A few years ago I wrote a post about neurodivergent boundaries. I had the idea to type it up into a zine and ended up completely re-writing it. I’m making this one available as a digital download. Feel free to print copies and give them away (just don’t charge for them.)
If you’d prefer to buy a physical copy you can do so here or join my zine subscription before the end of November.
Part of my advocacy work right now is being autistic in public.
But to continue doing that I have to take care of myself.
Here are some of the things that brought me joy this week.
Different types of making meet different needs.
Writing is analytical and helps me unravel my ideas. But it’s not the most regulating.
So instead of writing this week I’ve been making mini zines.
This one is using images from the mood board for my fantasy novel. A process that I paused for several months and am now orbiting back to. I’m really curious about how I can make my storytelling more interdisciplinary and how I can invert my writing from something I am doing for others to something I am doing for myself.
I’ll probably write more about this later, but here’s a timelapse of me making a zine.
Tap to watch me make a zine at midnight when everyone else in my house is sleeping.
I fell into a story over the weekend the way Alice fell into Wonderland. Once I started I just had to keep reading until I reached the end.
Non Player Character by autistic author Veo Corva (they/them) made me feel seen in a way I don’t think I ever have in a story before.
This book follows a diverse group of nerds becoming found family. If you’ve ever felt alone or “too much” or “not enough” I think you should read this.
+ 10 if you’re autistic, anxious, or otherwise neurodivergent.
+ 10 if you’re queer, gender queer or disabled.
+10 if you’ve ever been a fantasy gamer (tabletop or video game).
I can’t say much more without giving away plot points, but this is a beautifully written crowdfunded book.
Support the author if you can (and let me know if you read this!)
I’m experimenting with an algorithm free way to share snippets of photos, videos, and links. I borrowed the idea from Katherine May to start a What’s App channel.
So far I’ve posted…
A peek at some test prints. (The final versions of these will be going out to my quarterly print subscribers this month.)
And I shared that I was enjoying Different, Not Less by autistic author Chloé Hayden. Which I’ve now finished. This book deserves a full review, but in short it was an informative and affirming view of autism & ADHD. 10/10 would recommend.
If you’d like little snippets like this you can follow through What’s App.
It’s the kind of thing I’d post to social media, but completely algorithm & ad free.
There are no comments. And I can’t even see who’s following me.
Just a simple portal for small shares.
I’ve been doing my zine thing for about a year now without really finding the zine community. Recently I stumbled into a zine Discord (let me know if you want an invite) and suddenly found myself trading zines with other zinesters.
If you’ve wandered around my homepage you may have noticed I have a section for alchemy (trade & barter) that isn’t set it up yet. (Boo chronic migraines!) But it’s pretty simple.
If you’d like to trade (zine for zine, book for book, or some other creative swap) just let me know!
I’m sure I’m forgetting something.
I’ll probably end up posting it to my What’s App tomorrow.
If you missed it, last week I shared some of the ways the autistic community needs your help right now and a short list of choose your adventure action items.
Thanks to everyone who reached out. I haven’t had the capacity to respond yet, but I appreciated each message and especially the two picture book preorders. 🥰
There seem to be a lot of cruel people in the world right now.
Thanks for being one of the helpers.
I have an important update today.
But first, a peek inside my mental drafts folder…
But I’m skipping over all of that for a time sensitive PSA.
I logged back into Instagram after 8 months away.
I couldn’t have chosen a worse time to do so.*
Instagram (at least the current iteration) is dangerous to my mental health. What used to be a light hearted photo sharing app has now turned into another algorithmic dumpster fire.
I tried everything.
I blocked accounts, “curated” my feed, and did my best to train the algorithm. Near the end I even downloaded a social media blocking app to limit my usage to midday.
I was already struggling.
Then the autism news hit.
I naively imagined that the next generation of autistics could grow up with less stigma. To know who they are and unabashedly ask for support.
To see that progress purposefully eroded is gutting.
My nervous system simply cannot handle the horrors and catastrophizing on endless algorithmic remix.
And it’s not just autistics under attack. Every marginalized group is in real crisis right now. Science and education have been defunded.
There is a new fresh horror every day.
That is what they want.
But I’m not having it.
Let’s self regulate and take one positive action.
Together.
Here’s what I can do.
If you want to be an ally here are ways to help.
Choose 1 or 2.
We just got a new set of proofs and are feeling very excited about next steps. After changing book binders we are a bit over budget – so if you preorder now it will be a big help.
If you don’t need a book yourself you can also choose to donate your copy and we’ll be sure it gets to someone who needs it.
I’m feeling particularly vulnerable this week.
If this email resonated I’d appreciate hearing from you.
Take Care,
* Why did I do this? Because I met some cool people at the NWA Maker’s Faire and thought maybe I should try and better follow local creative events.
I made this zine for the NWA Maker Faire earlier this month. It’s a single sheet monochromatic zine that tells you how to get started if you’re brand new to zines.
You can download a copy and print your own here.
If you’d rather order a copy they are also stocked in my shop.
August zine subscribers will be receiving a copy of How to Make a Zine along with September’s Hope zine. Thanks for your patience while I took compassionate leave last month.
Thanks to everyone who contributed their art and words to this issue.
Last month we had a death in the family and I took compassionate leave. I’ve been planning to do an annual collaborative zine so I opened up submissions to my newsletter subscribers.
Artists are credited below. The cover photograph and stamped letters are my own.
dr. sheree mack (UK)
Nicole Madonna (Pennsylvania, USA)
Gracie Klumpp (Maine, USA)
Ashley Smart (San Francisco, CA)
Emma Del Ray (South Carolina, USA)
Dionne Lackey (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Devon Bennett (Colorado, USA)
Because of the collaborative nature of this zine this is a limited run only available for zine subscribers during the month of September.
It will not be added to my shop.
Last weekend I ran a “Make a Zine” booth at the NWA Maker Faire.
I brought supplies to make zines and also had a display of zines and books for sale. Lots of kids made zines! Three teens. One friend I invited.
And one college student who made this zine. (I have permission to share.)
Thanks to everyone who dropped by my table.
The whole event was a great experience.
Full transparency: I didn’t make any money. I lost about $27 based on the table fee alone. But the money goes to a good cause. I’ll participate again next year.*
The zine that was picked up most often during the Maker Faire was my Spectrum zine about neurodivergence. While our goverment leaders are spreading such harmful misinformation about autism it feels more important than ever to do the opposite.
You can read (and share) the blog version of the zine here.
I have a few misprints of my Spectrum zine printed on the wrong paper. Completely readable, but the images bleed through more than I like.
If you would like to distribute Spectrum zines (either publicly or to friends and family) let me know and I’ll send you a stack of misprints for free.
You can also browse my library of resources for autism & neurodivergence.
Whatever our world leaders say we are NOT a horror show.
Our brains are sensitive, but powerful when given needed supports.
I made a special zine for this event (and September’s zine subscribers) called “How to Make a Zine”.
And a brand new blog post called What is a Zine? where I share resources on making zines and a peek at my own zine collection.
I’ve been working for months on a second edition of Discover Your Creative Ecosystem. And the Maker Faire moved up my timeline.
This second edition has minor edits (most notably an expanded section about purpose), my new headshot, updated bio, and they/them pronouns.
These paperbacks are printed by 48 Hour Books and live in my closet. They will each be packaged and mailed by me personally. So I’m happy to sign and personalize them if you like.
They are $15 – which is the lowest my book has ever been available for purchase.
Tap below to watch me flip through the spacious full color interior.
If you’ve bought the original edition I’ll be sending an ebook version of the updated text soon.
There was a printing issue with the hardcovers, but I should have those back in stock before the end of the month.
I’ll be updating Self Publishing 101 soon. I’ve nearly finished testing several Amazon alternatives. They all have pros and cons so which printer is best for your book depends on your goals and budget.
I’m sending this email earlier than usual because there’s an event this week I want you to know about. Hanna Keiner and Logan Juliano, PhD are hosting a meditative drawing livestream on Thursday, September 11 called Where Do You Draw the Line?
The event is free, but everyone will be invited to take action from my Palestine Advocacy page in lieu of payment. (There are many ways to make a difference even if you don’t have the budget to contribute financially.)
I’m really grateful for my advocacy library to be used in this way.
If you host a similar event or link to it please let me know.
That’s all for this week.
Take care of yourselves. I appreciate you.
* I enjoyed meeting the other vendors so much I’ve logged in to Instagram after 8 months off social media. I’d like to be able to more closely follow local events and those I met at NWA Maker Faire. This is a trial period to see if curation, boundaries, and tweaking advertisements can make it a more positive experience. I much prefer RSS, but when there is to RSS feed for certain groups and events I am just missing out.
A zine (pronounced ZEEN) is a handmade magazine about a specific topic.
“Zines have been around since the early 20th century, and have been an enormous part of underground and non-commercial publication.” *
I learned about zines from Austin Kleon who has a great collection of printables zines and resources on his website. He also has a tutorial to make a “mini zine” from a single sheet of paper.
Having tried both ways I prefer to make zines out of sheets folded in half. Sometimes I use a single page and other times I nest and staple them.
“Zines are characteristically cheap to make, often photocopied, and have a distinctly DIY look. Often, they represent the voices of people on the fringes, and their content is hyper local.” *
Zines were bore to share information and amplify voices that weren’t often represented in mainstream media. As a result, zine making has a rich history among marginalized communities, fandoms, and activists.
If you want a deep dive into the history of zines and how to make your own I recommend this free zine by The Public in Canada.
Zinesters (people who make zines) often value the act of sharing information over an potential profit. Zines are made cheaply so they can be easily sold, traded or given away.
Zines fall into the cheap art philosophy which I’m passionate about.
Art is for everyone.
Purchase this print from Bread & Puppet.
Zines are an indie solution to sharing information. Use what you have access to.
Paper, markers, stamps, paints, stickers, tape.
Photocopy, scan, or photograph.
Or make your zine digitally.
Share your zine online or print copies to sell, trade, or give away.
Would you like to trade with me? Reach out and let me know!
I also have a monthly subscription if you’d like a new zine each month.
Zine making is just one kind of artist publishing. Any type of independently produced book or publication is a form of artist publishing. This can range from self publishing books, newspapers, zines, or artist books.
Artist books often embrace time intensive methods and archival quality materials. As a result they are often more highly priced.
If you’d like to learn more about artist publishing I’d recommend starting here. Or browsing my artist publishing board on are.na.
I’ve been focused on zine making, but collect both zines and artist books. I may explore creating an artist book when I complete my fine art collection.
Here’s a peek at my zine collection and links to the artist’s shops.
There are lots of places online and “IRL” (in real life) that are dedicated to archiving zines. If you’d like to archive your zine you can check with any of the organizations below, your local library, or upload to archive.org (like this.) Every archive has it’s own mission so be sure to make sure your zine is a good fit before submitting.
* A History of Zines. River H. Kero. bookriot.com/history-of-zines/
How about an old fashioned update from my creative compost heap? 🌱
We haven’t done one of those in a while.
First, some recent posts from my microblog (the kind of things I used to post from social media.)
Our chaos garden turned feral. Some real life updates.
The birds are loving it. We’re even learning to identify some by their bird call with the Merlin app.
I’ve accepted that I can’t always work in my lovely studio. So earlier this year I set up a workspace in the living room. And I am getting SO much done.
This summer I’ve made lots of progress (from this chaos) on Entwined & Ember. Now that copy edits are done I’ve started book design for Ember.
Here I am sorting the prompts into their final order.
Sometimes being an artist means preserving paper towels with blueberry stains.
Just me? 😂
I won an award in the local art exhibition I was in.
I should really add that to my CV.
Here’s the post they did about it on Instagram.
At the end of my Spectrum zine you’re invited to make your own spectrum and send it to me. The very first came in from Liz Getty.
I love where Liz took this. You are so much more than what fits within the lines. 💫
Want to read a shiny book about queer pirates and magic?
I’m hosting a read a long with some of my Wheel of Time friends. We start in September so there’s plenty of time to pick up a copy.
Join us!
The read along will be hosted on Discord and Storygraph. Hit reply if you have any questions.
The Great Sword Heist of 2025 ⚔️ Someone’s sword collection was stolen off their walls while they were sleeping. They’re having a great sense of humor about it.
Last One Laughing, UK 🇬🇧 If you love British comedy like Taskmaster you will love this. Some adult material so not for kids.
A poem about railway cars. 🚂 We don’t have enough trains in this country for my taste.
I’m also trialing a new type of 1:1 support over email.
You can ask me about creative projects, neurodivergence, self publishing, home education, or chronic illness.
If you want to help me test this idea (for free!) click here.
Here’s a little video I made about how it works.
I appreciate you.
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
We can’t single-handedly solve all of the world’s problems. But we can collaborate with others to make a difference. We each have our own unique strengths to contribute.
You can grab these designs on shirts, mugs, and several other things from my new Threadless shop. 10% of the profit will go to the ACLU.
This is a virtual edition of my Art for Social Change zine for my monthly subscribers.
If you’d like a printed copy (plus postcards + stamps to write your elected representatives) you can:
* Threadless makes this so easy, automates the donation process, and matches donations up to $1 per sale. Learn more here.
If you’d like to learn more about LGBTQIA+ issues these links are a place to start.
Support Queer Artists & Small Businesses
The Dads Foundation is a national nonprofit dedicated to uplifting and supporting fathers of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive youth.
PFLAG is creating a caring, just, and affirming world for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them.
Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) is the largest statewide, BIPOC trans-led, trans-focused policy, education, and advocacy organization in the state of Texas.
Family Resources & Self Care Guidance
Support queer artists & small business owners.
We Need Diverse Books: Magic Stories
Everywhere is Queer (Map & Community Hub)
(US Nonprofit)
(US Nonprofit)
Take Action: Send a Message of Support to Trans Youth
(UK Charity)
Support for trans children & young people
Support for families of trans youth
(US Nonprofit)
We Keep Us Safe: Interrogating Hate Crime Legislation
(US Project)
Tour of Legal Services to Underserved Communitites
Queer Camp (Fayetteville, AR)
* The pins pictured are a combination of photographs from my personal collection and images of vintage protest pins found online. I’ve linked their sources here.