Wednesday 30 March 2011

section from interview in magnet

The latest Mecca Normal series in MAGNET Magazine has a section of an an interview I did with David Lester that first appeared in my zine 'With Arms Outstretched'. I'm really pleased that the interview is getting a new lease of life!

tales of the sissy

Aorta Magazine Presents! Tales of the Sissy: writing queer life in the city

25 April · 19:00 - 21:00
At: Million Fishes Art Gallery, san Francisco

San Francisco’s new queer reading series and open mic extravaganza!!

Please join us for the inaugural evening of San Francisco’s new queer reading series and open mic extravaganza: Tales of the Sissy. This cost-free evening of literary delights is sponsored by Aorta Magazine, and features the linguistic geniuses Jen Currin, Meliza BaƱales, Amanda Davidson, and Anna Pulley. These writers, traveling far and wide from such exotic lo...cales as Vancouver, Canada, Los Angeles and Bernal Heights, will regale you with readings on this month’s theme: Writing Queer Life in the City.

The cast includes an exquisitely captivating poet, a zinester, film-maker, multi-media artist, social-media sass-master, and a spoken-word savant.

After the features, our audience will be encouraged to make sweet love to the mic. Stories, poems, flash-fiction, essays and maniacal rants which paint portraits of urban tribes, spin yarns of metropolitan adventures, lament the inability to avoid a seething hoard of ex-lovers as you navigate the concrete jungle, or otherwise interpret the theme in unexpected ways, are wholly encouraged. Sign-ups for the open mic portion of the evening are limited by time, and will begin at 6:45 before our
featured readers light up the night.

mary tremonte ♥

Mary Tremonte's Queer Scouts Patch and Poster Set sold over at Justseeds is pretty high on my coveting list today :)

reason 1004 of why i love maya hayuk


Maya Hayuk, GAZE, December 2010, 48' wall installation at SCOPE Art Fair, Miami, FL

Monday 28 March 2011

mixed race the graphic novel

Thea Lim and Elisha Lim are working on an illustrated documentary about what it’s like to come from mixed backgrounds. We’re doing it because that's what we are, and if you are too, we’re curious to hear about, write about and draw about you.

One Hundred Percent is an illustrated documentary about what it means to be mixed. Are you a mixed race person of colour? Answer our questionnaire!

http://onehundredpercentmixed.tumblr.com

i'm enjoying this today

Tuesday 22 March 2011

international alternative press festival

From my inbox from the ace Jimi Gherkin:


International Alternative Press Festival 2011
27 May - 12 June 2011


Friday 27th May
Festival Opening Party!
The Miller, London Bridge

Performance by Resonance Radio Orchestra; an ensemble of musicians and actors from Resonance 104.4FM, London's independent arts radio station. Collaborating with live illustration by artists from home and overseas.

Saturday 28th - Sunday 29th May
Alternative Press Fair
Conway Hall, London

A fair where artists will be exhibiting and selling their self-published comix, zines, art books, prints, radical literature and poetry. Three rooms of workshops and talks including Andy Simons from the British Library, screen-printing workshops and a reading area with Zine Swap.

Saturday 28th May - 13th June 2011
Exhibition
Orbital Comics, London
Artists, workshops, talks and more TBC

Monday 30th May - 5th June 2011
Exhibition & Events
New Gallery London
Including a film night, storytelling, poetry and zine sleep- over! With a live printing event at the end of the week.
Artists TBC

Monday 30th May - 5th June 2011
Exhibition/ Live collaborative art project
Sassoon Gallery, London

shape & situate 2 - submissions open

[EDIT: The deadline for submissions has been extended until the end of April 2011]

Are you from Europe? Would you like to be part of Shape & Situate zine #2 by making a poster on an inspirational European woman?


Here's a mini-blurb explaining what Shape & Situate is all about:

It's a zine of posters made by artists and DIY creatives within Europe, each poster highlighting the (often hidden) history and lives of radical inspirational women and collectives from Europe, as a way of connecting us with the past, the present and to help us to make sure that there will be a future which contains such creative and pioneering female action and activity. The zine aims to activate feminist cultural memory, to inspire in the present and to bring women’s social and political history to life.


The deadline for contributions to issue 2 is the very end of March 2011, would you like to be a part of it?

If so, and you haven't already, please do send me your ideas for who you'd like to make a poster of so that I can check there's no duplications. There's been some brilliant suggestions and submissions so far - thanks so much!


What I'm looking for:

- A black & white poster (to be emailed as a Jpeg, or posted to me so that I can scan the original if that's easier for you)

- The poster will be reproduced in the zine at A5 size (in case that affects how you'd like to present your work?)

- The poster will tell the history of or share information on a radical or inspirational *European* woman (or women's collective) in poster-form. I'm looking at European women as a focus with this zine, as very often a lot of projects similar to this one have been so American-heavy and I feel it really omits a lot of amazing European women from being discussed (this is not to say that women outside of Europe are not inspirational, obviously).

- By 'woman' I mean female-identified.

- Where possible, the poster will take as it's subject somebody/a collective who isn't already readily documented within our history. I would love for the zine to raise awareness of amazing women (living or deceased) who have largely gone under the radar, or who are within our own communities.

- All the information you want to share about your subject must fit within the confines of your poster so that each page stands alone.



I hope this is something you'll be interested in being a part of. Let me know if so - I'd love to hear your ideas!


Love Melanie xox

(m_k_maddison@hotmail.com)


P.S: The latest news on where Issue 1 can be found: http://remember-who-u-are.blogspot.com/2011/01/shape-and-situate-zine-latest.html

dishin the dirt: a queer compendium

From my inbox from the always amazing Lex Non Scripta ♥ :


((Please forward and repost widely))



Announcing:
Dishin' the Dirt: A Queer Compendium
- a zine to be released in conjunction with Dirtstar 2011



You've just created the most delicious meal, an unbeatably brilliant tincture, the best new planter for your balcony garden, the greatest scheme for sustainable queer separatism, a spectacularly penned commentary on food justice. Ain't it a shame if you don't share it?

Yes.

We want your veggie recipes, ideas, illustrations, diatribes, project instructions, clever plots, homesteading pointers, critiques, and succinct discourses on growing/sustaining/eating. Queerly.

The zine will be:
-digest sized – 5 1/2 x 8 1/2"
-black and white, with a fancy cover
-sent freely to each contributor
-released on the night of Dirtstar's performance spectacular: June 19th.

Please submit ASAP, or by MAY 7th, 2011


EMAIL questions/submission to artxxlex@gmail.com
MAIL to: Dirtstar! / 2501 Bryant St / San Francisco CA 94110 USA

*Please also include a one or two sentence bio and your contact info, if you'd like it printed!*

***
About Dirtstar
Despite queer histories of seeking less harmful ways of living –lesbian lands, radical faeire lands, urban queer collectives- creative queer visions of sustainability are often missing in the current heteronormative ‘green’ movement.

In a third and final episode, Dirtstar 2011 will Take Root at the Tenderloin National Forest / Luggage Store Annex with a Visual Arts Residency. This show is about honoring the lived experience of queers, honoring our process of having to shift through the detritus of this culture to find ourselves, our herstories, our culture, and each other. It’s about how we sustain ourselves, our culture, our aesthetic, our spirituality, and the world around us. The work showcased will consist of artwork that utilizes found objects, re/appropriated imagery, and recontextualized traditions—in the process revealing the way that this work pushes queer culture and art forward.

With how-tos, tastings, rituals, and closing Performance Night, Dirtstar 2011: Take Root will continue to showcase and share essential sustainable living skills that expand the world queers have been creating for decades.

http://dirtstar2011.wordpress.com

oxford zine fair 2011 - apply for stalls

From my inbox:


Hi,

I'm contacting you because I thought you might be interested in having a stall at a zine fair I'm helping to organise in Oxford on Saturday 9th April. The fair is part of 'Editions Of You', a month-long exhibition celebrating DIY musicians and handmade releases, and there's a bit more info on the webpage here: http://ah.brookes.ac.uk/event/editions_of_you_at_the_o3_gallery_2011

I really hope you might be interested - if you are then let me know and I'll send you a booking form. Price wise - a 2x2ft stall at the fair will cost £10 (as cheap as we can make it, I'm afraid, without losing more money than we have), 4x2ft and 6x2ft stalls are available on request (probably about £15 and £20 respectively).

Also, I would be really grateful if you could help spread the word about this in any way.

Best,

Ellis (ellisjones@gmail.com)

Friday 18 March 2011

born in flames: the publication

Wow! Jenny Woolworth's Women In Punk Blog just brought me the news of the 'comic book' version of the film Born In Flames that's being made by Kaisa Lassinaro.
It looks all sorts of amazing!!
They need financial help to get it published though, so you can pre-order and learn more about the project here: http://occasionalpapers.org/?page_id=1175
They're looking to raise £3,727 by 15 April 2011, in order to get the book printed by June 2011

pikaland's fundraising for the japanese relief efforts

http://pikaland.com/2011/03/16/japan-earthquake-tsunami-fundraiser

i-sho shout out

From my inbox, from Emma Thatcher:


Attention all Feminists that are Artists! Performers! Writers! Activists!

We are looking for submissions for our art show....
As women we create and claim our own challenging art. Send us questioning and incisive women’s art, feminist art, images of how you critically see the world; conceptual art; dialogues about feminist art; art critiquing patriarchy. (Haven’t you, like us, seen enough sexualised images of women?)

I-SHO will present a exciting feminist gaze, as we are all formed by the images we create as well as those we consume.

73 Women are women artists using all art media to address issues affecting women and girls worldwide.

I’S, SHES, HERS AND OURS will be in Stoke Newington (London, UK) during JULY 2011

Deadline for submission is 5pm, 4th April 2011.
Please send up to 3 JPG images Under 1MG with a short statement (100 wordsmax), saying why your work is feminist/ challenging the notions of gender/identity and 100 words about you/as artist.

email to 73women@phonecoop.coop

Costs will be shared - the gallery is paid for
http://73women.webs.com

thirtynothing

Brooklyn Arts Exchange Presents:
thirtynothing
Written & Performed by Dan Fishback

April 8-9, 2011 @ 8:00 pm
April 10, 2011 @ 6:00 pm

Dan Fishback’s thirtynothing is a multi-media solo performance exploring the generation gap between gay men who died during the early years of AIDS and gay men who were born during those same years. A sort of “performance zine,” the show incorporates images of work by lost gay artists, images and drawings from Fishback’s own childhood, and stories from the lives of various gay men who lived, died, and grew up during the 80s and early 90s. Fishback underscores this monologue-based piece using small instruments like casios and ukuleles to paint an intimate, mournful and quirky portrait of gay life during and after a catastrophe. Marking both the 30th anniversary of AIDS and Fishback’s 30th birthday, thirtynothing memorializes the fallen while posing critical questions to all who survive.

Tickets: Advance (online): $12 General | $7 Low-Income
https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/163045
At the Door (30 minutes before showtime): $15 General | $8 Low-Income

Direction Consultant: Stephen Brackett
Technical Director: Ardi Kuhn
Production Intern: Steve Drum

thirtynothing is being developed through artists residencies at Brooklyn Arts Exchange and Yaddo, along with a grant from the Franklin Furnace Fund. This grant was made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Major support of the Franklin Furnace Fund was provided in 2010-11 by the Lambent Foundation Fund of Tides Foundation, and Jerome Foundation.


* * *

Of the project, Dan writes: "thirtynothing" is probably the most rewarding project I've ever worked on. It's about queer history, and the unsung stories of gay artists who died of AIDS. In my research for this performance, I've encountered so many brilliant artists, I've talked to so many brilliant people, and I've witnessed profound footage of ACT-UP's greatest triumphs. The experience has been overwhelming and life-changing. It's an experience everyone should have, and they shouldn't have to undergo a huge research project to do so.

all-girl bands book

Julia Downes is seeking the final few writers for her all-girl bands book. She's looking for folks into writing a chapter about (i) punk, post-punk, (ii) 1950s & 60s girl groups, (iii) grunge and riot grrrl/ladyfest/girls rock camp.

Full details of the book project and the editorial brief for what she's looking for are on her blog, at: http://evencleanhandscausedamage.wordpress.com/books

Sunday 13 March 2011

girls who draw - magic show

Girls Who Draw invite you to their Magic Show, an exhibition of new artwork created for Solihull Gallery.

04 April - 11 June

Magic Show brings together a diverse group of women illustrators from the West Midlands and beyond including London, Leeds, Norwich and Edinburgh. Exhibitors are Jane Anderson, Mina Braun, Helen Entwisle, Ruth Green, Kate Hindley, Mary Kilvert, Sarah Lippett, Beth Morrison, Sarah Ray, Karoline Rerrie and Daisy Whitehouse, a mix of recent graduates, emerging and experienced illustrators.

Each illustrator has interpreted the theme of magic in their own distinctive style and created new work especially for the gallery. They have used the opportunity to explore hidden talents and different abilities which they don’t often get the chance to showcase when producing two dimensional illustrations. The group has stitched, paper cut, painted, printed and conjured up an array of unusual artwork to fill the whole gallery interior ranging from small artists’ books to hand sewn characters and large scale installations.

Magic Show accompanies the latest publication from Girls Who Draw, a group of women illustrators who have collaborated on a series of limited edition postcard books and exhibitions.

Magic Show Private View in the G1 Gallery Thursday 7th April 6.15pm – 7.30pm




Solihull Central Library and Arts Complex
Homer Road
Solihull
B913RG

www.solihull.gov.uk/gallery



Plus:

Illustration & Print Fair with ‘Live Drawing’ event at Solihull Central Library and Arts Complex Saturday 4th June 10am - 5pm
A chance to buy limited edition prints, books, handmade cards and other unique artwork from the exhibitors. They will also be running a ‘live drawing event’ where everyone is invited to come and participate in large scale drawing sessions throughout the day.

Plus:

Illustrators Afternoon Tea in the G1 Gallery
Thursday 14th April 3.30pm – 8.00pm

Join the Magic Show exhibitors for tea & cake. Networking event with informal open portfolio reviews led by London based illustrator Mary Kilvert www.marykilvert.com & local illustrator Sarah Ray www.sarahray.co.uk, an opportunity for attendees to share their work with the group, get useful feedback & encouragement.

Thursday 10 March 2011

kristyna baczynski interview for pikaland

The interview I did with Kristyna Baczynski has gone online at Pikaland today.
Kristyna is so totally rad and I loved doing this interview with her :)

old zines back on sale

I was just having a bit of a sort out/clear out and found a stash of old unsold copies of Reassess Your Weapons zine issues 8, 9 and 10 (2008-2009)
Reassess Your Weapons was a collective feminist/queer zine from Leeds, UK.

I've put them on sale for cheap at my etsy site: http://www.etsy.com/shop/COTL?ref=si_shop