Monday 26 November 2012

Cambodian Womens Development Agency

From my inbox, via my friend Anna who works for Cambodian Womens Development Agency:

I wanted to share with you some of the work I'm doing.

The organisation which I am volunteering for has a safe shelter for girls and young women who have experienced gender based violence or human rights abuses (like trafficking). The shelter costs about $30,000 per year to run and we are funded by two anti-trafficking organisations, but it doesn't quite cover the full cost.

I want to try to raise $5000 this December for the shelter. We want to pay for food and hygiene materials for the girls and also pay for essential leisure items like taking them to skateboarding and yoga lessons - both amazing ways of expressing oneself, taking risks and releasing stress!

Can you help? If you can't donate, and I understand money is tight now, can you forward the link onto your friends/ family? I'd love to spread the word as much as possible.

The page goes live today, and we have until December 31st to raise the money. If we reach the goal then we get a permanent spot on Global Giving for the organisation.

Here's the page - you can read more about the project and donate here: (it's in dollars, but it works fine with sterling too!)

http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/safe-shelter-cambodia/

Thursday 8 November 2012

remembering who we are zine seeking submissions

Lindsay Starbuck and I are working on a new zine, 'Remembering Who We Are'.

Below are images of the flier with all the information about the project; we'd love for as many people as possible, from all over the world to contribute. If this is something you'd like to be part of, we'd love for you to submit something.

The zine has links to the memory and history work that Shape & Situate zine has been doing, as well as the art work that Lindsay has been part of with 'Caged Bird Club', and beyond. This time, however, we want to look at our own individual, personal histories to see how we come to be the people that we are, with the politics that we have.

We want participants to share a unique story of a formative event or influential person in their life. We want to hear, see and share examples of moments that have shaped or are shaping people's political values and have made them into who they are today.
We’re looking for examples of social and political history on a personal level; things that you have experienced in your lifetime that have influenced and activated you, or formative events that have made you think about the world in a different way.
This may be as simple as a conversation that you had with someone that made you think critically about things. Or, it may be an example of actions/activisms that have buoyed your own interest in, and your knowledge/awareness of, politics and political action, and/or led you to engage in your own everyday activism, action or activity.

Please see the flier for more information, as we'd love to collect as many contributions as possible, to show how much of a broad church 'activism' is.

Please feel free to share this with friends who may also be interested.

Submissions or questions should be sent to: rememberingzine@gmail.com





You can also read about the zine project on Lindsay's blog: http://andsomeplyers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/workshop-and-zine-call-out.html
(For some reason that I can't fathom, Lindsay's blog can make the images larger than mine can - to save yourself squinting, see the larger ones at her link!)

pics from leeds zine fair, november 4th 2012

For those who were unable to see it on the day, I'm posting some photos from the exhibition of Posters Of Inspirational European Women: Taken from the zine 'Shape & Situate', held at Leeds Zine Fair 2012.

All 97 posters were there to view on the day, whether on the walls or in the book. Thank you to all the contributors!
I prioritized wall space for the new posters from issue #4 of the zine since it was being launched at the event.

Also featured here are photos related to the workshop that me and Lindsay Starbuck ran, 'Remembering Who We Are: Exploring artistic and creative sociopolitical memory'; We had lots of materials, publications and art work from various People's History projects to show-and-tell as part of our discussion/presentation.

On the day, Lindsay & I also launched our shout-out for contributions to a new zine, 'Remembering Who We Are' (http://remember-who-u-are.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/remembering-who-we-are-zine.html).

Thanks to Footprint Workers Co-op for organising for us take over this space at Wharf Chambers for the day!

Lindsay has also put some pics from the day up on her blog. Her camera is *a lot* nicer than mine, so do check out her pictures and run-down of the day: http://andsomeplyers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/leeds-zine-fair.html

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Exhibition: Posters Of Inspirational European Women: Taken from the zine, 'Shape & Situate', at Leeds Zine Fair 4th November 2012















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Some of the resources that were used as part of the show-and-tell during the workshop, 'Remembering Who We Are: Exploring artistic and creative socio-political memory', at Leeds Zine Fair (UK), 4th November 2012

The resources included projects such as, Celebrate People’s History, Occuprint, Inspired Agitators, Dead Feminists, Peops, Great Anarchists, The Life & Times of Butch Dykes, Shape & Situate, Caged Bird Club, Oregon History Comics, Manchester's Moderninst Heroines, Firebrands: Portraits of the Americas.











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The kick off for contributions to a new zine, 'Remembering Who We Are'. See http://andsomeplyers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/workshop-and-zine-call-out.html for further details on how to contribute.



S&S at SS65 - press release

All 97 posters (A3 size) that have been made for the zine, 'Shape & Situate: Posters Of Inspirational European Women' are to be part of an exhibition to be held in London at Space Station Sixty Five gallery.

The exhibition opens as part of Queer Zine Fest London which runs for a day on December 8th 2012, and the exhibition then continues through to January 13th 2013, and then with further reduced opening times until January 26th 2013.

Space Station Sixty Five's mailing list has all the information, and a link to the Press Release: http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=4c6ccfea70f47a48bd1d92495&id=1b898f104a

There is a high possibility that myself and my friend Lindsay Starbuck will be hosting a closing event at Space Station Sixty Five gallery on Satrurday January 26th 2013, presenting and discussing further artistic and creative sociopolitical history and memory work, with a big show-and-tell archive of People's History projects, (including zines, art, publications, and posters), and with contributions and live-discussion from the artists that make them. More news to come on the progress and plans of this

I'll be down at the gallery myself on 8th December, and hopefully too on the 26th January, so come and say hi if you're planning on being there as well!

Saturday 3 November 2012

Shape & Situate issue 4 back from the printers

Shape & Situate: Posters Of Inspirational European Women #4 is back from the printers, and ready to hit Leeds Zine Fair on 4th November, and Queer Zine Fest London on 8th December.

Huge thanks to all the following contributors for making this such a great issue xox

Cj Reay, Hazel Smoczynska, Nina Nijsten, Julia Downes, Holly Casio, Charlotte Young, Sofia Niazi, Jo Harrison, Charlotte Richardson Andrews, Lucie Russell, Chella Quint, Margareta Kern, Rachael House, Benedict Rutherford, Ian Cockburn, A-K Pirata, Erica Smith, Zoraida de Torres Burgos, Jean McEwan, Ian Pepper, Michelle Mendonca, Ed Webb-Ingall, Vic Conway, Laura Simmons, Lindsay Starbuck, Natalie Bradbury.

Thanks too to Footprint Workers Co-op for doing such a great print job!

The zine features posters on:
No Fit State, Delia Derbyshire, Emilie Claeys, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova/Pussy Riot, Olive Morris, Bobby Baker, Gareth Peirce, Sadie Lee, Charlotte Cooper, Karen Horney, Sue Black, Brenda Greenwood, Barbara Steveni, Anne Frank, Constance Markievicz, Kathe Kollwitz , Kathleen Thomas, Penny Pepper, Dominique Abel, Maria Cobo, Leonora Carrington, Sarah Howcroft, Booan Temple, Ali Smith, Rosalind Franklin, Helen Brook, Olive Shapley

Friday 2 November 2012

sabrina chap tour preview

My rad pal Sabrina Chap is in the UK for some music gigs and book tour dates.

We've put a little something together previewing the tour, and it's online over at The F Word: http://www.thefword.org.uk/blog/2012/11/sabrina_chap_tour_preview

Thursday 1 November 2012

details of times & happenings at Leeds Zine Fair


Details and times of happenings at Leeds Zine Fair THIS SUNDAY:

Exhibition: Posters of Inspirational European Women: Taken from the zine 'Shape & Situate' -- ALL DAY LONG!! 12pm-6pm

Workshop: Remembering Who We Are: exploring artistic and creative sociopolitical memory -- 12.30-1.30pm (so please come to the Zine Fair early!!)

All the details about these, and everything else can be found at: http://leedszinefair.footprinters.co.uk/index.php/whats-on

Also, if you haven't booked your own stall for your zines on Sunday then come and leave a bunch with me on the individual zine table. We'll be accepting zines all day long and will sell them on your behalf. Come back before the zine fair closes at 6pm to pick up your money and any unsold zines (unfortunatley we can't post zines or money back to people after the zine fair, so please don't forget to pick up before 6pm. Thanks!) I'm looking forward to seeing lots of wonderful zines on the table.

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Other goings on:

All day we will have "Have-A-Go" letterpress and screen printing set up in a "creative" area with Print Project and Musical Mathematics respectively.

There are two exhibitions also running throughout the day.
Shape and Situate are exhibiting their posters of inspirational women through history and there is the opportunity to bring in photocopies of your photographs to contribute to Torn Up & Photocopied.

Talks and workshops are as follows:

12.30pm - Remembering Who We Are - discussion and starting point of a collective zine about the formative events and influential people in our lives
1.30pm - Zine readings - bring yours and read a piece or just come to listen
2.30pm - Confidence Building For Grrrl Writers - Karren Ablaze planting some seeds.
3.30pm - Printing Technicalities - A Footprinter talking shop.
4.30pm - Taking Control Workshop - Discussion about co-ops: working without bosses and living without landlords.
4.30pm - Poetry Writing with Henry Raby - new outlooks on writing short and snappy poems.

Then there is an after party gig in the evening, which is £2 in to the second room and the bar will open, allowing alcohol to flow.
To attend the gig, please read the following:
“Wharf Chambers Co-operative Club is a members’ club, and you need to be a member, or a guest of a member, in order to attend. To join, please visit wharfchambers.org. Membership costs £1 and requires a minimum of 48 hours to take effect.”