seeking exhale volume iii (1)

seeking exhale vol. iii

“humor can be a quiet act of generosity” -Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas

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perhaps capitalism’s most sinister consequence is its hold on our imagination. we begin to believe that it is inevitable, the only way to manage resources, that our lives depend on it. “...the joke is at its most powerful a collective thought-experiment.

Jokes brush up against what’s thinkable. The capacity of a joke to surprise us must be understood as a political capacity.”

- Madeline Lane-McKinley Comedy Against Work 2

jokes break open our imaginations, tilt our perspectives, expand our political and economic horizons to include life beyond capitalism. we are caught off guard, surprised by the breeze/humor that seems to come from nowhere but with such authority. we are relieved to learn that we are not beholden to exploitation, extraction, misery.

“Laughter shakes us out of our deadness.”

-Nuar Alsadir, Animal Joy 3

one september afternoon i was running up flatbush avenue by prospect park and i saw that someone had left some windows on the grass. i paused. i wondered. who left them there? where did they come from? were there empty holes in the walls where they used to be? would someone come back for them? i became transfixed.

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i went down a window rabbit hole. i learned that a root meaning of the word window is ‘breath door.’ breath door! breath door.....what a phrase.....like lungs... windows let air in and let air out.... through the window, light and music stream in, the scent of dinner and the sound of laughter waft out. windows make it easier to breathe, easier to live. i clung to this.

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we live in unbreathable and unbelievable times. we are facing down the 6th great extinction of species on earth, multiple genocides, fascism, white supremacy and militarism, patriarchal and transphobic violence. we are suffocating. in this atmosphere, within the regime of capitalism, how might we welcome deeper breath? return to it? be steadied by it?

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could we build our own breath doors? could we conjure, nurture, sustain thresholds to breathing easier? could we protect what it is in our lives that affords breath as we also imagine alternatives to this abysmal status quo?

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comedy + the solidarity economy are breath doors. laughter helps us ease up on ourselves and each other. laughter refuses suffocation. our sense of humor can guide us toward the political and spiritual transformation that is needed right now. the solidarity economy prioritizes wellbeing, shared decision making, and meeting everyone’s needs. it is ecologically attuned and balanced. it is regenerative as opposed to extractive, it is democratic as opposed to dominating, it is guided by care instead of greed.

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what is the solidarity economy?

it includes cooperatively run businesses, land trusts, time banks, credit unions, community gardens, and more. there are countless examples across space and time! the solidarity economy is alive and growing and can make capitalism obsolete.

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the solidarity economy is not a dream, or a pie in the sky lofty ideal. it exists, it is already being practiced, it is growing in our midst. you can find organizations to practice with in this map:

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for example!!!!!!

is a grassroots membership-based organization that is dedicated to building worker cooperative futures in NYC. Representing 65+ worker cooperatives and over 4,000 BIPOC, immigrant, femme or queer, workers and worker-owners, NYC NoWC builds worker cooperative power through member-led advocacy, educational trainings, and resources for and by worker-owners.

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What is a Worker Cooperative?

A worker cooperative is a business entity that is owned and controlled by the people who work in it. Worker cooperatives are values-driven businesses that put worker and community benefit at the core of their purpose.

Most businesses are owned by a few people and accountable to shareholders.

They are profit-driven, and put the accumulation of capital first no matter the cost to workers, the environment, relationships, or communities.

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Learn more about NYCNOWC here:

In their words: “In a time of deep uncertainty and shifting political landscapes, the NYC Network of Worker Cooperatives is building a future rooted in care, democracy, and shared power. As we celebrate the International Year of Cooperatives, our network of 65+ worker cooperatives is demonstrating that solidarity isn’t just a response to crisis but a blueprint for what’s possible.”

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thank you to all the workers who build, steward, cook, drive, clean, care, maintain, and create the infrastructures that makes our lives possible

thank you to the organizers at NYCNOWC and to organizers everywhere who by acting like their visions are possible bring them to life

thank you to the 2024 Economics Arts Transformation learning cohort & our guides Nati Linares, Francisco Perez, and Reem Drėėėmy Abdou

to stay in the loop about future shows follow @sauceycomedyshow on instagram or if you’re off that grid sign up for the email list here:

if you enjoyed this zine, venmo @getyourhahas subject “may zine”all proceeds go to NYCNOWC thank you to everyone who’s ever made me laugh

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assembled by kendall allison may 2025