A RA AVIS PROJECT
Kites Library: An Incarceration Zine Archive
Kites is a collaborative zine series and interactive archive, documenting carceral culture and the complexities of reentry. All mini-zines are catalogued and available for free download to grassroots organizations and the public, with the aim of fostering a deeper global understanding of the U.S. criminal system.Project Status: Grants and requests for funding have been sent out. The project is still in motion without funding. It just goes slower.
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, while still embracing a digital presence. It allows for currently incarcerated people to be involved in the conversation, because zines (small paper DIY productions) are a medium easily and affordably accepted by prisons still using USPS.
(PRONOUNCED LIKE MAGAZINE WITHOUT THE "MAGA")
What is a zine?
For the purpose of this project, zines are physical, printed, self-published creations that consist of a single sheet of paper fastened together with folds. Content varies from drawings to personal narratives to jokes and lists. In the zine world, those available here would be called mini zines.
Project Scope
Kites Library: An Incarceration Zine Archive 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 and advocates. 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. In addition to its creative elements, each zine will be reviewed for ethos, and with accessible literacy levels in mind.
Project Status: Grants and requests for funding have been sent out. The project is still in motion without funding. It just goes slower.
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 founding organizers of the Biggest Little Zine Fair and Cheer Peppers, two collaborative creative projects. Her writing and zines are available at Rarasaur.com.