“The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.”
~Albert Einstein

I do not share this sort of thing often here at Stainless Steel Droppings, but there are times when something comes along that you cannot help but share. The TalyaWren ‘Zine Project is one such thing. If you haven’t had the privilege of visiting the Omphaloskepsis website, you are missing out. “L” is a true kindred spirit. Her book and film reviews make me want to be a better writer and, unfortunately for her, often generate long rambling comments from me.

Last year “L” and her daughter “N” (do you feel like we are in an episode of Sesame Street?) created a marvelous little ‘zine as a ‘thank you’ gift for those who contributed to her fund-raising efforts to go on a German exchange program. I am always in the mood for supporting adventurous young people and was thrilled to help out and to receive last year’s ‘zine.

This year “L” and “N” decided to get others involved while at the same time making an impact in the lives of people in need. To that end I asked “L” to sit under the grilling interview lamp and answer a few questions about the latest TalyaWren ‘zine and what you can do to get your own copy…and perhaps win a cool prize in the bargain.

1. What is TalyaWren?

TalyaWren is a “Christmas Letter” gone awry. We, as a family, thought it would be fun to do a zine as a kind of creative outlet, filling pages with references to that year’s antics, sharing any sketches or stories or poems or exceptional Wii bowling scores. Then Natalya was presented with the opportunity to go to Berlin Germany on an exchange trip and the zine became something more. And it was given a name: the combining of “Natalya Lawren”.

We exist in a fairly humble state giving-wise—at least monetarily—and we like opportunities where we can contribute in other ways. This thinking led us to opening up the zine for those who wanted to support Natalya via artistic contributions. We got a really positive response to this. In turn, we felt not only encouraged but inspired, and it made the whole project more fun.

2. For those unfamiliar with the format, what is a ‘zine’ and what made you decide to go that route with this project?

This is the definition of a ‘zine’ concocted for our site:

A zine (zeen) is a self-published, ad-free collation of paper with original or appropriated text and images and little to no interest in profit. Also known as a fanzine, they often center around subjects/themes in which the creator is passionate. For example the spring 2012 edition of TalyaWren focuses in on Natalya’s interest in vocal and instrumental music, theater, and dance.

In general, definitions and impressions vary. What primarily separates the zine from a magazine is that the distribution is small, the production more of a home brew (which could mean anything from simple to really elaborate content/materials depending on skill and resource), and it is advertiser-free.

The predecessor to last year’s zine is a small 12-page zine we made for Natalya as an arts-and-crafts idea and it was fun. As writers, L and Natalya are much more at ease with words, so the text-side of the zine appealed. Sean is the artist and architect. His skills and interests also find an outlet with the zine so as a family project, it seemed like a good idea.

Choosing a zine as a thank-you card for donations made seemed like a really good idea from the get-go. It creates an opportunity to contribute in a personal way, and in turn, give someone something personal. It may taste stale if you try to eat it, and you could wrap gifts with it, if you want. I wouldn’t try to freeze and then bake it though. Regardless, it isn’t for sale. It is an elaborate card.

We started with basic letter-sized copy paper and half-letter height pages. We would build a page by hand (scissors, glue stick, markers, tape, etc) and then scan it in to InDesign. We do the majority of the building in the computer now, but L was cursing the stubbornness of paper and paste the other day trying to make paper strands of music curve (when you see it on the instrumental section page, know she is selling the idea of the art project, and not that particular outcome). Last year we did full-sized pages and in color and when it came time to bind them we had an insane idea to tape them together. That issue had a lot of content (we didn’t specify a theme) and we really just went crazy. This year’s is more restrained, but no less anticipated.

3. This is your second issue, what can folks expect from this year’s zine?

Um, awesomeness?

It will be smaller, 32 pages (including covers). This year we decided to set thematic parameters. Natalya chose the focus on her favorite arts: vocal, instrumental, dance, and theater.

Deanna (aka ibeeg) at “Polishing Mud Balls” has a daughter a year older than N. Last year we included some of Elliana’s illustrations and a book review. This year she is back with a short story. We put out this challenge to write something inspired by music or lyrics and she tackled both.

Many know Logan K Stewart of “Rememorandum,” too. Writing about music-oriented stuff can be hard and Logan can do it. I love his short stories and poems, but we were so lucky to have him review an album.

There are a few poems; some photographs by a dear friend of our family Juanita Martus; an essay; and a music quiz—which was way too much fun to create. We interviewed a costume designer and a sketch comedian. There is a short introduction to a choreographer of note, a book review…

And at the center (“Intermission”) is a section featuring a story of a survivor of sex trafficking courtesy of Door To Grace. We share some facts, try to debunk a few myths, and share a brief glimpse at what compels Door To Grace.

4. You and your daughter are using this to raise funds for a very special project, Door to Grace. Share with us what Door to Grace is and why it is a project that is on the heart of you and your daughter.

Door To Grace is a movement whose mission is to “restore life to rescued children.” They are based in Portland, Oregon which is a port city along the I-5 corridor from Mexico to Canada. This and other cultural factors contribute to an alarming number of children being trafficked in the region. The organization was formed in an effort to provide a resource for restorative care. Their interest is to provide homes with “services [that] address the child’s physical, emotional, intellectual, mental, and spiritual health, as well as providing life skills and leadership development training.” While they house female survivors, they are hoping to expand to provide greater aid to male survivors.

We used to live in Portland and one of our dear friends Tanya Stump has become Executive Director at Door To Grace. She brought the issue of the commercial exploitation of children to our attention. Further research/reading has been—difficult.

When we decided to do another zine and attach a fundraising aspect to it again, we listed many options for groups/causes we would like to support. Natalya chose this one. She is 1 month 3 weeks and a day short of 12. The average age for a boy entering prostitution or pornography is 11-13 years old; for girls (who account for the greater percentage of the sexually exploited) its 12-14. These are Natalya’s peers; especially when one considers that trafficking is no respecter of home-life, socio-economic status, geographic location, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.

In her “Letter from the Editor,” she writes, “I have chosen this program to donate to because I personally believe that nobody is paying enough attention to this horrible crime.” I do not give her details outside statistics, some of the tactics for “seasoning,” and the information you will find on our site and in the zine. She knows that children are being violated, and that offends her. In her awareness, she needs to know that people are doing something about this. Frankly, so do I. However, the awareness we seek to dispense is not only for the sake of those ignorant of the prevalence of child trafficking, but to generate an awareness for survivors, to let them know that there are people who care and can be entrusted to help them find rescue.

5. How can folks get involved in the fund raising for Door to Grace?

If people can share what we are doing, and/or tell people about Door To Grace, that would be a ginormous contribution alone. We know that human trafficking is a tough subject, worse when adding the word sex, and even worse when compounding both with the word child.

We have no monetary goals set, but of course we want Door To Grace to succeed in their goals to help as many children as they can and in all the ways they want to provide for them: so giving and giving generously would be nice. [Information on how you can get involved to follow]

6. Do you anticipate doing another zine soon? If so, when and in what ways can people get involved?

Good question. Time proved stingy this year, so it is a bit daunting at the moment to think of another project. A good response to the zine and the project would go a long way toward encouraging a third one. We would probably start up in the fall with a call for submissions, and make sure Miss Reynolds is on board to contribute something. I can’t imagine doing a zine without a cause attached so then in the spring 2013 there would be a request to share help raise more awareness and money.

Thank you so much, L.
_________________________________________

From Carl V:

I think it is all too easy to get caught up in the big, blustery things that demand our attention on a daily basis. It is also easy to believe the lie that our contribution, whatever it may be, is too small to make a difference. I don’t believe that. I’ve never believed that. I have always had a deep conviction of the impact that one person can have on another. When I see a “nearly” 12 year old girl take a passionate interest in others who are in need of help, that stirs me to want to participate, and to share this opportunity with others. And when it involves an aspect of creativity, it really is a no-brainer.

From now until midnight on June 12th, you can make a donation [minimum $10] to Door to Grace and receive a ‘thank you’ gift of the 2012 edition of TalyaWren, with work created by some of the people you’ve met and interacted with here at Stainless Steel Droppings. If you follow this link, it will explain how to give in honor of TalyaWren and how to inform L of your particulars for mailing out the 2012 Zine.

In addition, if you’ll let me know you’ve given by sending me an email to poegeek (at) gmail (dot) com, you will be entered into a drawing for at $25 gift card from the bookstore of your choice (provided said card can be purchased online). I will draw from the list of names gathered from your emails and will announce the winner via email and Twitter and Facebook on June 13th. I know a number of you have already posted about this or read posts about it, so if you’ve already donated on behalf of the TalyaWren Project, you are included in this drawing as well, just send me something in email to let me know.

I am thrilled to be able to give to this worthy cause, can’t wait to get this year’s issue of TalyaWren, and hope that I can give you, dear reader, a $25 gift card for you to go on a guilt-free book-buying binge!

In the comments section, feel free to share whatever is on your mind. However, if you have been involved in a fanzine project before, I’d love to hear about it.

Thanks again L and Natalya for this wonderful project.