NOVEMBER 2025

h0ll0wzine

NOVEMBER 2025

DID YOU KNOW? THERE ARE HYPERLINKS ON EVERY PAGE OF THE ZINE! TAP THE PAGES TO FIND ARTISTS’ SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES & OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES.

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COVER PHOTO & PHOTO SPREADS

BY MAJESSTIQ

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents ........1

Poetry by @gelatojane

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Art by @wamblicodacreates

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Art by @majesstiq

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Art by @ophelialike

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Art by @placidpeanut

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New Music from Roe Knows Best

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Neurodivergent Media: Neurodivergent Stories, produced by George Muniz Gund and Xenia Rakovshik Autism Awareness, Barbering, and SensoryFriendly Grooming: MxClusive Interview with Jelly Robinson of the Sensory Society

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The COMFORT ZONE: Social Battery Management for Holidays

FR F RA AG GM M E E N N T T S S BY B Y @ @G G

ELLA E ATTO OJJA AN NEE

I avoi d eve ry mi rror becau se if I look c losely I’ll see enoug the gi h, rl I on to scr c e was, b eam, eggin g me to kill to run . , I’ll he ar the praye rs she and th whisp e pray ered w ers sh I’ll tas e utte hen I te the red w said y hen I es blood said n I’ll fee on m o. y han l the w ds an ater s d betw so I a urrou een m voide n d ing m d eve y teet y ry mi feet, a h. light o rror u s I sin f the m ntil th k. oon. ey sha now I ttered ’m sta in the ring i nto th I neve is frag r thou ment ght sh . there e’d le ave so at all. soon, if she was e ver

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A R T B Y W A M B L I C O DA

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You can’t change a person, You can change a pattern.

ART BY MAJESSTIQ

& changing patterns Is actually what matters, Cuz changing a pattern Can change a culture, & Changing a culture Means one day an autistic woman Might feel like People actually know her, Will not automatically dispose of her...

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That she can find the kind of kind people With whom she can get closer.

No, there’s no way

No, I don’t know how

to go back and fix it now,

she kept her composure

Those lonely years

With the weight of the world

are long gone and over…

on her shoulders..

I just know that Changing the culture Is the closest we can get

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to closure.

POETRY

&

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY

@OPHELIALIKE

how briefly I have loved. in the night filled parking lot how pivotal of you to be the first boy to pull words from my mouth affections should never be realized in the light of day and I should have known how we would end 5

when ours were witnessed by the sun, judged only by the dead - peering up from their graves. how briefly I have loved how briefly I have known how long I remember.

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ART BY @PLACIDPEANUT

“Misery is a Butterfly” Artist statement from Em Inserra (she/her): I work mostly with ink on paper. My drawings and poems circle around what it means to be conscious, to live inside a body that feels both mine yet “other.” I’m interested in the strange instinct of being alive, the subconscious and surrealism of dreams, the way feeling and thought blur until they’re the same thing.

“The Dream Report”

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I was born with a velvet antenna thin as nerves the hum of men's eyes match the pulse of the street lamp moths, drunk on the glow of my collarbone some say beauty is light I have learned it is also the electricity that burns through the net when the moths can't stop coming so l'll walk through the city's throat note the neon on the alley water the hiss of tires on asphalt, repeating you are wanted it starts to sounds like you are prey flesh and soil

MISERY IS A BUTTERFLY

the dream of a woman who can feel the moon's pulse

A POEM BY @PLACIDPEANUT

through the soles of her feet

sometimes I think I can hear the trees weeping beneath concrete their roots clutch at the earth's old bones the way I clutch at myself there are nights I dance in the wreckage barefoot on glass, and the glass becomes dew there are mornings I open my chest to the dawn let her crawl in her light tender as an apology for everything men have named after themselves salt of the sea's mouth vibration beneath the ground I am the ache that makes the world turn soft if misery is a butterfly then she sleeps behind my ribs wings trembling with hunger drinking the nectar of what's left after everyone's taken their sip she glows when I breathe when I close my eyes I see a mirror with wings

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you are the field the ruin grew from

ROM F C I S U NEW M WS BEST ROE KNO

CLICK THE TEXT OR IMAGES TO LISTEN TO THE ALBUM!

Attention Passengers!

Roe Knows Best's debut full-length album, Now Arriving...at Secaucus Junction, marks a defining moment for the indie/pop-punk artist as she wrestles with love, anxiety, rejection, addiction, nostalgia, and friendship across nine emotionally dynamic tracks. Written at different points in her life and recorded with Doug Gallo in New Jersey, the album showcases Roe's unmatched lyrical gifts and vocal prowess, blending pop-punk sentimentality with the raw emotional depth of a maturing songwriter. From the frantic energy of "Closure" to the tender vulnerability of "191 Bus," Roe seamlessly transforms her acoustic performances into full-band arrangements with stunning clarity, establishing herself as a serious artist worthy of recognition in the indie music scene, both in New Jersy and beyond!

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NEURODIVERGENT MEDIA CLICK THE TEXT OR IMAGES TO WATCH OR LISTEN!

NEURODIVERGENT STORIES, PRODUCED BY GEORGE MUNIZ GUND AND XENIA RAKOVSHIK, IS A SHORT DOCUMENTARY THAT HIGHLIGHTS PEOPLE'S INTERNAL EXPERIENCES WITH NEURODIVERGENCE, PARTICULARLY (MOSTLY LATE DIAGNOSED) AUTISM AND ADHD. WE SEE PLENTY OF NARRATIVES ON NEURODIVERGENCE FROM THE OUTSIDE NOWADAYS, BUT NOT NEARLY ENOUGH SHOWING THESE EXPERIENCES FROM THE INSIDE. THIS FILM AIMS TO CHANGE THAT.

ANGELICA 'JELLY' ROBINSON IS A PASSIONATE ADVOCATE FOR AUTISM AWARENESS AND HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT STRIDES IN THE FIELD OF HAIRSTYLING AND BARBERING, PARTICULARLY FOCUSING ON SENSORY-FRIENDLY GROOMING PRACTICES. IN HER CONVERSATION WITH HAIRITAGE SPORTS TALK, SHE SHARES HER INSIGHTS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF CREATING AN INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR INDIVIDUALS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM.

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WELCOME TO THE COMFORT ZONE, WHERE WE PROVIDE DISCUSSIONS AND RESOURCES RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH. TOPIC OF THE MONTH: SOCIAL BATTERY MANAGEMENT FOR THE HOLIDAYS

SOCIAL BATTERY MANAGEMENT Social battery management refers to the practice of monitoring and respecting your finite capacity for social interaction, particularly crucial for neurodivergent individuals who may experience social exhaustion differently or more intensely than neurotypical peers. For many autistic and ADHD adults, social situations require significant cognitive and emotional energy due to masking, sensory processing demands, navigating unwritten social rules, and managing executive functioning challenges simultaneously. Unlike the common misconception that neurodivergent people simply "don't like people," the reality is that social engagement—even when enjoyable—can be neurologically draining in ways that require intentional recovery time. Understanding your social battery isn't about avoiding connection; it's about creating sustainable patterns of engagement that honor your neurological needs while maintaining meaningful relationships.

WHY DOES IT MATTER? The consequences of ignoring social battery depletion can be severe for neurodivergent adults, ranging from shutdowns and meltdowns to prolonged burnout that affects all areas of functioning. Many neurodivergent individuals report pushing through social exhaustion due to external expectations or internalized ableism, only to experience crashes that require days or weeks of recovery. Learning to read your social battery levels accurately and respond proactively—rather than reactively—can prevent these extreme states and improve overall quality of life. This skill involves developing interoceptive awareness (recognizing internal body signals), challenging guilt around setting boundaries, and creating personalized strategies for both extending social capacity when desired and recovering efficiently when depleted.

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SA HERE' S STRES NT EME MANAG OK! BO WORK

CHECK OUT BLOG F THIS ROM AUTISM UNDER STOOD !

SOCIAL BATTERY LEVELS AND STRATEGIES FULL CHARGE (100-80%) COMFORTABLE (79-60%) CAUTION (59-40%) LOW BATTERY (39-20%) CRITICAL/EMPTY (19-0%) INDICATORS

APPROPRIATE ACTIONS

RECOVERY STRATEGIES

Energized by socializing, initiating conversations, comfortable with spontaneity, manageable sensory input.

Accept invitations, try new social settings, attend group events, have longer conversations, schedule multiple activities if desired.

Plan recovery time after intensive social periods to prevent burnout.

Enjoying interaction but noticing subtle fatigue, monitoring event duration, occasional desire for brief solitude, slight sensory increase.

Continue planned activities, consider exit strategies, take short breaks, stick to familiar settings.

15-30 minute quiet breaks, parallel play.

Conversation requires effort, masking fatigue, heightened sensory sensitivity, difficulty following social dynamics, frequent phone checking, clock watching.

Wrap up current engagement, decline spontaneous invitations, shift to lowerdemand formats (texting vs. calling, oneon-one vs. groups), prepare exit.

30-60 minutes in quiet space, solitary activity, reduce sensory input, gentle stimming.

Strong desire for solitude, increasing irritability or sensitivity, difficulty processing verbal information, overwhelming sensory input, difficult masking, potential shutdown.

Exit social situations when overstimulated, cancel non-essential plans, text trusted people rather than call, use scripts for necessary interactions.

Several hours in comfortable environment, regulating activities, minimize sensory input, rest without guilt.

Shutdown or meltdown imminent/occurring, communication difficulty, extreme sensory sensitivity, feeling raw or fragile, possible alexithymia, physical exhaustion.

If possible, remove all social demands immediately, limit social interactions, communicate with supportive people.

Extended solitude, regulating activities, basic self-care, special interests without pressure.

TOPIC OF THE MONTH: SOCIAL BATTERY MANAGEMENT FOR THE HOLIDAYS

GENERAL SOCIAL BATTERY MANAGEMENT TIPS Track patterns: Keep a log of social activities and your energy levels to identify what drains or sustains your battery most quickly.

Preventive charging: Schedule regular solitary recovery time even when you feel fine, rather than waiting until depletion.

Communicate boundaries: Develop scripts for declining invitations or leaving early: "I need to recharge," "I've hit my social limit for today," "I need some processing time."

Differentiate battery types: Some people have different batteries for different social contexts (work vs. friends vs. family vs. strangers).

Honor fluctuations: Your baseline capacity varies with stress, sleep, sensory environment, and overall demand—adjust expectations accordingly.

Quality over quantity: Meaningful connections with a few people can be more sustainable than surface-level interactions with many.

ONLINE RESOURCES FOR SOCIAL BATTERY MANAGEMENT Recharge (apps for iOS/Android) - Apps specifically designed to track social energy levels and provide personalized recommendations.

The Autistic Advocate (theautisticadvocate.com) - Articles and resources on spoon theory and social battery management for autistic adults.

ADHD Alien Comics (adhd-alien.com) - Visual explanations of social battery concepts with neurodivergent perspectives.

How to ADHD YouTube Channel (youtube.com/@HowtoADHD) - Videos on managing social energy with ADHD. Neurodivergent Insights (neurodivergentinsights.com) - Research-based articles on autistic burnout and social exhaustion.

Spoon Theory Resources (butyoudontlooksick.com) - Original spoon theory concept applicable to social energy management.

Meetup.com - Find neurodivergent-friendly social groups that understand battery limitations and offer flexible participation.

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