The Sinew That Shrinks

I have a new zine out, called “The Sinew that Shrinks.” You can buy it from Quimby’s (it’s listed under Sassyfrass Circus #8) or send me an email (sassyfrasscircus at gmail dot com) if you want one! It’s a mix of writing, collage and comics, 30 pages. Also Quimby’s is restocked in a bunch of my older zines, though they’re all listed under different author names so you have to search by title.

Edie Fake writes: “Brager circumnavigates the physical remnants of loss, specifically the electric energies of the departed. The pieces that make up this zine constitute an experimental essay on ghosting, memory, were-wolvery, vibration and the psychic and emotional impact of families, given and chosen.”

–jb

In The Gutter

I told folks who attended my workshop at the Chicago Zinefest that I would post my presentation on my blog for easy perusal, so here it is! Web-only viewers miss out on my witty banter and actual explanations, but…that’s cool. If you attended the workshop, feel free to comment with helpful suggestions or links to your work. Y’all were amazing, thank you so much!

–jb

Call for Submissions: Doykeit #2

Doykeit #2—“Diaspora”

The concept of ‘doykeit,’ Yiddish for ‘hereness,’ is taken from the pre-World War II Polish-Jewish group The Bund, which believed that Jews have both a right to live and a political commitment to work for change ‘here and now.’

Doykeit seeks to speak to the cross-sections of Jewish and queer/feminist identification and how these might inform an anti-Zionist or Palestinian solidarity politic.

For this issue of Doykeit, we ask for writing and art that considers one or more of the following topics: diaspora, home and “homeland,” galut, displacement, dispersal, remembrance, intergenerational relationships, borders, nationalism, and violence.

“The word ‘diaspora’ means dispersion. It originated in the Septuagint, one of the original Greek translations of the Bible: Deuteronomy 28:25: ‘thou shalt be a diaspora in all kingdoms of the earth.’…”

Some questions to consider:

–site(s) of diaspora and site(s) of “home”

–diaspora in a globalized society

–What does it mean to be a diaspora Jew (politically, spiritually etc.)?

–How is diaspora complicated/ take on different meaning in different Jewish communities (ethnic, geographic, denominational, etc.)?

–How do we build solidarity between/ within diasporic/ exilic communities?

EXTENDED DEADLINE: Due JUNE 1st May 1^st 

500-1,000 words preferred

Either formatted into a ½ size zine page or unformatted word document

Images must be black and white, 300+ dpi

Send submissions/ inquiries/ requests for Issue #1 to sassyfrasscircus@gmail.com

Life before Zinefest

Call for Submissions–Long Distance Zine!

I am seeking submissions of art and writing on the subject of long distance relationships, describing the funny, sad, and tender moments of having a partners or partners far away. This is not an “advice” zine, though pieces that incorporate advice will be considered. Submissions do not need to be about a current relationship or a currently long-distance relationship. I am particularly interested in questions of chosen or forced distance, queer(ed) relationships, Internet dating, membership in a globalized/ precariat labor force, ways of making contact across distance, the idea of “building a life,” struggles with immigration or across national borders, co-parenting across distance, and the different ways in which we create and sustain families and define “home.”

Please indicate the distance (for example, 500 miles) between you and your significant other(s) in the title or subtitle of your submission.

Due April 1st 

EXTENDED DEADLINE! MAY 1st!

500-1,000 words preferred, please submit as a word document or in the body of an email.

Images must be black and white, 300+ dpi

Send submissions/ inquiries to sassyfrasscircus@gmail.com

Zine Coven

Some rad zine friends are putting together a new review zine, coming to a Chicago Zinefest near you (I think) this spring. I drew this cover for it!

.jb.

Until the sea shall free them

I got asked to draw some kind of Haraway mermaid assemblage by my buds at Hoax zine, and it happened to coincide with a Leonard Cohen kick, so I was thinking about drowning sailors and mermaid assemblages which led to thinking about drowned zombie sailors self-assembling into mermaids which led to this drawing.

Back to reading about ghosts and capitalism,
JB

Zine reading in Philly on Sunday!

Baltimore Zine Bazaar next Friday!

Me and my whole non-abbreviated legal name (for good measure my middle name is Rebecca) will be peddling zines and maybe embarrassing myself verbally at the Zine Bazaar at the Radical Book Pavilion next Friday, September 28th! None know what wonders may await you.

jb.

Doykeit available online

Due to Etsy raising their listing fees, I’m going to have a go at just using paypal to distro some zines. If you want a copy of Doykeit, just paypal sliding scale 3-5$ to sassyfrasscircus@gmail.com and include your shipping address somewhere. If you live outside of the US I super appreciate the extra buck or two to cover the additional postage. I tried to use the generated code for a paypal button but seemed to fail at that also. So basically let me know if you want a copy of Doykeit. I know folks have expressed interest and no one is distroing it right now (cept for yours truly).

JB