Dear TJLP allies and lovers of liberation,
In February of 2012, we published the first volume of
Hidden Expressions, a ‘zine compiling artwork, essays, poetry, and how-to-guides created by and for incarcerated transgender people (please download and distribute the
online version here!). Now, we are excited to announce that we are officially collecting contributions for the second volume! The goal of this project is to showcase fabulous creative work from transgender and gender nonconforming people who are currently or have been incarcerated, and who would like to share their talents and wisdom with other trans folks looking for community and support. Once it’s published, it will primarily be distributed to folks who are incarcerated, as well as their communities on the outside.
We must receive all submissions before February 14, 2013 in order for them to be considered.
Please see the attached documents for a flier describing the project and how to contribute, as well as a two-page consent form that contributors must be complete and return to TJLP along with their submissions. Please distribute these to everyone you think may be interested!
We are relying on small personal donations to partially cover the cost of postage and printing for this volume, so please consider sending checks, cash, and/or stamps to the
Transformative Justice Law Project at 4707 N. Broadway, Suite 307 / Chicago, IL 60640. Please write directly to TJLP at the above address, or email
PrisonerZineProject@TJLP.org with any questions, feedback, or submissions. The love, inspiration, and support that we have received from our communities is what will feed the long and beautiful life of this ‘zine, and we can’t wait to see what the next volume brings!
In Solidarity and With Excitement,
Shaylanna, Kierra, Monica, and Lark
TJLP ‘Zine Crew
ABOUT HIDDEN EXPRESSIONS
As an organization devoted to Prison Abolition, Gender Self-Determination, and Transformative Justice, TJLP seeks to promote dialogue and community building over state-run responses to violence. We believe that the legal system disproportionately causes harm to gender nonconforming people -- particularly those who are low-income, undocumented, living with disabilities, and of color -- in the form of things like police profiling and gender-segregated prisons. This ‘zine is a tangible expression of our organization’s mission of connecting people on the inside to their families, communities, and the larger Prison Abolition movement. It is not only a response to the violence and isolation that the legal system forces onto transgender people every day, but also a celebration of the beauty, agency, and fierce creativity of incarcerated trans people. TJLP provides the resources (paper, printing, postage, etc.) and the people-power to put it together, but the content of the ‘zine is created entirely by and for transgender and gender nonconforming folks who are formerly or currently incarcerated in facilities across the United States. We hope this ‘zine can be an expression of what is really happening with trans people on the inside, including their dreams, struggles, artistic visions, and strategies for survival. We are deeply inspired by these artists, writers, and revolutionaries, and want to celebrate their resilience and resistance!
ABOUT TJLP
We are a volunteer collective of radical lawyers, activists, social workers, and community organizers based in Chicago, IL who provide free, zealous, life-affirming, and gender-affirming holistic criminal legal services to low-income and street-based transgender and gender non-conforming people. Central to our work are the values of gender self-determination, a long-term goal of prison abolition, and transformative justice models as necessary alternatives to U.S. systems of mass incarceration. Visit
www.tjlp.org for more information.