Portland Zine Symposium 2016

our spot for the weekend, come and visit!

We'll be at the Portland Zine Symposium tabling for When Language Runs Dry all weekend!  Come chat with us about your projects, trade zines, or just say Hello!

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS : BOOK COVER ART

Mend My Dress Press is currently working with the editors of When Language Runs Dry Zine on a book length anthology centered around chronic pain. The collection will include the first 4 issues of the zine, plus new material. The book includes essays, poetry and comics on identity, invisibility, capitalism, mental health, care-giving, support, self-care and hopefulness as they relate to the experience of chronic pain. 

We are currently looking for proposals for cover art for the book. Proposals should include the following: 

1) A short description of how your idea reflects chronic pain and how your proposed visual articulates the link between chronic pain and identity, invisibility, mental health, support, self-care or subjects not listed.

2) A rough sketch at 6x9 of a concept for the front cover (place holders for text as the title font has been previously selected). 

3) A link to your portfolio page/previous work or attachments of previous work if possible.

Chosen artist may receive a stipend for completed cover art.

Submissions must be received by May 31st. 

Submission will be chosen by June 30th, at which point we will notify the artist to start working out details. We strongly encourage those who live with chronic pain or care for people with chronic pain to submit proposals. Authors and artists who have been included in previous issues of When Language Runs Dry also encouraged to submit proposals.

Questions? email us at info@mendmydress.com

Cool project alert!

Sharing this Call For Submissions for a really amazing upcoming project we heard about:

I'm looking for anyone interested in taking part in a collaborative zine project about the experience of Vulva Pain due to Vulvodynia/Vulva Vestibulitis, Pudendal Neuralgia, Pelvic Floor dysfunction and any other related pain issues. I’m inviting people to contribute writing, poetry, photography, drawing or any other type of visual art that speaks to their experience of Vulva Pain. This could reflect on the impact the pain has had on your well being, relationships, sexuality, how you talk/don’t talk about it with others, frustrations/experiences with medical professionals, what recovery/healing looks like for you or how you take care of yourself. These are just a few ideas based on some common themes I have picked up when speaking to others. Any other ideas/themes are more than welcome. I recognize that this type of health issue has a different meaning and results in a different experience for everyone, so there is really no right or wrong way to contribute to this project.

I am hoping that this will be a supportive experience for individuals involved and in distributing the zine will hopefully open up some dialogue about a type of pain that can feel taboo to discuss openly with others and is not well understood by most medical professionals. The aim of this collaborative is to acknowledge the distress and debilitation of having a vagina that hurts, the impact it has on relationships and sex, and a celebration of recovery in whatever form recovery and healing may take place.

If you would like to be involved please email me at nicole.shaw3@gmail.com. I am hoping to have all the contributions by mid-May and to put the zine together by mid-June.

sneak peek!

Process: This hand traced alphabet I'm working on will be turned into a font for titles for the book.