i cut the paper in half. so there are like 32 half sheets of paper...

then i usually start playing with images, drawings, collages, cut and paste on the half-sheets of paper.

some e-zines y'all need to check out

so in the past couple of weeks a couple of ezines have hit the internets and i want to hip you to them...

1. don't leave your friends behind
edited by the fabulous vikki and china duo. this third edition is beautiful, well-written, chock full of ways to support parents and children in the movement.
'concrete ways to support caretakers and children in your scene'
you can check it out online here
41 pages

If you want a paper copy sent to you, please send $3 (or $5 for two and give the second to an ally in your life!) to:

V. Law
PO Box 20388
Tompkins Square Station
New York, NY 10009

they also have put out a call to submissions for the next volume of dont leave your friends behind.

"Deadline: September 15, 2010!

Don't Leave Your Friends Behind is a book geared toward the non-parent radical community about how to be an ally to the parent(s) in their midst.

This book is going to be a collection of some of the best minds out there. We're looking for activists, allies, and radical parents to submit the most kicking stuff to make this the best book ever for getting down to business: let's make a better world WITHOUT leaving out the mamas (and papas, partners, child-care providers) and children this time!

We want to know how you do support children and their caretakers in your collectives, organizations or communities."

2. noemi from hermana resist just put out her third volume of voces against violence.
the ezine can be found online here.

–a zine diy style, with work from poc, queer folk, survivors, healers. a text intended to be used as a community resources in dealing with multi-faceted violence and trauma.

please check it out. and may it evoke conversations that need to happen w/ yourself and your communities.

enjoy! support diy publishing. and get your mind blown!

in love,

mai'a

updates in may

ha ha ha...
1. did you know that mercury was in retrograde? april 17-may 11? were you feeling it? the retrograde was in taurus...

As the planet of communication, Mercury retrograde tends to breed a certain level of confusion. Mercury rules our "lower" mind--how we perceive and interpret information that we receive from our environment, and how we relay that information to others. Mercury has rulership over such things as speaking, negotiating, buying and selling, listening, formal contracts, documents, travel, the mail and shipping, and so forth. All of these areas of life are affected when Mercury is functioning in a sluggish state. Decision-making is challenged during Mercury retrograde. Needless to say, it is not advised to sign contracts, engage in important decision-making, or launch a new business. Delays and challenges are more probable with Mercury retrograde. It's a time when being careless with money, our personal information, or paperwork can be costly.

There is a positive side to Mercury Retrograde. This period is best used for re-organizing and reflecting. We look at the world a little differently--through different filters--and can come up with some very important inner revelations. It may be difficult to communicate them under this influence, but not everything needs to be rationalized. Mercury retrograde periods can be times of heightened inner awareness, when meditation, benefiting from keeping a journal, reworking old plans, and reviewing past work are favored. Minor breaks in the mechanical aspects of communication can actually re-connect us to other means of communication, such as when there is an unexpected power outage and we're forced off the computer and television, finding different and often satisfying ways to entertain ourselves.

2. so border home lands of course hit snags during the mercury retrograde. here is the snag: trying to create a pdf file that create space will accept. but, we are beginning to think that create space says that the file is not clear enough, not because of the level of dpi's that we use, but because well, i use grainy images. i like copies of a copy of a copy.
so we are going to go with what we got. stop mai'a from being a perfectionist. we will be offering a free e-zine version of the zine as well. which will be easy! i just have to figure out more techie shit (yeah, check the sarcasm!)
this has been frustrating and exciting. i admit i am a subversive by calling. and so figuring out ways to subvert the police state's censorship to be able to say and show what i want, well, is exciting. the frustrating part is that i am not techie. i am busy. and i hate excuses--so i am working on being gentle with myself. continuing to push forward and not fall into self-blame and guilt for not getting stuff out as soon as i would like. its okay, somedays im not superwoman ;)




3. our sister's tattoo was/is an incredible success. everyone's support for aaminah during this time just reaffirmed what i said last year which is: if we build it, we will come. radical love is powerful. and building community across borders is not a theory, its a daily practice, a daily prayer from us, to us, by us, for us. i love you aaminah.
i realize that aaminah will thank those who supported our sister's tattoo in her own way. but i want to as well, because you have no idea how everytime i opened my email and saw another notice that someone had contributed a bit of their hard earned money for this type of community love, it made my day. and i want to say thank you. more about that surprise later...

4. i am just starting to tackle the outlaw midwives project. the submissions have been amazing to go through. oh my god! seriously, y'all are brilliant! and i cant wait to show what the final product looks like. it is a deep project. one thing i would love to know from any and all of you is: what resources helped you/supported you during pregnancy, birth, and post partum? if you have any books, websites, list serves, organizations, etc. that you reached out for or that reached out for you...let me know...i would like to create a resource section for outlaw midwives as well.

5. here in cairo today it is 115 degrees today. yeah, its like that. and its not even june yet.
hope you guys have a great spring!

love,
mai'a

border home lands update

by mai'a

hi there!

ok. so, first and foremost sorry for the lull in communication. i have several excuses for this that you are probably not that interested in...but you know...been super sick with allergies/sinusitus/root canal for the past few weeks.
but really the big obstruction is that we discovered that the means i was going to use to send zines to the states was not sustainable. just not. so i had to put my creativity hat on and figure out a plan b.
plan b. make the zine into an order-on-demand book. yay! which meant that habibi and i had to learn a whole new set of skills that we didnt have. like how to make a pdf. and how to use create space. and we had to buy a scanner/printer. and learn to use it.
good times.
but not only have i picked up a few more helpful skills. but, the process is almost done! which means that for those of you who ordered a border/home/lands zine, you will receive one soon! yay! i am so sorry for the delay....



for those of you who i put 'on hold' from ordering a zine, b/c i was trying to work out the bugs...you will soon be able to order a zine and know it will be coming in under ten days!
and. there will be an electronic version of the zine available as well!
yes.
the sad part is that it won't be the hand crafted zine that i made. it will be a more mass produced version.
but honestly, it still looks really hot. and im proud of the product. and i believe that you will enjoy it as well.
also, for now at least, the upcoming zines that i create, will be produced and distributed through create space publish on demand. the next zine coming is: outlaw midwives.
there are a couple of folks who ordered a zine, but for some reason your email address has not worked for me. not sure what is up. my email address was warped and hexed. and that may have been part of it. so, if you are reading this...please let me tell you...i am kind of on top of shit...kinda...
and from now on things should run a lot more smoothly...its all about outwitting a police state...
hit me up at maiamedicine at gmail dot com if you have any questions or want to order the zine.

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remembering the sun

hi there,
this is not being handled through thaura zine distro, but i wanted to let you know about a new zine coming out from bfp!

While I’ve been dealing with this depression cycle, I’ve been working on my latest zine! It should be out and ready to go by the end of the week. It’s called, “Remembering the Sun,” and is poetry, stories, and letters of surviving and rebirth.

There will be two styles–one will be just the paper zine–the other will be the zine wrapped in a durable cover–so that you can carry it in your purse or in your car or whatever and it will stay safe. I made a lot of changes over my last zine–this one will be stapled (or otherwise made secure) so that all the pages stay in order.

The one with the cover will cost a little more–I’m thinking that I may sell it to the first X number of people who donate, say, $5 or $10 bucks or something. Not sure. The paper copy will be sold for a buck, like the first one was! Oh, and the one with the cloth cover may need to have more postage tacked on–I’ll find out once they are ready to go!

for more info check out flip flopping joy