Some Very Cool People Made a Cool Thing With Me!
Reading time: About 2 minutes
In December 2023 I was taken with an idea for a ‘zine. It’s wasn’t totally spontaneous, as I’d been thinking about ‘zine making since the summer and talking with various folks about a longing for printed materials in an increasingly digital world. What was sudden was the gelling of the idea: An experimental collaborative ‘zine based on a mutual-aid model.
And thus, the first issue of From The QILT2BAG+1 went from fanciful notion to a project in motion. I reached out to fellow writers and artists and in a matter of weeks we had a little cohort to work on content for the first issue.
In this experimental process I played with how to ensure we all got paid for our labour and that the project could be self-funding. The cohort for the first issue gave their input and reflections, along with sharing the progress of what they were each working on. In late January I started to collect contributions — print design is one of my great joys, and it was extra fun to watch our collective creativity come together into a single publication. We edited the proof as a group, and in February I sent it off to the printer.
And here it is, issue 1 of From The QILT2BAG+, a celebration of Trans Joy, in time for Trans Day of Visibility:
Thank you to Spencer Blackwood, Cece Chow, Ris Wong, and Eva for contributing to this project. It was delightful collaborating with ya’ll. I feel immensely blessed to get to be in community with so many brilliant queer and trans folks and I am giddy to put something out in the world that uplifts out collective creativity and skills!2
Each cohort member is selling copies and I encourage you to get one from any one of us. The income from all the copies I sell will go right back into this project, helping to pay folks for their contributions, cover my monthly Adobe subscription, and pay for printing. Issue 2 is already underway and the cohort for Issue 3 is confirmed!
The ‘zine is now up in my webshop.
The funding price is $10CAD,(plus postage) but you can use coupon codes to get it for either $8 or $5, depending on what price is best suited to your financial situation. Coupon codes are in the product description.
QILT2BAG+ is a playful acronym rearranging 2SLGBTQ+ so it spells a word. I just think it’s neat. It’s also what inspired my sticker design.
Next time you are looking for a cool gift, consider getting a print, tote or shirt from Spencer and stickers or washi tape from Ris. Consider booking Cece for a poetry reading or photography session, and watch for Eva’s glorious calligraphy at queer events around YYC.
yay! how wonderful to see physical things for a physical world ♥