A More-than-Human Society is a collaborative semi-annual zine series by myself and my partner (on the project and in life), Mark, from Punk Academx. In it, we bring together our skills and passions to promote a message of respect for the Earth and all life.
A Book Baby is Born
For years, I had dreams of collaborating with Mark on a project in the same vein as the mini-zine Non-Human Neighbors. We finally came together and made it happen! The vision was as if an artist book and zine had a baby, and I think we’ve successfully “birthed” just that. The zine comes out semi-annually and each volume has its own distinct theme and contains original artwork, short essays, poems, and more!
Each zine is assembled via Japanese stab binding and risograph-printed using plant based inks by Risolve Studio studio on recycled French Paper Co. stocks. If a reader is ready to move on from a zine, they can re-gift it or even safely burn it.
Assembly of volumes 1 and 2, including footage of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge.
Recap of Volume 1: COEXIST
The inaugural volume of A-More-than-Human Society debuted at Gluestick Zine Collective’s 2023 Zinefest and sold out within the first few months of being available! That being said, a tier of Patreon subscribers have access to the archived digital version. The theme of the volume was “coexist”.
As the introduction states,
In today’s age of climate, biodiversity, and political and technological crises, the message of coexistence is not only counter-cultural, but necessary to combat a dominant worldview willing to sacrifice everything for short-term profit and power…Every act of resistance matters.”
Some notable features include Mark’s sociological essay on strategies for coexistence and my illustrated story about sabotaging live raccoon traps. The volume concludes with a “Coexistence Manifesto”. We enjoyed making it so much that we carried the format over into the second volume.
Announcing Volume 2: ROOTED
The theme of the second volume is “rooted”, which refers to paying respect to the places which sustain us and being the best community members that we can. It features poems about two places we’ve bonded with, the Sonoran Desert and Downriver, Michigan (my home). It also includes an essay on how to be a supportive community member, both toward our fellow human and more-than-humans. Due to the overwhelming response to volume 1, we were sure to print more this time for a total of 200 limited edition copies!
Many thanks to Seven, one of my awesome subscribers, who kindly said this about the newest volume of A More-than-Human Society zine!:
“Reading about the resilience of our more-than-human communities in this beautiful zine by Ren Eliza from a hammock in the sun. Highly recommend these awesome zines – getting them in the mail is so exciting! “
Where to Find A More-than-Human Society
A More-than-Human Society is available by subscribing to the Compassionate Companion tier on my Patreon page. (Although Volume 1 has completely sold out, the digital archived file is available to Compassionate Companion subscribers.) I also am selling copies at various art fairs and events I am at, mostly in the Indianapolis area or Midwest.
I’m honored to say volume 2 is also available for sale at two of the coolest shops in Indianapolis: Dear Mom Indy and Mystery Fun Club. Go check them out and support local businesses!
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