SPICY

01/28/2019

SPICY ZINE FUNDRAISER

today, SPICY is launching a fundraiser to elevate our current efforts in decolonizing the media through publishing, events, and art. as you already know, this past year we’ve published over 60 articles, organized over a dozen events, and most importantly we’ve collaborated with a ton of WOC + QTPOC artists/business owners/writers/DJs to continue disrupting the white-dominated media landscape. and all of this has truly been a labor of love. we’ve poured our hearts and minds into these various projects, and we’ve often had to come out of pocket to make it happen. but while we all have other day jobs, SPICY has always been our real passion project, our 5-9.

as we approach our one-year anniversary event and launch of our first print publication (‼️) we’re realizing that it’s time to ask for help if we want to continue maintaining this platform as an offering to our community that you’ve come to know and love. we believe in healing through storytelling, and holding space for that transformative work, and those moments of growth and reflection (URL & IRL) are the reasons why we continue doing what we do.

without funding, we won't be able to:
- continue documenting our stories online. some of us lack connection to our own ancestry and this work of archiving our voices is extremely necessary and close to our hearts. SPICY isn't only for us, but for generations to come.
- create the IRL experiences our community deserves. this year we help open mics, panels, parties, markets, clothing swaps and more - but this year we want to do EVEN MORE.
- fund our print publications. we’ve always archived our work online, but we want to be able to share physical copies of our art and hearts with you all, and by you all. this has always been our goal, and with your support and creativity we can continue making it a reality.

and if you can’t donate, you can still help. make some noise about our fundraiser, visit our site, submit your work to our online zine, or just hit us up! we are looking forward to growing with you all and waging love for what we believe in

Help elevate our current efforts in decolonizing the media through art, events, and publishing. | Check out 'SPICY ZINE FUNDRAISER' on Indiegogo.

11/29/2018

got the amazing opportunity to speak to students at Barnard College today about how SPICY theorizes activism through publishing, art, space making & organizing !!!!! TY TY to Kimberly Springer for helping make it happen, and all the students that asked hella thoughtful questions. call us anytime you want to decolonize your PWI for a lil 🤪📚🖇

10/17/2018

THIS SATURDAY! pull up to Cherry Tree Bar 65 for an afternoon of unlearning and decolonizing at our first installment of UNPACK THAT, our SPICY new panel series. for our first two panes, we’ll be exploring racism and prejudice in LGBTQ+ communities and the ins and outs of sustainable fashion. see you there ❣️🎒

10/09/2018

PRINT ZINE: VISUAL SUBMISSIONS

📢 CALLING ALL VISUAL ARTISTS 🗣 for our one-year anniversary print zine, we’ll be exploring the ideas of unlearning and reimagination from the perspectives of women of color and queer & trans people of color. submit your visual work (photos, graphics, illustrations, etc.) to us by 11/15 and see your work in our first-ever print zine 💗🌶

THEME = UNLEARNING We will explore unlearning and reimagining from the perspective of WOC + QTPOC in our first print zine. We are taking visual submissions (photos, graphics, illustrations, etc.) until 11/15/18. All images should be 300 dpi (resolution), preferably in CMYK. XOXXOXO, SPICY Team

08/20/2018

Shades of Spring

Don't forget to check out "Shades of Spring," by our recent contributor Charley Beatrice Baker!

“Shades of Spring,” is a reflection of their thoughts as the cold New England winter melts into a spring filled with rebirth."

Charley Beatrice Baker is a queer, mixed-race Jewish artist who finds strength through their journey and immutable identities. Charley is a rising high school senior who loves psychedelic music, th…

08/07/2018

come out this saturday and join us in supporting and uplifting H.O.L.L.A. (How Our Lives Link Altogether) at their 6th annual H.O.L.L.A. Day! this is the chance to get out, get to know one another, and support an awesome initiative. if you’d like to help in any way please let us know!

07/01/2018

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR MAKING OUR SUMMER SOLSTICE PARTY SUCH AN AMAZING EVENT!!! LOVE YOU ALL!!!

06/26/2018

Summer Solstice Party

SURPRISE LOVES! In celebration of Pride we are giving out FREE TIX to the party for ONLY the next 24 hrs!! using this Eventbrite link, enter in the promo code: PRIDE2018

WE LOVE U ALL AND WANT EVERYONE TO SHOW OUT 'N BE SWEATY WITH US

HEY SWEATIES, SUMMER IS HERE AND SO IS THE PARTY!SPICY, SISTASPIN, and FIVEBOI are bringing you the POC-to-the-front, NYC rooftop party you've always needed. come dance n drink under the summer sun with us all day on June 30th @ 2 pm. it's about time for boozy popsicles and booty shaking. bring your...

06/23/2018

Happening 11am - 7pm every Saturday + Sunday this summer! Support local, POC-owned businesses Bed-Stuy, BK y'all! See you there

Come out to The Meat Market today Bedstuy Flea, we're open til 7pm today and tomorrow!

Special S/O to our vendors this weekend:

Siammpatra
SiammaPatra helps women to feel fabulous and powerful with unique jewelry that provoke the art of style over market trends and for women to generate individualistic culture.
https://www.facebook.com/siammpatra/

Vibesetter Candle Co.
"WHAT IS VIBESETTER?!
Vibesetter was created when two indie artists from NYC thought of a trendy and creative way to fund their dreams. By creating candles and home decor heavily influenced by urban art, fashion, and music, Vibesetter is for the consumer who loves comfort, style and luxurious scents. With candle names like ""Miss Bonita Apple"" and ""Thicka Than a Snicka-Doo"" Vibesetter pays homage to the NYC Hip Hop culture."
https://www.facebook.com/vibesettercandleco

Tarot by Luke
https://www.facebook.com/luke.mannarino

Stefan Maier - handmade garments from German fashion designer now based in NYC
https://www.facebook.com/Stefan.maier122

KT Mitts - selling illustrated prints, vintage toys and homemade garments.
https://www.facebook.com/ktmitts

S/O to our media sponsor SPICY !!

Photos by Jeff Jacob & Kemba

The back yard garden opens next weekend, with more vendors, music, and summer vibes. Join us this summer!!!!

06/22/2018

Janelle Monae Invites Us In

Check out our newest piece - a beautiful discussion by Deria Matthews that explores the layers of Janelle Monae's Dirty Computer and the politics of freedom + visibility for QTPOC

A discussion on the performance of freedom.

06/20/2018

🌈 WAKE IT UP WEDNESDAY: PRIDE EDITION #2 🌈
✨
For this week’s WIUW, we want to open up the conversation about rainbow capitalism and the capitalist appropriation of Pride.
🌸
Rainbow capitalism, also known as pink capitalism, is used to refer to corporations’ targeted inclusion of LGBTQ+ communities as a way of profiting off their business—a currency colloquially known as the pink dollar. This leads companies to create products and ads geared towards LGBTQ+ people, especially around the month of Pride in June. The problem that almost always arises when corporations market Pride-centric products is that, in one form or another, the corporations participate in other problematic activities. Companies like H&M, Apple, Walmart, and Whole Foods—all corporations known for mistreating their workers both in the US and abroad—profit off the increased pink dollars earned during Pride month, meaning consumers—AKA us—inadvertently participate in an oppressive capitalist system by giving these companies their business. Additionally, corporations’ increasing presence at Pride parades and loud domination of the Pride narrative drown out marginalized voices that should be amplified throughout the month. This leads to the discourse surrounding the LGBTQ+ community at large being dictated rainbow-branded companies with little insight into LGBTQ+ life and little interest in helping them.
💸
On the other hand, it’s sometimes difficult for us who live in cities to picture what life is like for those who live in more rural and suburban areas, where local communities of LBGTQ+ people are often nonexistent. LGBTQ+ folx often tend to flock to cities, but for countless people in more rural areas, images of rainbow-branded products and companies and depictions of LGBTQ+ acceptance may be the only solace in their identity that they may have. Whether it be intolerance, hatred, or violence that they face at home, in public, or both, LGBTQ+ people in these situations may rely on the support shown by companies for the only validation they may possibly get.
👑
There’s a lot to be said for both sides, but we want to hear from you: what are YOUR thoughts on these issues?

05/08/2018

Their Hair

“Mainstream feminism has closed its chapter on body hair. I know this not only because of the long, dyed, or braided armpit hairs I usually see on white women, but because those same women shame me for shaving mine."
---
We interviewed seven WoC and QTPoC on their relationship with their own body hair. Check out our visual exploration below.

A visual exploration of body hair.

04/30/2018

A Conversation with Kate Dash

A Conversation with Kate Dash—Photographer, Creative, and Mother 🍼 by our very own Riya (IG: riya.xx)🥛🌹

Filipina photographer and young mother smashing stereotypes out of the Bay Area.

04/18/2018

Home

LESS THAN 24 HOURS LEFT OF OUR FLASH SALE! did you cop your shirt and free stickers yet?

Spicy Zine is a creative collective and online zine by and for WoC + QTPoC. We aim to use our platform to create, express, debate, learn, unlearn,...

04/17/2018

HEY HEY EVERYONE! We are having a 48-hour FLASH SALE for our SPICY Tees, which are now available for purchase ONLINE!! Buy a shirt in the next 48 hours, and we'll throw in our sticker bundle as a lil gift from us to you ❤ all the money from our sales will go right back into SPICY, for not only some dope events we want to host this summer, but for our physical zine coming soon. GET YOURS HERE: http://spicyzine.bigcartel.com/

04/17/2018

My Brown Love Life in the Young American Imagination

blown away by “My Brown Love Life in the Young American Imagination,” a gripping poem by our contributor Kim Morales 💐

This piece is written by Kim Morales, one of Spicy‘s Guest Contributors. Kim is a Latinx poet and writer born and raised in Brooklyn. I will learn how to smack the masa into sustenance, re-learn h…

04/16/2018

BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT CAME TO OUR CLOTHING SWAP ON SATURDAY WHEN THE SUN WAS STILL OUT AND SHINING ON NEW YORK. We were able to donate 5 big bags of clothes/shoes/accessories to Goodwill (Housing Works was closed) and on top of that we had THE MOST amazing time swapping, talking, drinking, and sittin' in the sun with you all. We can't wait to hold our next Clothing Swap

04/16/2018

DONT TALK TO ME: a poem

DON’T TALK TO ME: a poem by our lovely Riya Varma (IG: riya.xx) ☄️

he looked I glanced he took it fast I said go slow I told him no another drink I said I’ll go another drink I need to go I just can’t think long slow blinks a blur a stumble Unsure I fumble outside…

04/16/2018

Sasha Escareño Rosic is a fashion designer and stylist who uses art and fashion to subvert the gender binary. Peep their stunning photo essay on our site 🌹https://buff.ly/2ID4N5b

04/10/2018

HEY EVERYONE! DON’T FORGET TO BUY YOUR PRESALE TICKETS TO OUR CLOTHING SWAP THIS SATUDAY!

$5 AND YOU’LL LEAVE WITH A TON OF NEW FITS, WHILE ALSO SHOPPING ETHICALLY 🙂

SEE YOU THERE!

https://www.facebook.com/events/595268277484894/?ti=icl

04/07/2018

5 Health & Beauty Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar

The search for your next go-to "everything" product is over. Meet apple cider vinegar.

The search for your new go-to “everything” product is over.

04/06/2018

Dear White People

“Dear White People,

I wonder what it’s like to have so much free space in your brain. See, if you look at the brain like a CPU, you know how your computer or phone gets slower the more storage is on it? I wonder what it feels like to have the processing system of a white person.”
🖥
Vanessa Newman is a Brooklyn-based DJ, event producer, creative strategist, and writer. Read the rest of their letter here, and make sure to follow them on Instagram (@fiveboi) and check out their work at fiveboi.com.

Sincerely, A Tired Black Person

04/06/2018

SPICY Sounds: April ’18

our April SPICY SOUNDS is here for your listening pleasure! all WoC + QTPoC, all month long 🎧

SPICY SOUNDS is a monthly 25 track playlist highlighting WOC/QTPOC musicians across the globe. The playlist consists of current bops, classic jams, and diasporic beats. New playlists will drop on t…

03/28/2018

a sun/3 books/an orchard

a sun ☀️ 3 books 📚 an orchard 🌳 a poem by our lovely contributor Karishma Sonde 🌹

This poem is written by Kari Sonde, one of Spicy’s Guest Contributors. Kari is a writer based in New York and presses flowers for fun. blood is the original frank’s red hot the original…

03/27/2018

Miss Toto: Miami’s Gender-Bending Bodybuilder

👑 ALL HAIL MISS TOTO 👑 Miami’s favorite gender-bending, bodybuilding drag queen, captured by our lovely contributor Liz Bocanegra 🌹

Elizabeth Bocanegra illuminates the personal and intimate side of drag.

03/13/2018

Women Ran This Sh*t Before the British

Women ran this sh*t before the british - a poem by Spicy's own Riya Varma 🌹

Alright sis With your brown lips And your dark skin Your hair a black tint Stronger than rope Go get it, Rani They should’ve known a queen runs this sh*t Before they came uninvited Split up y…

03/13/2018

SPICY Presents: Yumi Yamsuan

Yumi Yamsuan is Lost In the Sauce. 🌶 by Vanessa Quintero

Meet Yumi Yamsuan, an NYC-based creative, sauce purveyor, and owner of Lost in the Sauce. We sat down and talked about her inspirations (which range from Gucci Mane to her dad, who she affectionate…

03/07/2018

Artist Profile: Sophia Michelle Martinez

Obsessed with these prints by Sophia Michelle Martinez, one of Spicy‘s Guest Contributors. Martinez is a body positive, Mexican artist who creates because she feels it is her destiny. See her art & learn more about her techniques!

These illustrations are submitted by Sophia Michelle Martinez, one of Spicy‘s Guest Contributors. Sophia Michelle Martinez is a Mexican artist who is plus size and body positive. She chooses to cre…

03/07/2018

Home — Museache

Thank you, thank you to Museache for this amazing and encouraging article about our launch party. If you weren't there, check it out - because Museache captured it perfectly

Melting pot for expression

03/04/2018

Girl Blues

Check out this poem written by Tanisha Priya Ahmed, one of Spicy‘s Guest Contributors. Tanisha is a spoken word poet, writer, and aspiring actress. Her dream is to travel the world and tell inspiring stories through her art and poetry.

This piece is a letter to her beloved Bangladeshi sisters.

This poem is written by Tanisha Priya Ahmed, one of Spicy’s Guest Contributors. Tanisha is an 18-year-old based in New Jersey and New York. Tanisha is a spoken word poet, writer, aspiring act…

03/04/2018

SPICY Sounds: March ’18

Introducing... SPICY SOUNDS! A monthly 25-track playlist highlighting WoC/QTPoC musicians. Our playlist consists of current bops, classic jams, and diasporic beats. New playlists dropping on the first of every month—THIS THE PLAYLIST YOU PAY YA RENT TO!

SPICY SOUNDS is a monthly 25 track playlist highlighting WOC/QTPOC musicians across the globe. The playlist consists of current bops, classic jams, and diasporic beats. New playlists will drop on t…

02/21/2018

What NYC’s Zine Culture Means for Marginalized Writers

What NYC’s Zine Culture Means for Marginalized Writers

‘I wanted to create an environment where women of color and queer/trans people of color can foster each other’s growth and creativity.’

02/19/2018

Unrequited Love in 3 Parts

Melania is a first generation American born and raised in the Lower East Side of New York City. Her multi-cultured upbringing inspires her to write about navigating the world as a native Spanish speaker of Afro-Dominican descent. Melania’s poetry explores many subjects, including her Afro-Latinx roots and culture, intersectional feminism, and self-love.

Check out her first creative writing piece for SPICY, 'Unrequited Love in 3 Parts.'

This piece is written by Melania-Luisa Marte, one of Spicy’s Guest Contributors. Melania is a first generation American born and raised in the Lower East Side of New York City. Her multi-cult…