Great news: the Radical Printer posters are here! Well, three of them anyway.
You can get them for $4 each or all three for $10. You can pay via PayPal or e-mail us for other options. If outside of Portland, please add $3 for shipping.
The other two posters in the series are forthcoming!
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Great news – we’ve just finished our re-print of Towards a Less Fucked Up World: Sobriety and Anarchist Struggle! We printed the first run of this incredible zine last summer, in a small edition of 200 copies. They ran out extremely fast and there’s been a huge time crunch for us to re-print the zine so that it could continue to inspire hope and change (take that, Obama!) to a new generation of sober and non-sober folks. They’re finally here, so if you want to order some, just send us an e-mail! They are $4 each plus shipping. If you’re a bookstore, infoshop or distro and would like to buy copies in bulk, we think that’s great, too! We offer a 50% discount off of bulk orders that are paid up front. The minimum order for bulk ordering is 10 copies.
If you’d rather pick up a copy in your area, here are some places where the zine is available:
Black Rose Infoshop (Portland, OR)
In Other Words (Portland, OR)
Bound Together Books (San Fransisco, CA)
Wooden Shoe Infoshop (Philadelphia, PA)
Bluestockings Books (New York, NY)
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! We’ve just printed the first issue in a series for The Art of Dismantling, an interview series hosted by Autonomous Music that explores the connection between art and social change. Each issue will feature two interviews with various artists, writers, publishers and more, plus an introduction. The first issue contains an interview with comic book legend Alan Moore, as well as Resident Anti-Hero, an underground hip-hop duo that uses their music as activism. Folks who donated to our Kickstarter campaign will be receiving a copy – otherwise, the best way to get them is directly through The Art of Dismantling. For Portland locals, we’ll be sure to donate some to a few lending libraries around town!
For revolution,
Radix Media
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Spring time is here! This means that bike rides to get paper involve a hoodie and no gloves rather than layer after layer after layer. It also means intermittent sunshine and warmth besides all cold rain all the time. Hooray! It’s been awhile since we gave you lovely folks an update, so here you go!
Great news: JANE: Documents from Chicago’s Clandestine Abortion Service, 1968-1973 is fresh out of bindery and is now available! It will be available at select radical bookstores in Portland very soon, so we’ll let you locals know the where and the when. It will also be available online, as we’re flirting with the idea of making an online “store” for our distribution. Stay tuned for that!
She Said is now in bindery and should be completed shortly. The Radical Printers poster series has been at a standstill due to press troubles, but should be completed in the coming weeks.
For you folks that graciously donated via Kickstarter a few months ago, the first round of rewards (postcards and buttons) went out yesterday, so you should be receiving those soon. For everyone in the higher tiers that are waiting for posters and other things, please bear with us – your package will come with all the rewards at once, rather than sending out each individual item.
As always, there are more things in the works and we’ll try to keep you updated. By the way, are you on Facebook? “Like” us and spread the word! You can go to our page directly at http://facebook.com/radixmedia. And be sure to tell people about this website, too.
That’s it for now. To stay updated, keep checking for updates, or subscribe to our RSS feed!
For revolution,
Radix Media
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We’re happy to announce that we’re partnering up with Decipher Films on the release of their first feature length film, Maximum Tolerated Dose.
The film charts the lives of both humans and non-humans who have experienced animal testing first-hand. From the hauntingly honest testimony of scientists and lab technicians who’s ethics demanded they choose a different path, to the simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking stories of animals who have seen both sides of the cage, MTD aims to re-invigorate the debate about animal testing by bringing these rarely-heard perspectives to the fore.
Decipher Films is a production house that tackles animal issues through a different kind of documentary, that balances art and activism, beauty and ugliness, with the purpose of reaching those unfamiliar with the issues while at the same time serving as a resource for activists.
Check out their website, as well as their Facebook page, and give ‘em some love! They’re currently in the midst of fundraising to complete the film and need all the help they can get. They’re even offering sweet incentives. Support independent (and radical) filmmaking!
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Friends and allies,
We are pleased to announce that our brand new poster series, dedicated to radical printers and publishers throughout history, is well underway! Inspired by the Celebrate People’s History posters of Justseeds, each poster will feature beautiful artwork depicting a radical printer and information about them. We can’t wait to have them printed and in your hands! The printers to be featured in the series will be Lucio Urtubia, Joseph Ishill, Adolph Fischer, Fredy Perlman and Ross Winn. Keep your eyes and ears open for updates on this project. We’ll post more information as it comes.
Another big announcement is that we will be co-publishing a new edition of JANE: Documents from Chicago’s Clandestine Abortion Service, 1968-1973 with our friends at Eberhardt Press! Before its release early next year, Radix Media will be re-publishing She Said, a short companion piece by Portland author and former member of JANE, Judith Arcana. She Said is a short but wonderfully emotional piece of prose that has been performed live by Arcana many times. While the text can be found in the longer JANE pamphlet, you’ll want to get the standalone version, as it will feature a brand new introduction, written exclusively for this edition, as well as an updated design and layout.
We are eager to get these stories and images out there to the public, and hope that you enjoy the end products as much as we enjoy the process of creating them. To stay updated on happenings with Radix, feel free to subscribe to the RSS feed on this blog. Is social networking your thing? We’re on Facebook, too! Please find us and “Like” our page. Don’t forget to spread the word to all of your friends!
Thanks for your support, and see you in the New Year!
In solidarity,
Radix Media
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Don’t call it a comeback! As many of you know, Radix Media reached our goal of raising $5,000. In fact, we raised $5,050! Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who contributed and helped by spreading the word, sending e-mail blasts out to family, friends and allies, and overall just keeping the momentum going. We couldn’t have done it without you!
So what now?
With a total of 92 backers at varying levels, in all honesty, it will take some time to get the rewards out to everyone. Folks who pledged $5 should be able to get their thank you note and button pretty quickly. For others who will be getting one or more posters, the time will be a little bit longer.
We will be designing and printing a poster series, which is untitled as of yet but will be a five-poster series about radical printers throughout history. They are currently in the design phase and each of them will be 2-3 colors. Of course, those of you who know about the process of offset printing know that each color must be printed separately, and that cleaning up in between colors can be quite a process in itself. We hope that all of our wonderful backers will exercise patience and enjoy their rewards package when it finally comes.
The money will be going to some much needed equipment upgrades, namely a bookletmaker for saddle-stitching zines quickly and consistently. Zinesters, don’t hesitate to contact us about your next print job! It will take some time to find a working machine at an affordable price – of course, we’ll be buying one second-hand – but we hope it will happen sooner than later.
I’ll be requesting mailing addresses from all 92 backers. Please respond at your earliest convenience. It may be useful for us to make trips to the post office in large batches, so we can’t say for sure how soon your things will get there. Nevertheless, please feel free to let us know if you’d like confirmation when your rewards have been sent or if you’re happy just to have it when it comes.
For anyone who has any questions, ideas for projects, or anything else, please e-mail us at directly at radixmedia@riseup.net. We’d love to chat with you!
Again, thank you so much and we can’t wait to print some rad stuff for you!
In solidarity,
Radix Media
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Friends and allies,
We have great news – Radix Media is just $1,055 shy of reaching our $5,000 goal on Kickstarter! It’s been a long, hard road but we’ve nearly there. Even if all of our Facebook friends pledged $5, we’d hit our goal; $10, and we would exceed our goal, which makes it all the more easier to get the equipment we need to make this print shop and publishing operation sustainable.
For those of you who have already pledged, we can’t thank you enough! There are a mere 38 hours to go, though, and remember that Kickstarter is all or nothing. If we don’t hit the $5,000 goal, we won’t get the $3,945 we’ve already raised. So we need your help! Please tell EVERYONE you know about this project! Forward it to every listserv you’re on, send it to every family member you know of. If you haven’t yet pledged money and can swing it, please do so. If you’ve already pledged but want to bump it up a little, you can do that too.
You can see our Kickstarter page by copying and pasting this link into your browser:
We hope you’ll help us achieve our dream!
In solidarity,
Radix Media
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As our Kickstarter campaign nears its end – funding closes on December 4th, just 9 days away – we are trying to build even more awareness of our project! We are throwing a benefit show as a last fundraising push to hopefully make our Kickstarter campaign successful.
The flyer is posted below. If you’re in Portland, please come check it out! There will be a $5 suggested donation at the door. Upon entry you’ll be given two tickets that you can use for the raffle to win some cool prizes OR to get some homebrew kombucha cocktails! Kombucha mimosas, maybe even kombucha margaritas! (To clarify, these have no alcohol outside of the kombucha..) There will also be some tasty vegan baked goods and savory food. Yum!
And, as we said before, this is not a temporary project. If our Kickstarter campaign should prove to be unsuccessful, we’re not going away! We’ll still keep truckin’ along, but the need for upraded equipment will still be looming above after December 4th. If you’re interested in converting your pledge to a donation, please get in touch with us at radixmedia@riseup.net. We can even keep the same reward system!
We hope to see you on December 1st, and here’s hoping for a successful Kickstarter campaign!
In solidarity,
Radix Media
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Friends and allies,
For nearly a month, Radix Media has been running a Kickstarter campaign as a way to help us raise funds for some much needed equipment. Currently, the total amount pledged is $1,185. We want to sincerely thank all of our friends – and all of the people we have yet to know – for pledging their money and supporting our project. However, no money will change hands unless the full amount of $5,000 is reached. We still need help!
The money raised will go towards buying a collator and a bookletmaker, which will greatly improve productivity. Collating and assembling hundreds of zines could be in several hours instead of a full work day or more. This means that folks on a tight deadline will get their printed material that much faster! Also budgeted is to make some repairs and upgrades to our printing press – making the quality of the final product that much better.
This project is important to us; if we are unable to raise the funding goal, we are not going to close up shop. This is not a temporary project like many on Kickstarter. We are dedicated to providing our movements with beautiful printed material and to helping to sustain our vibrant radical community, even if this means breaking our backs a little!
If we are unable to reach our goal of $5,000 by December 4th, we will still be designing, printing, collating, folding and stapling on December 5th. We will still be covered in ink and buried in setup stock. We will still be dedicated to anarchism, animal rights, labor struggles, and feminism. We will still bike to the paper store in the rain to get paper for a job. And we will still eat huge burritos to help us power through our 14 hour work days! We have no intention of going away, but in order for it to be sustainable, we still need the support of our community.
We’ve met a lot of great people through this project so far, and are excited to keep on going! Even if you’re unable to pledge money, please continue to spread the word about our Kickstarter campaign, or send people to our website. The URLs are listed below. Additionally, if you have pledged money and are interested in donating to the project should the project not be funded through Kickstarter, please get in touch with us!
Many thanks and hopes of success!
In solidarity,
Radix Media
http://radixmedia.org
http://kck.st/bOQbAo (On Kickstarter)
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I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by my friends at No Fucking Whey!, a blog exploring the radical side of veganism and animal rights. Being vegan myself, as well as being fairly plugged into the radical activism that Portland has to offer, I was really excited to do this interview. Hopefully this can help shed some light on myself and the project. Enjoy!
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Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? (Where you’re from, politics, lifestyle etc.)
I was born on Long Island, New York. When I was four, I moved to a really small town in New Jersey and lived there until I was about 13, and then moved to South Florida, which is where I spent most of my life. I went to college to study film and photography and graduated with a Bachelor of Science. Not surprisingly, I’ve been working in food service ever since!
About four years ago, I moved to Portland, Oregon and my life sure is different here. I kind of have a love/hate relationship with this city but I have to say, it’s really changed me for the better. This is where I was first exposed to truly radical politics and the joys and practicality of riding a bicycle as transportation. I’ve made a lot of great friends and worked on myself a ton. There’s definitely still work to be done, but I’m happy with the way the process has gone so far.
As far as politics go, I’m an anarchist. I try not to beat people over the head with it, but I’m also not scared or ashamed of that word. I think it’s a very reasonable ideology with a rich, complex history, and it can easily be put into practice. I would venture to say that many people engage in anarchism in their every day lives, but because that word has such a stigma, they don’t really think about it. I’m not really into the Crimethinc-y type of lifestyle anarchism, but I’m not really a theory head either. I just think that every living creature has the right to self-determination and that the world would be better off without hierarchy or coercive government. No gods, no masters!
What was your motivation behind starting your own printing company? What are some of your own personal goals with Radix?
My love of books and literature stems from when I was a kid. I would always write weird little short stories and imagine them in my head. Truth be told, I never had a whole lot of friends when I was young, so it was up to me to entertain myself. That love only grew stronger as I got older, but the printing aspect of it is relatively new. I started apprenticing with Charles at Eberhardt Press in March 2010; before that, I knew nothing about printing of any sort. I had never screenprinted or anything, like the rest of my DIY punk friends. I was pretty focused on the graphic design aspect but usually just printed out flyers and zines on my laser printer at home, or at Kinkos (shudder).
Learning to print on an offset press has been really empowering. It’s really old technology. When I load a plate onto the press and start running it, I’m doing the same thing as someone a hundred years ago was doing. There are differences, sure, but the technique is the same, and that’s really exciting to me.
My main goal with Radix, from the very beginning, has been to make beautiful propaganda. I consider it a form of activism, but it’s a factor that many times gets overlooked. Humans are very visual; if something doesn’t look good, people just aren’t going to pick it up, and they’re definitely not going to digest whatever message you’re trying to send. So I started out by helping my other activist friends with graphic design, making flyers and laying out pamphlets. And I’ve just kept on doing that. I’m very inspired by poster art and radical printmaking from the 1960s, such as the flyers that the Weather Underground made for demonstrations. There’s also a really amazing book I want to get on poster art from the Cuban Revolution. Of course, I also really like the work of my contemporaries, such as the Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative, the Beehive Collective and the Design Action Collective.
Publishing is also becoming more of a priority for me, which is really exciting. Owning the means of production gives me the advantage to publish and print whatever I want, whenever I want, at a fraction of the cost of paying another printer to do it for me. DIY or DIE!
You have been apprenticing with Eberhardt Press for almost a year now. Can you tell us a little about what they do and what that experience has been like?
Eberhardt Press is an anarchist publisher and printer here in Portland. It’s really just one person named Charles. He’s an incredibly talented graphic designer and printer and I’ve learned so much from him! Eberhardt Press has printed, gosh, THOUSANDS of zines, flyers, books, posters, album covers, notepads and more.
One of the things that I’ve really learned from Charles is that you have to make due with what you have. Eberhardt Press has existed for just over five years now, and almost that entire time, he was stuck with this really janky offset duplicator that he got for free. It was meant for really short runs, and stuff like stationery and envelopes. He really pushed it to its limit, becoming a huge resource for the radical community in Portland and beyond, and I think that’s really incredible. His earlier work is far from perfect, but it doesn’t matter, because you know it’s coming from a do-it-yourself underground printer. And once you know what he’s working with, all of a sudden your perspective changes. Like, “Wow, you printed this on THAT??” You should have seen how he started off binding books. We won’t talk about it – it’s too crazy, even for the internet! Fortunately for him, though, he’s been able to make some equipment upgrades.
In all honesty, Radix Media wouldn’t be where it is today without Charles. When I first started out, he would always give me free paper, ink, plates and other supplies. He’s answered countless phone calls (and stupid questions!) from me. He still hooks me up when he can. I’m really grateful to have him around. I can’t imagine I would have been able to do this by myself.
What are some of the zines you’ve printed so far? What do you generally look for when choosing literature that you’d like to publish or reprint? (i.e. is there a general theme that you like to follow?)
The first zine I really printed for someone was issue number one of When Language Runs Dry, which is a really great zine for people with chronic pain and their allies. They’re up to issue three now, I think, and they’re always really good. The people that put it together are wonderful, too. I printed Towards a Less Fucked Up World: Sobriety and Anarchist Struggle around the same time, and then got to work on a re-print of A Steampunk’s Guide to the Apocalypse for my friends at Strangers in a Tangled Wilderness. I most recently did a re-print of a zine called Revolution Summer. It was written by Josh Hooten from Herbivore Clothing / Books. He’s currently working on another zine that he’ll want me to print, too, and I can’t wait to read it. Damn, I love zines. Oh yeah, and I just finished Mike XVX’s zine, Stand Up Fight Back about his European 2010 tour. Wheeee!
I’m not sure if there’s a theme to the stuff I print, necessarily. Most of the ones I’ve printed so far have been because people have asked me to do so, and have actually paid me to do it. That’s pretty sweet! Though I already know and respect those people, and actively support their projects. In most cases, I had already read and bought a copy of the zine long before I ever re-printed it. I think it would be a lot different if it was someone that I didn’t know at all. I’d want to read the work before I agreed to print it. There’s a story behind Nick Riotfag’s zine though.
I first heard about Towards a Less Fucked Up World from Rachel, my amazing partner. She had been trying to get a copy of it for a super long time, but Nick can be pretty hard to get ahold of. It never materialized but from everything she mentioned about it, I knew I had to read it at some point. Not too long ago, PM Press came out with a book called Sober Living for the Revolution: Hardcore Punk, Straight Edge and Radical Politics, edited by a guy named Gabriel Kuhn, and it included that zine. I bought the book, mostly for that zine alone (though it’s got lots of other great stuff in it, too) and read it on an airplane when I was going to visit my parents in Florida.
Around that time, I had been really bummed about straightedge because of the way some people in the scene act. I felt really out of place and disconnected with those folks and started to wonder if I was a black sheep among black sheep. And while I’ve never considered “breaking edge,” as they say, I was unsure if I wanted to keep using the label “straightedge.” After reading Nick’s zine, I fell in love with straightedge all over again. I knew I had to re-print that zine and make it available to the public again. I contacted Nick and he responded to me pretty quickly, probably because I signed my e-mail “XlantzX”! He sent me the file and I re-did the layout and re-designed the cover. It was printed with a two-color cover and title page on 100% recycled paper, and even though there are so many rookie mistakes in it, it still means so much to me. I dreamed of re-printing that zine, and now I’ve got a box of them in my living room. Come on, you gotta admit, that rules.
What initially got you interested in Veganism and animal rights?
My best friend at the time and I both went vegetarian at the same time, so that it would be easier for us to transition. I was vegetarian for a year before I went vegan and have been so ever since. It’s been like 6 years now! The first protest I went to was a KFC protest in Ft. Lauderdale. It was pretty much not effective at all, but it’s what got me into animal rights. From then on, I just kept doing a lot of research, reading really horrific things and watching gnarly videos. Once you see it, you can’t un-see it. It’s only strengthened my resolved and I’ve never looked back. When I first moved to Portland, I was focused on animal rights almost exclusively, though there was a lot of overlap into the radical environmental movement as well. I read a lot of books and articles on the Green Scare, and I’m a big fan of Will Potter’s reporting. Animal rights is still a big part of my political identity, but I also see the connection between that and other struggles and have broadened my horizons in recent years to include labor struggles, feminism and anarchism.
Interestingly, the first research paper I ever wrote in community college was a paper on vivisection and how it was no longer necessary with the advancements of modern technology. That was in 1999, before I was ever vegetarian or vegan. Go figure.
What correlation do you see between anarchism and veganism?
Anarchism, to me, means that no one is above me, and that I am above no one. This includes non-human creatures. I think anarchism and veganism are highly compatible because they both focus on liberation and autonomy. It baffles me to see vegans who are otherwise quite liberal or reformist in their other politics. They’re talking about animal liberation on the one hand, but are voting for politicians on the other hand, politicians that are only perpetuating the evils of capitalism and striving to make america an actual empire at the expense of the rest of the world. If that’s where they’re at, though, that’s cool. I just wish some people could be more open-minded. I guess the same could be true of a lot of subcultures and scenes, though.
A phrase I use a lot is, “one struggle, one fight.” It means a lot to me, and I believe it with every ounce of my being. It bums me out when vegan kids I know don’t go to events outside of the animal rights movement. All struggles are linked; it is useless to fight for animal liberation if you’re not also fighting for human liberation, for the rights of human beings, whether they be people of color, queers, immigrants or anyone else. Solidarity is so important.
You just recently reprinted Towards A Less Fucked Up World by Nick Riotfag. What role do you see sobriety playing in radical politics?
Sobriety has played a huge role in my life. It’s one of the defining factors of myself and I don’t shy away from that at all, even though I still feel slightly disconnected and alienated from both sober and non-sober folks. I know a lot of people who are not sober (and who are not vegan, of course) who do really amazing work. But I always think about how much more effective they would be if they didn’t indulge in alcohol or drugs. Anyway, anything I can say here will make me sound like a self-righteous asshole, and that’s not how I want to come off. I would encourage anyone who’s interested in the overlap between radical politics and sobriety to read Nick Riotfag’s zine. It’s what made me want to start calling myself straightedge again!
Above all, I think it’s really crucial to practice self-care. Whatever choice you make for yourself, you should ensure that you’re not hurting anyone else in the process. This can actually be quite difficult when it comes to substance use, as Nick explains in his essay. But I’m a pretty big believer in harm-reduction. No one is perfect. You just have to do the best you can and be willing to go further when necessary.
Other than Radix, what other projects or collectives are you currently involved with?
I’m a collective member and co-owner of the Red and Black Café, where I’ve worked for about 3 years. We’re an anarchist, worker-owned all vegan café in Southeast Portland. We host a lot of events, like film screenings, readings, music and presentations by activist groups, authors, and stuff like that. That place has been the most influential for me since I moved to Portland. I feel really lucky to have met all the people that I’ve met there, both workers and customers.
I’m also a member of the Portland IWW (Industrial Workers of the World), a radical labor union that started in 1905. Because Radix stuff has been getting really busy, I took a big step back from the union but am still a supporter.
You usually table at events like the Portland Zine Symposium. how important do you think it is to have an Anarchist presence at gatherings like this?
So important! I could be wrong, but it seems as if a lot of zinesters are pretty apolitical. Most of what you see are little handmade zines, and comics, and sometimes kind of silly things. And that’s totally fine; I only got two zines at this most recent Zine Symposium – mostly because I was so overwhelmed! – and they were both comics. But I think it’s important to have a radical presence at these events because it gives you a chance to do some outreach to people who may be down for the cause but are outside of your “scene.” As I said before, most people already practice anarchism in some way, so you never know who’s going to be really receptive to you. And anyway, anarchism should be accessible; it’s not about some sort of fictional utopia, it’s about the notion that we can live without masters, that we can organize ourselves horizontally and thrive the way others have thrived and are thriving, in a truly egalitarian structure. Preaching to the choir will only get you so far. So get out there and talk to people!
As a company that’s just starting out, what are the biggest obstacles Radix faces right now?
Equipment, by far. My press needs so many repairs, it’s absurd. I think I kind of got ripped off when I bought it! Just off the top of my head, I can think of three or four things that need to be replaced or bought because they’re missing altogether. I need to put a lot of money into the press to have it truly be functional, but if I can’t run jobs to make that money, I’m pretty screwed. That’s why I budgeted for press repairs in my Kickstarter project. I hope I’ll get over this hurdle soon, though. I mean, it never really ends – even the new, more expensive presses constantly have to be maintained and worked on. You kind of have to learn to be half-press operator, half-mechanic. A pity for me, because I’m actually quite stupid when it comes to mechanics. Guess I’ll have to learn!
Any last words?
Please check out Radix Media on Kickstarter! I’m trying to raise $5,000 for equipment upgrades and press repairs so that I can keep making rad stuff for rad people. I can hardly keep up with the demand for print jobs right now, but it’s a real drag to print on a machine that barely works, and to do all the bindery stuff by hand. I’m trying to buy a collating machine and a bookletmaker, which means I can assemble 500 zines in three hours instead of.. uh.. three days! You can check out the link here:
If you have the means, please consider donating to the project. You can even put the money on a credit card, and you actually only charged if the project achieves its goal. If you really don’t have the money, though, you can also help us out by spreading the word. Tell everyone you know! Independent publishers and underground printers are so crucial. Let’s make sure we survive!
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