Autumn Poetry Zine releases - Debut Poetry Collection "I Just Want You To Know I Exist" & "Home Grown Zine"

This Autumn I released two zines, partly because it was time and partly to raise funds for Asians Have Feelings Too.
Find out more about the zines below!

To mark the release, I gave a poetry reading on Saturday 23rd October on Zoom. “BESEA queer, trans, gen X artist reads poems from 2 brand new zines Sales help fund the AHFT project! ~ Wavy musical interludes ~”. Reading poetry is something I have had an enthusiastic response about, but I still feel it's harder than music and art - because it's quite honest and there's less space to hide! I'm also very proud that my 15th and 16th zines contain poetry. I feel it's time to release these words to make space for more and I'd love to share this moment with you.

I am offering the zines as “perks” which you can get by donating to my fundraiser for Asians Have Feelings Too.

I just want you to know I exist

My debut poetry collection is a journey through the following realms: grief, family, empire, gender as work, relationships and being. Generally speaking there is loss and queer rage in each section, but presence, embodiment is what I seek. Each section is signalled by a full page photo of lush nature. (I was born to find magic anywhere).

I was inspired to publish by reading and hearing Andreena Leeanne's Charred - A survivor speaks her truth to inspire among other works, and attending Poetry LGBT events, and also Jet Moon’s Playing with Fire, Survivor Writing Workshop, among other creative people, experiences and works.

I aim to TRANSFORM negative experiences through:

Visual scrambling (upside down/reversed text)
Full page photos of beautiful nature.
Humour (such as sarcasm and absurdity)
The empowerment of finding voice through telling the tale my way.

Content notes: death, poems in solidarity with survivors of sexual violence, racism, sexism, systemic injustice, traumatic bereavement, religious ritual trauma, violence, war.

A5. 68pp. Full colour.

Available by donating £12 to my fundraiser here.

Home Grown Zine

Performance writing, written feverishly in lockdown, about living in a colonised petri-dish, problematic faves, Pose - plus iridescent magical local tree art. Commissioned by Usurp Art in 2020 (as part of a multimedia project also including audio and video) but only self-published in 2021.

I aim to TRANSFORM negative experiences through:

Shorter or very short poems set around nature art that is quite abstract.
Full page colourful, graphic style artwork based on observing nature.
The empowerment of finding voice through telling the tale my way.

Content notes: bullying, colonialism, loss, racism, toxic masculinity.

A5. 24pp. Full colour.

Available by donating £10 to my fundraiser here.

For Event documentation:

Wellbeing: I encouraged attendees to be mindful of their wellbeing. I aimed to give content note before items.

Access: I was unable to look into how to do live captioning and apologised for this. Image descriptions were provided at the bottom of the EventBrite page.

BIO: The Mollusc Dimension holds an English Literature Degree from York University (2002) - because he wasn't allowed to study art. However he studied for and was awarded a Foundation Diploma from CSM (1999) and a Masters Degree in Illustration & Animation from Kingston University (2004). From 2008-the present, he produced 16 zines. Together with co-founded QTBPOC/LGBTIQA+ artist collectives Interactive Monster Unit & Qraft Bistro, he tabled & run mini creative drop-ins at events such as DIY Cultures, The Alternative Press Fair, OOMK, WAN cafe plus numerous others, at places including The ICA, DIY Space for London, The Women's Library, RampART and many more. His zines about mental health and gender are in collections including The Liberate! Zines Collection, Goldsmiths University of London's Library collection, The Museum of Transology and The Tate Britain Zine Collection. His work appears in zines by others including The Feminist Library and Out on the Page (forthcoming). He wants a Wikipedia page and worries about being birthnamed, as that would just be awkward but he's trying to get over this.

The #StopAsianHate movement inspired The Mollusc Dimension to compose a pop song called AHFT ("Asians Have Feelings Too"). He tentacle-selected a largely ESEA/Asian/Bipoc/ LGBTIQA+ production and creative team for the music video and show as these groups are underrepresented in the arts across the UK. He is fundraising to pay a team of around 25 on the production and creative teams who will make AHFT a reality!

IMAGE DESCRIPTIONS:

Event Banner: "Zine Fundraiser. £££ for AHFT! Transformative Poetry Reading. The Mollusc Dimension. Saturday 23 October at 4pm BST on Zoom." Small labels say: "Creativity. Finding Voice. Rage". 1 image of The Mollusc Dimension portrait, in black jacket, white shirt and hat with face resting on hand gazing dreamily into the distance. PHOTO: Shaven Raven Designs. Event banner uses the front covers of the zines but changes the wording to promote the Poetry reading event rather.

"I just want you to know I exist” - Poems by a British-born, Chinese, queer, trans-masc, non binary being. The Mollusc Dimension" appears in white text.

"Home Grown zine" is dark green with three semicircle, bauble-like shapes containing magical colourful tree art. Commissioned by Usurp Art, 2020.

Home