Marginal Changemakers.
Our Story
Here at the Marginal Publishing House, we believe that marginalised young people have the power, skills and determination to change the world with their stories. Whether these stories are shared through comics, poetry, illustrations or campaigns- they are worth listening to and they are capable of shifting perspectives. The perspectives we want to shift are around how people view and support marginalised youth. This ethos led us to working with a collective of young marginalised activists called the Marginal Changemakers. This collective are working together to change the publishing landscape as we know it. They are developing an Inclusivity Charter for publishers across the UK to follow to ensure they are being as inclusive, accessible and energised as possible by involving marginalised voices into every space of publishing. Through campaigns, discussions and events, the Marginal Changemakers are bringing waves to the publishing sector that people will need to take notice of, and learn to ride the waves of change with us. Throughout this zine, we will be sharing the direct stories of our Marginal Changemakers- understanding why they are passionate about this change and who they are as individuals who make up this collective. It is vital that we do not overlook the personal sacrafices and dreams of young marginalised people, especially when they are advocating for incredible change in a very traditional, and often stagnant space.
Marginal Changemakers.
Our Story
You can support our collective by keeping up to date with our developments via the marginalpublishinghouse. co.uk website, as well as the Marginal Publishing House instagram @marginalpublishinghouse Or you can email us directly on hi@comicsyouth.co.uk for ways to collaborate.
My Story- Hate, Reflection and Activism. In this world, we are often taught to hate. By politcians, teachers, sometimes our own family. People seek something to blame for minor problems; they paint pictures of an enemy to cope with their own unspoken bias. I too, was taught to hate. My Father is not the most kind and accepting of people, and in school I was bullied for being different. I was alienated- isolated into my own space where I allowed hatred to brew. I took it out on others as a teen and I am not proud of this. One day, it hit me- there wasn’t much of a trigger, simply a moment of self reflection and realisation that hit me like an avalanche. I was not a good person. I, a queer, disabled person, othered people of my own kind in order to feel better about my own insecurities. And all it took was a moment to sit and think to myself, to realise this. Since, I have subjected myself to education and stories that teach me how to unlearn the hate I had been taught. I wanted to be better, so I did anything in my power to do sowallowing in my own guilt and self hatred did nothing to make change. Now, I strive to do good. I want to tell my story to help others realise and unlearn their hatred too. Because hate only produces more hate. It is a vicious cycle I want to break. I love people and I love to listen to, and uplift, their stories. It is important to me, to ensure everyone is heard.
Stories can change the world !
My Story. 1) I grew up in Oldham, Manchester. I was a flamboyant child but also liked ‘stereotypical boy things’. People didn’t get me. 2) Secondary school was awful. Bullying turned homophic and teachers said to ‘just ignore them.’ 3) I had a fresh start in college. I was an openly gay person, with friends who were queer too. 4) Covid-19 ruined my progress and I relapsed in many ways. I became isolated. 5) My mental health was low, I had poor living conditions and realised that I didn’t want that life anymore. 6) A new me was born in 2023. I joined in on new projects and volunteering galore! I am becoming a very confident person.
Having the confidence to share who you are, gives others permission to do the same
Our Dreams for the future of publishing. I dream that marginalised communities have access to the resources they need, I know myself that I wish I knew what ADHD or autism or trans etc was when I was younger. There are many troubles you can go through when you don’t have the means to understand yourself, so I wish that others may not go through the same. There would be voices and stories told from every type of marginalised group and it would be an environmentally friendly process. I would love to see adult queer relationships fully realised, without any sanitisation. Not washing them down (Disney: The owl house etc) to make them “palatable” or “bearable”. I don’t mean full on sex or anything, just a happy queer relationship between two adults. Nobody dies, nothing tragic, fully representative of me and people like me, There might be some mental health issues or neurodiversity or physical disability, but these are talked through and communicated in a partnership by adults that have gone through these experiences themselves, and are willing to communicate these things. That would be my ultimate dream come true.
Our Dreams for the future of publishing. A publishing industry which advocates for diversity and supports people from all backgrounds, regardless of where they are born or their ability to access higher education.
Better informed and well-researched representation of mental illness, where the characters are not instantaneously cured by romance. Young people to be given more senior roles within the industry, particularly in the YA sector. YA books should feel representative of young people’s experiences – as diverse and unique as they are! Representation in LGBTQIA+ books to be less tokenistic, and for stories involving marginalised people to be written and championed by people from those backgrounds. More opportunities for young people from marginalised backgrounds, and a greater focus on making these opportunities accessible – i.e. bursary funds for students living outside of London, access to interpreters, the language used on publishing pages to be more accessible.
Our Dreams for the future of publishing. My dream for the future of publishing is to increase both its accessibility and its sustainability. Even if you are able to overcome the barriers that are against marginalised communities within publishing you are not able to sustain a living off of it. There is a very slim possibility that you would even earn a living wage. This makes it even more inaccessible because many disabled creatives do not have the energy to work on a full time job and then do publishing as a second full time job. It is only accessible if you are already wealthy or have the energy and time to do two jobs. It should pay better and have more accessibility. More ‘inclusive’ media can unfortunately have flaws at times. A lack of research causes poor representation or micro-aggressions in writing, and representation of marginalised groups such as the LGBTQIA+ community is often predominantly white, reducing the voices of LGBTQIA+ people from BIPOC communities. I want all voices to be heard and for media to reflect real experiences and real people. In a future I dream to conjure, people from even the smallest niche of communities feel seen, heard, and understood by watching TV or reading books about people just like them. I want love and acceptance to be taught in place of harm. Ignorance and bigotry cannot be erased with the snap of my fingers, but I aim to do the most I can to make people feel less lonely in their experiences, and to be there for them in times where they need it.
Our Dreams for the future of publishing. I would like to see publishing become more accessible, allowing people to find methods and place to publish their work without having to jump through hoops. Secondly for publishing to be made in an accessible manner for the consumer, such as different font, text size, colours etc. I dream that more marginalised people will have the opportunity to tell their stories to bring more authenticity to publishing as a whole, especially in the realm of publications aimed at young audiences. I’d love for people to be able to publish works without fear of identities and experiences being censored for the comfort of the wider public; people should be able to publish work that challenged the status quo and not be criticised for it. My dream for the future of publishing is for more publishing houses to be set up around the North West of England. These would share the goal of organisations like Children’s Books North to move the publishing industry out of London and make it more accessible. In an ideal world, I also picture publishing houses working alongside inexperienced authors to help them succeed. Instead of merely turning down stories that they don’t wish to publish, they would offer to guide writers into creating a work that is right for them both.
What is YOUR dream for publishing?
Help support our Marginal Changemakers to make these shifts to the publishing world by sharing this zine and keeping up to date with everything they are creating. They currently have a podcast series called Marginal Changemakers over on the Marginal Publishing House website where they speak to various leaders and publishers across the world to gather insight into inclusivity within the sector. In 2024 they will be launching their Inclusivity Charter- a list of demands that they hope publishers and stockists across the UK will pledge support for in aims of working in a more inclusive and accessible way. Keep an eye out on our socials and website for the launch of the Charter! And finally, our Changemakers will be taking over our social media, hosting events, talks and publishing a whole host magic in 2024- so watch this space.
This zine is a collection of thought, art and stories from the Marginal Changemakers collective- a group of young marginalised activists ready to turn a new page in publishing. Delve into their dreams for the future of publishing and find out who they are behind their changemaking efforts. This zine is the first step in their journey to a full campaign to make publishing more inclusive and accessible for all. Thank you for supporting young activists to make a change.