Issue 11

Winter 2015

Welcome to the Void We are tired of the obvious the present the concrete the

masculine the phallic Let us look instead at the feminine

Let us look into the Void

In the vein of the traditional 90s zine wersquore here to talk

about feminism And wersquore here to talk about being ladies

or not being ladies And being lost and powerful and

strange and horny and confused and reticent and strong

Wersquore here to talk about why we are important and why

what we say matters (because it fucking does)

We are entering the Void

WE ARE HERE TO DISCUSS THE PERCEPTION OF FEM-

ININITY Whatever the hell that is today And whatever we

decide to make that today Join us as we look deeper and

crawl into caves to stare defiantly at that which encom-

passes all of us

Welcome to the Void

void-envytumblrcom

voidenvyzinegmailcom

Welcome to the Void We are tired of the obvious the present the concrete the

masculine the phallic Let us look instead at the feminine

Let us look into the Void

In the vein of the traditional 90s zine wersquore here to talk

about feminism And wersquore here to talk about being ladies

or not being ladies And being lost and powerful and

strange and horny and confused and reticent and strong

Wersquore here to talk about why we are important and why

what we say matters (because it fucking does)

We are entering the Void

WE ARE HERE TO DISCUSS THE PERCEPTION OF FEM-

ININITY Whatever the hell that is today And whatever we

decide to make that today Join us as we look deeper and

crawl into caves to stare defiantly at that which encom-

passes all of us

Welcome to the Void

void-envytumblrcom

voidenvyzinegmailcom

Contents

Countdown to Launch Playlist [C+J]

For the Man on the Platform [Isabel Mader]

I Have Known [Anonymous]

Blood Loss [Sam Bibbins Dry Divers]

Untitled Artworks [Caitlin McGuire]

I wrote this afterhellip [Rachel Esteban]

Nude Studies [Jennifer Kole]

I Too Sing Hoboken [Sam Wordsman]

Gabu Series [Gabija Vaisvilaite]

My Hysterectomy as a House Party [Donald Collins]

She was the car he drove and the road she drove upon

[Anonymous]

Avanti Project [Arlo Perez]

100 is Not Enough [Ryan Partelow]

http8trackscomvoid_envy

http8trackscomvoid_envy

For the Man on the Platform

He staggers off the train and I know hes coming for me

eyes lit like the wick of a Molotov cocktail headed for my windows

He leaned too close I could smell the alcohol at the bottom of the bottle

Youre beautiful I stood both feet flat on the ground

gave my patented personalized practiced death stare

laser eyes singed brows and skin

No one looks at us frozen in a cold tableau on wet concrete

He veers away Your problem walks away

It took the closing of steel doors distance of dark tunnels

three t stops to let me begin breathing again

His daughter probably had dolls with big blue eyes like mine

Yes its my problem Because Im young alone

because Ive got a plush mouth like bruised flower petals

I have small hands round hips because they tell me I roll them when I walk

His daughter probably had dolls with big blue eyes like mine

Because it was the second time a man invaded my space today

the fourth this week the millionth since I turned thirteen

grew breasts I was unsure how to contain

The world keeps telling him I owe more than I offer

-Isabel Mader

I Have Known

I have known in my life no less than six extraordinary women

The first is my mother who is like all good mothers

Who cared for me when I needed her

Who taught me not to cry but to stand up and admit my mistakes

Who sometimes lost her temper

My mother is the queen of reminding me

That my hair wasnrsquot brushed

And my clothes didnrsquot match

But that I was beautiful nonetheless

The second is my friend who was like all young friends

Who didnrsquot deserve the life she was given

Who went shopping for bracelets to cover the scars

Who laughed like it had never happened

She was Mad my friend in all of the right ways

Writing notes for a suicide shersquod never commit

Because we needed her too much

And she was stronger than that

The third is my aunt who was as tiny as a bird

Who taught me about good movies

Who invited me to create my own tastes

Who showed me that being brave is not always about being right

My Israeli professor of film and fun

She watched bombs drop on her home

And she left me behind when I needed her most

And I miss her so much it makes me numb

The fourth is my enemy who is most like me

Who revealed to me the greatest truths

Who reminded me of my greatest faults

Who never let me be less than who I was

I am most grateful to her perhaps

Because she had the most conviction of anyone I know

You did things not because they were right

But because she told you to do them

The fifth is the corpse who is buried far away

Who lived her life like she had all the time in the world

Who burned red hot always going too fast and too slow

Who was never afraid of a new experience

Until it killed her

She was a homemade cake a hug when you needed it

I will never be convinced that someone so alive

Deserved not to live her life

The sixth is me who will become something great

Who is still learning how

Who is still afraid to be as much as possible

Who is lucky to have known good

I am the girl who burst forth into a world

Where women give birth on their backs to the benefit of their doctors

Where girls can be robbed of their purity and then obligated to hide the marks

Where being alone is not a choice but a sentence

Where having conviction is a bad quality to have

Where wild girls deserve to die

I Have Known

I am glad to be a woman to be aggressive and strong to make mistakes to be

noteworthy to be alive

I am afraid to live in a world where being those things

Where being a woman

Might be wrong

-Anonymous

Blood Loss

I am the Butcher clutching the hilt of a merciless cleaver

Over a queue of tulips heads the burning bed of the believer

I shattered the petals beneath my step and assumed the state

Of a vacant looking glass of a clean and cabalistic slate

Poised to kill him with my kindness I defiantly dictate

The terms of the hollowed hunger he could never satiate

Cracked up Ive been hacked up into ratios and rise to disperse

Like smoke from his throat over a landscape growing ever terse

Beneath the promise of survival times revival was reversed

As we released our breath into deaths blooming lungs with lips caving and pursed

The faces of the Gemini smile wearily at the boundless walls I carved

From the ivory bones of my enemy a cemetery of cells sacrilegiously starved

artwork and poem by Sam Bibbins

Dry Divers

httpelegiac-amnesiactumblrcom

I Have Known

I have known in my life no less than six extraordinary women

The first is my mother who is like all good mothers

Who cared for me when I needed her

Who taught me not to cry but to stand up and admit my mistakes

Who sometimes lost her temper

My mother is the queen of reminding me

That my hair wasnrsquot brushed

And my clothes didnrsquot match

But that I was beautiful nonetheless

The second is my friend who was like all young friends

Who didnrsquot deserve the life she was given

Who went shopping for bracelets to cover the scars

Who laughed like it had never happened

She was Mad my friend in all of the right ways

Writing notes for a suicide shersquod never commit

Because we needed her too much

And she was stronger than that

The third is my aunt who was as tiny as a bird

Who taught me about good movies

Who invited me to create my own tastes

Who showed me that being brave is not always about being right

My Israeli professor of film and fun

She watched bombs drop on her home

And she left me behind when I needed her most

And I miss her so much it makes me numb

The fourth is my enemy who is most like me

Who revealed to me the greatest truths

Who reminded me of my greatest faults

Who never let me be less than who I was

I am most grateful to her perhaps

Because she had the most conviction of anyone I know

You did things not because they were right

But because she told you to do them

The fifth is the corpse who is buried far away

Who lived her life like she had all the time in the world

Who burned red hot always going too fast and too slow

Who was never afraid of a new experience

Until it killed her

She was a homemade cake a hug when you needed it

I will never be convinced that someone so alive

Deserved not to live her life

The sixth is me who will become something great

Who is still learning how

Who is still afraid to be as much as possible

Who is lucky to have known good

I am the girl who burst forth into a world

Where women give birth on their backs to the benefit of their doctors

Where girls can be robbed of their purity and then obligated to hide the marks

Where being alone is not a choice but a sentence

Where having conviction is a bad quality to have

Where wild girls deserve to die

I Have Known

I am glad to be a woman to be aggressive and strong to make mistakes to be

noteworthy to be alive

I am afraid to live in a world where being those things

Where being a woman

Might be wrong

-Anonymous

Blood Loss

I am the Butcher clutching the hilt of a merciless cleaver

Over a queue of tulips heads the burning bed of the believer

I shattered the petals beneath my step and assumed the state

Of a vacant looking glass of a clean and cabalistic slate

Poised to kill him with my kindness I defiantly dictate

The terms of the hollowed hunger he could never satiate

Cracked up Ive been hacked up into ratios and rise to disperse

Like smoke from his throat over a landscape growing ever terse

Beneath the promise of survival times revival was reversed

As we released our breath into deaths blooming lungs with lips caving and pursed

The faces of the Gemini smile wearily at the boundless walls I carved

From the ivory bones of my enemy a cemetery of cells sacrilegiously starved

artwork and poem by Sam Bibbins

Dry Divers

httpelegiac-amnesiactumblrcom

The fourth is my enemy who is most like me

Who revealed to me the greatest truths

Who reminded me of my greatest faults

Who never let me be less than who I was

I am most grateful to her perhaps

Because she had the most conviction of anyone I know

You did things not because they were right

But because she told you to do them

The fifth is the corpse who is buried far away

Who lived her life like she had all the time in the world

Who burned red hot always going too fast and too slow

Who was never afraid of a new experience

Until it killed her

She was a homemade cake a hug when you needed it

I will never be convinced that someone so alive

Deserved not to live her life

The sixth is me who will become something great

Who is still learning how

Who is still afraid to be as much as possible

Who is lucky to have known good

I am the girl who burst forth into a world

Where women give birth on their backs to the benefit of their doctors

Where girls can be robbed of their purity and then obligated to hide the marks

Where being alone is not a choice but a sentence

Where having conviction is a bad quality to have

Where wild girls deserve to die

I Have Known

I am glad to be a woman to be aggressive and strong to make mistakes to be

noteworthy to be alive

I am afraid to live in a world where being those things

Where being a woman

Might be wrong

-Anonymous

Blood Loss

I am the Butcher clutching the hilt of a merciless cleaver

Over a queue of tulips heads the burning bed of the believer

I shattered the petals beneath my step and assumed the state

Of a vacant looking glass of a clean and cabalistic slate

Poised to kill him with my kindness I defiantly dictate

The terms of the hollowed hunger he could never satiate

Cracked up Ive been hacked up into ratios and rise to disperse

Like smoke from his throat over a landscape growing ever terse

Beneath the promise of survival times revival was reversed

As we released our breath into deaths blooming lungs with lips caving and pursed

The faces of the Gemini smile wearily at the boundless walls I carved

From the ivory bones of my enemy a cemetery of cells sacrilegiously starved

artwork and poem by Sam Bibbins

Dry Divers

httpelegiac-amnesiactumblrcom

I am glad to be a woman to be aggressive and strong to make mistakes to be

noteworthy to be alive

I am afraid to live in a world where being those things

Where being a woman

Might be wrong

-Anonymous

Blood Loss

I am the Butcher clutching the hilt of a merciless cleaver

Over a queue of tulips heads the burning bed of the believer

I shattered the petals beneath my step and assumed the state

Of a vacant looking glass of a clean and cabalistic slate

Poised to kill him with my kindness I defiantly dictate

The terms of the hollowed hunger he could never satiate

Cracked up Ive been hacked up into ratios and rise to disperse

Like smoke from his throat over a landscape growing ever terse

Beneath the promise of survival times revival was reversed

As we released our breath into deaths blooming lungs with lips caving and pursed

The faces of the Gemini smile wearily at the boundless walls I carved

From the ivory bones of my enemy a cemetery of cells sacrilegiously starved

artwork and poem by Sam Bibbins

Dry Divers

httpelegiac-amnesiactumblrcom

Blood Loss

I am the Butcher clutching the hilt of a merciless cleaver

Over a queue of tulips heads the burning bed of the believer

I shattered the petals beneath my step and assumed the state

Of a vacant looking glass of a clean and cabalistic slate

Poised to kill him with my kindness I defiantly dictate

The terms of the hollowed hunger he could never satiate

Cracked up Ive been hacked up into ratios and rise to disperse

Like smoke from his throat over a landscape growing ever terse

Beneath the promise of survival times revival was reversed

As we released our breath into deaths blooming lungs with lips caving and pursed

The faces of the Gemini smile wearily at the boundless walls I carved

From the ivory bones of my enemy a cemetery of cells sacrilegiously starved

artwork and poem by Sam Bibbins

Dry Divers

httpelegiac-amnesiactumblrcom

untitled 1

artwork by Caitlin McGuire

I wrote this after realizing I hate it when other women have

cramps and it made me feel like an asshole

When one of us

curls her toes down

into the earth

or grabs

the soft arm

of the couch

to ride out another

wave

I dont feel pity

I wish she had

kept this to herself

so that I would not remember

that while it is not my turn today

it will be

Soon

It will probably

be my turn

right when I have a really nice party to go to

in a light-colored dress

that is tight around the lower stomach

I think about my future pain

my past pain

and the way I will not be able

to feel pretty in that dress

at that party

and I scowl

I scowl even knowing that

she has to put her

worn out sneakers on

and go wait tables

just like

any

other

Tuesday

And so will I

-Rachel Esteban

Nude Studies

Turn (L) Stay (R) artworks by Jennifer Kole

I Too Sing Hoboken

can I sew my name into a song

that someone else will sing

there is a want an undercut

a reach from hand

extends to mouth

it leaks the words

I wonrsquot pronounce

Irsquove seen the doctor

of crass craft

slang his science

scalpel scraping

sounds of mine

the ones

whorsquove cried

to have been gushed

and gutted

yet still swim lanes

inside my veins

for I too have bottled this illness

into a potion

which I swig outside

on wind-swept nights

and rub like lotion

through my skin

in front of faces

standing front

of places

Irsquove assimilated -Scott Wordsman

Gabu Series

Opposite page Gabumdash01

This page Gabumdash02

artwork by Gabija Vaisvilaite

wwwgabu-gabacom

wwwgeltonatumblrcom

I wrote this after realizing I hate it when other women have

cramps and it made me feel like an asshole

When one of us

curls her toes down

into the earth

or grabs

the soft arm

of the couch

to ride out another

wave

I dont feel pity

I wish she had

kept this to herself

so that I would not remember

that while it is not my turn today

it will be

Soon

It will probably

be my turn

right when I have a really nice party to go to

in a light-colored dress

that is tight around the lower stomach

I think about my future pain

my past pain

and the way I will not be able

to feel pretty in that dress

at that party

and I scowl

I scowl even knowing that

she has to put her

worn out sneakers on

and go wait tables

just like

any

other

Tuesday

And so will I

-Rachel Esteban

Nude Studies

Turn (L) Stay (R) artworks by Jennifer Kole

I Too Sing Hoboken

can I sew my name into a song

that someone else will sing

there is a want an undercut

a reach from hand

extends to mouth

it leaks the words

I wonrsquot pronounce

Irsquove seen the doctor

of crass craft

slang his science

scalpel scraping

sounds of mine

the ones

whorsquove cried

to have been gushed

and gutted

yet still swim lanes

inside my veins

for I too have bottled this illness

into a potion

which I swig outside

on wind-swept nights

and rub like lotion

through my skin

in front of faces

standing front

of places

Irsquove assimilated -Scott Wordsman

Gabu Series

Opposite page Gabumdash01

This page Gabumdash02

artwork by Gabija Vaisvilaite

wwwgabu-gabacom

wwwgeltonatumblrcom

and the way I will not be able

to feel pretty in that dress

at that party

and I scowl

I scowl even knowing that

she has to put her

worn out sneakers on

and go wait tables

just like

any

other

Tuesday

And so will I

-Rachel Esteban

Nude Studies

Turn (L) Stay (R) artworks by Jennifer Kole

I Too Sing Hoboken

can I sew my name into a song

that someone else will sing

there is a want an undercut

a reach from hand

extends to mouth

it leaks the words

I wonrsquot pronounce

Irsquove seen the doctor

of crass craft

slang his science

scalpel scraping

sounds of mine

the ones

whorsquove cried

to have been gushed

and gutted

yet still swim lanes

inside my veins

for I too have bottled this illness

into a potion

which I swig outside

on wind-swept nights

and rub like lotion

through my skin

in front of faces

standing front

of places

Irsquove assimilated -Scott Wordsman

Gabu Series

Opposite page Gabumdash01

This page Gabumdash02

artwork by Gabija Vaisvilaite

wwwgabu-gabacom

wwwgeltonatumblrcom

Nude Studies

Turn (L) Stay (R) artworks by Jennifer Kole

I Too Sing Hoboken

can I sew my name into a song

that someone else will sing

there is a want an undercut

a reach from hand

extends to mouth

it leaks the words

I wonrsquot pronounce

Irsquove seen the doctor

of crass craft

slang his science

scalpel scraping

sounds of mine

the ones

whorsquove cried

to have been gushed

and gutted

yet still swim lanes

inside my veins

for I too have bottled this illness

into a potion

which I swig outside

on wind-swept nights

and rub like lotion

through my skin

in front of faces

standing front

of places

Irsquove assimilated -Scott Wordsman

Gabu Series

Opposite page Gabumdash01

This page Gabumdash02

artwork by Gabija Vaisvilaite

wwwgabu-gabacom

wwwgeltonatumblrcom

I Too Sing Hoboken

can I sew my name into a song

that someone else will sing

there is a want an undercut

a reach from hand

extends to mouth

it leaks the words

I wonrsquot pronounce

Irsquove seen the doctor

of crass craft

slang his science

scalpel scraping

sounds of mine

the ones

whorsquove cried

to have been gushed

and gutted

yet still swim lanes

inside my veins

for I too have bottled this illness

into a potion

which I swig outside

on wind-swept nights

and rub like lotion

through my skin

in front of faces

standing front

of places

Irsquove assimilated -Scott Wordsman

Gabu Series

Opposite page Gabumdash01

This page Gabumdash02

artwork by Gabija Vaisvilaite

wwwgabu-gabacom

wwwgeltonatumblrcom

Gabu Series

Opposite page Gabumdash01

This page Gabumdash02

artwork by Gabija Vaisvilaite

wwwgabu-gabacom

wwwgeltonatumblrcom

Opposite page Gabumdash01

This page Gabumdash02

artwork by Gabija Vaisvilaite

wwwgabu-gabacom

wwwgeltonatumblrcom

My Hysterectomy as a House Party

oh man oh boy

did we have a house party

all these childhood friends

like whatrsquos-her-name

crowded in and danced all night

it got so hot

we blew out the attic windows

and for days i will pick glass

out of the gravel and the lawn

oh man oh boy

did we have a house party

what do we need all these chairs for

anyways someone said

damn right i agreed

so we tossed the chairs

i think theyrsquore still out there

at the bottom of the pool

oh man oh boy

did we have a house party

my friend cut his thumb on a bottle

and left little red drops

down the stairs

this house is trying to kill me i yelled

when i tore down the curtains

and that painting

oh man oh boy

did we have a house party

we rolled up the rug

and moved everything

two inches to the left

i think i will spend a few days

putting things in order

-Donald Collins

untitled 2

artwork by Caitlin McGuire

She was the car he drove and the road she drove

upon

She was the car he drove and the road she drove upon

and the lines that drew her crossed the country that was her body

she was the wet rich earth of April birth of bounty

but she was not the bountymdash

not for her to be

the bounty was no onemdash

she was the sea

and the things that drowned in it

mdashinnocence hope beauty see

but she was never drowned

she was never drowned

he was drowned

and she was what he thought of

when the water dragged him down

she was too the moon that pulled the sea

she was not the sun

mdashbut she was the earth beneath the sun recall

she was the thought for the statue

mdashand the statue

mdashand the clay

she was not the clay not the soft clay but the clay as it was in the statue

her marble flesh caught the light of day

and she was not the hand that made the statue

and she was not the hand that brushed dust from its shoulder

mdasheven when she was

she was still and silent when she moved

changing only when she was to be the moon

but she could not be moon and sea

to move and to be moved is too much to be

and when the dawn came

she was there

and when the dusk came

there she was

and where she was in the interchange

where she was she was the statuemdash

mdashyes and sea recallmdash

where she wasmdashwhere he was see

a spirit she a shadow for hemdash

well where she was and where she waited none could

say

where her body rested in the day

only this she was the road the earth the home for he

for she was never she

She was the car he drove and the road she drove

upon

Crystallized

photograph by Arlo Perez

makeup by Cindy Chen

avantiprojectcom

this house is trying to kill me i yelled

when i tore down the curtains

and that painting

oh man oh boy

did we have a house party

we rolled up the rug

and moved everything

two inches to the left

i think i will spend a few days

putting things in order

-Donald Collins

untitled 2

artwork by Caitlin McGuire

She was the car he drove and the road she drove

upon

She was the car he drove and the road she drove upon

and the lines that drew her crossed the country that was her body

she was the wet rich earth of April birth of bounty

but she was not the bountymdash

not for her to be

the bounty was no onemdash

she was the sea

and the things that drowned in it

mdashinnocence hope beauty see

but she was never drowned

she was never drowned

he was drowned

and she was what he thought of

when the water dragged him down

she was too the moon that pulled the sea

she was not the sun

mdashbut she was the earth beneath the sun recall

she was the thought for the statue

mdashand the statue

mdashand the clay

she was not the clay not the soft clay but the clay as it was in the statue

her marble flesh caught the light of day

and she was not the hand that made the statue

and she was not the hand that brushed dust from its shoulder

mdasheven when she was

she was still and silent when she moved

changing only when she was to be the moon

but she could not be moon and sea

to move and to be moved is too much to be

and when the dawn came

she was there

and when the dusk came

there she was

and where she was in the interchange

where she was she was the statuemdash

mdashyes and sea recallmdash

where she wasmdashwhere he was see

a spirit she a shadow for hemdash

well where she was and where she waited none could

say

where her body rested in the day

only this she was the road the earth the home for he

for she was never she

She was the car he drove and the road she drove

upon

Crystallized

photograph by Arlo Perez

makeup by Cindy Chen

avantiprojectcom

untitled 2

artwork by Caitlin McGuire

She was the car he drove and the road she drove

upon

She was the car he drove and the road she drove upon

and the lines that drew her crossed the country that was her body

she was the wet rich earth of April birth of bounty

but she was not the bountymdash

not for her to be

the bounty was no onemdash

she was the sea

and the things that drowned in it

mdashinnocence hope beauty see

but she was never drowned

she was never drowned

he was drowned

and she was what he thought of

when the water dragged him down

she was too the moon that pulled the sea

she was not the sun

mdashbut she was the earth beneath the sun recall

she was the thought for the statue

mdashand the statue

mdashand the clay

she was not the clay not the soft clay but the clay as it was in the statue

her marble flesh caught the light of day

and she was not the hand that made the statue

and she was not the hand that brushed dust from its shoulder

mdasheven when she was

she was still and silent when she moved

changing only when she was to be the moon

but she could not be moon and sea

to move and to be moved is too much to be

and when the dawn came

she was there

and when the dusk came

there she was

and where she was in the interchange

where she was she was the statuemdash

mdashyes and sea recallmdash

where she wasmdashwhere he was see

a spirit she a shadow for hemdash

well where she was and where she waited none could

say

where her body rested in the day

only this she was the road the earth the home for he

for she was never she

She was the car he drove and the road she drove

upon

Crystallized

photograph by Arlo Perez

makeup by Cindy Chen

avantiprojectcom

She was the car he drove and the road she drove

upon

She was the car he drove and the road she drove upon

and the lines that drew her crossed the country that was her body

she was the wet rich earth of April birth of bounty

but she was not the bountymdash

not for her to be

the bounty was no onemdash

she was the sea

and the things that drowned in it

mdashinnocence hope beauty see

but she was never drowned

she was never drowned

he was drowned

and she was what he thought of

when the water dragged him down

she was too the moon that pulled the sea

she was not the sun

mdashbut she was the earth beneath the sun recall

she was the thought for the statue

mdashand the statue

mdashand the clay

she was not the clay not the soft clay but the clay as it was in the statue

her marble flesh caught the light of day

and she was not the hand that made the statue

and she was not the hand that brushed dust from its shoulder

mdasheven when she was

she was still and silent when she moved

changing only when she was to be the moon

but she could not be moon and sea

to move and to be moved is too much to be

and when the dawn came

she was there

and when the dusk came

there she was

and where she was in the interchange

where she was she was the statuemdash

mdashyes and sea recallmdash

where she wasmdashwhere he was see

a spirit she a shadow for hemdash

well where she was and where she waited none could

say

where her body rested in the day

only this she was the road the earth the home for he

for she was never she

She was the car he drove and the road she drove

upon

Crystallized

photograph by Arlo Perez

makeup by Cindy Chen

avantiprojectcom

and she was not the hand that brushed dust from its shoulder

mdasheven when she was

she was still and silent when she moved

changing only when she was to be the moon

but she could not be moon and sea

to move and to be moved is too much to be

and when the dawn came

she was there

and when the dusk came

there she was

and where she was in the interchange

where she was she was the statuemdash

mdashyes and sea recallmdash

where she wasmdashwhere he was see

a spirit she a shadow for hemdash

well where she was and where she waited none could

say

where her body rested in the day

only this she was the road the earth the home for he

for she was never she

She was the car he drove and the road she drove

upon

Crystallized

photograph by Arlo Perez

makeup by Cindy Chen

avantiprojectcom

Crystallized

photograph by Arlo Perez

makeup by Cindy Chen

avantiprojectcom

This world never belonged to us

We took whatever we could carry with us and fled

Under the cover of night our dark yawning accomplice

Indeed we move slowly in the daytime from shade to shade

Living so close to the sun is like hiding hell in your attic

-Dante Perez

Excerpt from ldquoForeignerrdquo

Deseorden

photograph by Arlo Perez

httpavantiprojectcom20140110vidaconfusionydesmadre

100 is Not Enough

The 114th Congress convened earlier this month in our nationrsquos capital with Republicans expand-

ing their majority in the House of Representatives and taking control of the Senate for the first

time since 2006 This Congress also marks the first time that over 100 women will serve in the leg-

islative body

According to a study from Rutgers Universityrsquos Center for American Women and Politics

(CAWP) there are 20 women serving in the Senate (the number is unchanged from the 113th Con-

gress) and a record 84 women serving in the House While these figures may be encouraging to

some and seen as a symbol of the great strides towards diversity our country has made in the last

century a closer look reveals that these numbers are not quite worthy of celebration

Despite the fact that more women are serving in the legislative branch than any other peri-

od in our history the vast majority of Senators and Representatives are white men Women now

make up more than half of the population of the United States [1] and represent well over half of

all college grads [2] yet make up only 20 percent of the legislators in Congress

In fact the United States ranks near the bottom of all countries worldwide in terms of per-

centage of women in the national legislature coming in well below such countries as Rwanda

Iraq Cuba and Afghanistan This is pathetic The United States is a supposed beacon of freedom

liberty and opportunity so what is it about our electoral process that inhibits us from achieving

gender parity in our legislature

For starters female candidates and politicians in the US face an unfair level of media scru-

tiny not faced by their male colleagues The best example of this was former Senator Hillary Clin-

tonrsquos presidential run in 2008 During her campaign TV news commentators frequently remarked

on her appearance choice of clothing and ldquoattituderdquo at almost every turn Former Governor Sarah

Palin received the same treatment from the media when she was revealed as Senator John

McCainrsquos running mate

Unfortunately this same type of gendered treatment is given to female politicians on almost

every level especially towards House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi Pelosi is frequently derided as

a ldquowitchrdquo by people who disagree with her and criticisms usudevolve into comments about her ap-

pearance These gendered attacks are almost never leveled at House Speaker John Boehner Sen-

ate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell or Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid Both liberals and

conservatives are responsible for these misogynist remarks (Bill Maher once famously chided

ldquoNancy Pelosi got so upset her face movedrdquo)

On top of the media stacking the deck against female candidates they are also rarely put into

leadership positions once elected Take Congress for example To date only one woman has ever

served as Speaker of the House and no woman has ever served as majority leader in either chamber

Even in the current Congress the Republican Senate leadership team in the does not consist

of a single woman [3] and the Republicans in the House have only appointed one female committee

chair [4] out of the 21 House committees On the Democratic side women are currently ranking

members (leadingsenior member of the minority party) on eight of the twenty Senate committees

[5] and six of the 21 House committees [67] Although it may not seem this way Democrats histori-

cally are not much better than their Republican colleagues in putting women in high positions of

leadership

The sad reality is that while we elect our Senators and Members of Congress to represent us

the demographics suggest that they do not as a whole represent who we are as a country We cannot

ignore this issue because Congressional committees frequently hold hearings on issues pertinent to

women Campus sexual assault equal pay reproductive healthcare and access to contraception are

just a few examples While there are several male allies for women currently serving in Congress

they are more often the exception rather than the rule When a legislature is 80 percent male how

can we possibly expect them to make wise and practical decisions on these issues

One key way to measure this effect is by looking at the witnesses called to testify before Con-

gress concerning these issues According to a study from the Sunlight Foundation in 2014 women

only accounted for 23 percent of all the witnesses called to testify before the House of Representa-

tives in the 113th Congress The most poignant example of this problem was the 2012 House Over-

sight and Government Reform Committee hearing on birth control which featured an exclusively

male panel of witnesses

In what universe does any of this make sense By and large other nations around the world

have stepped forward to elect more female leaders in their legislatures and the time is long past due

for the United States to join them When issues that affect women are being legislated by an elected

body overwhelmingly made up of white males who intrinsically benefit from the status quo theyrsquore

bound to make the wrong choices for both women and the country at large

100 is Not Enough

[For more info on this topic I encourage you to check out Jennifer Siebel Newsomrsquos incred-

ible 2011 documentary Miss Representation]

-Ryan Partelow

Citation and hyperlink sourcing

[1] ldquoPopulation female ( of total)rdquo The World Bank 2015 httpdataworldbankorgindicatorSPPOPTOTLFEZS

[2] Kirst Michael W ldquoWomen Exceed Men In College Graduationrdquo The College Puzzle (blog) 28 May 2013 httpcollegepuzzlestanfordedu

tag=women-exceed-men-in-college-graduation

[well below] ldquoProportion of seats held by women in national parliamentsrdquo 2015 httpdataworldbankorgindicatorSGGENPARLZS

[almost every turn] Givhan Patrick ldquoHillary Clintonrsquos Tentative Dip Into New Neckline Territoryrdquo The Washington Post 20 July 2007 http

wwwwashingtonpostcomwp-dyncontentarticle20070719AR2007071902668html

[same treatment] Heldman C amp Oliver S ldquoFrom Ferraro to Palin Sexism in media coverage of Vice Presidential candidatesrdquo presented at the

American Political Science Association Conference Toronto Canada Septermber 2-5th 2009

[witch] Media Matters Staff Saying ldquobye-bye Pelosirdquo Rush plays ldquoDing-dong the witch is deadrdquo 3 November 2010 httpmediamattersorg

video20101103saying-bye-bye-pelosi-rush-plays-ding-dong-the172844

[appearance] Womenrsquos Media Center ldquoSexist Media coverage of Nancy Pelosi Highlighted in Media Matters Videordquo Blog 18 May 2009 http

wwwwomensmediacentercomblogentrysexist-media-coverage-of-nancy-pelosi-highlighted-in-media-matters-video

[chided] Leo A ldquoBill Maher Democrats have moved to the right and the right has moved into a mental hospitalrdquo Huffington Post 25 June 2011

httpwwwhuffingtonpostcom20090621bill-maher-democrats-have_n_218593html

[3] RepublicanSenategov ldquoSenate Republican Conference Elects Leadership for 114th Congressrdquo Our View (blog) 13 November 2014 http

wwwrepublicansenategovpublicindexcfm201411senate-republican-conference-elects-leadership-for-114th-congress

[4] Speaker Boehnerrsquos Press Office ldquoRepublican Steering Committee Recommends House Committee Chairs for 114th Congressrdquo 18 November

2014 httpwwwspeakergovpress-releaserepublican-steering-committee-recommends-house-committee-chairs-114th-congress

[5] United States Senate Democrats ldquoCommittee Democratic Assignments for the 114th Congressrdquo 2014 httpdemocratssenategovcommittees

VMBcJs90wiQ[

[6] DemocraticLeadergov ldquoPelosi Announces Additional 13 Ranking Members for 114th Congressrdquo 19 November 2014 http

wwwdemocraticleadergovnewsroompelosi-announces-12-ranking-members-114th-congress

[7] DemocraticLeadergov ldquoPelosi Announces Six Ranking Members for 114th Congressrdquo 19 November 2014 httpwwwdemocraticleadergov

newsroompelosi-announces-six-ranking-members-114th-congress

[historically] Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers ldquoWomen in Congress Leadership roles and committee chairsrdquo February

2014 httpwwwcawprutgersedufast_factslevels_of_officedocumentscongleadpdf

[Sunrise Foundation] Young L ldquoWomen make up more than half the US population less than one fourth of US House witnessesrdquo Sunlight

Foundation Blog 9 September 2014 httpsunlightfoundationcomblog20140909women-make-up-half-the-u-s-population-one-fourth-of-u

-s-house-witnesses

[Miss Representation] Newsom Jennifer Siebel Regina Kulik Scully et al 2011 Miss Representation [Sausalito Calif] Roco Films Educational

Visit httptherepresentationprojectorgfilmsmiss-representation for more information

Demiddottemiddotrimiddotomiddotrate

v demiddottemiddotrimiddotomiddotratmiddoted demiddottemiddotrimiddotomiddotratmiddoting demiddottemiddotrimiddotomiddotrates

To diminish or impair in quality character or value

1 To grow worse degenerate

2 To weaken or disintegrate decay

photograph by Camille Hogan and Arlo Perez

Deterioration

Suddenly as if she had found the surface she was out of the clouds

She stepped up onto a flat surface her ladder now behind her

The world was a rainbow of color blues yellows reds greens purple the color of her dress

She could barely contain her excitement as she danced through the landscape sending puffs of col-

or into the air with each step

Somehow this was her world she knew it

-Matt Buckley

excerpt from ldquoThe Ladderrdquo

Day Dreams

photograph by Arlo Perez

httpavantiprojectcom20141120the-ladder

Suddenly as if she had found the surface she was out of the clouds

She stepped up onto a flat surface her ladder now behind her

The world was a rainbow of color blues yellows reds greens purple the color of her dress

She could barely contain her excitement as she danced through the landscape sending puffs of col-

or into the air with each step

Somehow this was her world she knew it

-Matt Buckley

excerpt from ldquoThe Ladderrdquo

Day Dreams

photograph by Arlo Perez

httpavantiprojectcom20141120the-ladder

void envy feminism zine winter issue

welcome to the void original art original poetry

original artworks playlist 31 days launch

countdown 8tracks femininity for the man on

the platform isabel mader fuck catcalling i have

known women anonymous submission blood

loss art sam bibbins dry divers elegiac-

amnesiac i wrote this after cramps

menstruation blood asshole rachel esteban

nude nude studies sketches turn stay i

too sing hoboken sam wordsman gabu series

gabija vaisvilaite photography gabu-gabacom

geltona my hysterectomy as a house party

transgender poem trans hysterectomy

donald collins caitlin mcguire line art alone

self as a void she was the car she drove and the

road she drove upon avanti project arlo perez

dante perez opalrsquos catharsis cindy chen mexico

street photography foreigner deteriorate

camille hogan photo essay trapped without

words avantiprojectcom portrait day dreams

the ladder matt buckley childhood short story

day dreams 100 is not enough ryan partelow

representation united states house of representa-

tives senate miss representation jennifer siebel

newsom diy james ikeda platinum level investor