#one final question I will put out is... how do white ppl think bipoc live their life & view their day to day?

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

I was at an event recently celebrating the works of bipoc writers & something one of the speakers said stuck with me... they mentioned that so often we expect stories by bipoc writers to centre a culture/issue in order to "teach" something (usually to white readers) & this is something I've been talking about on and off for years... idk how to explain to white writers what it feels like to know that at least in this larger canon we call the publishing industry, bipoc voices *have* been "let in" (generalization) but mostly in a very specific way & with a specific purpose. the things I've been told/that I've learned... the way there truly is an expectation to "use my voice"--to do what? can my voice as a racialized writer not just... do what I want it to? is my voice not valuable if I don't "represent" myself? I LOVE seeing books that uplift & represent marginalized communities, that's not at all my issue, howeverrrr I don't like knowing that's the expectation of what I write just because of my skin. it makes navigating publishing even harder & honestly most of the time I feel doomed!! I'm relieved to hear more bipoc writers/publishing professionals talk about that because it's something I've silently been grappling with for years... I just want to write whatever I want to write & idk how to explain how isolating it is to know in the eyes of the current canon, it's bizarre that I'm not capitalizing on *my life* to make a literary impact...

[sweetreleaseofsurvival]

Seeking submissions for a zine on trauma and crisis intervention from queer, trans & two spirit people - honoraria provided

CW: mentions of suicide, mental health crisis, medical and state violence.

I am putting together a zine featuring writing by queer, trans & two spirit people who are directly affected by our broken systems of crisis intervention.

Why

This zine will share the stories of those directly affected by psychiatric and medical models of crisis intervention, which too often replicate carceral systems of control and domination (and in which many queer, trans & two spirit ppl cannot find healing).

This zine offers a platform for those directly affected to imagine peer-based mental health first aid which trusts us and believes we are experts on our lived experiences, rather than defaulting to interventions created by institutions which believe that, as mentally ill folks, we don’t have the capacity to make decisions about our care. Institutions whose mandates say that our lives must be “saved” at any cost, no matter how violent, up to and including intervention from law enforcement, regardless of the longer-term outcomes.

This zine will also make space for those living with ongoing trauma and chronic suicidality to highlight misunderstandings and missteps made by peer supporters who, in attempts to intervene in crisis situations, increase suffering rather than alleviate it.

Who

Seeking contribitors who are queer, trans & two spirit people who live with on-going expriences of trauma, chronic suicidality and/or c-ptsd.

The project particularly seeks to uplift the voices of those who identify as: transfeminine, racialized, Black, indigenous, psych survivors, psychotic, mad, crazy, disabled, neurodivergent, and/or autistic.

What

Personal essays or other writings which explore

• Envisioning what positive peer mental health first aid in LGBTQ2S+ community might look like

• Shedding light upon the problems of psychiatric models of intervention, through personal stories

• How loved ones and community members can better love and hold our peers, especially those who experience traumatic stress which may never see a “post”  

Seeking pieces between 750 - 2000 words, (though longer or shorter pieces will be considered as well). Those who are selected as contributors will receive an honorarium for their writing. I am able to help you edit your work if needed.

You can submit writing or a proposal for a piece to sweetreleaseofsurvival@gmail.com. Please contact me if you have questions, requests or accessibility concerns around submitting a piece.

When

Deadline for proposals/submissions is August 7th 2019. (EXTENDED, PLEASE SUBMIT IF YOU ARE INTERESTED)

For those whose pieces are chosen, final versions of work must be submitted by September 30th, 2019, honoraria will be paid in the beginning of October upon receipt of the final draft of the work.

The zine will be printed in November 2019.

If you are interested in submitting work but need support discerning if this is the right time for you, please reach out and we can discuss it, if that feels helpful. Please think about how participating may affect you and consider making a care plan for yourself if you believe it may be challenging.

More Info

The zine’s first run printing is entirely covered by a grant. If copies are sold anywhere, 100% of the proceeds will go to Trans Lifeline. Should a second printing occur, all proceeds after printing costs will go to Trans Lifeline, or another trans or two spirit organization that works with issues of mental health which does not call the police on people who are in crisis, or to raise funds for BIPOC trans/two spirit individual's health care costs. A digital copy will be made available for free online in perpetuity.

Who is making this zine?

I am a white settler, disabled, trans, single parent living in poverty with serious mental illness and trauma. I have lived experience both as someone receiving crisis care and as a peer support person. I reside in so-called Canada, on the stolen, unceded, ancestral and traditional lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ nations.

I am doing this project with support and mentorship from the Undivided Leadership Program. I can speak with you in detail about my experience in the program if you are interested, or have any questions about this work.

In the interest of full transparency, I want to be up front with the fact that the grant money for this project ultimately comes from the United Church of Canada via the Contemplative Justice Network. The United Church of Canada will have no editorial authority or creative input on the project.