Salvage Collective zine

I've written and made art about the misogyny and abuse that is rife on the left a couple of times before, like here (4th image down) and here. I've experienced gendered abuse directly and seen it happen to people I love. Most of the time fighting against it in isolation leads to burn out or disengaging entirely from the activist world. 

So I was incredibly excited when the Salvage Collective put out a call for interviews from survivors of gendered violence in activist communities for their research project. I was also super flattered that they used an image from my mini-zine in their callout and immediately offered to provide any more artwork they needed for the project. They asked me to design and illustrate the cover of their amazing report.

The images I created are based on the hope represented when spaces and structures that have been neglected are reclaimed. With nature, this is an inevitable process. Unfortunately with people, it is a battle where those who are fighting against neglect and violence encounter an absolute shit ton of opposition and further abuse. People are pretty invested in not conceding their power, unlike abandoned buildings.

If you are under the illusion that this doesn't happen amongst people who claim to care about liberation and social justice, then you really need to read this zine. It's 70 pages of mostly first hand accounts from survivors - and that's edited down from hundreds of pages of interviews. Not only does gendered violence happen with depressing frequency on the left but the responses from people who should be setting an example when it does is most often piss poor. We need pockets of resistance to demonstrate that it's possible to do better; human examples of nature winning back space from an ever expanding and destructive industrial capitalism.

This project - and this zine - is part of the process of redressing that imbalance. It is ongoing, hard work, often done by the very same people who are directly affected by gendered violence. It's time for more people to step up and support those who are working to salvage what's been ignored and left to rot.

Buy the zine in my shop or from the Salvage Collective for a mere £2 - an absolute bargain. Keep up to date with what @Project_Salvage are doing, attend one of their workshops or support them to deliver workshops where you are.

The Man Called Uncle Tim #4 - Don

The fourth and final issue of The Man Called Uncle Tim has arrived back from the printer. This series has been an ongoing investigation into the life of my enigmatic uncle who lived in a queer, polyamorous household in rural Ohio and who died in 1995. The final issue features conversations with Don, one of only two surviving members from the J. Hartzelbuck household.

Aunt Judy, featured in issue #3, facilitated my introduction to Don and I've been talking to him by email since 2013 when I started this project. He still lives in Raven Rocks so when I went to scatter my grandma's ashes in the woods near my grandpa's ashes and Uncle Tim's grave, I was able to talk to him in real life.  

At the beginning of this project, I assumed I would be making five, six or more issues of the zine. When I started pulling together all the conversations Don and I had over the years though, it really felt like a conclusion to this story. He was able to provide so much insight into a portion of Uncle Tim's life that had remained largely hidden from the rest of my family. I also felt seriously relieved when this became clear. I'm ready to move onto new projects.

No doubt, there are many more potential perspectives to and opinions about his story. In fact, one of the things that has made me really happy about this project is the number of new conversations about Uncle Tim that have occurred in my family as a result. The impetus for starting this was to ensure that Uncle Tim's story doesn't get lost once the generation who knew him directly are not around anymore.

The fact that it became something so many people were interested in was a surprise to many of my family members who I collaborated with. But it is a fascinating story about alternative ways of living, risk taking and the unwavering conviction to be true to your own desires and values. So I'm not so surprised people have been able to find meaning in it even when they don't know the characters personally. 

Issue #4 is now available to buy in my shop. You can also buy the full set for yourself or as a gift and save some money.

Swords into Plowshares: Laura

Staying in hostels, sofa surfing or providing cat sitting services were a few of the ways Laura found places to stay in London. Throw in some stressful Visa issues and you have a potent mix that would make anyone feel unsettled. 

Laura adapted to this situation by carrying around loads of stuff at all times - always with at least one knitting project in tow. I suspect knitting provided Laura with a little bit of domesticity that didn't require an actual home, just a comfortable seat, often next to some friends who were also knitting or crafting. 

When I asked Laura to share a story for this project, it was agreed on the condition that I make a nostepinne instead of a dibber. A nostepinne is a Scandinavian tool for winding wool into centre-pull balls and the name literally translates to "nest-stick". It's very fitting because when I picture Laura settled, it would definitely be in a cozy nest made of wool.

Anyway, imagine being homeless for a while and when you finally find a long-term place to live you end up with an absolutely shocking letting agent. The kind of letting agent who has no respect for either privacy or private property (but not in a good anti-capitalist way). You've got to listen to Laura's story to believe it. 



This is the second story featured in the Swords into Plowshares series, where I exchange hand crafted things made from the posts that once held estate agent signs for stories. If you have a story of estate/letting agent woes - maybe they stole your fees, or your deposit, or just engineered you out of your home because someone else was willing to pay more rent than you - share it in exchange for a dibber or nostepinne. Write a comment below or contact me. And make sure you listen to the first one.

Swords into Plowshares: Charlie

Many people who rent in London (and beyond) would love the opportunity to grow their own vegetables, fruit, herbs or just some flowers. For most of them though, that feels impossible because of the insecurity they experience in their rented homes. The people at fault for this are not tenants, it is landlords and their parasitic estate agents who are in the business of raising rents as much as they can, as often as they can.

Swords into Plowshares is a project that began in 2015 as part of an exhibition about housing in East London. After learning how to use a lathe, I decided I wanted to make dibbers out of the posts that hold estate agent signs. I saw the abundance of these as a symbol of how quickly my neighbourhood was changing and the anxiety/instability this creates that prevents people from putting down roots. Think of it as an oral history of estate agent fuckery.

Charlie used to be my neighbour. She had a pretty awful buy-to-let landlord when she lived down the road from me. But the story she chose to tell in exchange for her dibber was from before I knew her and is far more uplifting. I think it's a great introduction to this project. Have a listen.



Do you have a story of estate/letting agent woes? Maybe they stole your fees, or your deposit, or just engineered you out of your home because someone else was willing to pay more rent than you. Get in touch if you have a story to share in exchange for a little extra encouragement to grow something - even if you understandably decide to keep it in a pot. Write a comment below or contact me.

Final Shape and Situate poster: Caroline Leneghan

This is my poster for the very last issue of Shape and Situate: Posters of Inspirational Women in Europe, the fantastic zine curated by Melanie Maddison for many years. I'm going to miss this zine. Ever since I started contributing, I've read books about radical history and thought about women in my community a little bit differently - basically with 'maybe that would make a good S&S poster' permanently in the back of my mind. So I thought I should end it all with a bang.

As a result of personal experiences, I've been thinking a lot about abusive men on the left for a while now, specifically how piss poorly the left deals with these men. At the same time, there has been an increasing backlash against marginalised people speaking out and challenging historical and current abuses of power. 

Caroline Leneghan's situation isn't unusual in the sense that 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence in their lifetimes. But her abuser is a high-profile leader in one of the most powerful trade unions in the UK - a bastion of militant and radical workplace activism. Apparently what unites small, horizontally organised groups of activists and big, hierarchical trade unions who ascribe to very different ideologies is their shared failure to listen to, believe or support those who experience abuse in their ranks*.

But this is nothing new and everyone who speaks out knows very well that it could happen to them if they do. Choosing to do it anyway is my personal definition of inspirational and why I've profiled Caroline for my last poster. It is also a gigantic middle finger aimed at not only abusers but at those so-called lefties who cover up abuse, make excuses for abusers or stay silent by claiming it's 'none of their business'.

Read Caroline's story in her own words (content warning: images of the effects of physical abuse) and get yourself a copy of the last ever Shape and Situate. 

*There are some good examples from the left, like the stance Clapton Ultras took against Steve Hedley/in support of Caroline last year.

Riso prints galore

For the last couple of years, I've been involved with the wonderful Riso Print on Friday at Common House. It's given me an opportunity to play around with a risograph, work collaboratively with others and focus on art as part of my activism. Here's what I've been making.

"Work is the cause of/solution to your problems"

"Working harder, getting nowhere - start jamming!" This is the squirrel that the risograph displays when it's working.

"Let's Kick Misogyny out of the Left" Although this is self-explanatory, there is little background for this one.

"All Cats are Beautiful" Obviously!

"A little less passive consumption, a little more active participation"

"Hands off our city!"

"Don't I deserve a good home?"

From the successful campaign against the Public Space Protection Order in Hackney.

"Messy hearts made of thunder" from Mountains Made of Steam by Silver Mt. Zion

The Man Called Uncle Tim #3

The third issue in the series of zines about my uncle who lived in a queer polyamorous household is now published. Based on conversations I've had with my Aunt Judy, it is a further exploration into Uncle Tim's family/community and the values that influenced his life. To find out more about the project, you can read about issues #1 and #2.

Aunt Judy was there when I conducted the oral history interview with my Grandma that features in issue #1. In fact, it was Aunt Judy's suggestion that we talk about Uncle Tim in the first place because she was so proud of how her had mother supported him. Since that talk so many years ago, we've had a long and fascinating correspondence about Uncle Tim and about what this project has meant to our family. Any silence that might have existed around his life has been well and truly broken. 

Although I've obviously been itching to find out more detail about Uncle Tim's life in Raven Rocks and the make-up of his unique family, what I found most rewarding was hearing about Aunt Judy's relationship to him as a sister. It was especially interesting to hear about how that relationship evolved up until his death. 

This issue features plenty of new information that sheds light on Uncle Tim's life though, particularly about why it ended up being so separated from his biological family. Aunt Judy provides personal insights from her visits to Raven Rocks over the years as well as philosophical reflections on the life they chose to live. In this issue, I have made the choice to move the focus on from Quakerism and start looking into some of the other influential values embraced by the J. Hartzelbucks.

These will be available exclusively at DIY Cultures at the Rich Mix in London on Sunday the 24rd of May. After that, they will be available to buy through my store.

Princess Hijab: Shape and Situate #6

My submission to the latest issue of Shape and Situate: Posters of Inspirational Women in Europe. I have been in awe of the work of Princess Hijab for a while and excitedly looked for some of her work on the Metro while I was visiting Paris (sadly I didn't see any). If you are not familiar with her work, this is what it looks like and as you can see, it's not just images of women that get "hijabized":



When the latest call out for poster submissions arrived, I was right in the middle of a long-term, painful wrist injury that was stopping me from doing most things. The most upsetting thing was not being able to draw but using Princess Hijab's super fast, drippy style, I was able to draw this simple shape using my giant tagging marker, which was the only thing comfortable enough for me to hold. Creating something again helped pull me out of a worry-filled funk. I guess inspiration can mean lots of different things.

Order copies of the zine here and keep up to date about the zine by liking the Facebook page (or maybe even contribute a poster to the next issue yourself).

The Man Called Uncle Tim #2

This is the second issue in a series of zines about my uncle, who helped to found an intentional community in rural Ohio in 1970, where he lived in a queer polyamorous household until his death in 1995. I never got to know my uncle while he was alive so these zines are my attempt to understand how he lived and loved during his brief but extraordinary life. Issue #1 is based on oral history with my Grandma and this issue is based on conversations with my dad.

A major factor that led me to start this project was the general silence about my uncle that existed throughout my childhood. To be honest, there was a lot of silence in my family when it came to anything that was difficult to talk about. But it wasn't just not knowing about how Uncle Tim lived, I had no idea what it felt like for my dad to lose his brother so young.

Talking to my dad openly about my uncle was revelatory. Not only did I learn about how close he and Uncle Tim were when they were growing up, it was the first time we'd had a real, profound conversation about things like death, sexuality and difficult emotions. It may have taken more than 35 years but it was also the first time we communicated about what it feels like to be the weird kid desperately searching for a different life, something Uncle Tim and I shared.

As important as anything was hearing how he felt about Uncle Tim's death, especially after such a long period of not being in contact. There is still so much more to learn about Uncle Tim's life from the other people who were close to him so the search continues. For now, pick up a copy of issue #2 in my shop.

The Man Called Uncle Tim #1

My first zine in many years is finished.  Well, really this is half comic book, half zine. I posted the introduction back in November, which other than a few minor changes and the addition of color, is still the same. This first issue is based on oral history I did with my Grandma about 5 years ago. She died last year so it really was time to put the words she shared with me to use.

Shape and Situate: Rebellious women at the dawn of capitalism

So happy to have contributed another poster to the fantastic Shape and Situate zine - now on it's fifth issue! This time it was a collaborative effort with radical feminist historian Lady Stardust. About six months ago, I read her essay Burning Women: The European Witch Hunts, Enclosure and the Rise of Capitalism and was completely blown away. I immediately knew I wanted to make a poster about it. Of course, I have a well established love of Medieval art, as demonstrated here and here.

The man called Uncle Tim

I've started the epic task of uncovering the hidden life story of my Uncle Tim. For now, I thought I'd share the introduction to show what an important and exciting project this is for me.

Sore boobs comic

I made this little comic for a friend who is putting together a zine about PMT/PMS. It's been put on hold as she's got lots of other stuff going on so I thought I'd share it.  You can see the actual zine layout is at the bottom. I'm planning to work on more short comics for my own amusement. Hopefully this is the first of many.

This is personal

Every day on my ride to work, I witness people on paid 'street art' tours around Shoreditch. The tour guides are inevitably highlighting the work of famous (white male) street artists. As a result, I've increasingly turned toward making more art directly for the people I know and love rather than sticking it up on random walls. This 40th birthday book for my partner is an example of what I mean.

Feminist graphic arts exhibtion

This Saturday, I'm participating in a group exhibition about feminist graphic artists as well as giving a talk about my art at The Feminist Library. The title of the exhibition is 'I call myself a feminist because...' and there will be a zine making workshop, talks about things like Jewish women's comics, films and food.

Illustration for Stir magazine

The latest issue of Stir magazine came out today on the topic of commoning in the city and features this illustration of mine. It represents my ideal urban store cupboard packed full of preserves made from food foraged or grown in community growing sites.

As a volunteer at a community orchard in a public park in Hackney, the most common question people ask when they visit is, "how are you going to stop people from taking all this stuff?" Just last weekend, I encountered a woman who asked this very question. She then explained to me that her granddaughters love rhubarb crumble and I convinced her (after much effort) to take a bunch of it so she could make their favorite treat. Even when permission is explicitly granted, it still contradicts everything we are taught about private property and getting anything for free in our current system.

This is a nod to the sense of naughtiness that so many people feel about taking what's right under their noses and how when they push through that fear, they open up a world of new possibilities.

Remembering Who We Are zine

After our workshop at Leeds Zine Fair and our exhibition at Space Station 65, Melanie Maddison and I have collated all of the great contributions we received for our zine Remembering Who We into a brand new website. My contribution is based on an incredible woman I met many years ago but who I will never forget. 

There are already lots of contributions up on the site and more to come. And we are still open to more submissions so please find out more and contribute.

Ante 2013 - day 2

You can read all about what happened on the Saturday of Ante here. But for me, it's all about Sunday, the day that we make things and share skills. Imagine a youth club for grown ups with an emphasis on diy and the belief that anyone can and should make art. I mean, even the sign for people to clean up after themselves was a work of art.

Ante 2013 - Day 1

This weekend was filled with more Yorkshire loveliness than you can shake a stick at, much like last year, which you can read about here and here. The Caged Bird Club worked with Melanie Maddison to put together an exhibition celebrating the labour movement and workers' struggles as well as those of us who are anti-work and reject the divisive workers vs. shirkers rhetoric.

Anti-work banner for Ante

I'm not of the opinion that if we didn't have to work, everyone would sit in bed all day long letting the world go to shit (although it's possible we might not get up quite so early every day). All the things I do when I'm not working are much more useful and important in the wider scheme of things. Things like growing food, making things, playing music and agitating for a better, fairer world.