The latest edition of So Fi Zine is out now! Edition #8, with guest editor Ruha Benjamin, was such a privilege to work on at the tail end of 2020. Inside are 22 creative pieces of fiction, poetry and visual art from authors all over the world. As always the zine is free to read online and there is a DIY print option. I am so glad that the zine is still going strong after 8 editions — please do share with anyone who also cares about creativity and storytelling in/as/for sociology.
I made the edition using a combination of analogue and digital collage. They are very different processes for me. With the digital work I am slower, more picky with found images and any manipulation I make, and it takes quite a while for the page to feel right even though I enjoy every second of the work. With the analogue collaging, I am much quicker. I have a decent bank of old magazines and tape and papercraft things after a few years of collecting now, and I think about the end result far less as I tear and glue and fold bits together. It’s much more intuitive. I also think the scanned analogue materials sing more on the screen, which still surprises me.
Working with Ruha, I themed this edition around a call for possibilities. Together the pieces do something really interesting with this call — there is a notable focus on the everyday, which she and I both reflect in in our editorials. I am so grateful for every submission the zine receives, and am really proud of the work of all the authors published in this (and every) edition.
Submissions for edition #9 will open in early 2021.