outlaw midwives zine vol 2

(pic is of a the cover the outlaw midwives zine. mama holding a baby, water, grass, children, greens, yellows, blues)

outlaw midwives vol 2!

so here is the draft of outlaw midwives vol 2. uploaded onto scribd. 64 pages.

click here for the zine.

the upload to scribd was imperfect. there are about two-three pages that for some reason didnt upload. pretty random. actually the primary upload bump now is that one page is doubled… (i think it is because in general the internet has been running slower since the protests began in cairo. the egyptian govt fucked with twitter as it is, since that and fb is where a lot of the organizing is happening for the protests) so i am going to upload it again, but until then, enjoy this.

——

I love volume 2 of outlaw midwives. I love it because it is full of personal stories from the frontlines of birth work and mothering. As I printed out the articles and sat on the floor with glue stick and scissors, stapler and paper, I could hear the air crackle around me as the electric heater burnt slowly. These pages are pointing to a path of liberation and magic. To a place where justice = love.

These stories run the gamut, from supporting women’s access to abortion to discovering that breastfeeding can be painful and exhausting. From questioning who homebirth is really for, to mamas discussing marginal identities in the natural birth community. There are visions for what midwifery could be, should be, and what it should never have become. Stories about death. And yes, stories about birth. Most of all, these are stories, our stories, that we need.

So please enjoy, pass along, and support outlaw midwives by any means necessary.

——-

cover art –soraya jean louis

bird blues baby—soraya jean louis

love, sister—soraya jean louis

outlaw midiwives and outlaws—ash johnsdottir

black women birthing resistance—cara page and tamika middleton

evidence-based medicine—gloria lemay

my secondary post-partum hemorrhage experience—rebecca j. haines-saah phd

love and lost, for julie—brooke benoit

homebirth and no home—da midwife

on birth and choice—pamela hines powell

abortion in florida—randi james

i wonder what would happen if midwives…—carla hartley

what they don’t tell you about breastfeeding—aaminah al-naksibendi

stepping out—mai’a, aaminah al-naksibendi, amy gow, Patrice nichole byers, china

body pirate: how my body was taken hostage by a nursing toddler—laurel ripple carpenter

the c-section—alexis gumbs

a hard rains a-gonna fall—ash johnsdottir

——

also in this zine you will find call for submissions for the bridge called my baby anthology and for outlaw midwives vol 3.

with love,

mai’a

Dear friends & supporters,

i want to let you know that i am not working directly with Thaura Distro any longer, but still support the work and hope that you find our collaboration to be as inspiring as i have!!! It has been a blessing and a learning experience for me, and i am ready to spread my artistic & spiritual wings.

Should you wish to keep up with my doings, my blog is here. You can also reach me by email at niqaabisister@yahoo.com.

i am forever grateful to Mai'a, and to all of you. i now leave you in most capable hands.

In Revolutionary Love,

Aaminah

Revolutionary Love is More Than a Catch Phrase

FINAL UPDATE (10/29/10):

Book sale is moving to CripChick's blog and will feature over 100 books!!! Please check out her site next week (early November) for the full list and sale. Remember, every purchase supports revolutionary love and disability community building.

*** No further sales are taking place from this site.
Please visit CripChick's blog.***

Many thanks for your support!

***

IMPORTANT UPDATE: This sale is in the process of MOVING locations. Please come back for updated info on where to go and how to continue supporting Stacey & Mia. More books will also be added with the move, so it's quite exciting! (Aaminah 10/27/10)

***

Because Thaura Distro values radical, revolutionary love and we believe that revolutionary love requires action, we announce a fundraiser in support of Stacey "CripChick" and Mia Mingus. Stacey and Mia, two of our favorite compañeras, are making a massive journey. Both literally and figuratively they will be merging homes. You can read about their plans HERE, and find out about another wonderful fundraiser another friend has also put together an art sale HERE.

We have decided to put together our own fundraiser to support Stacey & Mia.

(Of course, if you aren't interested in any of the books offered but still would like to donate, simply follow the donation instructions below and we will still send you a special gift.)

Books are available for a donation. Minimum donation per book is $1, but of course more is appreciated! Thaura Distro will take care of the postage, so you don't need to factor that into price and can be assured that 100% of your donation will go straight to Stacey & Mia. We will also send you a small gift to express our gratitude for your support.

To donate by purchasing books:

1. Look thru the list below and decide what book(s) you want.
2. Determine how much you are willing to donate (remember, minimum donation is $1 per book, but you are encouraged to donate more if you are able.)
3. Leave a comment here specifying which books you want reserved for you so that others can see those books are spoken for pending updates to this post.
4. Send an email to thauradistro@gmail.com telling us, again, which books - and which seller's list they are from - you want and the address to send them to.
5. Send your donation via PayPal to niqaabisister@yahoo.com (if you are unable to use PayPal to make your donation, please make arrangements for another form of payment when emailing us at thauradistro@gmail.com)

Books will be mailed out after your donation is received.

Here's the list of available books: Please note that books may be added to the list as more become available.

In America, by Susan Sontag (2000, fiction, paperback, used, 387 pgs)

And Don’t Call Me a Racist!: A treasury of quotes on the past, present & future of the color line in America, selected & arranged by Ella Mazel (1998, anthology, paperback, used, 147 pgs) - TAKEN

A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare 1599, by James Shapiro (2005, non-fiction/biography, paperback, brand new, 376 pgs)

Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad (1990 Dover Thrift Edition, fiction, paperback, brand new, 72 pgs)

Is Bill Cosby Right? Or has the Black Middle Class Lost its Mind?, by Michael Eric Dyson (2005, non-fiction/African-American studies/Current Affairs, paperback, used, 242 pgs) - TAKEN

Letters to a Young Brother, by Hill Harper (2006, non-fiction/self-improvement/African-American studies, paperback, used, 173 pgs) - TAKEN

The Coffee Trader, by David Liss (2003, fiction, paperback, used, 386 pgs plus reader’s guide)

Don’t Be Afraid Gringo: A Honduran Woman Speaks from the Heart, the story of Elvia Alvarado translated & edited by Medea Benjamin (1987, non-fiction/biography/Latin American & Women’s Studies, paperback, used, 146 pgs plus appendices) - TAKEN

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, by Anthony Bourdain (2007 updated edition, non-fiction/autobiography, paperback, used, 312 pgs plus 22 pgs of additional interviews etc.) - TAKEN

Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women & the Rise of Raunch Culture, by Ariel Levy (2005, non-fiction/social science, paperback, used, 212 pgs) - TAKEN

Pieces of the Heart: New Chicano Fiction, edited by Gary Soto (1993, fiction/anthology, paperback, used but like new, 171 pgs) - TAKEN

Cabato Sentora: Poems, by Ray Gonzalez (1999, poetry, paperback, used, 124 pgs)

We Don’t Need Another Wave: Dispatches from the Next Generation of Feminists, edited by Melody Berger (2006, non-fiction/anthology, paperback, used with some minor water damage on bottom edge, 319 pgs) - TAKEN

Great Irish Tales of Horror: A Treasury of Fear, edited by Peter Haining (1995, fiction/folklore, hardcover, used but like new, 301 pgs)

A Fortune Teller Told Me: Earthbound Travels in the Far East, by Tiziano Terzani (1997, travel/bio, hardcover, used but like new, 367 pgs)

Red Earth & Pouring Rain, by Vikram Chandra (1995, fiction, hardcover, used/discarded library book in good condition, 542 pgs) - TAKEN

The Sober Kitchen: Recipes & Advice for a Lifetime of Sobriety, by Liz Scott (2003, non-fiction/cookbook, paperback, used, 448 pgs)

Womanpower: The Arab Debate on Women at Work, by Nadia Hijab (1988, non-fiction/women’s studies, paperback, new, 165 pgs) - TAKEN

Arabic in Three Months (1999, non-fiction/language learning, paperback, used, 220 pgs plus mini dictionary) - TAKEN

The Bad Detective, by H.R.F. Keating (1996, fiction, hardcover, used/discarded library book, 279 pgs)

The Book Shop, by Penelope Fitzgerald (1978, fiction, paperback, used, 123 pgs)

The Cellist of Sarajevo, by Steven Galloway (2008, fiction, paperback, used, 235 pgs)

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, by Dave Eggers (2000, non-fiction/biography/uncategorical bullshit, paperback, used, 437 pgs plus “Mistakes We Knew Were Making”

Additional Books added to the sale

available from CripChick:

*NEW* 99 Ways to Cut, Sew, Trim, and Tie Your T-Shirt into Something Special
[Spiral-Bound] by Faith Blakeney

Afeni Shakur: Evolution of a Revolutionary by Jasmine Guy - TAKEN

*NEW* Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People by Helen
Zia (brand new copy)

*NEW* Catcher and the Rye by JD salinger (brand new copy)

*NEW* Cereus Blooms at Night by Shani Mootoo

Charlie Chan Is Dead 2: At Home in the World (An Anthology of
Contemporary Asian American Fiction) by Jessica Hagedorn and Elaine
Kim - TAKEN

*NEW* Deaf Culture Our Way: Anecdotes from the Deaf Community by Holcomb

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez - TAKEN

*NEW* How People Get Power by Si Kahn

*NEW* Hum Bows, Not Hot Dogs by Bob Santos

*NEW* Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell
(hardcover, brand new copy)

Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty
by Dorothy Roberts - TAKEN

*NEW* Kindred by Octavia Butler

*NEW* Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History by Bruce Cumings

*NEW* My Face Is Black Is True: Callie House and the Struggle for Ex-Slave
Reparations (hardcover)

*NEW* Native Speaker by Chang Rae Lee

*NEW* Nine Stories by JD Salinger (brand new copy)

No Fire Next Time: Black-Korean Conflicts and the Future of America's
Cities by Patrick D. Joyce (brand new copy) - TAKEN

Our Dead Behind Us: Poems by Audre Lorde - TAKEN

Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler (old copy) - TAKEN

Peel My Love Like an Onion: A Novel by Ana Castillo (hard copy) - TAKEN

*NEW* Red Letter Christians: A Citizen's Guide to Faith and Politics by Tony Campolo

Stolen Sharpie Revolution: A DIY Zine Resource by Alex Wrekk - TAKEN

*NEW* Sula by Toni Morrison (old copy)

*NEW* The American Dream: Speeches by Barack Obama (brand new copy)

*NEW* Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

The Last Generation: Prose and Poetry by Cherrie Moraga - TAKEN

*NEW* The Pigman by Paul Zindel (old copy)

The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael CHABON (brand new copy) - TAKEN

Watchmen by Alan Moore (brand new copy) - TAKEN

*NEW* What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America by Tavis
Smiley (hardcover, brand new copy)

What Is the What by Dave Eggers (brand new copy) - TAKEN

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde - TAKEN

a testament of hope: the essential writings and speeches of MLK - TAKEN

yellow: race in american beyond black and white - TAKEN

war against the weak: eugenics and america's campaign to create a master race (hard copy) - TAKEN

selling out: the gay and lesbian movement goes to market (hard copy) - TAKEN

available from our dear friend & fellow zinester China Martens:

The Chelsea Whistle, by Michelle Tea (2002, memoir, paperback, good condition, 331 pgs)

The Complete Book of Chakra Healing, by Cyndi Dale (second edition, first printing 2009, healing, paperback, used but like new, 430 pgs)

The Ogre, by Michel Tournier (first published in 1970, John Hopkins Paperback Edition 1997, fiction, paperback, bought from used bookstore for $4 dollars, previous owner signed their name/date/city in tiny light pencil cursive which is endearing, 370 pgs)

Cassandra, by Christa Woolf (1984, fiction, paperback, used in worn condition, 305 pgs)

Sex with the Lights On, by Ducky DooLittle (2006, nonfiction, paperback, good condition, 282 pgs) - TAKEN

Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver (2000, fiction, hardcover, good to great condition, 444 pgs) - TAKEN

Zine Yearbook 9 (2007 anthology includes Tenacious #11 & #12, Resistance of Dreams #1, Urban Adventure League, The Book Bindery, Southern Fried #9, Zinester's Guide to US Mail, Resist #46, East Village Inky #33, and many more; paperback, very good condition, 240 pages) - TAKEN

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez (1991, paperback, used but good, 290 pages)

available from LaBianca: (LaBianca says all of these books are like new unless otherwise noted)

Great Sky Woman by Steven Barnes (Hardcover) - TAKEN

Nerve The First Ten Years (Nerve.com) - TAKEN

Brothels, Depravity, and Abandoned Women: Illegal Sex in Antebellum New Orleans by Judith Kelleher Schafer - TAKEN

The Kingdom Of This World by Alejo Carpentier (used: heavily highlighted w/pencil)

B is for Beauty by Alberto Ferreras

100 Questions You'd Never Ask Your Parents Vol 1 by Elisabeth Henderson and Nancy Armstrong - TAKEN

Border-line Personalities: A New Generation of Latinas Dish on Sex, Sass and Cultural Shifting by Michelle Herrera Mulligan and Robyn Moreno - TAKEN

Work, Family and Health: Latina Women In Transition by Ruth Zambrana

Pleasures: Women Write Erotica by Lonnie Garfield Barbach

Playing With Boys (hardcover) by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

Loteria and Other Stories by Ruben Mendoza - TAKEN

Announcing New Zine: ... because Sumayyah said so by Sumayyah Talibah

Thaura Distro is very proud to present the first zine by our sister/comrade Sumayyah Talibah!

... because sumayyah said so

to read online or download, go HERE

to purchase paper copies, please send a donation ($4 suggested, but more if you can) to cover printing and mailing costs, thru PayPal to tmonilin80@yahoo.com.

please also be sure to check out Sumayyah's website! there is lots of awesome writing available there.

outlaw midwives printable

hi there!

here is the downloadable, printable version of outlaw midwives vol. 1.

you should be able to print this double sided so that you can make as many print copies as you like...share the outlaw vision!

download link here

anyways, try it and tell me if it works!

Aaminah's zine-making Process

i said that i would share my process for zine making, so i made a point of taking some photos along the way as i was working on my second zine, Fear Hope & Justice. You can see a larger version of the mosaic HERE, and that includes links to each individual photo so that you can see them each in better detail (on my Flickr) as well. Here is my process:


1. collect poetry, quotes, images/art that i would like to use in the zine; format text, print and cut everything up for use.

2. i enjoy making my cover first. i'm not suggesting that is a "normal" way to start, but since i am very ocd and also use my dreams/visions/instincts to guide the process, it is so far been my process. i think it lets me set out a visual for myself of where i'm going, keeps my "goal"; in mind or how i want things to come together.

3. i take 8 1/2 x 11 paper (i am flexible about what kind of paper. my first zine i used yellow lined legal pad paper of the correct size. i liked that because then it created lines on pages in the photocopied zine which i thought was interesting background. for this zine here i used regular white copy paper.) and fold it in half, setting the pages inside each other. this way, as i start pasting/designing, pages are automatically designed in the order that i would like them to appear in the zine. i know other people like to move pages around, reposition things. that isn't my method. i also don't have a specific number of pages in mind. i know the minimim number i want to have to get all of my "pieces" in there, but i usually end up with at least a few pages more than i had planned on because i don't really count at first. this gives me space to still get a little creative, after i start laying things out on the pages. i can see that i have room to play with.

4. lay out. sometimes this involves additional cutting or shaping. laying things out gives me an idea of how many pages i have to work with or need to fill before i start pasting.

5. pasting. i start the basic pasting, getting things put together in the order i really want. order and balance of text to art is pretty instinctual for me. i follow my instincts.

6. adding additional pieces. when i see i still have quite a bit of white space or pages look too formal or plain, i start looking for creative and unusual elements to fill in space and add texture. in this case, i used several cards from a set i had to use matching elements that went thruout the zine.

7. finished protype of zine.

8. photocopied finished zine.

Fear, Hope & Justice Zine Available

Fear, Hope & Justice

Remembering those lost, Protecting our Future

28 pages, half size

a zine created by Aaminah in memory of Oscar Grant and other youth we have lost in this world that is hostile to brown people and dangerous for our children. this zine features three poems by Aaminah, and poetry by Mai'a, Sumayyah Talibah, Noemi Martinez, CripChick, and Monchel Pridget, as well as a short essay by Brooke Benoit. interspesed thruout is art/photography and quotes from women who wrote immediately after the Oscar Grant trial verdict.

the zine is available to view/download FREE online HERE. (you can view it online but the print is smaller that way. if you prefer/need real-size print, there is a button above the image where you can download the pdf instead.)

if you would like to purchase a paper copy of the zine, the cost is $3 if purchased in conjunction with anything else from the distro, or $4 if purchased alone (to help with the postage). please make payments via Paypal to niqaabisister@yahoo.com.