Editor's letter By
SAmantha
Langsdale
Dear GEEKS, Welcome to Issue 2, ‘My Alternative Valentine’. We’ve chosen this particular theme not because we dislike or discount traditional Valentine’s Day celebrations, but because we’re bored with the same old, pre-packaged ‘ucky love stuff ’. When we announced our plans for this issue at the magazine’s launch, we got the overwhelming impression that a lot of you are pretty bored with this stuff too. Thus, we set out to find pieces that not only explored love and relationships in unconventional ways, but which also took alternative approaches to art, culture and gender more generally. As the submissions began to roll in, Sofia and I found that we had received exactly what we asked for. With each essay, column, or illustration we got, Sofia and I watched in amazement as the issue began to take a shape we could not have predicted. We joked that the subtitle of this issue would be, ‘It’s Not What You Expect’ because every submission inspired either myself or Sof to declare: ‘that’s not what I was expecting’. One of our most genuine desires for GEEKED is to create a platform that truly enables women and men to explore urban living in their own unique ways. This issue is more representative of that mission than any of our work previously. In this ‘zine you will find myriad perspectives, some of which I found myself disagreeing with, but that I considered valuable and valid, nevertheless. Sofia too found pieces that did not speak directly to her own experiences. We have chosen to print this veritable rainbow of expressions because ultimately, GEEKED is about more than Sofia and myself; we adamantly believe that this magazine belongs not just to us, but to all of us. So here it is, our ‘Alternative Valentine’ to you, Issue 2. We hope you enjoy it and within its pages, we hope you can feel the (geeky) love. Enjoy, Sam xxx
FEATURES EDITOR’S LETTER _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ TRAVEL Backpacking For Love_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ COVER - My Alternative Valentine Alternative Weddings_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Are We a Mixed Race Couple?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Why Are Relationships So Annoying? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Table For Three _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The Best Way To Mark Valentine’s Day: One Billion Rising _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ A WORD FROM THE Y Fishing In The Thames _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ART Virginia Garramone’s Cameraless Photography _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ‘Shooting’ Star Photographer: Eleanor Bennett_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FASHION London Fashion Feature: Tatty Devine _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Up and Comer: Empiyah Clothing _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Street Fashion: Gallery Goers _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FILM Carrie: A Film by Kimberley Peirce_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ PERFORMING ARTS Testosterone & Stand-Up Female Comedians _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Reflections On Julius Caesar _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ MUSIC The Casual Sexists _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Who Run The World, Girls? An Interview With Gigi Golderro _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FLASH FICTION Towards A Cultural History Of The Typotype_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ GRAPHIC NOVELS The Sea Of Love _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Peace and Jaffa Cakes: An Interview With Manga Artist Asia al-Fasi _ _ _ _ Yaoi Manga: Queering Normative Romance _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ A Foreign Species - Part 2_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FEMINIST CITY Rockalily Cuts_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FOOD Intolerant Bitch_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Recipe: Vegan Film Night Dinner _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Recipe: GEEKED Blondies _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Recipe: Smokin’ Hot Valentine’s Chili _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ CONTRIBUTORS BIOS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
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Backpacking for LOVE text and photography by Mark Evans Additional photogragy by Assa nguyen
It was never going to be all flowers and love-hearts. Ours wasn’t a relationship that was expected to last. If you could wrap it up in cellophane and flip it upside down you’d find an expiry date stamped on its ass. The problem was that she was a feisty Sydney-sider from Oz, here on a working VISA, while I was a secluded writer from London, ignorant of love and feeling. What’s more, I’d already done my fair share of travelling and that included the use of my one- time VISA down-under. We had no future and like the Twilight Saga topping the box-office, we were something that should never have happened. But we did happen and against all the odds we were still happening when her time in this united kingdom was up. Our shelf-life was expended and there was, naturally, only one thing left to do... get hitched. There was just one problem; neither of us believed in marriage. We found ourselves standing at the airport, our hearts beating like drums. A parting farewell kiss amid streams of tears was, well, it was never really on the cards. For a start we weren’t parting. (...)
05
Are we a mixed race couple?
text by Samantha Langsdale illustration by Mickey Elliot
When my partner and I first got together, we found ourselves being
stared at by passersby as we walked hand-in-hand through the streets. We joked that the reason for the stares was because we were so good looking as a couple. It took a little while for the reality of the situation to sink in, but eventually we began to suspect that the stares we elicited—a very regular occurrence, indeed—were for reasons other than awe or adoration. One sunny afternoon, after a lazy pint or two, I felt the familiar gaze of a stranger on my partner and I as we sat in the grass outside the pub.
‘Do you think people stare at us because they think we’re a mixed race couple?’ my partner asked me. ‘Are we a mixed race couple?’ I replied. ‘I have no idea’ he said, his face conveying the same mixture of revelation and confusion I felt spreading through my own thoughts. What does it mean to be a mixed race couple? And are we one? These questions dominated our conversations for weeks whilst we attempted to map out where ‘we’ stood in relation to ‘normal’ couples. It seemed so odd to have to reposition ourselves on the spectrum of ‘normal’ (and therefore, invisible) because it simply hadn’t occurred to us that we weren’t two of a kind. It was tempting, for a while, to conclude that we had made it up, we were simply imagining the stares. But then the ever-increasing awkward conversations forced us to acknowledge the situation fully and we began to reorient ourselves amidst the world’s lovers. (...)
07
08
There has been much written about how dreary Valentine’s Day can be
if you’re not in a couple. On 14th February every year you will notice that pretty much every option for a romantic night out is geared up for pairs of people. Well, to be perfectly honest, you’ll probably only notice this if you’re not one of two! Two - no more, no less. Just as society has a bit of a problem with anyone who actually wants to remain single, they can’t quite get their heads around why anyone would want to share either. Those of us who are polyamorous may have any number of people they’d love to spend Valentine’s Day evening with but, if the number in our group isn’t divisible by two, making a booking for this particular date can be rather tricksome. Is this because the monogamous majority simply don’t understand how we could possibly love more than one person at the same time? Yes, proper romantic love. The type of love where you’re bowled over with passion at the start and then, after a while, you just couldn’t imagine life without them. To help explain, GEEKED Magazine has enlisted the help of polyamorous friends Amanda Jones and Lori Smith. (...)
09
Virginia Garramone's Cameraless Photography
When I was seven years old, I made a handprint in art class. The pro-
cedure was easy. You pressed your hand into wet clay, etched your name and age underneath the impression and let it dry. I brought mine home and gave it to my mother as a gift. Some twenty-odd years have gone by, and it still has a place on the mantel in my parents' house. When I look at it now I've been known to try and fit my own, grown hand into the mold. It is hard to believe I was ever that small. But there it is, cast in clay, proof that I once owned those tiny hands. I love the simplicity of this kind of artwork, the way it acts as a simplified portrait, preserving an impression of someone at a specific moment in time. (...) 10
THE BEST WAY TO MARK VALENTINE’S DAY:
ONE BILLION RISING
BY GEORGIA BUTLER
It’s been hard to escape the incessant, almost daily coverage
of violent and horrific acts against women and girls over the last few months. From the high-profile cases like the brutal gang rape and murder of a Delhi student in December last year, or the shooting of Malala Yousafzai, to the online Everyday Sexism movement (which has caught the public imagination by documenting women’s day-to-day experiences of sexism), or the routine arrests for domestic violence and sexual assault we read about in our local papers, it feels to me like there has never been a time since my birth where violence against women has been so high profile. One could argue that this is a positive thing, that the hours of news coverage, inches of print column and millions of blog posts are adding up to show that finally, every day men and women are suitably outraged and saying, ‘enough is enough’. (...)
11
Fishing in the Thames text by Charlie Higgs illustration by Patrick Wray
This time last year I was falling in Love. I was quietly and unconfident-
ly becoming wholeheartedly trusting of another person. To cut things a little short, she just so happened to live in Germany, which was both brilliant and catastrophically complicated. But I mention this as just an illustration of my point-to-come. It was a series of events that simply began to change my life, and left me with the feeling that I could open myself up to the world. Around June 2011, I quit on my life as I knew it and left behind my sporting career, which had meant so much, in order to continue writing. I threw in the towel and decided to follow what my body seemed to be urging me towards. The whole move felt right, not only did it mean I could escape the horrifying reality of living with my parents again (love you mum); it was also a way to gain my independence and a hopeful grasp upon the slippery handlebars of life. Leaving my old life behind wasn’t as tough as I’d expected, but knowing what to do next was worse. The three months I spent living back with my folks forced me to stumble across the idea that without direction, you just need a nose. You need a nose for opportunity. With this thought in mind, I moved to London and into a new job and an almost entirely new life. It was the first step in a process that at the time I was oblivious to. (...)
13
14
n o i sh a F n
: e r tu a e F
tatty devine o
d n o L
er
e
G by
ia
g or
tl Bu
You've probably seen their pieces here and there, everywhere, on the
necks of trendy and slightly off-the-wall celebrities or neon-hipster types on the tube. Their jewellery is fun, loud, individual and in-demand. The British jewellery duo Rosie Wolfenden and Harriet Vine a.k.a Tatty Devine have been hitting the news a lot recently, and gone from well established, if still culty and niche London respectability, to full blown royal endorsement (they just received MBEs for Services to Fashion in the Queen’s New Years Honours List). (...)
Fashion
Up
and
Comer:
Empiyah Clothing By
Emma
Wallace
and
Selma
Ahmed
It all started as we sat on the steps outside our university, SOAS, the
School of Oriental and African Studies, discussing how we were so lucky to have been exposed to such diverse cultures from all across the world. Emma studied History of the Middle East, South Asia and Africa, and I studied Islamic art and architecture. We both have an innate entrepreneurial spirit and a love for high quality street wear, so that combined with the inspiration from the places we travelled to, the people we met and our love for hip hop, enabled us to come together to create Empiyah Clothing - A brand with an aim to create conceptually striking and culturally empowering designs on fresh apparel. (...) 16
Testosterone & Stand-Up Female Comedians by Rosie Wilby illustration by Victoria Lacroix
We often hear about the ‘testosterone-packed’ atmosphere of stand-
up comedy being one reason less women are drawn to it as a profession. Yet, we forget that women have testosterone too, albeit at a lower level. A recent article in Wired highlighted the research of neuroscientist, and former Wall Street trader, John Coates, linking high levels of the hormone to risk-taking behaviour, and ultimately financial market crashes. It started me wondering if biology might determine why some of us are more ‘turned on’ by the risky business of baring all to an audience. Although most comedians will tell you that dying onstage isn’t so bad in the grand scheme of things, most non-comedians I meet say ‘you must be so brave’ and can’t think of anything worse. So it must take something to have the ‘balls’ to get up there. (...) 18
REFLECTIONS ON JULIUS CAESAR BY ANNA MALZY
Cush Jumbo (Mark Antony). Photo by Helen Maybanks.
One of the reasons that I frequently bankrupt myself by going to the the-
atre all the time is because I find the live experience absolutely thrilling. Anything can happen. Will someone forget their lines? Will the scenery fall to bits? Will the murder victim fall asleep on stage and start snoring? I have witnessed all three. What I also love about the theatre is its ability to shock and to make us confront that which we find uncomfortable or difficult. Theatre at its best is playful and confrontational. Also theatre is, and has always been, political. Most famously Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed encouraged social and political change, trying to create a space where alternative realities and modes of being could be explored. (...)
 19
casual sexists
the
20
photograph
y
by
text
corey torpie
by varrick and ed
zed
IF on Valentine’s Day 2004 anyone had told the future members of The Casual Sexists – then an ocean apart and each in a failing relationship – that we would be married by year’s end, we would have chortled heartily into their faces. And then chortled some more. And yet, here we are. 21 (...)
Peace and Jaffa Cakes : an Interview with Manga Artist
Asia al- Fasi by Adam Benkato
Asia al-Fasi isn’t your big sister’s manga artist. Born in Libya, raised
in Scotland, she grapples with the issues, excitement, and confusion of coming of age in a new culture and country (a narrative all too familiar to Libyans around the globe, in fact) through the medium of manga. Although her style is visually indebted to Japanese manga, that’s where the resemblance stops. She introduces elements from Arab and Islamic culture (even weaving in some Arabic text at times), with characters ranging from a trickster of Arab folklore; to a young injustice-fighting Muslim boy; to a semi-autobiographical Muslim girl balancing Libyan and Scottish cultures. It’s stunning, colorful, and totally poignant in a country dealing with an influx of cultures from around the world. (...)
24
Interview and Editorial by Samantha Langsdale
I was born and raised in the southern United States. Whilst I hate to add
to any existing stereotypes you might have of ‘southerners’, I will say that having ‘done-up’ hair has always been, and will always be a necessity for me as a southern woman (even if I am now transplanted). As a result, I began, at an early age, to develop many beautiful relationships with professional colorists and stylists. Each time I moved, one of my first orders of business was to find that special lady who would be able to paint my dreams and my tresses magnificent new colors. Surprisingly then, I have been without a salon of choice here in London, even in spite of my many years of residence. But one day recently, the Twitter gods sent down a ‘People You Should Follow Email’ and Rockalily Cuts be-bopped into my life! Owned by the impeccably styled ReeRee Rockette, Rockalily Cuts specializes ‘in retro, rockabilly, vintage and alternative hair (although of course everyone is welcome!)’. The salon is located in hippest Hoxton and features vintage dressers and mirrors; pinup galleries of Marilyn and Bettie; Buddy Holly crooning tunes; and stylists with hairstyles so fly you wish you could purchase them right off their scalps. When I walked in for my ‘investigative journalism’ appointment (i.e., to get my hair colored and cut), I was greeted by ReeRee herself, who offered me ‘tea, coffee, diet coke, water or a beer’. I, like any sane person, took a beer which was served on a vintage tea cup saucer. (...)
Before
After
25
INTOLERANT BITCH by Sofia Hericson illustration by Rosa Middleton
Intolerant Bitch – Excuse me, Hi yeah uhhh… Does this have wheat? Waitress - What? IB – Wheat? Is it made with wheat? W – I don’t understand what you are asking… IB – Does it have wheat flour in it? Because I’m intolerant to wheat and if it does I can’t have it. W – I don’t know but you can try it and see (She grabs a piece of the food and hands it over). IB – Well I really can’t because if it does have wheat in it I’ll be ill. W – Then I don’t know (storms off and throws the piece of food away) IB – Errr… OK… Thanks…
Yes, this really happened to me. Two years ago I started developing some pretty gnarly reactions to food. I had no idea what was causing it but these reactions seemed to happen more and more often after I ate yogurts. OK, I thought, maybe I was becoming intolerant to lactose. I decided to consult my GP before reducing foods from my diet. Turns out, there’s no such thing as a Lactose Intolerance Test, (even though I read on the NHS website that there are a few), but anyway, the GP assured me that the only way to find out for sure was to carry out an exclusion diet for six weeks. For six weeks I avoided ingesting even a single trace of dairy and to be honest, I felt great! Then came the reintroduction period. It didn’t take me long to realize that lactose was the problem. One tablespoon of yogurt and there I was screaming holy murder with excruciating abdominal pain! That’s it, I decided: NO MORE DAIRY! That means no chocolate, no cheese, NO BUTTER (Oh my, how can I possibly survive without butter?). (...) 27
Vegan Film Night Dinner recipe by Sofia Hericson illustration by Nikki Miles
GEEKED Blondies recipe by Anna Malzy illustration by Nikki Miles
Smokin’ Hot Valentines Chili Recipe I love making chili on the stall and for friends, as you can dump a shed load
of love in that pan! It’s totally delicious and as Valentine’s is a day of sensuality, with this recipe you’ll definitely have the taste-base covered. There are layers of flavour in this rich chilli, with the tingle of heat from the cayenne pepper and smoothness from the cocoa; it feels a little bit decadent! Chili is a great dish to play around with flavours and spices, so get those buds working and feel free to change the levels of ingredients according to your personal taste, and that of your dinner partner. (...)
WHO WE ARE Editor and Art Director Sofia Hericson Editor and PR Samantha Langsdale
SUBMIT your work For submissions please email us at: submissions@geekedmagazine.com
Contact us info@geekedmagazine.com advertising@geekedmagazine.com
f /geekedmagazine t @geekedmagazine & /geekedmagazine DONATE If you would like to help us by contributing towards production and printing of future issues, please donate through our PayPal account: www.geekedmagazine.com/supportus.html
STAY TUNED www.geekedmagazine.com (website) www.wegeekedthis.com (blog) www.issuu.com/geekedmagazine (online versions of issue 1 and Mini Mag) GEEKED is published by Geeked Ltd in London, UK
ISSN 2052-0786
COVER ILLUSTRATION BY SKY NASH Š Copyright 2013 GEEKED Ltd and the individual contributors Disclaimer: GEEKED Magazine contains strictly opinion-based information. The content of the magazine is fact-checked to the best of our abilities.
Contributors - for Issue Two-
Enrico Ariis is the pen name of Gino Koltz, a 35 years old designer who was born in Italy, studied architecture in London and currently works in this same city. He collaborated with several alternative publications and also produces a self-published comic book called “OUT!”. You can check samples of his work here: http://ariiscomics.weebly.com Contact: ariiscomics@yahoo.com
Mark D. Evans and Assa Nguyen Mark D.Evans is an author with short stories available from Amazon and debut novel “No Shelter from Darkness” coming this spring (published by Booktrope). He lives in London, the other side of the world to Assa Nguyen, his beautiful Australian girlfriend of Vietnamese descent. They’re planning to move to a country foreign to both of them as soon as they can, until then they Skype... a lot. Find out more about Mark at markdevans.com
Lily-Rose Beardshaw Studied Illustration at the University of Gloucestershire and Bande-Dessinee at the Institut StLuc in Brussels. Her work can be found in comics anthologies Sing, Unicorn. Dance!; Parallel Lives; Eat Me!; Science Fiction: Octuple Feature and in the illustrated indie feminist ‘zine What’s The Time Mrs. Woolf? http://www.lilyrosebea.tumblr.com/
Virginia Garramone is a native of Chicago, currently living and working in London. She studied photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design and Sotheby’s Institute, London. She can be contacted via: virginia.garramone@gmail.com
Adam Benkato is a Libyan/American living in London. When not fuming at American politics, running around Libyan revolutions, or distracted by completely unrelated side projects, he is a PhD student of languages and religions at SOAS. His contributions to GEEKED are inspired by the histories of the incredible women around him. Georgia Butler is an atypical Essex girl, who’s lived on and off in London for the last six years. Currently juggling a masters in religion and gender with working for a soulless corporation, she loves tattoos, music involving loud noises and incoherent screaming and expressing embittered cynicism. Laura Crosby Short story writer, music video pretender, believer that tea and cake make everything better, snorts when laughing, interested in the abnormal, architecture admirer, film lover and critic, coo’s at pigeons, pretends to fly at discos, obsessed with all things vintage and cracking, wants to be a superhero, absolute fool. Twitter: @ontheceiling Email: laura@geekedmagazine.com Mickey Elliott I am an analyst by day, a designer and illustrator by night, and the two make surprisingly good bedfellows. I believe some of the most functional design is the most beautiful. I enjoy eating my dessert first, excitement, adventure and really wild things. Come and take a peek! www.geekarilla.com/design @mrs_elliott Empiyah founders, Emma and Selma, both graduated from SOAS in 2011, with degrees in the history of the Middle East and Africa and the regions’ arts. Alongside running Empiyah, the girls are also working: Emma as a social media journalist and Selma as an art director in advertising.
Gigi Golderro taught herself to play the drums from the age of 11. At 19 she signed to Rough Trade Records with her previous band Wilder who she left in the summer of 2011. She then went on to play for Willy Moon, signed to Island records, and is currently touring the UK, Europe, America and Asia. Victoria Gray is a 23 year old writer from London. Having recently graduated and now trying to ‘make it’ in the big city through unpaid internships, she now largely relates to the cast of ‘Girls’. Writing and reading about feminism is something that really inspires her to persevere, and one day you might see her name up there ... in print. Sofia Hericson (Editor / Art Director) is a multi-media artist based in London. She works as a Visual Merchandiser and Graphic Designer at one of the coolest bookshops in the world! Her favourite colour is orange. www.sofiahericson.com Contact her at sofia@geekedmagazine.com Charlie Higgs, the most tea-loving bass player in all of North London has been a passionate cinema-goer for many years, and has excessively re-watched Mary Poppins since childhood. Inspired by tea and thunderstorms, he not only writes about the motion picture world, but also about the world in a broader sense, in an attempt to understand life. Ruby Ingley is a part-time singer, part-time writer residing in Bristol. She became interested in music journalism and reviews when she began attending gigs at her local venue. She’s previously written for various online magazines such as the music and politics inspired Green Wedge magazine, and Sick Chirpse magazine.
Amanda Jones describes herself as a ‘social entrepreneur, media whore, and PR/comms kitten’. She has featured in the The Guardian, Cosmo, The Telegraph, Radio 4’s ‘Woman’s Hour’ and Channel 4’s ‘4thought.tv’. She runs Irreverent Dance, a body-positive LGBTQ-friendly dance studio, and is training to run The London Marathon for sex! (well, for the Family Planning Association..!) On Twitter she is @Manda_Jones. Victoria Lacroix is a designer & illustrator. She has been trained and graduated from an art school in Paris. After lots of traveling, she came to London and instantly fell in love with the creative energy of the city. You can get in touch and have a look on her work on www. be.net/victorialacroix Samantha Langsdale (Editor / PR) is in the writing-up stages of her PhD at SOAS, in London. Though she hails from the southern US, she is a long-time resident of the Big Smoke. Sam is a fierce feminist, loves profanity, and is constantly trying to convince her partner to have, ‘just one more pint’. Contact her at samantha@geekedmagazine.com Anna Mae’s was born out of a recession, a daydream & two people’s shared love for street food. After a lifetime of eating, years of talking and months of traveling through the States Tony & Anna quit their office jobs and founded Anna Mae’s, serving up food inspired by the Deep South. www. anna-maes.com Lauren Maier is a super-heroine who moonlights as an average mortal to make ends meet. When she’s not saving graphic novels in distress from eternal loneliness in bookstores, she works as a theatre electrician in Washington DC and bones up on her mastery of all things geek. She was probably a jack rabbit in her past life. Anna Malzy is on a Masters in Gender, Media and Culture, which is finally allowing her to pursue her passion for looking at how gender is perceived and created within society, particularly on the stage. She is a Shakespeare nut, is happiest by the sea and wants a pet tortoise. Rosa Middleton is a cartoonist and illustrator who focuses mainly on producing single page narratives- pictures that tell multiple stories. View their online portfolio at www.rosamiddleton.com Nikki Miles is an Illustrator currently working from the outskirts of London. Her style is playful and inventive and is often inspired by her own childhood memories. Her recent works show her experimenting with collage, paints, crayon and typography. Most days she can be found in her studio working away, painting and making things. Website - http://www.nikkimiles.co.uk/ Blog - http://nikkimilesillustration.blogspot.co.uk/ Facebook - /nikkimiles.illustrator
Sky Nash I’m a London based illustrator, I make books and tell stories. I have a degree in Book Arts and Design. I like to observe the world around me and then retell it in my own strange way. I am also interested in drawing whimsical madness and monsters. Website: www.skynash.co.uk Twitter: @skynash Gavin Read is a London-based artist and bookseller. He generally hangs out at: www.axisofornament.wordpress.com and on Twitter: @axisofornament Nuno Rocha is your typical fixes-stuff-guy, at work and at home. He designed GEEKED’s website to stop listening to Sofia moan and he spends most of his weekends watching F1 or playing F1 on his Playstation 3. Beth Slater studied Journalism and Creative Writing at UEL and then Comic Book Art at UAL. After abandoning her life as an East-End barmaid, she is currently developing her portfolio and website. She spends weekends wearing Lycra at comic conventions. Her heroes are Jim Lee, David Attenborough and Dead-Eye Duck. Email: ciderbat@hotmail. co.uk Lori Smith is an online writer who specialises in sex/relationships and fashion (specifically vintage and lingerie). In 2012, she was a finalist in the Writer category at the Erotic Awards. She blogs regularly at Rarely Wears Lipstick, and can often be found ranting as @lipsticklori on Twitter. Ilse Toro Name is Ilse, that is; i - l - s- e. It’s German, but I’m not German. I am a 22 years young, Mexican-American Mutt. I dislike having to turn down the volume of my brain just so I could “function” in society. Honestly, it takes a lot of damn courage to have an opinion, but it takes even more courage to accept people with opinions. Talking realistically. Contact her at: ilsein1995@gmail.com Rosie Wilby Comedian Rosie Wilby was a Funny Women Finalist 2006 and has taken 4 solo shows to Edinburgh Fringe, including 2009’s award winning The Science Of Sex. She has appeared on Radio 4 Loose Ends, Midweek and Woman’s Hour and performed at Latitude, Green Man and Glastonbury festivals. www.rosiewilby.com @rosiewilby Patrick Wray is an artist/illustrator based in London. Patrick was born in the North of England. He later attended many parties at Dartington College of Art over a three year period. He is a world authority on the subject of eighties pop. You can find out more about his work at http://www. patrickwray.com Varrick and Ed Zed are a transatlantic Brooklyn-based couple who, as The Casual Sexists, fashion pop songs out of disillusionment, over-sexed politicians and household junk.
“Perhaps we are in this world to search for love, find it and lose it, again and again. With each love, we are born anew, and with each love that ends we collect a new wound. I am covered with proud scars.� - Isabel Allende