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

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

Call for Submissions: Doykeit Zine

After receiving some submissions and speaking with some invested folks, I realized that this project is bigger than Sassyfrass (see previous call) and deserves more time and space. Now it is its own zine, and you get more time to submit!

We are seeking submissions with a central theme of the cross sections of Jewish and queer identity, and how those identities might inform an anti-Zionist or Palestinian solidarity politic. Some organizing frames include the concept of “doykeit” or “hereness,” diaspora, assimilation, the rhetoric of “self-hate,” decolonization of Judaism, and experiences of queer identity as a Jew or in a Jewish context. Submissions should take the form of personal narrative, whatever mediums you want to use to express that. Any JPEGs should be black and white, high contrast and at least 300 dpi. The issue will be 1/2 size and black and white. Send submissions to sassyfrasscircus@gmail.com. The deadline is February 20th! Submissions are staying open until I get enough to make a solid issue! So send me your stuff!

<3 jb

Call for Submissions: Sassyfrass Circus #8

After 7 issues of Sassyfrass Circus, I have decided that #8 is going to take the zine in a new direction—I am opening it up officially to submissions with a central issue theme of the cross sections of Jewish and queer identity, and how those identities might inform an anti-Zionist or Palestinian solidarity politic. Some organizing frames include the concept of “doykeit” or “hereness,” decolonization of Judaism, and experiences of queer identity as a Jew or in a Jewish context. Submissions should take the form of personal narrative, whatever mediums you want to use to express that. The issue will be ¼ size and black and white. Send submissions to sassyfrasscircus@gmail.com. Also I’m trying to get the issue out before the Philly Zinefest, so the deadline is November 4th!

FAQs:

Q: Do I need to be queer to submit?
A: Nope! If you’re interested in submitting to this zine you probably should.

Q: Are you a self-hating Jew?
A: Go back to AIPAC.

Night of a Thousand Hillarys

For some, their worst nightmares. For others, their most terrible fantasies.

But wait! Who is that peaking out of the sea of lawyer Hillary Clinton look-alikes? Is there hope for romance, even in Washington, D.C.? Find out at curmudgeoncomic.com!

Also, if you haven’t yet, make sure you “Like” Curmudgeon on Facebook–I’m going to give away the original artwork of one of our strips to our 100th fan. Strategically, you should get all your friends to “Like” Curmudgeon and then “Like” it yourself later.

<3 JB

Review of “The Queer Art of Failure” at The New Inquiry

My second book review is up at the New Inquiry!

pic source: bloodshower.tumblr.com/post/8337081296

Check it out? Also, updates on the Pelican Bay SHU/ California prison hunger strike can be found through the Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity blog, including the recent announcement that the strike may be reinstated in response to meager bullshit concessions.

–jb

Queering Beards Book

I posted a call for this project I’m helping with a while back, but I wanted to let folks know that we’re on Facebook now, and still accepting abstracts, papers, and creative work.

If you’re not really into the whole book thing, I am still accepting submissions for my facial hair zine Femme a Barbe, at sassyfrasscircus [at] gmail [dot] com.

<3 jb

Working on a new poster

This is a slightly bad photo of the beginning of a flier for the Sister Spit performance at UMD on April 9th. I’m pretty psyched because I wrote the budget proposal for the event when I was still a student, and now I’m working with the brilliant graphic designer Grace Toulotte on promotional stuff. I’m hoping we can keep working together, because I am good at vomiting ink onto paper and she is good at actually creating interesting, visually appealing marketing materials (and uses her powers for good not evil).

Heavily inspired by Divine and Crackers in Pink Flamingos imbuing the Marbles’ house with their filthy queer spit.

<3 jb

Call For Papers

To date, no monograph-length text has been produced that is critically engaged with beards from an artistic, academic and community-based perspective. This book brings together a range of perspectives, including purely academic pieces to personal narratives, as well as artwork and performance art pieces. This book seeks to carve out a space to discuss the social cues and meanings of facial hair – specifically beards and other bulk masses of visible hair – on queer(ed) bodies.

Specifically, we seek submissions that unpack, address and consider, among other similar topics: the historical figure of the bearded lady and facial hair on people who are assigned or identify as female; hair and hair use among gender transgressive folks; meanings of facial hair among multiple trans communities; the use of beards in gay male spaces (including cis and trans men) such as the fashioning of beards to index particularly sexual practices (leather, kink, etc).

Submit works to queeringbeardsproject@gmail.com by June 30th, 2011.

<3 jb

If I queer this project for too long I will kill the joke.

It’s been a while since I drew a gay cupcake. Also, there is a DC zinefest meeting tonight at 7 pm. If you want to come let me know and I will tell you the location, since it’s at a house.

<3 jb