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Dr. Jill Stein on social justice and the environmental movement / by Liz Pelly
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WEEKLIES
A mix of current UK punk bands by Bryony of Good Throb, whose U.S. tour with Priests starts this week.
by Tali SF
The List.
by Pandora Christ
I see what the stars spell for you: deceit.
by Ahmad Zaghal
April in D.C.
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“An end to poverty, homelessness, climate silence, Wall Street rule, the NDAA, drone warfare, and wars for oil," were among the promises made by Jill Stein’s 2012 Green Party campaign for U.S. Presidency, a campaign that ultimately gained her 0.36% of the popular vote overall, but made an impact nonetheless. The campaign gave Stein, a long-time environmental organizer, access to mainstream media outlets for the first time, and allowed her to travel the U.S. observing “grassroots uprising all over the country,” she says. “For me, as a person, it was completely inspirational and transformational.”
Most people in the U.S. and beyond were introduced to Stein’s work for the first time in 2012, whether for her campaign, or for the more radical headlines she made that year: Like when she was arrested outside the presidential debates at Hofstra, for attempting to gain entry despite not being invited to participate. Or shortly after, when Stein was arrested in east Texas for attempting to bring food and Halloween candy to protesters occupying trees in opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline.
A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Stein was a practicing physician for years before leaving the field to pursue activism full time. (“When people ask me ‘what kind of medicine are you practicing?’ I . . .
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A recap of MoMa PS'1 feminist punk event
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Last weekend, MoMa PS1 hosted a dreamy afternoon of music, discussion, and zines. Many writers and editors of The Media were involved: contributing editor Jenn Pelly curated the event, columnist Katie Alice Greer's band Priests performed, and there was a table of feminist zines curated by Media contributor Kate Wadkins and editorial facilitator Liz Pelly. In the words of MoMa PS1, the afternoon celebrated "music surrounding feminist punk rock with artists who embrace visceral and engaged performance underlined by socio-political critique." In addition to Priests, other performers included Downtown Boys (who arrived straight from performing at Smash it Dead Fest, and were featured in Katie's Fan Club column last week) plus Allison Crutchfield and Kyle Gilbride of Swearin, and Olga Bell of the Dirty Projectors. The artists all joined Jenn for a conversation, too.
The conversation covered the different interpretations of what it means to be “political” as an artist, the ways that identity and performance are inherently political, and the general frustration that comes with being pinned a “political” artist. “I don’t consider myself a punk musician per se, but I am completely in awe of the shear . . .
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Chicago Zine Fest 2014 / by Julia Arredondo
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In its fourth year of celebrating underground print, publishing, and alternative literature, the Chicago Zine Fest took place March 14 and 15, with panels, readings, social events, and a zine exhibition at various locations around Chicago. A haven for radical, cutesy, punk, and conceptual printed matter (to name just a few genres represented), the Chicago Zine Fest has grown in its four years into one of the most well-attended and well-respected zine events in the country.
The main event of this year's Zine Fest was its two-floor exhibit open to the public at no charge at Columbia College. "The festival seems to grow each year," said Chicago Zine Fest co-organizer John Wawrzaszek (AKA Johnny Misfit). "We noted this as table registration sold out in about 2 hours this year. We see more press, more attendees, new exhibitors and more interest than we can manage. On the flipside, there were four organizers this year. The only other time there were that few organizers was during the first year of the fest which was drastically different in size. It's great to know we were able to manage programming a successful fest with so few organizers, but for such a large event that so many people enjoy, we hope that more people look to be involved so that the festival can continue to sustain itself."
Though the zine fest continues to be vibrant, Wawrzaszek says he has seen a decline in punk and music zines over the years, despite fanzine culture's deep roots in the punk community. "Fanzines are rooted in Punk and that's how I got into zines," he says. "It's sad to see the declining link between the two. I don't think there is a clear explanation for the disparity but this may be a generalization and is only my opinion." Unlike any other time in our history, social media is a predominant source where people share thoughts. So in the punk scene, I feel there are less zines, review zines, fanzines, all that. We still have Razorcake and Maximum Rock and Roll, but I rarely see the type of zines I used to see at shows. That all being said, like we've seen with the rise in vinyl sales and releases; people are still printing zines, chapbooks and indie-publications. If someone is passionate about their project, I don't think that people will ever stop printing zines," added Wawrzaszek. . . .
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