Here's another rap from a zinester who will be presenting at the Zine Fest this weekend.  

Introducing RACHEL of HOAX....

I am a twenty five year old displaced New Yorker who is currently residing in Baltimore, Maryland. I was introduced to zines through the remnants of riot grrl culture in the early 2000s and began working on my first zine in spring of 2009. I write for and co-edit Hoax, a feminist compilation zine which attempts to bring feminism into everyday life and find the connections between us despite our differences. I am currently compiling submissions for the seventh issue of this series, which will be about feminisms and change. 

I also collaborate on “Shit ‘Progressives Don’t Want to Hear: A Journal of Unpopular Opinions,” and have written the perzines “A Tale of Two Cities: Baltimore VS. NYC,”  

“Reimagining Queer Community,” and “Not Queer as in Radical but Lesbian as in Fuck You.” These zines explore topics related to community building, feminism, challenging hegemonic structures within activist spaces, and radical approaches to health and illness.

At Pioneer Valley Zine Fest, I will be facilitating a workshop with my friend / co-conspirator Jamie called “Zines and Ethics.” The workshop goes from 12:30pm – 1:30pm. Here’s the description:

This “Zines and Ethics” workshop will focus on how the ethics of zine writing & how zine format influences how and what we choose to write about. We will collectively explore the following topics: navigating personal disclosures, call outs, censorship & trigger warnings, how privilege impacts what we choose to write about, protecting the anonymity of third parties, crediting other people's work & much more. Please come prepared with a writing utensil and a critical mind.