Author: Michaela @ Laughing Radish

Zines

Free Zine on Intuitive Eating and Body Liberation

Michaela @ Laughing Radish

Have you heard of Intuitive eating before?

What about Body Liberation?

Throughout the semester in my Master of Social Work, Social Justice class, I was asked to create a social action project. My classmate and I decided to create a zine, called Nourished Liberation, on the topic of Intuitive Eating as a tool for Body liberation.

Intuitive eating is an approach to food and body care that focuses on listening to your body’s internal cues, rather than following diets or external food rules, to decide what, when, and how much to eat.

It was developed by dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch and is grounded in both nutrition science and body respect.

Body liberation is a social, political, and cultural movement that seeks to free people from oppression, shame, and control of their bodies, particularly fat bodies. It goes beyond individual self-esteem or “body positivity”, focusing on changing the societal structures that tell us that thin bodies are better. With a core structural focus, we move past “changing personal mindsets”, which is why it is a more radical, liberation-based movement than body positivity. It also recognizes its birth from fat, black women’s advocacy and is highly grounded in anti-oppressive, racial justice.

Check out the FREE digital zine linked below to learn all about these justice-based food movements, as well as their foundation in racial-justice and anti-capitalism.

(Click the image to advance the page!)

To print yourself a physical copy, please scan the QR code in the poster at the top of this page, or use the linktree to access a “print and fold” version…

Feel free to share the zine widely… online, in person, and within your community.

We hope you enjoy reading and hopefully learn something new!

Let us know in the comments what you think of the zine, and whether Intuitive Eating is a tool you’d consider using- or maybe you already do!

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The Zine Scene

Michaela @ Laughing Radish

The Zine Scene: Tools for Social Change is a local “Zinester in Residence” project, generously funded by Arts Ottawa through their ARTicipate program, and supported by the Shenkman Art Center. 

The Zine Scene: Tools for Social Change is a reflection into the impact of zines as tools for social change and equity throughout history, as well as in modern society.

Zines have historically been used as radical tools for change, beginning with the “little magazines” of the Harlem Renaissance. They have been a key element of various underground racial, queer and feminist movements of the 60’s through 90’s and once again they are resurfacing to support modern day advocacy.  

PURPOSE: The purpose of this project is to create a collection of zines about various social issues, as well as their role in advocacy movements. We will then distribute these zines to major community hubs, mirroring the historical method of information sharing and mutual aid in current times. Finally, this project aims to educate the public about and build our local zine community- furthering our collective impact and personal role in social justice! 

The project is broken into 2 phases. 

Phase 1 is “Develop & Create”, where artists, activists and zinesters from across Ottawa and beyond gather to create a collection of zines around modern day issues we are passionate about. This will take place at the Shenkman Arts Center, in the Emmy & Victor Abboud Music Studio, from June 19, 20, 28 & 29th. You may come for a single day, or attend all of them.

A small stipend will be given to artists who contribute to our zine collection, based on the number of days you attend the program.

We recognize and value diverse lived experiences. We want to hear your story, amplify your perspective and help advocate for the social issues we are most passionate about! Is there a topic you are passionate about? Whether its food security, OC Transpo, Queer/Trans experiences, Race/culture, anti-bullying, embracing your authentic self, special interest and neurodiversity, witchcraft, third space advocacy, and so much more- we want you to contribute!

Support & guidance will be provided to all participants, so beginner zinesters welcome! This program has been created with equity, accessibility and inclusion in mind.  

To register for the zine creation residency, please click the link below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeTmYQrur5lgHzNIdAY5u0nMbnU–VtFuyiMeu_zTBDBn_ozw/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=107936299939742087628

Phase 2 & 3 are  “Share & Support” and “Celebrate & Build Community”, and they consist of distributing the zine collection to community hubs across Ottawa, as well as hosting a Zine Market at the Shenkman Arts Center on July 20th, to celebrate our achievement, build community and network with local zinesters/social advocates.

To register as a vendor at our zine market, please click the link below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSefU3N17ZXWzXn5eCJv7vk0fPoE8l6DCrWW-qsPicSxLE0IRA/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=107936299939742087628

Ultimately this project will blend modern and historical social justice, with community building, resource sharing and interpersonal mutual aid. We hope to see you there!

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Call for Applications: Board of Directors

Michaela @ Laughing Radish

Laughing Radish is in the process of creating a Board of Directors to help shape the direction of our future growth and development!

This volunteer position is great for anyone with a passion for food justice and food sovereignty. It has minimal time requirements (approximately 4 hours per year) and all meetings will be held virtually, so you can tune into the meetings from anywhere in Canada. We will meet for 1 hour each season, to check in on project progress, plan next steps, brainstorm new activities/opportunities and build our Laughing Radish community.

Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about this opportunity!

To apply and join our Board of Directors, please email a cover letter and resume to info@laughingradish.ca

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Seed Donation to Buckingham Elementary

Michaela @ Laughing Radish

Earlier in the year, I received a message from a teacher at Buckingham Elementary school about the new garden the school is starting this year. She also shared a story about their seed order being cancelled and not being able to make another order and receive it in the mail in time to start seedlings. I just so happened to be going through my seeds that week and had a big pile of seeds that I wasn’t planning on using this year (I always save more than I will actually need)- so the school’s new garden seemed like the most logical people to take my excess seed!

Laughing Radish is proud to have made a donation of over 33 varieties of seed, totaling a couple thousand seeds to Buckingham Elementary’s new garden. The students started the seeds over the winter as part of their class science lessons, then planted them into their new school garden in the spring.

Included in the seed donation are many staple kitchen vegetables, herbs, tea plants and a variety of native flowers. They are bound to create a wonderful, diverse garden that benefits their community, as well as the wildlife and pollinators living in the region. 

Way to go Buckingham Elementary!

Seeds in their new garden…

N – Indicates native plant

Flowers/herbs (17)

  • Amaranth – Love Lies Bleeding
  • Borage
  • Blue Vervain – N
  • Calendula
  • Chamomile
  • Catnip
  • Chives
  • Cut leaf coneflower – N
  • Evening primrose – N
  • Grey-headed prairie coneflower -N
  • Joe Pye Weed (purple) -N
  • Lovage
  • Quinoa – Red Head
  • Smooth aster -N
  • Sunflower (Branching)
  • Tall tickseed – N
  • Yarrow – N

Vegetables (16)

  • Beans- Misc Pole (green purple and speckled varieties)
  • Beans – Orca (bush)
  • Cucumber – Marketmore 
  • Peas
  • Popcorn – Purple variety
  • Pumpkin
  • Pepper – Mocha Swirl (sweet)
  • Swiss Chard – Bright Lights
  • Tomato -Green zebra
  • Tomato – White cherry
  • Tomato – Indigo rose
  • Winter Squash – Buttercup
  • Winter Squash – Jamaican Pumpkin
Seed starting at Buckingham Elementary. Each class at the school was responsible for a handful of seed varieties

Zines

Pre-order Social Musings

Michaela @ Laughing Radish

Laughing Radish will be producing an exclusive, full-colour, *feature* zine as part of our December ZINE CLUB mail out! Social Musing, a 24 page artistic rendering of my thoughts and “musings” related to social justice and activism.

This zine is ONLY available through pre-order during the month of November, 2023. It will be mailed directly to your doorstep, along with a hand-written letter, stickers and other creative surprises in out December zine club mail out!. This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone who loves snail mail and zine club surprises!

The December Zine Club Mail out, including a copy of Social Musing is $18 CAD, which can be paid by e-transfer (preferred) or credit card (with an additional 3% processing fee)

To sign up for the exclusive Social Musing- December Zine Club Mail Out, fill out the form below!

Pre-order now!
Zines

Come to Laughing Radish’s 1st In-Person Zine Sale!!

Michaela @ Laughing Radish

Laughing Radish has been accepted as a vendor at the November Edition of Ottawa’s Small Press Book Fair! This will be our first ever, in-person zine sale. We will have lots of zines for you to choose from, as well as exclusive stickers, Lino prints, seasonal cards, hand dyed Indigo tote bags, DIY zine kits, bookmarks and more! So come on out, show your support and say “Hi!” to your local farmer and zinester!

Event details:

Small Press Book Fair: https://smallpressbookfair.blogspot.com/

Saturday November 18th, 2023 from 12-5pm

Tom Brown Arena – 141 Bayview Station Rd

ADMISSION is FREE! So bring your friends, family, neighbors… everyone should come!

From the Small Press Book Fair website: “The fair usually contains exhibitors with poetry books, novels, cookbooks, posters, t-shirts, graphic novels, comic books, magazines, scraps of paper, gum-ball machines with poems, 2x4s with text, etc, including regular appearances by [local] publishers”

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In town and Out with CBC’s Giacomo Panico

Michaela @ Laughing Radish

Recently, I was lucky enough to be asked to do an interview for CBC’s morning radio show, In town and Out with Giacomo Panico. It was a great experience and I loved getting to show Giacomo around Laughing Radish. Check out the interview at the link below- my segment starts at 6:19!

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-98-in-town-and-out/clip/16007151-kilborn-allotment-gardens-food-flows-kanata-lowertown-beyond

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Weird Vegetable Club: Patty Pan

Michaela @ Laughing Radish

Welcome once again, ladies and gentleman, to the weird vegetable club! This week we are talking about my good friend Patty Pan! (yes I did say Patty, not Peter…)

Patty Pan is a very interesting summer squash variety, which is the same family as zucchinis – the cucurbits. Since it is in the squash and cucumber family, it tastes like a zucchini and it cooks similarly. They are most often picked small and quartered then roasted in the oven, skin and all. If they are left to grow bigger, you can still eat them, but the skin gets thick and hard. You will need to cook it like you would cook a winter squash. Cut in half, scoop out the seeds, roast in the oven and scoop out of the shell. Alternatively, you can peel off the skin, then add the peeled and chopped squash to the oven!

Patty Pan comes in a variety of colours. The most common variety is yellow, but the variety I grew above is called “White Scalloped” Patty Pan.