had begun during the spring. So the solstice celebration signified more than the summer's arrival to me. It coincided roughly with the beginnings of a men's community.

earlier-in the week that Landon was displeased I hadn't visited him at all the previous sum­ mer. I arrived quite late - shortly before sundown - after being drawn into music and conversation at Golden, and I was met by an icy silence and by the news that my supper had been eaten. (At the Ridge, the stomach is king.) Gradually we overcame our discomfort.

Samuel went off to fix me something to eat.

Sean engaged me in conversation. Landon re­ mained cool to me - it was he who had pro­ claimed that I had forgotten about dinner - as he had been since shortly after we had met two summers before. Sean and I talked of getting together sometime; as the third man on the Ridge, he seemed eager for companionship, and so was I. Sunday. Members of the men's and women's community joined together at Golden for the Gay Pride concert. Allan made some prefatory remarks about his past experiences in playing music before straight audiences. He expressed his joy at playing for faggots and lesbians.

During one of the dance movements we played, many of the other faggots and lesbians took up our invitation to dance. It was a festive evening.

DOG DAYS The excitement of solstice week dissipat­ ed quickly for me. Carl and Allan left for two months in San Francisco, leaving me with­ out close friends in the community. Sean and I did get together, but only briefly. My living situation at Woodford Creek was bad: Melda, who had lived on my land since the pre­ vious summer, wanted a different sort of re­ lationship than I. We avoided one another a lot and only rarely tried to examine our de­ teriorating life together.

I felt distant from the men at the Creek­ land, largely because I felt uneasy around George. In the aftermath of our early summer meeting, I had gotten a calculator for RFD to ease the bookwork, at George's suggestion. It puzzled me that when I asked for a two year extension on my subscription in return, George resisted and suggested that it be for one year I felt no inclination to become involved in the magazine.

9

Things began picking up for me when I left the area to attend two chamber music workshops. Although the people at them were nearly all straight and mostly quite a bit older than I, they were warm and supportive, and the music worked on me like a tonic. Dur­ ing my first week away, Melda moved from Wood­ ford Creek. At the end of that week my young friend Ben arrived on a visit from Illinois.

He returned to Woodford Creek after the sec­ ond workshop and we spent a delightful week together. Another man was staying over then, someone I'd met at a workday who had wanted to live in the area. But neither Ben nor I felt comfortable with him. Once he had left, hovever, we became uncomfortable with one anotl When I had met Ben in the early winter, he had been just on the threshold of the closetl Now my desire for a physical relationship him seemed to drive him back in. Our being together was further complicated by ol________ ions with other men in the c o m m u n i t y ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ H Creekland parties Ben began to get physically involved with other men; I was left f e ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ vulnerable because he had resisted any sirn^ ar involvement with me. At the same time,, Steven had arrived to live at the Creeklanj and we had struck up a physical liason, b i ^ | found myself wanting to have that relatior] with Ben instead.

CIRCI In the waning daysWftrsummer / Carl returned from San Soon^^Jr, there was a community me^Prg at GoldenJ first time all twelve of us would be t o K r .

It was a high-spirited evening, and af:er#Jpper we formed ourselves into a circle.MAn object - bongo drums - was passed arojund the circle to the left, and only the perso* wifth the drums could speak. After a time, seviral of us questioned the use of this straifegjffor the meeting. Carl, who had suggested said that he felt it could help us to t r a n s ^ ^ the usual power relations that obtained ami His response stilled objections from mos^ quarters, but not from the Ridgies, who con­ tinued to protest it during their turns. Landon withdrew into a book.

Despite the circle's tendency to dissi­ pate focused discussion on an issue, several matters were discussed at the first circle.

Virtually all of us voiced some commitment to experimenting with new forms of property re­ lations. I offered to let Creekland share the Woodford Creek chainsaw; Allan and Carl offer­ ed the use of Golden's truck to the Ridge.

Several other matters came up in the course of the circle. Michael, for example, expressed some concern over the rainy season that was reputed to be dreary. Samuel indica­ ted his diminished interest in workdays, which still took place weekly and involved nearly everyone. Yet to focus on the content of what was said at the circle is to miss what was most important about it. The circle's power lay in its capacity to transform our relations with one another. Usually talkative, I became

fearful of speaking to the attentive silence of others. Alternatively, I could choose to bypass my turn to speak, but that prospect left me uncomfortable also. What was remark­ able was the clarity with which I could listen to others. Steven on one of his turns went clear around the circle, making a brief com­ ment on everybody there. Samuel, grinning broadly, beat the bongoes loudly as if herald­ ing an important announcement, then had little to say. Sean sang a song of anger. George, now become Chenille, objected to others' mak­ ing a scapegoat of him. Ben, hesitant to speak at first, talked of how good everything was at Wolf Creek. Leonard seemed at one point to be giving me an ethical lesson for not being open about my discomfort. Michael was mostly quiet, as if far away. Candor, former­ ly Kenny, was eager to keep things rolling. an was very serious; Carl, quizzical and ^ferved.

The circles continued weekly through Sep­ tember and October. Sean left for the north to go fruit picking; Samuel and Landon chose never to attend; Michael and Leonard rejoined the rest of us only shortly before another full community meeting that took place late in October.

The'influence of the circles became increasiriflly clear as they progressed. I disat my being able to listen well to covere ' was related to my not having to the ot immediate response. Neither did I ten carefully to others, for when it b e ^ p F m y turn to speak I could say just what Iliked. What I said often surprised me: remarkable confessions, long-forgotten memor­ ies, previously suppressed feelings issued from somewhere deep within me. Often these were triggered by others' contributions; gen­ erally they would not have come up in everyday conversations.

Different of us used the circles in dif­ ferent ways. Carl and Allan, for example, gave one another a sort of veto over what they would talk about, while Ben and I chtfse the ite for our most rancorous rough the circles we came another's hidden histor­ ies and came to 'W clearer about the similar­ ities and differences in our experiences.

The circle's influence began spilling over into other areas of my life. I became less hesitant to express my feelings, more willing to risk the disapproval of others. The cir­ cles drew me closer to the men with whom I shared them. Often Ben and I would be tenderest with one another in their wake.

In early September, before the circles began, there had been a conference on Faggots and Class Struggle at the Creekland (see RFD #10, pp.14-20). Although I was not at the conference, I was affected by it, for it left behind a heightened concern with differences in our class backgrounds. Chenille particu­ larly took on the banner of the working class, 10

and Landon - who before the September conference had expressed his disdain toward it - became increasingly vocal in his identification with the working class, especially insofar as that separated him from; Carl and Allan. The at­ tempt to share the Golden truck had not work­ ed. Carl and Allan were dissatisfied that the truck would sometimes be left without gas or that it was not left at some agreed-upon place.

The tension between Golden and the Ridge built during the months of the circles and finally burst into prominence at the late Oc­ tober community meeting at the Creekland.

Urged on by Chenille, Landon poured out his grievances with Carl and Allan, and the priv­ ilege they represented to him. Since his ar­ rival at the Ridge, Landon had been dependent! on Golden in several ways. The Ridge had neither electricity nor hot water; hence Lan-| don's freezer was hooked up at Golden, Landon had to go there for baths, t o o d ^ ^ ^ ^ H felt uncomfortable about asking G o l d a H ^ ^ H ^ it its use of the freezer, u n c o m f o r t a b l y about depending on Golden's chain saw.

Samuel had also experienced difficultie| at Golden since his arrival in Wolf Creek.

His style might be characterized as loose, folksy, boogie; Carl and Allan's, as s e r i o u ® intellectual, urbane. The differences betw” Samuel and Golden are more differences of style than of class background. N e v e r t h e l ^ M at the October community noting the preva^^T ing rhetoric was the rhetoric o f ^ a s s strug­ gle, and Samuel joined in the criticism of Golden with Landon. Catj particularly ceptive to the criticisjjfi but cerned things d i f f i c u l t ^ ^ ^ H ^ ^ T such ai musical tastes. My s y m p a ^ ^ s lay large!] with Golden, for I had found Carl and AlTjjfj be generous and giving, while their advetf^B ies had seemed on the whole more willingl^B^ accept help than to give it. Nonetheles did feel some sympathy for Landon, who cently taken it on himself at a workday! to suggest that it looked as if Ben was ncl sat­ isfying my needs very well and that thare *»>.. plenty of other men who would be happy to do so. I was also genuinely suprised to that the freezer at Golden was Landon's. rhetoric of social class was contagious that day. Ben picked it up and, despite the simil­ arities in our class background, turned it on me; I believe he was deflecting his anger to­ ward me for not having shown him affection in several days.

In the aftermath of the meeting, the split between the Ridge and Golden has contin­ ued. There are real differences among us in class background and in wealth, but - in the short run, anyhow - raising the issue of class seems to have exacerbated the differences rather than minimizing them. This seems iron­ ic, for in comparison with most people we all live modestly; in any comparison with most people, we have a great deal in common. More than once I have wondered about Chenille's part in the dispute, wondered whether his con­ cern with social class is born of a genuine revolutionary zeal or born instead of a desire to improve his own position within the men's

community. For what is clearest about the Oc­ tober episode is that it moved Carl and Allan from near the center of the community to its periphery. This is revolution?

DISTANT RUMBLINGS Ben and I left on separate travels at the beginning of November. When I returned a month later, the effects of the class issue were still being felt. Carl and Allan remain­ ed isolated from most of the other men in the community; RFD *10, composed while I was away, reflected much of the workinq class perspect­ ive that had emerged in the preceding months.

Candor and Michael had chosen to go on vaca­ tion rather than work on RFD (ravens fleeinq Leonard had felt Michael's ableavily, and the strains in their relanonship seemed to be increasing.

On my first visit to the Creekland I en­ countered Steven and Chenille. In the course of a short conversation Chenille said several things that puzzled me, and as I drove off I found myself growing angry over them. There was to be a circle meeting the following week, and I resolved to let my anger out at it. But I did A d o so, after all. The circle moved q u i c k l ^ B set up future sessions at which we present our autobiographies; it then toll discussion of a vehicle for the Ridge. I lid not feel like raising my persone H d ^ ^ M i c e s with Chenille, but he did give me one’opting, which I took. I had proposed taping the autobiographical sessions since many of us would be away during the winter.

Chenille suggested that I handle the taping since I was "into gadgets", a refrain I had heard repeatedly over the preceding months.

I told Chenille that I felt he was into my gadgets. Still , my anger did not flow until after the meeting when I gathered with Leon­ ard, Michael, and Candor to catch up on what absence. It was then that I too, had been having ______ nth Chenille and that we shared opinionsU^pshers in the community as well. I left feeling a sense of relief, and feeling happy that I'd been there.

THUNDER AND MAGIC For some time there had been talk of a peyote ritual for the winter solstice; the previous year, there had been a ritual without the peyote. One evening in December Steven and I joined those on the Ridge to plan for the ritual. Landon described the previous year's ritual, sketching the functions of its four 'fairies'. Both Steven and I expressed concern that one of the fairies was apparently empowered to decide whether anyone could leave the ritual. I had not had peyote before and wanted to know that I could respond to it in any way that I chose.

Tensions mounted in the community as the 11

solstice drew near. I learned from Allan that neither he nor Carl had been invited to the ritual. Although they most certainly would not have attended it, Allan took their exclus­ ion as a further sign of their isolation. Al­ lan's feelings added to my growing sense that perhaps I would be out of place at the ritual.

My unease became more intense when I discover­ ed that none of the men I'd talked with after the last circle - Candor, Leonard, and Mich­ ael - planned to attend the ritual.

A confusing encounter with the community men who would be present at the ritual added to my fears. At the movie series in Grants Pass two nights before the ritual, I came to­ gether spontaneously with Landon, Sean, Sam­ uel, Steven, and Chenille to find out whether the peyote had arrived. It had, and at once there was a jerky discussion about who would get how much of it. Steven was content that there was enough to go around, but I was con­ cerned that I might not get the extra buttons I had paid for. Chenille had not paid and was worried that he might get no buttons at all; Sean had taken the money for peyote but did not want the responsibility for distribut­ ing it; Samuel said that he would take that responsibility. I was feeling negative about him,, and so that worried me, too. By now I had so many misgivings about being with these men that I verged on picking up some peyote before the ritual and leaving it.

Late on the afternoon of December 20 we gathered at the Ridge and formed a circle in the pod. We began to discuss the ritual and to decide who would take what part in it.

Chenille, who led off the discussion, wanted to guide the ritual as road fairy; Sean, who spoke next, objected. But when no other ob­ jection was raised in the circle, Sean with­ drew his. Samuel - who did take the responsi­ bility for the peyote - took the part of the cedar fairy, to light boughs for incense.

Shawn, one of the three participants from outside the community, became fire fairy, to keep the stove going. Finally I volunteered to be balm fairy, to refresh and awaken the participants with sprigs of sage Chenille had provided.

As we talked toward sundown, many of us expressed fears. The circle was strange and frightening to the visitors Shawn, Iris, and Jai. Just before the ritual was to begin I expressed my own misgivings. I said that I had been having difficulty in getting along with several of the men there and had been on the verge of not attending the ceremony. But, I recollected, the winter solstice is a time of the sun's death and rebirth. I expressed the hope that the ritual would mark the death of our old relationships and give birth to new ones.

And so it did, in the short run at least.

The ritual gave me deeper insights than I had had in some time into Landon, Sean, and espe­ cially Samuel and Chenille. My part as balm

sang and talked of our lives and our visions; when the sun rose in the morning we were up to greet it. And while I was participating in the ritual a letter was on its way to me from Illinois, telling me that Ben would not be re­ turning to Woodford Creek. It was a new day.

EPILOGUE So winter came to Wolf Creek; with it has come some talk of the death of the community.

Gone is the excitement and much of the hope with which we approached one another in June and again in September. In the aftermath of our first half year together there is much mis understanding and disappointment. But there is also a clarity about what we are attempting to do which becomes obvious to me only when I travel to see other people in other places.

The Wolf Creek community is not well-organized wel1-coordinated institution. Its growth is organic, not forced. What has died is not the community: it is the illusion that community wil 1 be easy.

r.

....

— i

"...Times of growth are beset with difficult­ ies. They resemble a first birth. But these difficulties arise from the very profusion of all that is struggling to attain form. Every­ thing is in motion: therefore if one perse­ veres there is a prospect of great success, in spite of the existing danger. When it is a man's fate to undertake such new beginnings, everything is still unformed, dark. Hence he must hold back, because any premature move might bring disaster. Likewise, it is very important not to remain alone; in order to overcome the chaos he needs helpers. This is not to say, however, that he himself should look on passively at what is happening. He must lend his hand and participate with inspi­ ration and guidance" (I Ching, p.16).

Webb,

fairy also brought me in touch with what it is to give nurturance, something that I had pre­ viously found distasteful and threatening.

Through the year's longest night we faggots 12

Woodford Creek,

Glendale, OR

97442

namn n in n 'tfs s s i

ine » M d w a s two pieces of 2 x 4 and cross pieces of clapboard, one painted green. Cecil made it to slide down the hill in front of the barn. Cleve pushed off and landed laughing a g ^ r a l M again at the bottom of the hill in a spray of snow. Each time Cleve would raise t h e ^ ^ f o v e r his head and leap up the hill. Each time Cecil stood like the sun drawino the boyJmtf&o him. with me you too this time." is tnere room?" Cecil asked getting on. He anchored his arctic heels between the cross his arms and legs to the gasping boy. He felt him settle close up and in­ stinctively cjoied^j^jmself around him. They unified into one weight and, leaning forward, made the sled begin to RJovO^jown the incline. Going down they felt inside as if the ground was drop­ ping out from under tHeci.^Momentum increased, they braced as they neared impact. Sled bumped, Cecil's arms opened, the^ jti^ed up laughing and surveying each other, all eyes. Snow crystals sparkled around them like M e % r o n s , their smoky breaths formed intuitive speech balloons in an intimate language. v * "Want more?" v ^ "Betcha." They did it again.

Cecil had come over as it w ^ y j ^ f o r a sow to be bred. He walked off toward the hog houses. Cleve wanted Cecil's warmtrW|||?K£han sledding and, stiff-legged behind him, stepped into Cecil's tracks in the snow. As this f j & 4 s were snow covered they found the hogs in their shelter burrowed in straw bedding.

Cecil pointed out a sow lying at the edgOTj ^ T h ^ r o u p . "That's her." They came near her.

All the hogs reluctantly rose and ran, but Cecil separated the sow and headed her toward the gate. She made dark pocks in the white snow with her daint^^koofs. She looked back at the man protestingly.

Open the gate.

Cleve ran to oblige. The cold gate cracked hoi5,1 ly and the hinges creak­ ed. He stayed behind it not to frighten the sow. Cecil drove ^ r throlftjh, pointing across the barnyard to the boar's hog house, and Cleve ran, his smoky breatrlfunneling»^o open the gate.

The sow went in, puzzled all alone. Then the boar scented her an# grunted Tib$<ide his house. He came out snorting, chortling.

Man and boy watched the animals get acquainted. She ran the circumference'Iff the enclosure, he followed her. She stopped for him, he snuffed her rear. He took her hairs in his jnouth, she arched her back, lowered her rump and pissed. Steam rose and the snow life] lowed. !Hs front’ shoulders scrambled on top of her.

His pink corkscrew came out moist and curling. It smoked in the cold air. It dribbled.

Cleve, intent, stood close to Cecil. Cecil, short and muscular, grabbed and lifted hiin, feeling his own belly muscles grip and relax, as he placed the boy on top of the gate. "You can see better." Lifted off the ground, the boy felt the same belly thrill he- had felt sledding.

Man and boy watched the dripping coral corkscrew extend and extend. The sow backed closer and it found its way into her. Both animals purred gruffly. Boy and man felt a completion.

They stopped holding their breaths and inhaled deeply.

Serious, they looked at each other out of depths of nature. They lauqhed. Stiffened by the cold they headed toward the barn. Snowflakes swirled.

Cleve ran off to the sled, lifted it above his head like a trophy. Cecil watched the boy run back toward him, then moved to the barn door, drew the bolt, and theyiwent in out of the wind. Cleve leaned the sled beside the door. Relieved of the snow glare their eyes dilap^ ' Both looked up to the top rafters. The barn seemed to whirl. They looked a t W h other! smiled, and stomped off snow from their boots. Cleve smiled. "Cold!" They moved away -fron

the dpo r"No place

M y '!

JRr

to sit down," said Cecil. Cleve pointed to the high seat on the green^tractor.

It was called John Deere. It had something stiff and regal about it. The boy cl kbedfupfand stood on the treads of the rear left wheel. Cecil sprang up on the rump of the tractor also, occupied the narrow seat, and looked at Cleve. They reassumed theirjsled relation. Enfolded

by Cecil's thighs, arms and torso, Cleve grasped the steering wheels and turned it. The front wheels crunched on the concrete floor and moved left. He felt a f a r m e d , connected: H f Cecil felt a fund of possibility. He clasped tighter, closed hit eyes. He,saw ahead to March and the first thaw, saw himself attaching the plows which would open the ground for fer­ tilizer and seed. His inner eye saw fertility everywhere. Nature was lavish.and prodigal.

His eyes opened. "Better go to the house and get warm," lie let go of his illusion.

The boy, no illusion and no mere child, turned full around and, with his knees digging into Cecil's thighs, encircled Cecil's neck and pushed thpir moist mouths together. Cecil stood up and the boy's feet easily reached the seat,. OesDite their age ^they'were almost equal 13

as males. Cleve pressed the thick coat of his chest against Cecil's slightly larger one.

"Gonna help me plow in the spring?"

Cleve had found a man to admire and be apprentice to at last. "Betcha."

Understanding an agreement had been made, he jumped down to the concrete floor, dipped into a squat, then ran to the large door, drew the bolt and dashed out into the thickening snow, downhill between the tracks their sledding had made. From the frame of the door Cecil watched that exploding germ of energy and reached out his right hand to the rough wood of the sled be­ side him. On its back they had ridden to encounter.

Cecil thought of the elemental act they had witnessed and recalled how he had given in to awe, had felt one with the animals, had wanted to diminish the distance between them and him­ self. That energy with which he had lifted Cleve onto the gate had been an impulse to leap over the gate, join the animals, be with boar and sow, merge with boy and animals. In the snowy scene there had been an absence of pretense, of inhibition. There had been a simplifying mag­ netism, a power toward, not power over. He sensed a parallel magnetism in the boy.

Cecil urgently wanted him back, wanted to follow and retrieve him from the house, but his inarticulate depths knew better and told him so. Once he had reached the house, he knew it would all be spoiled. What was between him and Cleve would have a changed aspect, demeaned and ugly. Something about houses with their televisions and newspapers denatured and distorted.

They were run by those who talked very fast with their head and mouth while clenching into si­ lence the rest of the body.

He remained at the barn near the animals. He closed the door, went back to seat himself on the back of John Deere where, closing his eyes and letting his forehead drop forward onto the steering wheel, he began thinking of what would happen in the spring.

Philip Paris,

230 W. 107th St. Apt. 5D,

New York City NY 10025

B L U R B S During the past year the Oregon Governor's Commission on Youth has been working toward try­ ing to improve the treatment accorded high school age homosexuals in the public school sys­ tem. The Commission has invited RFD readers to write telling it of their high school exper­ iences in relation to their homosexuality. Stories of either support or mistreatment from teachers or counselors would be appreciated. The Commission prefers that statements not be signed; if you write, enclose another sheet of paper bearing your name and address with your statement. Write: Governor's Commission on Youth, 555 13th Street N.E., Salem OR 97310 Announcing the beginning of a new quarterly magazine of revolutionary art & politics, pro­ duced by a collective of six faggots. To contain poetry, prose, critiques, photography and graphic art. Concerning the creation and development of art & culture relating to revolu­ tionary politics and a new society. First issue out around spring equinox, free and avail­ able by mail, on request. Contributions of material being accepted for further issues. To be financed by the collective & contributing subscribers. Direct issue requests, material & dollar contributions to: HUNDRED FLOWERS, P.O.Box 402, Eugene OR 97405 The Lesbian Defense Fund has begun a nationwide campaign for support. The LDF is seeking to help lesbians who have been denied jobs, homes, loans, entrance to trades and profes­ sions, and child custody. With our support, a lesbian might be able to find a sympathetic and skilled lawyer to help her fight discrimination against her as a woman and as a homo­ sexual. Without our support, her chances are greatly reduced. Tax-exempt contributions can be sent to the LDF at: P.O.Box 4, Essex Junction VT 05452_____________________________ _ Gay science-fiction magazine forming. Need lesbians, gay men to write short stories, com­ ics, illustrate, donate money and time. Write: Gay Science Fiction Collective, c/o ComelUnity Press, 13 E. 17 Street #6 , New York City NY 10003

14

The call went out: send us your contributions for a spring machinery issue, dealing with cars, trucks, farm equipment; butch and femme mechanics; how-to's, how-not-to's ; ...the poetry of the machine. And so they came in. Poems and articles about sex roles. Advice on automot­ ive maintenance. Articles about cars. Articles about, cars. Articles about cars.

But a new voice was heard as wellâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; a small voice questioning the relationship between people and cars, people and machines. A voice heralding the arrival of a new consciousness of machinery. It is echoed in quotations interspersed throughout this section of the magazine as an introduction to 'soft' technology.

-Webb Themes for future issues of RFD are listed on the information page of this issue. Your contributions are invited, as well as comments about the notion of having thematic issues.

16

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1

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4

______ K A ___

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3

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..............

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Even though I have enjoyed some of the how-to things in RED already, I don’t particularly see it as an informational journal and would probably be just as inclined to read know-how stuff in Country Women. I certainly don't have much expertise to pass on, even after a two-year auto­ motive mechanics program and 3 years of living in the country. I guess I'm another of those un­ mechanical types. Although I now know I have the ability, the interest is often so low that un­ less it becomes critical to work on something (cars, water pumps, you name it), I'll avoid the issue.

I well remember my first week in the country— the first chore was hooking up the cookstove to the chimney; easily enough done, but an entirely new experience. Then on to the pump— it needed replacement parts, so we toted water until Sears secured the necessary parts. We then re-assembled the parts, trying to follow the technical instructions enclosed with those parts.

We still could not get the pump to work and assumed it was faulty priming on our part, or else that the well had gone dry. How embarrassed we were when a friend, having grown up in the coun­ try and used to a well rather than simply a tap hooked up to a city system, dropped a rock down the well and listened for the splash that told us there was indeed water down there!

Major projects #3 and #4 including rehabilitating and extending the outmoded plumbing and electrical systems. I was elected simply because nobody else would go crawling under the house ---I wasn't particularly enchanted with the idea, myself. Plumbing with plastic pipe was an en­ tirely new experience, and suprisingly easy— it's quite a feeling when water comes gushing out of a newly-installed faucet! Electrical work, when I was growihg up, was always done by one of my younger brothers (the "mechanical" one) and my father. I'd never been really interested in learning and never had to. Now, however, I had a vested interest in doing it, as w e ’d inherited a very old-fashioned and quite inadequate (not to mention unsafe) jumble of wires and myriad un­ labeled fuse boxes and switches, with some circuits controlled by two fuses and others that by- . passed the fuse box entirely. Trial and error, consulting books and friends, an occasional shock— the system now works!

My next major project is to learn and then build my own home— lucky for me that old RFD's have some encouraging articles, and that I live with and near friends who've already built them­ selves homes!

And so it continues— each new project means learning something new; it also means simply trying to use basic reasoning powers and also trying to overcome earlier self-perceptions that said I couldn't handle technical chores.

Let's lay to rest right now the fallacy that there's a direct tie-in between faggotry and ability to do technical things. One of my friends, femme as can be, as a young teenager tink­ ered with cars and then switched from coveralls to dresses to flit around his small Nebraska town. Later, in Seattle, he amazed our entire faggot collective by being the only one of us who could and would work on cars...I'm temporarily living in a straight country environment, and meet plenty of het men who also are somewhat afraid of learning new technical skills. A major difference, though, seems to be that those het men cannot freely admit their lack of knowledge because it impugns their own masculine image. As one old and dear lesbian friend puts it: "art, not force." Take time to reason something out, and don't assume brute force can get the job done-.-if, indeed, brute force can be used to accomplish the task, there's also a physically easier way.

There are books aplenty for the novice, including some that are specifically titled for women (albeit often written by men) that assume no knowledge about a subject, as well as excel­ lent courses offered at community colleges and high school adult education classes. Often, neighbors are excellent source of help, especially when they learn you are serious about learn­ ing and doing; they are more than willing to help, especially if you offer to trade labor with them. There's always offering to be a "gopher" for someone else involved in a project— a sort of apprenticeship program.

There are specific advantages in working with other faggots or in an otherwise non-alienat­ ing environment. I remember, while struggling (both spiritually and mechanically) thru my auto mechanics course, working on a car muffler at home with an itinerant faggot. At one point I was in a very uncomfortable position under the car, and he quite naturally extended his hand as a support for my head, not only saving me from a neck cramp, but making the work-experience into an extension of camaraderie. The community work-days in Wolf Creek also serve these same func­ tions .

Would-be builders of the world, unite; you have nothing to lose but your ignorance!

Faygele ben Miriam Rt. 1 Box 92E Efland NC 27243 17

GREASE AND BUSTED KNUCKLES Three years ago or so, I came to the re­ alization that I could only continue to af­ ford a car if I cared for the machine myself.

One thing led to another and another and I find myself doing it for a living now, more or less; sometimes it keeps the wolf away from the door.

Anyone who is unfamiliar with machin­ ery and in particular vehicles may be apt to throw up their hands in despair at the sight or even the thought of the innards of a car.

THIS NEED NOT BE SO. The only differences between a mechanic and a non-mechanic is that the mechanic has learned how to do things over a period of time and doesn't mind getting dirty. The best way to learn is to work with someone who is experienced.

Ask around. People are usually glad to help and to give the benefit of their experience; just don't expect them to do all the work.

Remember, this is a hands on deal. YOU gotta do it or you'll never learn a thing.

The next best way of learning how is to consult one of the many books on mechanics, both basic and advanced. Once again, consult some knowledgeable person about the selection of reading material.

There are many books offered by firms such as Chilton Book Company, Peterson publi­ cations, Motors, and Clymer Manuals; the Autobook series covers imported models.

These books cover material basic, advanced, and specific. The Autobook series, for exam­ ple, lists 87 books; Chilton and Motors print a yearly manual covering all American cars; and Peterson covers basic tune up, exhaust systems, fuel systems and many more along that line. These publishers sell good stuff, and only your need can be a guide as to what to buy. There is also an excellent "Volks­ wagen for the Complete Idiot" by Muir which is enjoyable reading even if you don't own a VW, and a hot item if you do.

hill. Beware of the fan and running belts in a running engine. If you wear your hair long, as I do, tie it back or get a sock hat to keep it under control. Loose hair can be a bother or dangerous if caught in the wrong place.

This can be hazardous work. Go slow, think, be around for the next time or what­ ever.

TOOLS! No two mechanics agree on this. Most have a favorite brand. I prefer ones of good or better quality as opposed to one brand.

Sears and Montgomery Wards market tools through retail stores or catalog which is a great convenience and perhaps the best bet if a replacement is needed. These tools are of only slightly lesser quality than the very best but are also fully guaranteed, and re­ placement is as near as the post office. Good tools will pay their way over the long haul, be easier to work with, give greater satisfac­ tion and get the job done quickly.

Good tools and books on mechanics can be found at auctions, garage sales, second hand stores at reasonable prices— sometimes. The tool catalog from Sears or Wards can help as a guide to what reasonable might be. Don't be afraid to pay a nearly new price for a reput­ able name brand tool in good shape. Prices are going up fast (what isn't) and people sel­ ling tools generally know what they are and what they are worth, but not always. I have picked up bargains at auctions, however, let the buyer beware.

LET'S DO s o m e t h i n g : I had someone tell me not long ago that he didn't have the slightest idea where "The oil" was put into the car. Let's confine our remarks here to the engine lubricating oil.

Many machines are short lived or ruined be­ yond repair by improper lubrication. Neglect does it. I change the engine oil and filter in my own vehicles at least every 1500 miles.

It's cheap, and internal inspection shows the value of it.

You can't hurt an engine (just your wal­ let) by changing the oil too often. Change

SAFETY! Cars, trucks, etc. as a whole and their larger component parts are heavy; ranging from 1500 pounds for a sub-compact to 4000 pounds or more for a 'light' truck. One of these machines falling on a person can kill or ser­ iously injure.

NEVER work under a vehicle supported by a jack of any kind, especially a bumper jack, which is sometimes useless even for changing a tire. Cars fall this way and injure someone every day. I don't want to hear of any of my gay brothers and sisters going out this way.

Do not block your car up with concrete blocks or bricks. These have a tendency to shatter suddenly under load even if they have carried the load for some time. Use jack stands or stout rounds of wood instead. Buy and use at least a 3 ton hydraulic or scissors jack.

Follow the instructions packed with it or get someone to show you how. Don't work on a

We realized at the outset that the problems facing humanity were interrelated and could not be dealt with separately if lasting changes were to ensue. Energy, food, envi­ ronmental health, land use, manufacturing, our estrangement from ourselves, each other, and the living world, and governmental cri­ ses were woven in the same tapestry.

--John Todd, Journal of the New Alchemists, 1975.

18

the filter, if there is one, each time the oil is changed.

You'll need: A wrench to get the oil pan plug out A pan or something to catch the old oil Jack (if needed) Stands (if needed) Oil & filter required for your engine Jack up and support properly the front of the vehicle if the underside of the engine cannot be reached without your doing so. Find the drain plug on the engine oil pan; it should be somewhere around the bottom of this pan. The pan is the large square-ish sheet metal dish bolted to the bottom of the engine.

The plug looks like the head of a large bolt; place a container to catch the old oil under­ neath it. Fit an adjustable wrench to the plug and turn it counter-clockwise to remove it, but don't let it fall into the dish pan now filling up with the old oil. You'll be sorry. It's messy to fish it out of a pan full of mucky oil. You may also be lucky enough to have the old oil run down your arm while taking the plug out. That's part of the fun.

Allow the stuff to drain into the pan for about 15 minutes or so to get the most you can and some of the sludge which forms on the inside of the engine. All this is best done while the engine is still warm from a short run. Watch it! This stuff can get real hot if the car has been run a long time. Replace the plug in a clockwise direction and tighten snugly with the wrench.

Go easy on the force.

Find the filter. It usually located on the side of the engine itself, on a bracket on top of the engine, or in a sealed can on the upper side of the engine. If you're not sure what a filter looks like, go to a parts store and see what they can look like, or perhaps someone can show you where it is. On cars with a lot of accessories the filter seems to be cleverly hidden; it's only buried. Older cars and trucks use a different type called a canister which I will go into later.

The old filter (spin on type) should un­ screw in a counter-clockwise direction. If it doesn't, a special filter wrench may be needed or use an old screwdriver and pound it through the old filter, which you're going to throw out anyway. Turn the thing using the screw­ driver as a handle. This may have to be done a couple of times because the filter was prob­ ably put on too tightly the last time. The filter has about a quart of oil inside it so be prepared for a mess here.

Install the new filter following the in­ structions provided with it.

For those cars with the canister type, locate the canister. Get help with these if you have any doubt as they come in all shapes and sizes. They are made of heavier metal than the spin on types and have a removable cover of some sort held on with a bolt.

Remove the cover, lift or drop out the element inside (this is the actual filter) and dispose of the element only. There may be a

spring, spacer or large metal disc in the can.

Be sure these parts are saved, cleaned and put back in the same order and position in which they came out.

Sop out all the old oil inside with rags and cup or canister, replace the internal parts, install a new element and replace the cover. If a new cover gasket is provided in the box with the new element, use it. Follow directions. Replace the hold down bolt on the cover.

NOW, DON'T FORGET THE NEW OIL! Use the proper amount of a good grade of oil. Stick to the big oil company stuff or Pennzoil, Quaker State, or Valvoline. I like a 10-40 weight all season for my own vehicles but, like tools, this is open for debate.

Locate the oil filler cap on the engine and after wiping clean the top of each can of new oil, open the can and pour it in. One of those service station spouts is nice but not necessary.

Most older cars have a filler cap with a wire mesh inside which needs to be cleaned.

Pour some kerosene or gasoline in a can along with the filler cap and slosh it around for a bit to clean the cap. Do it twice using clean solvent each time. Be careful of the old liquid. Very flammable.

Replace the filler cap on the engine.

There are fine variations of this for in­ dividual model and make cars. Now, start the . car, don't rev it up and be sure the oil light' on the dash goes out within 20 seconds or see that the oil pressure indicator rises to the normal or higher reading. Carefully look around the filter while the machine is running and check for leaks. Be careful of fans, belts, and other moving parts. Re-tighten the filter or canister slightly if there are any leaks. Do this with the engine turned off.

Turn off the engine and let the car sit about 5 minutes. Check the dip stick (ask if you're not sure where it is) and add some oil to bring it up to the full mark if needed.

Happy Motoring!

Rich 39943 Little Fall Creek Road Fall Creek OR 97438

19

SEX BOLES a, MACHINERY 9 "Don't touch that, you'll break it!" was the response I usually got whenever I felt an interest in exploring or fixing anything. My grandmother was the only one who encouraged my tinkering with objects. My parents were quite often appalled at the fact that my grandmother would give me expensive, technical instruments that had belonged to my grand­ father. We lived in such a way that if any­ thing needed fixing, we could find the right repairman in the yellow pages. So I was brought up with the "keep your hands off it" approach. I guess it must have been the for­ bidden territory that brought my curiosity to where I really wanted to know the hows and whys. It took 18 years before my parents had enough trust to "let me fix it", and then it was easy.

Getting permission to drive wasn't easy.

Begging, crying, and pleading barely worked and only after a summer course in driver's training when I was 18 did I finally obtain my driver's license. A car was "out of the question" although my parents had enough mon­ ey to buy me the latest model. I had to work to buy my first car. It broke down the first week, and so began a long career of working on vehicles. The frugality of my conservative parents had given me the confidence to fix things myself rather than call for help.

Mechanics and Masculinity

I have found myself hiding behind the mechanical mask which predominates the field of machines and machinery, acting more mascu­ line around garages and parts departments than I do in other places. I have even been intrigued by the changes in myself, from being sensitive to being overly gross and outspoken. Conditioning is partially res­ ponsible for my actions, especially the in­ timidation that you have to be big, hairy and tough to work on machinery. The whole sexual impetus of the man-machine relation­ ship is obvious in the trades, for example the machismo attitudes or heavy equipment operators shows that the bigger the machine the larger the penis, which of course is ab­ surd. It has usually been my experience when working with other mechanics to object­ ify the machine we are working on as "her".

My experience at working in garages has been pretty ugly in the fact that it seems machines are used as extensions of the cock and that virility is common note among fel­ low mechanics.

A few years ago I had a close friend­ ship with a fellow and it started under a car. I was helping a new acquaintance put a •transmission in his car. Working under the car together we realized that both of us

were objectifying it as female. We discussed why and found that it was the common condit­ ioning which prevailed among city-bred working class men. Our relationship then started pointing towards one another and by working on nuts and bolts together we devel­ oped a subtle relationship. We were able to reach out to each other without a lot of fears attached; the barriers were let down and we became the closest of friends. We traveled across the states in a rickety old imported car, going to out of the way places just because we were able to work together with that certain kind of trust by which we .reinforced each other if anything went wrong.

It wouldn't just be him or me, but the two of us staying cool enough to work it out.

I don't always work with love in my heart and sometimes have a large amount of

anxiety, mainly about trust and involvement.

When I am working with someone and we meet with equal trust and judgment then there is knowledge and understanding which flows right along with what we are doing. To me, that's a very filling experience to share with some­ one, and one of the ways I have found it is in working on machinery with someone else.

I was amazed to learn how many people don't know a hoot about anything mechanical.

I had one room-mate who actually didn't know how to change a light bulb. How debilitating, when it came to fixing anything or understand­ ing the workings of man-made objects. When I asked why, I usually got answers like, "it doesn't interest me" or "I never had the need to know"... well, I argued that how could you not be interested in the workings of objects you see and use every day? It still confuses me why so many people have absolutely no in­ terest in the functioning of the objects around them.

I think everyone should have some basic knowledge of the workings of things.

It takes only the desire to fix something, and by involving yourself you learn and develop self reliance.

It is difficult for me to work on mach­ ines and appliances with other gay people.

In the past I did all the problem solving myself and consequently it is difficult to give and take with others, especially when there are emotions and emotional attachments involved. Sharing spaces and learning togeth­ er without being "boss" or "understudy" especially under the tractor seems to be an area that needs a lot of expansion, love and understanding. r * 3 -len, Creekland

20

H I N T S ON A U T O M O T IV E M A I N T E N A N C E

OIL: The blood of the machine. Keep it clean and increase the longevity of the engine.

Change it often. When you pull up the dip­ stick you should be able to see it through the' oil; if not, change it regardless of mileage.

The oil is not supposed to be the consistency of tar. Change the filter everytime you change the oil. In summer and on dusty roads the oil should be checked more frequently. Also oil is needed in the transmission (if it's automatic use the red stuff). Check the differential; it often gets neglected. Both the differential and the transmission use a high viscosity oil.

COOLING SYSTEMS: If you find that the water is muddy in the radiator, then you can be sure you are in store for trouble. Spring time is a good time to flush out the radiator. Dis­ count houses have flush kits ranging from $7 to $15 that can attach to your garden hose.

Ordinary baking soda in the radiator for a few days helps clean it without the harmful chem­ icals sold on the market. Keep coolant/antifreeze in the radiator year-round. Change it twice a year.

BATTERY: Check at least once a month. Use dis­ tilled water. Fill up to "0" rings. Vaseline

around the terminals retards corrosion. Watch for the "fluffy white stuff" around the termin­ als especially if there is no response when you turn the ignition on.

Li'S?.:c a t :o n : Proper lube means a whole lot when it comes to wear and tear. In the country lubrication is the most important factor for keeping vehicles in good repair. The front wheel bearings get neglected the most. They could be repacked every other month. If the rear bearings leak you will see oil on the brake drums. A grease gun can save you lots of money. Get a flexible tip so you can lube the fittings that are difficult to get at.

Some U Joints (on the drive shaft) also have grease fittings.

TIRES: Keep them inflated; about 30-32/1bs.

Watch for wear signs; they may mean there is suspension trouble. Tires if new, last 25,000 miles and more. Rotate them.

THE CHECKLIST: Brake fluid topped off. (Thati the master cylinder). Check the gas filter if there is one, every 5000 miles or less, and the air filter on top of the carburetor. Renew it regularly and watch the gas mileage increase.

Keep the checklist in the vehicle and make a habit of using it regularly.

-len, Creekland

Dr. Bryan produced for me a sample of a ripe MH-1 tomato. ...(He) spoke of the characteristics that made the MH-1 suitable for machine harvesting-thick skin and firm flesh. To demonstrate these qualities, Dr. Bryan tossed the MH-1 to a height of a little more than six feet and let it drop on the asbestos-tiled floor of (the) office. The tomato landed with a thud. It lay a little lopsided--a bit flushed, it seemed to me--but the skin remained unbroken. .. .1 began to wonder whether America was making automobiles that would stand up as stolidly to that kind of impact. Out of curiosity, I telephoned . . . an auto-safety expert . . . and asked him if one of his technical people could compute the approximate impact speed for the Florida MH-1 in the six-foot fall I had witnessed ... Dr. Haddon obliged, and on the basis of the figures he provided I concluded that Dr. Bryan's MH-1 was able to survive its fall to the floor at an impact speed of 13.4 miles per hour, more than two and a half times the speed which federal auto-bumper safety standards provide for the minimum safety of current-model cars This undoubtedly represents a qreat step forward in tomato safety.

--Thomas Whiteside, "Tomatoes," ____________The New Yorker, January 24, 1977 21

The o t h e r h a l f ogktjie lime room has a woodb*tove. tables and chairs, ectric hot^fater pet for «*king coi erbal teas and cocoa, Tiger, tne 1ittle’Vfack| dog fo£ whom the station is named, magazines aiV jus&ted together^n funky disorder. .&#lc lift and other work ly orderly. Supris1 the various ©pie working on di § sep^at|iy. All seeming confusion and yet mos

ation al can do, she and work o n ■front-enus, uener^l ma in ten fork. Her motto is: n Who Wear the "Trust she had any advice ar." open their; oyyn busr someone iness. She rep lied; ■Get a good Accountant. nspi I also wanted to ask her f be mechanics pr fainted-he as myself). I r e ^ H M M C n a t whawshe is oing is the inspiration, fh fact, this is the reason why I wanted to write about Bren­ da's enterprise. She has shown me and many, many other people that they can learn to take keep it working better, fix n. It doesn't matter if on cars before. Youtcan to say "Oh, I can't do t even have to get into it learn some basics 1 ike e :1 in anti-freeze. Tune-ups either. Saving money is g it yourseV immense feelin< t.little bit less.

nky 1 ittla station the least lovely so-elegant independen

'rea. " e sign., ed out?

0 ’'we're *i 'f hard to be inde­ nt one of tfh&|poblems tha| her owtvifeals of e against big busfo e ta li| concern for peoiness. " 1| pleteri general , 0 be in business list J/ However,! yo .f m au tomat i ca 1 ly .. hung up on shcHse 1 s that if you doh le to recon the^aDels themselves, oile these difference h to know One look at shop. One n.-.t this i& w M ster, counthalf of th formal cus. formsr out ’job orders er contact as, • repair wor -

W

I

irdy 30015 WA 98103

People Jlyttolae: before you can make head­ way with your ’Intermediate Technology' you ./I must first changeIthe system, do away with •: V-<3 .f«pitalTsmwancl the profit motive, dissolve p H ' multinationals,'a^oVrln al 1 bureaucracies and reform'education. All I can repV 'ifknow of no better way of c h a n q ^ ^ g p ^ s y s ­ tem’ than by new f type of te chn01 ooy ---.fceciiiW^’Tes by which small people jsa^ O H Hnemselves productive and rel ativf*rpTrTdependent.

V ‘--E.F. Schumacher, "Technology and Soc­ ial Change", RAIN, Dec. 76. living is not something that will be; if there is one, it is vyhat is already here we live every day, that we form by living together. TJgere are two ways t. The first is easy for many: accept the inferno and bedome such a part ger see it. The second is risky and demands constant vigilance and appred learn to recognize who and what, in the midst of the inferno, are not inferendlre, space. alo Calvinri Invisible Cities. Harcourt Brace Jovanov 22

my car

I owned a car for eight years. It was a Buick Skylark convertible (brown), a present from my father when I graduated from college.

I felt uncomfortable about the car for the first few years, since I knew I couldn't have afforded such a car on my own. After five years, though, the car acquired that homey look that made it feel like it was really, mine. I really began to appreciate having it around. We spent long nights hopping from bar to bath to well-known cruising area. I got out of the city with it, and even took it on trips to New York and Philadelphia.

And then a funny thing started happening.

I started to get bored being in the car all the time. The challenge of traffic wasn't interesting anymore. Looking for parking spaces became an unending hassle. I felt like a slave to the thing. So I stopped driv­ ing for a month, but then started again one day when I was late for work. But a couple of months later I stopped again, and this time the decision stuck! I discovered I real­

ly didn't need the car and didn't want It. I sold the car to mv brother for $35. I was free!

That was about a year and a half ago, and I haven't missed driving since. Public transportation gets me long distances, and walking gets me there the rest of the time.

My legs are stronger from all the walking, and I walk just about any place up to a mile away. I also sometimes walk the two miles home from my bus transfer point after work.

I take the side streets, where there is little or no traffic, and only a few other people out. For me, this is my escape from the has­ sles of the city and work. I become a part of nature again, hearing the birds, feeling the breeze, seeing the sky. I even like walking in the winter, when the snow is on the ground and I'm all bundled up. It's cold, but it feels good, and it's a good way to end a long work-day.

Miss my car? No way. It was fun for a while, but now getting along without it has become an important part of my existence in the big city.

Mark Sherkow Chicago

Indeed, we are now learning that self-interest, if seen in a large enough time/space context, is now identical with group-interest, societal-interest, and species-interest. My personal commitment, which I know most of us share, is to do what we can, to work wherever we are, in whatever institutions we find ourselves enmeshed, to seek out others and continue on tKe path to expanded awareness and the cultural mutation that now must come.

--Hazel Henderson, in CoEvolution Quarterly, Fall 1975.

23

Mechanics Haven

Scott's place where he fixes cars is where i saw all these men get out of their trucks â&#x20AC;˘ and greet each other long hair aflowin' with punches and shoves like they were ten not knowing how to love or touch one another still fearful of hugging tight and wetting moustached lips with macho tongues.

David Sunseri 514 Logan Santa Cruz CA 95060

billee song i want to call you now and tell you about my tears and my fears but you are pumping gas until 9 which is fine but i miss you and i hardly know you which is why i cried last night coming home to my place which is not near your face or your laughter Chenilie Creekland

24

Th re e R e v o l u t i o n a r y Songs

I Over & over I hear about the Great Outdoors but when I step outside my house, I step over winos, broken bottles, newspaper laments.

War! Rape! Strip Mining!

America when are you going to grow up Europe used to complain. Now, broken junkies together needle tracks dotting our landscape.

II I want to know about the poets and the children.

Where are they going to go?

Worldwide cataclysm would be a relief.

Flying saucers a dream most of us hope for.

Dear planet, our shriveled fingers point to the memory of Chairman Mao, a landscape glacier pure reign of the melting dead.

Ill Support!

Support the cause!

Drumming up support our fingers march on mahogany bars before an army of drunken eyes.

At home our real self hides.

What a drag!

A General Drag!

Our Gay fingers and mouths racing all over town!

Outside (we were talking of the Great Outdoors) an indifferent moon glowers.

Our pretty fingernails falling like rain!

Who can say this war is not a love song?

Who can say we are not fighting an army of the dead? Outside Our pretty fingernails falling like rain.

Stephen Abbott 67 Albion Street San Francisco CA 94103

25

Recently, I journeyed to eastern North America for a biennial visit with family and friends. It was a return to vast areas of population density where one's senses are numbed by innumerable distractions. But un­ derlying all the distraction, or should I say overseeing it, is the incessant hum and drone of the advanced technological age. There is tension in the air; the atmosphere is charged with the effluents of enormous amounts of en­ ergy being produced, utilized, and often was­ ted in order to keep "the machine" function­ ing.

People can feel the collective effect this charged atmosphere has on themselves and the surrounding environment; I used to feel it while living around the cities of Toronto and Vancouver.

Toronto is situa’ted along the shores of Lake Ontario and has a small group of sandy islands near its city center which form a fair-sized harbour. The islands are largely uninhabited, and are serviced by four small ferryboats running to different points on them. When on the islands, one is essential­ ly cut off from the hustle-bustle and contrap­ tions of the city. Along the shore of the is­ lands, over a mile and a half from Toronto, an everpresent drone and hum permeates the air at an almost annoying level. The hum be­ comes especially feverish around rush hours, but‘never ceases, as any city dweller knows.

The city dweller, though, is not the on­ ly one_plagued with these noisy, noxious pro­ ducts of the machine. Peacefully walking through the forest on our back forty and sud­ denly .being stunned out of our senses by a chain saw or trail bike nearby is an unpleas­ ant experience many country dwellers have en­ countered. But are we so much against mach­ ines and the fumes they produce, their noise, and the oily droppings they ooze that we are willing to do without them altogether and wil­ ling not to benefit from their convenience?

But if we do not cut back on our increasing dependence upon machines, we will eventually have to suffer the consequences. The mach­

ines drain our often non-renewable resources, i.e. the raw materials used for their con­ struction and powering; they cause a loss of self-awareness in the power and capabilities of our own bodies and minds.

To elaborate, I suggest the following ideas concerning certain machines which may find use in either urban or rural settings.

AUTOMOBILES: ‘ Living in a transient, mobile society, we often find need for an automobile or truck, but does it need to be one of those high-pow­ ered, giant-sized models with all the cosmetic frills that Detroit can muster? No? the smal­ ler and more simple in principle that any machine is made, the easier it is to develop a proficiency at repairing and rebuilding it yourself. Such a machine is also more effic­ ient in terms of energy consumption. Anyone who has been in the market for a vehicle of any sort has probably found that an older model with a smaller engine— say, a 4 or 6 cylinder model, standard shift (if you can get parts for it, another Detroit dilemma) follows the basics of the internal combustion engine quite simply. Working on it can often seem like working on an overgrown toy, once the initial intimidation wears* away.

Aside from mechanics, I have found that if you travel at about 45 to 50 miles per hour at the fastest, enjoying the scenery and the peace of mind which a slower pace tends to af­ ford, your gas mileage can climb. In my 1966 Volkswagen van, it climbs to 35 miles per gal­ lon (Imperial gallon at that, but not much less by US standards), but almost all vehicles will exhibit an increase in gas mileage if slower speeds are adhered to. There's also more chance of arriving at your destination as wel 1 .

An older vehicle often lends itself more readily to personal adornments, such as the arabic artwork of the Turkish Taxi, the Moslem murals of the Afghani lorrie, or the art deco psychedelia of the North American freak van.

The artwork also helps to preserve the body from the gnawing effects of old age. An un26

dercoating applied by your own design and hard sweat can also be quite valuable, a bit of work I intend to put into my own van this sum­ mer.

TRACTORS: Depending upon the size of your acreage and the use toward which you put it, a tractor may well be a member of your family. Again, an older model might be all you can afford or be willing to tackle as far as repairs go.

The power factor is important here again and I can think of two recent examples which support this. While I was in Ontario this winter, I spent some time on the farm of a friend and his family, and each day we spent a certain amount of time in the sub-zero temperatures go­ ing to the back of the land cutting down dead wood for use in their wood stoves. We used an older Ford tractor that he had picked up the year before, which had been well taken care of, and its simple design made it rather easy to start and keep running in temperatures at which the car sometimes had to be pulled to start (by the tractor). It had just enough power to take on the chores of plowing, and the trailer for hauling wood and hay. Its gas consumption was minimal and its reliability was superb.

Another example of this sort of low-pow­ ered tractor is found in the orchards where I work in British Columbia. One orchardist I work for has a small Ferguson Deluxe tractor with rear forks for piching up bins of fruit, and a rear drive shaft for operating the spraying equipment and mower that is essent­ ial to the orchard. It has approximately 35 horsepower, which is just enough to handle the tasks around the orchard and run very depend­ ably. I might add that it is close to ten years old and runs better than some of the newer gas and diesel powered equipment of a higher power rating, as well as being quieter, and it uses less fuel.

CHAIN SAW: The chain saw is another piece of machin­ ery which has many advantages, but it can be overused. A great deal of wood can be felled and bucked in a short amount of time, but the small internal combustion engine takes its toll on your physical well-being and peace of mind. With a certain amount of forethought and responsibility in getting one's wood sup­ ply over the year, the chain saw can almost be eliminated. For example, the art of acquiring a rhythm with a Swede saw and using it properly can bring about greater ease and efficiency in its use. A good deal of satis­ faction can be gained in exploring the capa­ bilities of your own body in physical exer­ tion; and you can enjoy the sensuality of working up a good sweat while honing your phy­ sical self into better condition.

Whatever machine you intend to use, a certain amount of care is necessary in main­ taining it for efficient operation and depend­ ability. Of equal importance, too, is the re­ spect you give these machines, the’extent to which they're used, and the effect they have on your environment. To keep the machine in its place as the servant of humankind, it

is up to each of us to be aware of its impact on all of us. For we are each an integral part of a whole which cannot be tampered with too mindlessly.

Jim Cawston British Columbia

If our technology has been created mainly by the capitalist system, is it not prob­ able that it bears the marks of its origin, a technology for the few at the expense of the masses, a technology of exploitation, a technology that is class-oriented, undem­ ocratic, inhuman, and also unecological and non-conservationist?

--E.F. Schumacher, "Technology & Political Change," in RAIN, Dec. 76

It would appear that the economic system ought to be designed to conform to the re­ quirements of the production system, and the production system to conform to the requirements of the ecosystem. In reality, the relations between the three systems are the other way around. ...What confronts us is not a series of separate crises but a single basic defect--a fault that lies deep in the design of modern society.

-Barry Commoner, The Poverty of Power,

knopf.

If you are looking for a Moses to lead you out of this capitalist wilderness you will stay right where you are. I would not lead you into the promised land if I could, be­ cause if I could lead you in, somebody else could lead you out. You must use your heads as well as your hands and get yourself out of your present condition; as it is now, the capitalists use your heads and your hands.

-- Eugene V. Debs

27

Some Characteristics of 'Hard' Technology Society 1) 2)

3) 4)

5) 6) 7)

ecologically unsound non-reversible use of materials and energy sources mass production highly destructive to other species growth-oriented economy capital intensive agricultural emphasis on mono-culture

'Soft' Technology Society

O'* u

1)

4~>

2)

•2

>> 4->

3) 4) 5) 6)

cy

7)

c 6)

9)

quantity criteria highly valued work undertaken primarily for income

•2

8)

9) O

10) I D 12)

small units totally dependent on others science & technology alienated from culture science & technology performed by specialist elites

LU

10)

O

I D

E 12)

ecologically sound reversible materials and energy sources only craft industry dependent on wellbeing of other species steady-state economy labor intensive agricultural emphasis on diversity quality criteria highly valued work undertaken primarily for satisfaction small units self-sufficient science and technology integrated with culture science and technology performed by all

Ecology, in a very sneaky way, is anti-capital and anti-civilization as we know it. I don’t think a lot of people realize this. They're just out there starting to clean up the environ­ ment because it obviously is unpleasant--even deadly to some. But fully accomplished, their goal spells out the end of' the idea of production which is the traditional idea of progress.

Progress was always a measure of just how far we had overwhelmed the environment: progress represented our conquest of nature. But we are nature, nature is in our bodies, it's in our bones, And sure enough, as we destroy nature, we are destroying our bodies.

— Ron Cobb, Raw Sewage, Sawyer Press.

--Quotations compiled by Webb

28

Well, I just finished polishing the kitchen sink. I have been accused of having a sink fetish. This is not true. I am just a simple kitchen queen, and a glowing white sink warms my heart and gives me a transient sense of domestic security. (And in this place, a clean sink is definitely short-lived.)

I have often wondered where I picked up my predilection for the kitchen. As a child. I was a sissy. At age five, I wandered about the neighborhood running errands for the "neigh­ bor ladies," seeking mothering wherever I could get it. Not to say I didn't get enough moth­ ering from my own mother. On the contrary, I was a classic mama's boy spending many a happy hour with my mother as she cooked, cleaned, and answered my many questions. She was my first real friend.

As it was, it wasn't long before I graduated from licking the beaters and stirring the batter to my own culinary exploits. Cooking for me was pure magic and also produced the won­ derful result of food. I did love to eat, and as a result was quite chubby until late in high school.

Part of being a kitchen queen is how I relate to food. It is typical that this last solstice I spent mostly in the kitchen even though I was really sick. Len and Michael and I spent the longest night of the year preparing a solstice feast. I think about why I did that, and can only say that most of my good associations with that season have to .do with the shar­ ing of food. I guess I often think of food as love. Its preparation is an act of love. The serving of it is a demonstration of love. And the eating of it is a consummation of love.

It feeds us. It fills us. It is security. It is highly social. Eating can be a very basic celebration of life, but it can also be a neurosis of self-indulgence and a substitute for other kinds of love (The Psychology of Fat 201).

So anyway, I don't remember my first cooking experiences, except that I am sure I made some tremendous messes and sonje tremendous flops. I do know I approached cooking and baking with a sense of excitement and creativity, a quality I mostly still possess. My basic advice to aAY aspiring kitchen queen is "Make it fun!"

One way I made it fun for me was .in terms of recipes. I grew tired of following the mechanical recipes in cookbooks some years into the process of cooking. I mean, two cups of this and a tablespoon of that is so boring! I began to take liberties with measurements. In­ stead of cups I used handfuls (how organic). Instead of.teaspoons I used pinches, and so on.

I have had some disastrous results directly attributable to my culinary looseness, but what­ ever you do, honey, don't let a heavy cake get you down.

I also gave myself a license to substitute. This was a response to not having ingredi­ ents in a would-be recipe. What you have on hand often becomes of necessity what you use.

Broccoli for cauliflower. Wheat flour for rye. Honey for sugar. One egg instead of two.

The principle is the same. It should work. And happily, most of the time it does. I now use a cookbook for ideas.

When people ask me for recipes of things I cook or bake, I often just reply that, "It's in my head." Sharing recipes has not been easy for me to do. The following is perhaps my first attempt in writing one.

This recipe is a holdover from my hippie past. We served these macroburgers in a hippie healthfood restaurant years ago. You need: soybeans brown rice onions carrots oil tamari (natural soy sauce) herbs & spices Start with soybeans, as many as you will. Remember they will swell to about 3 times their dry size. The key to proportion is 2 parts soybeans for every 1 part rice. The other ingredi­ ents you add to taste.

Soak the soybeans overnight. A recent tip I heard about beans is that, if you sprout them before cooking, they are fartless (help stop air pollution). Fire up your stove and cook those little beans until they are mashing soft, about 8 hours (note: if your beans are not soft enough the burgers won't stick together). When beans are done, drain and mash. Add the cooked rice. Grate carrots and onions. Add to beans and rice. Heat some oil in a pan, add tamari and your favorite seasonings. (I like cumin and oregano.) Bubble this mixture a minute or so, then pour over the bean mixture and stir. There you have it, broil or bake in patties. Top with cheese. Serve on good whole wheat bread with a small haystack of alfalfa sprouts. Can also be done as a loaf or whatever. Enjoy! v p p % Candor, Magdalen

29

3 s h o r t poems

I found you in a quiet cave.

White elephants bathed outside.

I pushed past dark tendrils, my body dampened with their dews.

rapid sterling crickets guide my ear through the field

I finally entered, trembling.

The down on your lip beaded with the perspiration of a rose.

madrone & pine skies horizon my rhythm rhythm

Quentin 46 King St 1 Mile End,South Australia

dark the eyes the night the desires the fire burning strong

within

jai el 1iott Mao House/21934 Alder St. Eugene OR 97405

Once i worshipped you as a black haired goddess.

Once i worshipped you as a dancing youth.

Once, as a dark drummer.

The black shot silk of your golden skin ah, so smoothly glides across my thigh.

Outside the temples call your name.

Within me you beat the patterns of eternity.

Quentin 46 King St 1 Mile End, South Australia

J 30

THE PEAU ROUGE PARLE Parties Paris

a

lot of parties

then weariness again, I am so

lonesome for my native country.

There the waterfalls the rocks the fern covered cliffs I can forget those other friends I am no Rimbaud apache It takes vast mountains for the rain to fall on my heart I have always wanted a little farm someplace But now out my window there, the murderous rain, the West that I love.

Yes, I will move on.

You

will not restrain me I have uncovered something in the sand, that I do not want.

When do I sap the beauty from activity

Already

like a memory,

by too-careful scrutiny;

reminds me

Paris

of mosses, rain

when do we run afoul because I didn't say?

the refusal

What is the right amount of pointing out?

you claim as your own.

I tried to know beforehand,

the corpse

I'd thought knowledge was the key; Bruce Boone but it seems we just ride ready and the readiness makes us free.

William J. Riley 379 Noe San Francisco CA 94114

31

magick. i have a sister, a brother, one in the same person lives in the city, lives in sanfrancisco. lives in flaming beauty, charm, energy, faggotry. poetry, writes poetry that is full of fire in performance & on paper. i've seen the performance, i've read the book, magick. this sisterly brother worships the moon, worships the mother, worships the revolution tribal, anarchal. matriarchal, political. poetical. & this is no typified, stereotyped, hysterical or sappy gay poet/ry. this is magick. this is aaron shurin, shaman, horseman, woman/man, witchman. magick. & magick is what aaron deals in his/her new book: the night sun. the magick is that which is concerned with creating the bal­ ance, that fragile (sometimes) balance of all the various aspects of one's self (and that includes one's environment as wel 1 , of course) and being able to recognize the contradictions that are naturally therein and working, struggling to resolve them, synthesize like haiku like reichian therapy like dialectical materialism the magick is that which aaron delves into and emerges strong presenting us a chronicle of his experience his very heart beat 32

t

the magick is the working of the word in a way like the working of the life resolving the contradictions between reality & fantasy (day to day dialectics) nearer to the point of sameness, synthesis the poetry: the chronicle of that experience.

,

the night sun is magick in my heart because aaron strives to merge reality 4 fantasy (as is a poets occupation) in a way which i have been concerned with, looking for, & creating myself the voice in the night sun is the voice of a faggot, the voice of a sissy, the voice of a feminist, the voice of a matriarchist. the voice of an anarchist, the voice of a witch, the voice of a shaman. the voice is from one who lives in a city, though the gayest in the world, the voice is modern, the voice is new. the voice is exciting, the voice is raging, the voice is flaming, i have found, before aaron & the night sun, degrees of it in the works of william burroughs, robert duncan, alien ginsberg, anne waldman & (yes) patti smith... this spark, this connection, this burning, this sense, this view of life beyond patrilineal, beyond linear, beyond authoritarian, beyond gender. where the others have contributed greatly to creating the basis for a true, self-realized faggot culture (and will continue to do so, hopefully), i find that aaron is able to do it to a degree further than the others, naturally, not without guidance from them though, either, (especially duncan.) the night sun is hot. aaron.spares us no degree of his experience in an environment with many contradictions, we feel the heat of his night sun: intense, emotive, loving, we bask in the word: vibrant, musical, delicious, magick. the night sun is constructed with 26 poems, which aaron has broken into three sections, each section is distinct and grouped naturally along lines of content and style, each section has its own feel, its own movement, its own nature.

hot poison. this first section has 9 poems in it, venemously erotic/sensual, biting, fresh & precise. aaron fills us with ...a view into the heart of the matter he speaks of the heart often...questioning it, succumbing to it, jaded by it, wiser for it, learning from it, discovering connection between heart & body Didn't I know it wasn't a matter of will?

I did.

Body speaks to body, not will. Unexpected.

My cells were aching. and in this connection the connection also of heart & mind, the connection of heart & poetry, and this heart connects with veins, arteries, full of this hot poison, flowing, gushing, into the heart out of the heart, out of the heart into the body, out of the heart into the mind, out of the heart into the pen, out of the heart onto the paper, out of the paper into our eyes, hearts, minds...and we can discover the connection within ourselves from this example of hot poison, we discover the hot poison within ourselves Night over night my desire imagines not the heave and grasp of my own body, but his form, a geography, where I wandered, hand-first. within this first section we make the connection with aaron, heart to heart, poison to poison, we know, we share, these experiences of discovery, of ourselves, in connection to every­ thing. simply, common mythologies, common magick.

fabulous news. whereas the first section serves well as an introduction to the 9 poems in this second section, so this section is also a transitory chronicle, the gathering of information as lived/laved out in relationship to a specific time & space (one that will introduce the third section...) and so fabulous news is the birth announcement, the culmination of the greater self-realizing/dlscovery & the formation of identity & image, it is filled with less turmoil, much more assured of direction, and builds powerfully as it is constructed, again, aaron deals with the heart but this time there is more freedom, humor, and celebration 33

Yo â&#x2013; sett I--d iovn to me, pillows from heaven.

You folded me apart the rest waved away.

You eased in and filled me, a new world fleshed-QUt from the inside!

laa-on takes through the streets, bars, city life of faggot activity, a life of lights and pagi c k , jlife in the urban faggot mecca. he fills us in with his fulfillment his encounters, his lovers, |his drihai Magic.

The next d a y , freedom in my chest, one great bird flown from my ribs, a new soul born.

I laugh - of course! Adam to my own Eve.

|this, from the last poem of the section, entitled woman on fire, this poem was published as a :hapbook (rose deeprose press/sanfrancisco), and it is one of the hottest pieces that aaron has jproduced. dealing with the contradiction of being a sissy faggot, the claim of shaman power/ Imagick, [the journey from there to here, involved in the question A shortage of terms, perhaps.

Language caught in the vice of opposites, of only two, so that what is not man in us we call woman.

land of course, the affirmation, the fabulous news, as aaron delivers in a drag & hallowe'en |l>arty atmosphere And there races back and forth across the party inotant sympathy, a revolution of antold ecstacies.

Woman on Five! until each one of us is crowned by her perfect queenliness, Woman on Fire! vision of i.or own flaming selves,

land though we may not have hit the same party, same scene, we have had the vision, as sissy [faggots we know A share, once again, and we proceed like nagick.

the night sun. this last section of aaron's chronicle follows, flows, strongly along a course of development which exhibits a totality of his identity/character integrated with his art. the political & [spiritual sissy:faggot:shaman in control of the tongue & in full color, aaron becomes, in style, more fully immersed in the magick of the language through hex & chant which makes his poetry a Iritual which is his tradition to create & serve, he takes power of the elements surrounding him A within him...in the process he becomes her, she is changed in the alchemical process, she chronicles this process, the exorcism after the recognition & fear of the man, the alignment with the new energy & power, the identification and drawing out of the sisterly from the brother­ ly, the flip of the switch of new personal technology which involves intuition & emotion [rather than deny & repress them Spirit!

I bend to you.

I cross / 1 bow 1 deny the demon and cry for his expulsion: Obaob

Abniob

Baiax

Ousiri Spirit

who is alive in me this casting away.

The old threats I am living.

witness are leaving me.

Ithis, from exorcism of the straight/man/demon which was published as a broadside (good gay poets/ Iboston) and included in anthology (angels of the lyre/gay sunshine press/sanfrancisco) & now |in this collection, is a personal/universal appeal & pledge, prayer & statement, from this

there is now a greater awareness of a new world, new ways to feel it, look at it, say it, explore it, understand it. excursions into witchcraft, mythology, man/war, disease, rivalry, sol' idarity, destruction, creation...references and subjects such as these set the scene for force­ ful & visionary art. & not without ecstacy & celebration, for aaron's conclusion/resolvement/ synthesis is indeed uplifting, freeing, and cause to raise our voices in joyous unity with his/ hers, cause for us to dance Let men lay down their a r m s , let women rise to their feet.

Let women open their a r m s , let men dance or. their feet!

the resolving of fantasy & reality in the night sun (the poem) is a peaking of the whole adventure that aaron relays to us, the resolving of male/female or man/woman or himself/herself the passing on to us a chronicle of struggle and synthesis...his/her poetry itself A sounding of vowels to call sisters out from our brotherly souls.

s/he delivers to us a clear voice which embodies a new (re-emerging) faggot culture, the first in our patrilineal society surely, and one which is sure to grow and take a place in the new society that is also integrating the voices of women & minority races (in usa).

so this is a beginning dear sisterly brothers, there is much to be explpred and experimented with, as aaron so gracefully demonstrates in the night sun, there is much that we know, much that we can and must share to create that culture, aaron has taken a revolutionary & exciting step in the direction of realizing that, and we can only learn from his experience, his chron­ icle, the night sun, aaron shurin is successfully working to create that feminist, anar­ chist reality out of a situation which has no such vocabulary...so he is working on the foun­ dations, creating the faggot vocabulary out of our long denied past & for a wonderfully excit­ ing future, the night sun is rich with that work, and as a first (published) step it is amazingly sure & powerful, gone is the guilt & repression that has filled so many volumes & centuries of "gay" art. aaron has done what is natural, primal with him. he understands how to overcome the obstacles, he is working hard to present us with a new picture, and in style, as well as what he is saying within that style, he is to be embraced & hailed, because it works, & in the night sun shines he has opened a new door for us, out into the night and the men came magick. and built a tower of steel and it was cold and hard and nobody spoke and it was no good.

And the men came back one by one smiling and tore at the tower piece by piece and spread the ragged girders along the ground and w e p t .

And the women came and buried the blue metal ceremoniously and pounded with their feet the dug-up earth and in place of the tower they built nothing.

And the women rolled on their backs in the dirt and l a u g h e d ...

. jai el 1 iott.

mfa (the night sun is available by mail from Gay Sunshine Press, POBox 40397, SanFrancisco CA 94140.

S2.75 +~.50(t postage/handl ing. paoerbound.'

m

m

few among many gays who are being subjected to a massive dose of man's inhumanity to man.

Our only apparent comrades are each other.

Help from the outside is at an all time low.

Help from within is completely non-existent.

Inside the prisons we are victims of a constant dual oppression. We are oppressed by the prison administrators, but what is ev­ en worse, we are oppressed by our own so-call­ ed fellow convicts. Indeed, we are exploited, ravished, plundered and subjugated by other convicts while the guards turn their heads.

We are under the club of the western male; we are both beaten by his penis and his law.

Both are deadly weapons against human beings who do not believe that human worth and in­ telligence are exclusively the property of men or that these attributes gave their high­ est espression in the thrust of an erect penis.

Most of those who resist being bought and sold, raped and abused by fellow convicts usually end up in the morgue. (There was only one killing here last year-a gay who was brutally stabbed to death within 20 feet of the guards.) Or, if they are lucky, in the hole.

>

Because of the tremendous response to the inclusion of a prisoner section in the last edition of RFD, we at the magazine have been forced to consider how to handle this sec­ tion in future issues. Among the criteria to be considered must necessarily be that of relevance to rural gays or gays who are in­ terested in the rural scene.

In reading through the many letters that we received for consideration for issue # 1 1 , we began to see certain similarities and pat­ terns. Thus we were able to make certain [judgements as to what might be of interest to RFD readers and what would be better left for inclusion in magazines appealing specif­ ically to prisoners and their families.

My gut reaction while reading the letters was one of amazement, alarm and finally ang­ er as I read case after case describing the atrocities committed by administrators, guards and other prisoners against gay or ef­ feminate prisoners. It soon became clear that the heterosexist prison establishment is in effect punishing gays in a "cruel and unusual" fashion even in those states where there is no specific law against homosexual­ ity per se.

Within the prison walls these brothers (and presumably sisters) have no one to turn to for help or understanding. Therefore any help that any of us on the outside can give them is the only help that many of them will

The officials use us to pacify problem inmates, but punish us for engaging in relat­ ionships with our own people. We are denied work release, good prison work assignments, vocational training, drug rehabilitation pro­ grams, preferred housing in prison, transfers to more appropriate minimum security prisons and of course parole. No matter what our crime, we are kept in the major penitentiar­ ies among the hard core and most dangerous prisoners in the federal prison system where we must cope with constant terror rather than "infect" a minimum security prison with our homosexuali ty.

I was eligible for parole last April.

The parole board gave me a 3 year set off which is the maximum they can give you under law. And they didn't hesitate to inform me that they would have given me more if they could have.

In short, the prison officials have set themselves up as judge, jury and executioner and see themselves as an elite class, immune from prosecution and can therefore terrorize torture and condemn us at will. And the straight inmates pose as class collaboration­ ists and ruthless opportunists who, like the officials)perceive their power, prestige, privilege and perogative as over and against gays.

I have endured this hell for almost 5 years now and in three different federal pris­ ons. I've nearly been killed several times.

The last attempt occurred only a month ago.

My situation is like that of many other gays in prison- an obvious injustice from the be­ ginning, a perversion of law and legalisms.

We are caught in an ever tightening vise of repression founded in the ethos of western man-subjugation or destruction of people and ideas that are not supportive of him and his view of the world.

Dear People, I begin another year of imprisonment in the hole here in the U.S. death camp at Mc­ Neil Island. Bernie is in the hole at Springfield, Jimmy is in the hole at Lewisburg, George is in the hole at El Reno, Ok­ lahoma, and there are others but we don't even know where they are now. We are Gay Militants in captivity and we are only a 36

To say I need solidarity and support is an understatement. I am a person struggling to survive day by day. Hate and bitterness are imbedded in this anguished body as I at­ tempt to shield myself from forces which most people will never encounter in a life­ time.

It is my dream that I will someday be returned to my people, my gay people. I want to be returned to the living, the harmony and the sharing of life and the freedom of nature. I want to play my guitar by fireside after a day of communal labor and join hands with my circle of family. I want to feel again the love of man-brother-comrade-loverfriend. Without this dream and some sup­ portive hope that it will one day become a reality, I could not survive. I am not just a man in prison- I am in exile from the living. In the midst of a brutalizing cap­ tivity dreaming is our only consolation.

RFD is a means of perpetuating this dream for all of us.

Lovely folks, Unless country faggots put politics in command of their daily lives their flight from the cities is indeed escapist. There is no individual solution. While some of you can "prance through the pansies", some of us are being stabbed and beaten because we dare to say no. Effeminate prisoners are raped, gays are regarded as property, and the administration prospers from prisoner on pris oner on prisoner violence. So we on the in­ side are powerless to combat the overwhelming sexism in men's prisons without support from the men's community on the outside. For us, violence is a part of every day survival. We have few illusions regarding the viciousness of the enemy and the means necessary to throw him off. What we need is help.

I just finished reading the conference re­ port and for what it's worth, my thinking is that racism is one of the major priorities we have to deal with. But because we have not done so, we open ourselves to all sorts of guilt trips over our nearly all white groups. Fuck that! The duty of white revolutionaires is to combat racism in the white movement. We do this by putting our asses on the line in support of the struggl­ es of national minorities, not by trying to include them in our organizations.

The point is,of course, that we don't mea­ sure the degree of racism by the number of third world people in our groups, as has been the case in the past, but by our antiracist work in the white working class--, by our practise.

Your beating yourself over the head for a lack of "Third World Leadership" and "par­ ticipation" ain't too smart. It's like cri­ ticising your self for a lack of women's leadership and participation. Your mistake was in not announcing the event as not only a male event, but a white male event as well.

If you were not sexist in excluding gay wo­ men, then you were not racist for excluding gay third world people. Your lack of clear understanding led to liberal quilt trip­ ping. Even though the T.W. people said that "they saw their primary struggles as gay people within their national communities."

A lot of hard feelings would have been avoided if this issue had been directly con­ fronted from the outset, but that's how we learn. I'm not saying that we reject or exclude T.W. gays from our groups, rather that it be understood that the group con­ sciously identifies itself as white male faggots. Some T.W. people identify as white, and in some areas T.W. gays have no group that meets their special needs. In such cases we are first gay men and T.W. second. But where organized gay minorities exist, they are to identify with their own people.

It was not my intention to run off like this but since I have, your comments would be appreciated. ^UgS) Ed Mead #251397 Box 520 Walla Walla, WA.99362

Rembering forgotten dreams, John Wildes #20912 Box 1000 Steilacoom, WA. 98388 Dear RFD, Thought I'd write and tell you how much all of us gays here at Idaho State Prison enjoyed issue #10. It was one of the best we've read. We need the gay support out here, for we are being put down and pushed back by the staff, we need help. If any of the gay brothers or sisters out there would care to write the warden (Mr. Anderson) in protest of the way we are treated, we'd all be very grateful. They keep trying to sep­ arate lovers, putting them in lock-up, or in Mental Health or mind drugs.

They won't give us a gay tier like other prisons have, and this one did at one time before they moved into the new prison. May­ be some of the gays out there would write and give us advice. We are few and our voices are shut out.

A few months ago we had a gay brother hang himself in max. after he was put down.

We don't know how he was really treated, but you can guess it wasn't good. They won't let us work at good paying jobs, and this means we can't get stamps, smokes, or anything out of the store. Most of us get $1.96 to $2.00 a month. There are straights here who are always putting pressure on us, and take all we do get. We try to fight back, but when they rat pack us, we can only back up. There have been rapes here that never get turned in for they just laugh or say we edged them on. All we want is a place where we can be alone and do our own thing. Love to you from all of us..

Please write. n D .

Ray Barker, Box 7309 Boise, ID. 83707

37

P R I S O N E R ' S P L E A FOR HELP

Dear RED, I share more than just our lifestyle. I agree with your statement that many of my brothers and sisters out there share with me a sense of isolation. Still with the is­ olation I was forced to accept when I was out there- nothing prepared me for the hell of loneliness I found inside these walls.

There was a letter that stated something about prison wing "sexism". Well, they're right and I'm just as guilty as anyone of outright "sexism". I know that the policy of RED is to eradicate it, which is fine, but some of us have had our views too long to change; or maybe we don't want to. As a orientated "top-man" all I can say is I've always looked at the other person in my re­ lationship as a fellow human being. I was born and raised in Wyoming so RFD and its readers especially appeal to me.

I too am human and need that special touch of human warmth and kindness another person can provide. Anyone care to accept the hand I extend in friendship?

In love and unity.

John Greene B-66206/3151 P.O.Box A-E San Luis Obispo, CA. 93409 Hello Kids: Your decision to start a prison section is vital and valuable and offers much to the gay prisoner. Please warn all prisoners that prisoners can't write prisoners. They came down on me hard. Jerry Dighera of "gay Legal Encounter Exchange" p.30 #10 is a pris­ oner and he got an infraction.

Love to all.

Carl Harp #126516

The oppression of Gay prisoners by the fed­ eral prison officials continues. Norman Carlson, Director of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons has taken another step toward con­ trolling the thoughts of prisoners by bann­ ing all Gay newspapers and magazines from the 34 Federal Correctional (concentration camps) Institutions.

The prison officials then attacked every­ one's "whipping boy", the gay prisoners. To ban Gay newspapers is a direct violation of the Gays'First Amendment rights. The poor excuse that the officials gave for de­ nying the Gays their Constitutional Rights: "The reader would be identified as a homo­ sexual and may be assaulted or raped."

Yet, penologists claim that 75% of all pri-• soners have homosexual experiences in pri­ son! I guess Carlson hasn't been told that it is his duty to protect all prisoners!

The National Prisoners'Association on Dec. 27th, 76 filed a suit in the District Court of East St. Louis, 111. on behalf of Russell D. Smith, Chairperson of the N.P.A., as well as all gay prisoners, seeking to overthrow Carlson's decision.

We are without funds to pay attorney fees or other expenses. We welcome all contributions, large or small. Please send contributions to National Prisoners'Assn., 44030705, Mercantile Nat. Bank, 70 Broad St. N.W., Atlanta, GA.30303 George E. Blue #27559-138 Chairman, N.P.A. P.O.BOX 1000 Marion, 111. 62959

{t h es e

P.0. Box 520 Walla Walla, WA. 99362

Paul Neal #048269 Box 221 Raiford, FL. 32083

Dear RFD People, I would like to ask someone out there for a little help and possible companionship.

I am currently in the State Prison in Southern Michigan and will be released June 29, 1977.

My favorite hobby is cars. What I am looking for is someone to help me when I leave. I will have $25 and the clothes on my back. I have no home to go to. No family who wants me because I am gay. If I could I would like to find someone to build a lasting relationship with.

Any offers will be more than welcome.

In need of help,

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ Shawn Bassett #1379031 P.O.B. 779 Marquette, MI., 49855 Silky Lattimore 143-103 P.O.B. 787 Lucasville, OH. 45648 **************** Joey Paveglio #22826-149 PMB-1000 Steilacoom, WA. 98388

Robert Counterman #127774 P.O.Box E Jackson, Michigan 49204

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John M. Gordon #143-132 Box 787 Lucasville, OH. 45648 ***************★★★★* Carman Albrecia A-044186 P.O.B. 221 Raiford, FL. 32083 ******************** Dean Robinson, 142-747 P.O.B. 787 Lucasville, OH.45648 ******************** Jon Florentine #B-70447 RM.3165 P.O.B. A-E San Luis Obispo, CA. 93904

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♦like pics of masks or lead on masks or m a s k s .../landon/3700 coyote creek rd./wolf creek or 97497. ♦anything you can mail 1 want to start all over.../b. burnside/ 2548 folsom/sar. francisco ca 94110. ♦want horse images-: horse hair horse hoofs horse shoes horse .eyes horse teeth horse words horse dreams horse heaven horse masks horse Jewelry horse photos, po em s/ 'send nowi no c .o .d .'s .../jai elliott/mao house/2193§ alder st.'/ Eu g e n e or 97405* *•>.'301 Images of women weeping estT? intrested in photos of singers in Jjerlin in the 3 0 ’s.../dave czo'bereck/box 240 rt 2/nevada city ca. ♦fritz armstrong wants pics of redheads and closeups of stars '’and stellar groupings... 'box 1 rt 2/arles ks. ♦want pictures of you and where you're reading this also pics of zarah le an de r.../michael/ creekland/4525 lower wolf cr. rd./wolf creek or 97497.

39

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A S H A G G Y C H I C K E N S TORY

Pa was putting out the chickens and Bill the beautiful bartender he was watching his on account of the old saying they take care of their own so when they didn't it didn't take long after allâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ma, she just up and decided to hitch up the old buckboard and Bill he took one look at Jim and we all knew the game was up so after a while they got hitched and all the chicken feathers in town hit Petaluma so it's who you are is what counts as Ma would say who never did any more counting than she had a mind to but that day she did, Bill being that kind of boy he just shuts up and Jim does all the talking for the both of him and there we were up to our knees in chicken feathers all the way back to San Francisco Bruce Boone

FOOD STAMPS worker Q162 you mumble the litany of depression...

hewer of wood

name, address, telephone, income statements

drawer of water

john

bank balance, I.D., rent receipts, vouchers...

in the morning

$50 is my fix, my freedom to eat, and you

awake before i

sit in Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drag, your soft eyes craving

out of the bed so warm and kind

a gentler scene, focus on a frayed poster of Bali...

the day has begun

together for ten minutes, intensely working the fire just starting at the business of welfare, legal handout, the water just warming pitiful subsidy... your warm sweat goat man smell i want to kiss you on the lips, but instead drifting up to me hand you one more receipt and say before you wash thank you in my softest voice. slowly i rise David Sunseri 514 Logan Santa Cruz CA 95060

the lazy city child in your midst from the edge of the loft i see you more than any faun could ever be one day is ours Spencer 4195 Nootka St Vancouver BC v5r 2e4 Canada

40

Pm

Bars, organizations, businesses, publications for gay women and men in Canada and USA. Published November and May; S5 third class, S6 first class; outside North America S7.

GAY SUNSHINE PRESS MEN LOVING MEN A Gay Sex Guide

Ifyour local bookstore doesn't carry Gayellow Pages, you can order from: Renaissance House, Box 292RFD, Village Sta., New York. NY 10014.

and Consciousness Hook by Mitch Walker.

160 pp. $5.95. 7”x l0 ”, paperback Men I,oping Men is for people who want to ex­ plore their gayness or bisexuality and open up to new aspects of themselves. It's a complete sex guide, with simple explanations for masturba­ tion, fellatio, anal intercourse, group sex, sado­ masochism and more. Also included is an indepth chapter on gay medical problems. Each chapter is fully illustrated with Cocteau-esq ue drawings, and there’s an erotic photo essay which captures the spirit of loving men.

ORGASMS OF LIGHT The Gay Sun­ shine Anthology' (Poetry, Short Fiction, Graphics). Hotted by Winston Ley land 248 pp. $5.95 paperback; $15 hardcover.

This volume contains the best of the poetry, short fiction and graphic work that have ap­ peared in the pages of Gay Sunshine Journal during the years 1970-1977 (Issues 1 through 32) under the editorship of Winston Leyland.

The book contains work by more than 60 writers and artists mostly contemporary.

THE NIGHT SUN Poems by Aaron Shurin 56 pp. $2.75 paperback These arc poems of a Gay man in revolution through love and lovclessness into battle with the “straight/man/dcmon.” They rip the veils off history, bringing ritual transvestism to the streets, retelling old fairy tales, connecting homo­ sexuality with the ancient mysteries.

CARNIVOROUS SAINT: Gay Poems 1941 1977 by Harold Norse.

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Dear

RFD and Fellow Humans, We are two gay men living in Central Kentuc­ ky on a farm. We are fairly 1 \ experienced in gardening/farming and animal husbandry, building and crafts work. Our interest is now in possibly relocating with others who have land and may welcome physically, spiritu­ ally, mentally, and financially our partici­ pation. We would also like to have freedom to do individual things within our own space.

We truly welcome and hope those interested in having us will write.

Our collective and individual love to RFD and its readers.

Robert and Alex Spring Hill Farm, Rt. 1 Buffalo, KY. 42716 Dear Friends at RFD, I am very interested in desert communes heading toward self-sufficient living. I am a college graduate in agriculture, partic­ ularly horticulture with soil and water en­ gineering, and have lived at communes in large cities and in the country. I combine artistic talents of jewelry making, bronze sculpturing, and watercolors as well as some plumbing, welding, and carpentry.

Hope to hear from and, if possible, get together with new loving friends in the southwest USA and see what can happen.

%

Dear Guys, This is to ask if there are gay bro­ thers interested in living in tropical North ern Australia (near Cairns in Queensland). I want to buy some land there and get a gay commune going as soon as possible. There is a wet season and a dry season but the temperature remains at 80 all year round. If any other guys want to help buy the land and live together please write me.

Peace and Love, Steven Williams 1159 Masonic Ave., Apt. A San Francisco, CA. 94117 Dear Friends, I am a physically handicapped gay living on a farm in southwestern New York State. I am surrounded by family and friends who op­ press and coerce me into silence and apathy concerning my sexuality and my human condi­ tion in general. I enjoy your beautiful lit­ tle magazine and am sending you a donation as a symbol of my determination to resist and survive this oppression and to hope for a future bright with liberation.

Sincerely, Bob Scharf RFD 1 Box 144 Salamanca, NY

Lovingly yours, f e ^ R a y King MacKenzie 3860 S. Higuera, B-12 San Luis Obispo, CA. 93401

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Dear RFD Readers: I quit the "Rat Race" in 1969 and estab­ lished myself here on 40 picturesque rugged mountain acres. I've always hoped that "Mr. Right" would find me here, but I guess it's too remote. I would welcome corresponding with any realistic person who's ready to settle down in a permanent relationship to share a lot of stored up love.

The "realism" includes the fact that a 40 acre farm means sharing work with the house, garden, feeder pig and cattle oper­ ation and all things connected with run­ ning a sustaining enterprise.

My background is music and the humani­ ties, so an appreciation of literature, art and music would help. As an example of my contrasting existence: I might be castrating some young boars and then come up to the house and knock off a Beethoven sonata on the piano, if you get the picture.

YES FRIENDS, It's your basic I'm-travel 1ingcross-country-this-summer-looking-forinvites Contact Letter.

Faggot Ex-Computer Programmer heading for Oregon via bike, leaving April 15. Age, weight, height, race, and sexual perver­ sions unpublishable, but if you're wil­ ling to take a chance, Write Schwartzie & me and we'll send you the yummier details. (He might tell you my eyes twinkle!)

(UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL: I don't think his eyes twinkle, but Scott is terrific any­ way; even my mother likes him. If you're into visitors, I think you'll like him, too.)

John Scott Lee (& Schwartzie) 1215 Wertland St., C-21 Charlottesville, VA. 22903

Richard H. Knickerbocker Star Route Box 14 Kingston, AR. 72742 44

Dear RFD, We are a male couple; our relationship is in its sixth year. We have, within the last year, decided to leave New York permanently and seek a better way of living. We are hard working, down to earth people, and feel that we would enjoy a country-type atmosphere.

We would love to hear from anyone, any­ where, who might be interested in corres­ ponding with us, and sharing their experi­ ences.

Many thanks.

Brian Crimmins & John Mendes 34-30 78 Street Jackson Heights, NY 11372

Dear RFD, Right now, it is important for me to be in the city, so I am making the best of that and am happy RFD can give me some things the city cannot.

I need to have contact with people in the country, preferably New England or Eastern Pennsylvania. I have very little money, but I am able to work, and have past experience of growing up in a rural environment.

Dear RFD, My lover and I live in a rural area where we are building a large greenhouse to grow plants for sale. Major concerns include the increasing poisoning & destruction of our planet, the bullshit level of the politicos, the media, religion and all people in power, and, finally, the romantic fantasy of re­ turning to a simpler life. I am a cynic, an atheist, a naturalist, and, sometimes, an anarchist. I am interested in hearing from all people who would like to trade points of view and helpful hints. My prejudices are not so well settled that they don't benefit from some examination, and I could always benefit from some company.

Dear RFD, I would like to meet other fellows in the rural gay community in the Denver area and outlying areas. Have a small home with cats, dogs, chickens and ducks. Enjoy animals and gardening and would like to share my life with another compatible male. Am a pianist by profession and play at various places in the Denvet area. Would appreciate and will answer al letters from anywhere.

Tom Olechowski Box 179A Elkhorn, WI. 53121 Dear Friends, At the present time I am committed to a number of things in Portland that will not allow me to move very far away from the city. I am involved with the Counseling Cen­ ter for Sexual Minorities and am also pastor of Saint Joan of Arc Church, a non-sexist and independent catholic church. We are at­ tempting to meet the needs of gay folk in this area AND working for change in the church at large. I am most aware that a goodly number of gay folk who call them­ selves faggots are very anti-church (Chris­ tian), and with good reason! But I feel that homophobia has been in every institution (including most of the witches covens I have known of).

I am most interested in hearing from country gay folk, both sisters and brothers, who feel as I do. And, would there possibly be someone or a group that would need an added house-person for country living with­ in easy driving distance to Portland so that I might continue my work AND have the blessings of family and country living?

Blessed Be, David Rich-Miller Saint Joan of Arc Church P.0. Box 8446 Portland, OR. 97207

Love, Mike Wright 525 4th St., Apt, 3-1 Brooklyn, NY 11215

Yours in love, Lowell A. Groves 137 W. Longspeak St. Brighton, CO. 80601

Dear RFD Brothers, I am a gay man who is into gardening, life, and relationships. Currently I am without a partner and would like to meet someone (pref­ erably from this area) who enjoys the same things I do.

If you are interested, please write and I will answer your letter.

Love to all, Roger Meyer 66-220 West 1st Desert Hot Spgs., CA. 92240 Dear Brothers and Sisters, I am a gay male looking to enter into country life with my gay brothers and sis­ ters. My request is that anyone in upstate New York, Connecticut, or in the south Jer­ sey area who is living in a collective or is planning one please write me and let me know what type of community you have, and what the requirements are for joining in your communal living situation.

Much love, Len Mazza 2241 Woodbridge Avenue Edison, NJ 08817 Clancy Worsham: Please send me your address so I can write to you again.

Bill Holloway 620-A Dundas St. W. Toronto, Ontario Canada 45

Dear Friends, I and my colleague are regular readers of RFD. Our problem is this: We have made application to the American Embassy in London to immigrate to the United States and since neither of us have relatives in the States we find that our preference status is such that unless we can find a sponsor who is willing to take the trouble to offer us jobs our chances of getting to the States will be exactly nil which will be a real blow since we both want to live in America preferably on the West Coast.

We are both qualified in most office skills; my colleague is in accounts and I have most skills plus typing. I wonder if we can find somebody willing to give employment and carry through the appli­ cation with the Dept, of Labour (local office).

I hope that you will feel sympathetic towards this matter and I would like to add that we are both decent, responsible, hard-working individuals.

I just hope somebody will take the trouble to help two fellow gays.

Yours faithfully, Joseph Jonathan Cook & Roger James Restell Flat 3, 22 Denmark Terrace Brighton, Sussex BNI 3AN England

Dear RFD Friends: I recently found the country home of my dreams, and hope, if all goes well, to be mov­ ing there sometime around May 1st. It's loca­ ted about halfway between Seattle and Port­ land. I make my money by making and selling jewelry and I would like to get to know others who are also making a living as craftspeople.

There's room at the farm for a few more people and there's at least one good spot for a pot­ ters wheel. Please communicate if this in­ terests you.

With love, Patrick Purdy P.0. Box 30015 Seattle, WA 98103 (206) 722-5524 Howdy RFD, I live about 5 miles outside of Oakdale, on the eastern edge of the Great Central Val­ ley. I've been living here for about a year, trying to develop skills towards self-suffi­ ciency. .. looks like a long, hard struggle.

I'm gay, living with two women and another man (all straight but understanding). We live in a large old house which we rent, surrounded by about 100 acres and bordering the Stani­ slaus River. We keep busy growing our own food, working on the house, going to school, learn­ ing about alternative energy and agriculture, etc. I'm very interested in meeting and cor­ responding with other gay people with like interests. If you are in this area, please stop in. Oakdale is on the way to Yosemite, and we are only about a mile off the highway ( 120) .

Thanks and love.

Charlie Young 12919 Lancaster Rd. Oakdale, CA 95361 (209) 847-6253

Dear RFD Readers, I am hoping to start building a house as soon as it's warm enough ... about the mid­ dle of April. I need the help of one or two men with carpentry skills, and a willing­ ness to cooperate on this work for from two to three months. Please reply only if you are seriously interested, and I will do my best to address any questions you might have (where can I stay, $, food, etc.).

Thank you, Tom Duke 64610 Bend/Redmond Hwy. Bend, OR. 97701 RFD: Are there any RFD readers living & enjoying the tranquility of life in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California between Grass Valley on the north and Sonora on the south? Are you there anywhere?

We also invite any brothers to come visit us in the mountains here, hours from wicked SF. Peace, Steve Ginsburg & Jim Clarke Star Route Omo Ranch Rd. Somerset, CA. 95684

dear RFD, i am looking for a situation within approx. 300 miles of Vancouver (b.c.) in either be or wash, the time is not right for my love and me to live together, but we would like to be close, i dont have much money and im still a child in a lot of ways, but i have a strong back and if not a lot of knowledge at least a good feel for the land, i do have a few bad habits whose time has not yet passed. anyhow, if you want to get in commun­ ication with a long haired left handed taurean bastard intellectual shit disturber faggot and sometime interesting human being do send word.

Daniel (Spencer) macdonell 4195 Nootka Vancouver, B.C. v5r 2e4 46

Our special thanks go to the following peo pie for their valuable contributions to RFD in the form of work, support, and/or finan­ cial sustenance: Chuck Beckwith, WI Biggs, OR Gerard Brender a Brandis, ONT CA Kip Craig, OR John Scott Lee, VA Fred Scott, CA Richard Wilson, CA Our apologies for omitting credits for the following people in issue -10: Kip Craig, Portland 0R-back inside cover, photo page 40 Larry Henson, Oakland CA-graphics pp. 43, 44 Thanks also to Chuck Keto's garage in Wolf Creek, site of a lot of photogenic junk, where Len & Webb replaced a clutch in the middle of production.

This issue is dedicated to the Creekland cat, B1ind Michael, "ya1 big lug..

F IN A N C E S Reality rears its ugly head. We now have enough money to cover this printing (barely). We would have been very hard pressed if we had not received a couple of large donations. We are working to make RFD financially viable. Subscriptions are increasing, we are exploring distribution possibilities, and have begun to do some advertising, but even though RFD is becom­ ing more financially secure, it cannot ex­ ist, as yet, without the financial support of its friends. Please subscribe and/or donate.

Now you can festoon your favorite garments with RFD patches. These multicolored embroi­ dered PANSY PATCHES cost RFD $1.05 each; any amount you send in greater than that will be a donation to RFD. lavender cotton ^/ground

Organic Insect Spray: This spray can be used for control of any type insect pest and on any kind of plant. It's not harmful to any animal, bird or plant.

Use equal parts of onion leaves, horseradish (either fresh tops or dried roots;*, cayenne pepper (fresh or dried), ■chives, garlic bulbs (tops, too if avail­ able), poke roots*, pepper corns. Put all ingredients in a pot and cover with about 1" water. Boil for at least 30 minutes, or until water has turned dark. Cool and strain. To make spray, mix 1 part of the liquid with 4 parts water, and spray plants frequently.

pastel pansy in shiny embroidery green shiny border \ g r e e n lettering (also embroidered) yellow edging

For your patches, send a donation and a selfaddressed stamped enve­ lope (important!) to:

Chuck Beckwith Sunny Valley Farm RR 2, Box 101 Mount Horeb, Wisconsin 53572

*optional according to my experience.

This spray works, is quoted from .'LIVING IN THE OZARKS NEWSLETTER (LION).

This spray has saved my eggplants from the onslaught of tiny black beetles who were eating the leaves like crazy.

Happy Gardening!

Fertile eggs from fancy and rare chickens, peafowl, golden pheasants, quail, bob white pigeons. Must have for spring setting, or live healthy paired birds.

David Vander Lind 16732 Smokey Hollow Road Traverse City MI 49684

•Chuck Bauer Rt. 2 Box 101 Mt. Horeb WI 53572

47

ADDRESS CHANGE ADVERTISING BACK ISSUES BARTER CONTACT LIST DISTRIBUTION

INFO

save us 25c and tell us your new address, the post office usually does not forward RFD; they destroy it. we can't afford to send you a new one. if you move send us your old plus new addresses and zip codes. we welcome advertising, particularly from gay owned and oriented businesses & groups, ad rates; $5 per column inch (1" x 3") camera ready, b & w copy, in­ quiries welcome. issues *3-10 are available for $1.25 each. this column needs more energy to continue, be brief (30 words or so) and send a donation. the new one is out. send us a small donation. encourage your favorite bookstore to carry RFD. send us their name and ad­ dress. they keep 40c of the $1.25 cover price (32% discount), if you wish to distribute RFD write for details.

FUTURE THEMES & DEADLINES

SUMMER ISSUE “12, SPIRITUALITY (deadline, 1 may), the gay man as visionary, priest, minister, rabbi, shaman, yogi, witch, tarot and the little red book, self-awareness, a sharing of those places we go in quiet; a sharing of the strength we find in crisis.

FALL ISSUE *13, GROWING OLD (deadline, 1 august), ageing faggots; faggots ageing, there is no respect for growing old in this culture, "you don't look old" is a compliment, how do we restore the respectable role of older folks? how do we feel as we grow older?

WINTER ISSUE # 14, VISUAL (deadline, 1 november). a special attempt to talk without words, to feel with images, letters and regular features, but everything else will be either graphics or the words of the photograph­ ers and artists discussing their work.

SPRING ISSUE # 15, SMALL TOWNS (deadline, 1 february). not the country, not the city, but somewhere in between, small towns, how we survive in them, wh.y we left them.

NAMES/ADDRESSES we intend to publish the names and addresses of all who write or contribute to RFD. that way you/we who read RFD can encourage and support each other.

SUBSCRIPTIONS the subscription price is $4.00 a year, subscribing saves you $1.00 a year and gains RFD $1.00 a year, the $1.25 paid at bookstores must be shared with the bookstore and (in some cases) a distributor, and we pay higher postal rates for bookstore copies than for subscribers.

SUBMISSIONS we need to hear what you have to say. share it. we are especially needful of good fiction, all published contributors get a free sub to the magazine plus 2 copies of the issue in which your work appears, graphics; black and white only, photos should be high contrast, written: poems, features, how-to's should be typed in triple space, if possible, we edit unless requested not to. please enclose a self-addressed/stamped envelope for return.

TYPERS0N we need a professional typerson for lay-out of issue #12. 1-15 may, salaried position.

VISITORS please write ahead if you wish to arrange a visit to RFD.

RFD

4527Lower W WolfCreek,Oregon9742 J

F ou r issu esy e a r ly

RENEWAL...'.................. $4 O YEAR'S SUBSCRIPTION......... $4 0 INSTITUTION................. $8 O SUSTAINING................. $15 O

please send a GIFT'SUBSCRIPTION to: NAME ADDRESS_________________________

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48

QSPRING

QSUMMER

pirst thaw:

white gives way to brown

It's getting lighter.

I can tell.

lighter than air, her hair, floats above her shoulders is lifted by each small breath of the echoes of owls & night energies sparking gently loving men & birds singing new songs forgetting the fall the dark I'm a little twinkey bright & fun Turn the magic handle, watch me dance push the stop button & I'm still Afraid of the night Alone in the park

Spring - life moves toward fire mounts the sky the juices, oh the juices organic & primeval rushing to the naked arms of Dionysus smeared with the blood of lust & rebirth flying in the eyes of time streaming smiles / sweat / jumping foam stretching flames of passionate green and orange, exploding outward and inward in the same moment sweet rebirth into the morning.

The pitter-patter is that of his fingers beating rain on the roof, tympanic membrane aortic bounce, flip flop man Rubber band strumming p a r t i n g , h i s l i p s suck in t he r hyt hm o f t he sun.

candor, michael, tim , j a d e ,

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