A RA AVIS PROJECT
Kites: An Incarceration Archive Library
A collaborative zine series and interactive archive documenting carceral culture and the complexities of reentry, available for free download to grassroots organizations and the public, fostering a deeper understanding of the justice system.
AS THE WORLD MOVES AWAY FROM PAPER...
Why Zines?
38% of websites that existed in 2013 have since disappeared. This integration of analog, achingly human material offsets the likelihood of vanishment, and allows for currently incarcerated people to be involved in the conversation because zines are a medium easily and affordably accepted by prisons still using USPS.
(PRONOUNCED LIKE MAGAZINE WITHOUT THE "MAGA")
What is a zine?
Zines are physical, printed, self-published creations that consist of a single sheet of paper fastened together with folds or staples. Content varies from drawings to personal narratives to jokes and lists, and anything else you can fit on a piece of paper.
Project Scope
Kites: An Incarceration Archive Library is an accessible cultural project that documents the lived experiences of incarceration and re-entry through zines, creating an ongoing digital archive of carceral culture. The project aims to provide a platform for the stories of currently and formerly incarcerated individuals, as well as their loved ones. By offering the zines for free download, it enables grassroots organizations, educators, and the general public to access and disseminate this content in their hometown advocacy efforts.Each zine will explore different aspects of carceral culture and re-entry, featuring contributions from incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals, as well as their families. Each zine could blend poetry, personal stories, and/or art with data and research on the criminal legal system. The content will not always be advocacy-based, but rather, a mix of personal reflections, cultural snapshots, and emotional experiences to give a fuller picture of carceral culture. In addition to its creative elements, each zine will be reviewed for ethos, and with varying literacy levels in mind.Project Status: Grants and requests for funding have been sent out.
Ra Avis
Ra Avis is an award-winning author and blogger. She shares candidly about her time in prison, her living study through grief, her journey with dynamic disability, and the power of community care. Her writing focuses on the interconnectedness of shared struggles and joys. Her work centers small business efforts for formerly incarcerated people, legislation, and accessibility. She is one of the organizers of the Biggest Little Zine Fair, and her writing and zines are available at Rarasaur.com.