News And Updates
I have paintings hanging this month at Coffee Plant in downtown Portland.
The cafe is located at 724 SW Washington, open Monday through Friday from 7am to 5pm. Stop by, see the art, and treat yourselves to one of their amazing vegan cinnamon rolls!
Chronic pain is defined as pain that persists for more than six months. It is often mysterious and goes undiagnosed, but can stem from injury, illness, surgical complications, or can be an inherited condition. Because it is a condition that is invisible, pain often goes without treatment or validation. The chronic pain experience is not just about the physical sensations, but also has serious emotional and social implications.
Finding good information and meaningful dialogue about chronic pain can be challenging. Many of the resources out there are very clinical, too general, or are written from outside the pain experience. There are few voices by folks with chronic pain about their struggles and how they keep living as full a life as possible. This zine attempts to begin to fill the empty space with a diversity of voices telling their stories. We hope that by publishing these essays people will feel a greater sense of permission to speak out. Further, we hope to create more community for those with chronic pain and their allies.
This zine is a collection of 7 essays about chronic pain and caregiving. Issue one contains essays on identity, invisibility, capitalism, bravery and hopefulness as they relate to the experience of chronic pain. Additional essays on caregiving and care in activist communities.
Beautiful two color hand silk screened covers. 48 pages, 1/2 letter sized. Published in Aug. 2008.
Available at my etsy shop: nevertwice.etsy.com
Here’s a peek at the screen printed cover of the first issue of our (almost finished) chronic pain zine! Printed by Claire, Katie, Jeremy and Meredith. Cover design by Henry Rodriguez: www.tattoosbyhenry.com
Claire and I are madly working to finish up the first issue of our Chronic Pain Zine. We’ll have a table at the Portland Zine Symposium - Aug 23rd and 24th at Portland State University. Come and visit us there and get your copy first, fresh off the presses. I’ll post a sneak peek soon!
I’ve started an Etsy Shop for small vintage collectibles and craft notions. I just listed my first batch of things today!
One of the paintings from my show at Infinity Mercantile in Eugene, Oregon.
My painting and poetry broadside show opens tomorrow at Infinity Mercantile in Eugene, Oregon. They printed this picture of my painting ‘House on 8th’ in the Eugene Weekly. Nice, but click on the picture to enlarge and check out that text… Meredith ButLer-ed again!
Please take part in my yet-to-be named Chronic Pain Zine project. I am looking for anyone interested in submitting writing or easy-to-reproduce visual art/comics on the subject and experience of Chronic Pain.
Personally, I’m not as interested in pain management (drugs, therapies, treatments) as in the social and emotional aspects of living with chronic pain. I want to hear about the way persistent pain impacts people’s lives, relationships, and the way that they inhabit their bodies and communities. How has the pain experience informed how you identify yourself, how you feel about your body, and how you ask for help? In what way has pain pushed you toward change? Ideally this zine will be about support, sharing, and respecting what we’ve been through with pain. Below are some ideas I’ve brainstormed for pieces… anyone want to run with any of these topics?
- Asking for help in a Do-It-Yourself community
- Body Image / Identity and Chronic Pain
- Sex and Chronic Pain
- Chronic Pain and Introspection / Change
- Relationships and Chronic Pain
- Creativity and Chronic Pain
- Mental Health / Depression and the Pain Experience
- The Invisibility of Pain
- Upbringing / How were you raised to approach pain?
- Book Reviews / Chronic Pain Reading Guide
- Your ideas go here….
Additionally: are you a punk rock health care practitioner - or - a partner to a person in pain? What ideas and stories about care giving and support do you have to share?
This project and its time line are just taking shape but I’d love to hear from interested participants ASAP, and have set a July 1st deadline for pieces. Please repost, tell your friends, and pass this far and wide. Leave a comment if you have questions, or submissions.
Take care, and Thanks!