☆ Hey there! I’m Maven and I love all things animals, plants, crafts, collage and zines ofc!! I just use this account to show off zines and other projects I’m working on as well as reblogging all the zines and art I admire :)))

☆ I also founded and run a collective zine called The World Through Our Eyes. You can find more info on submissions, recent issues and more on my site —> click here or check out @thru.r.eyes.zines on instagram!

☆ Pretty please follow me if ur cool, queer and make zines! I'm always looking to do more zine trades with other zinesters like me <333333

If you're anything like me your angry right now and probably looking for something to do about it.

With that in mind, I want to hear your thoughts, fears and perceptions of Trump being elected into office for a second term. How are you feeling? What are we going to do now? Got any advice people need to hear?

Or art people should see? If so please think about submitting to this zine. (Work can also be submitted anonymously if you choose!) The submission form is on my website linked in my instagram bio. (@thru.r.eyes.zines) While there currently is no deadline ASAP is preferred! Questions about the zine or submitting? DM me!

Considering we are only 2 days into Trumps presidency and we're already seeing so much censorship online, 1 think zines are more important now than ever. Zines have always been a way to spread information throughout recent history and today is no different.

Once Voter Visions is out it will be accessible for free in printable and digital versions on my Kofi account. Please feel free to distribute as many as you would like but they must be GIVEN out not sold.

Ok I’m back with another zine highlight!! As you may know, locally made zines hold a special place in my heart so i decided it was time to highlight a local one. “My Service Is Being Dropped” is a little 8 fold zine about spending less time on your phone. The writing style is very personal and I love that the whole zine serves as a simple reminder that there’s more to life than what’s behind a phone screen. Nothing on social media is real and there are so many reasons to get off your phone and get outside. So in honor of this zine I encourage you to do the same and to indulge in the community and friends that exist outside of your social media circle. I’ll be doing the same! Interested in your own copy of the zine? Contact @ethanol_zinez on instagram

This zine introduces us to an impactful and inspiring organization called Jane. Jane was an abortion counseling service affiliated with the Chicago Women's Liberation Union Before abortion had been made legal a group entirely made up of women (none of which were doctors or physicians) volunteered for Jane and performed over 11,000 illegal abortions while they were still operating (1968 - 1973) Due to limited writing space I encourage you to do your own research on the organization Jane or DM me for access to a digital copy of the zine.

It starts by explaining what Jane is, including texts from one of their original pamphlets from back in the day, as well as the women who upheld the organization. One woman, Surgal, talks about her experience joining the organization, counseling patients, and even, how to perform abortions herself. One thing Surgal wants you to know: the women who ran Jane aren't special in any way. According to her, they were regular people like anyone else. Surgal continues to speak about how she didn't feel special when she was volunteering. In her words, "It was just something you did because you wanted to. Afterwards it felt important..." (Pg. 19). What I love about this part is now humanizing it was to hear from real people and what their experiences were like. It's personal. But what stuck with me most was the "She Said Before 1973" section. These pages are filled with the quotes of past women who had found Jane and received an abortion there. Here are 3 quotes I found the most striking:

"When we told her she should pay what she could afford she was quiet a minute and then said, 'I think I can get nine dollars'". (Pg. 21)

"My mother always said that everything always comes down to give and take. So the baby, today, that was the taking - and me, me, my own life, I think that was the giving". (Pg. 24)

"Holding her purse, wearing her gloves, the girl clinging to her coat sleeve, she said, 'You take good care of her, she don't know no better, she's just a baby her own self..." (Pg. 22)

Reading through all these quotes I'm flooded with emotions I can't help but be reminded of current events like Roe v Wade being overturned. As you know, right now is a difficult time in American History. Donald Trump was just elected President and if you're anything like me, things probably are feeling bleak. But this is why Jane is the perfect inspo story. It's hard to believe that just a small group of women with strong opinions and a fighting spirit made such an impact. So let's follow in their footsteps. That may sound overwhelming but think small! Start by supporting your local community because, if we aren't going to be taken care of by our government we have to be there to support one another. Invite a hungry family over for dinner, drive someone to a doctor's appointment, or donate old clothes. Do what you can to support your people because when it comes down to it, we are all we have.

In many states now there will be people who become pregnant and are faced with the same decision our grandmothers also faced. That is, to keep an unwanted pregnancy or to find a way to terminate it. After reading Jane, it pains me to think what those women today must be thinking. As you know I always like to try and see the world through someone else's eyes and I think Jane does this wonderfully. The carefully selected quotes from these women told a small piece of their story and highlighted their humanity in ways I never really thought about before.

I hope this zine review made you reflect on how far we’ve come (and regressed) as well as the incredible work these women accomplished in their time. I also hope you see this as a call to action, a signal for change, and a reminder that, together, we can make a difference.

When I first received this zine in the mail I was a little turned off. It made me think back to the pamphlets and fliers that people tried to hand me on my college campus in hopes of “converting” students trying to get to class. But boy was I wrong (talk about judging a book by its cover)!!! Anyway, the author, D (Who wishes to remain anonymous), kicks things off by sharing some of his thoughts on his childhood and growing up in a conservative evangelical community. In fact, he mentioned how this zine started as a letter to his parents but now coniders it to be a letter to every church and church leader he’s encountered in his lifetime. According to the D, he often felt like questioning religion was dangerous and ungodly. Although he was taught to “love thy neighbor” he often questioned why this didn't include queer people, people with children out of wedlock, working women, and more. How come were taught to love unconditionally but no one actually practices it?

The intro is one of my favorite parts of this zine. The zinester brings up the common saying “God is Love”. Something that you’ll hear church members say fairly often. Then the writer invites us to close our eyes and imagine. What would it be like to live in a world where “they know we’re Christians by our love.” You walk into a room, talk to the people inside, and without a doubt they know you're a Christian by your love. What did you say to them? He then asks us to think: Who counts as they? What groups will know your Christian by your love? And what groups won’t? Finally, he asks the reader, “Whom have you pretended doesn't count as they to make the whole love thing easier? I love this whole concept. I often see so-called Christians making up excuses to make their hatred go down easier but for trans people like me and others from marginalized groups, that can be a hard pill to swallow.

One of my favorite pages was the Scripture page. It lists 3 different scriptures (Mark 12:31, Isaiah 1:17, and Galatians 3:28) and at the top states, “What would it look like if your political beliefs were informed by these scriptures?”. It’s so common to see bigoted people using the bible to explain away their wrong-doings but when it really comes down to it there are a lot of “Christians” that seem to know nothing about the bible and what it preaches and this page encompasses that.

Overall this zine was a great read. If you're in the process of, or just starting to, unpack your religious upbringing then this book is just for you. It’s fairly long so it was impossible to mention everything that was discussed so I highly suggest tracking down one for yourself. DM me if your interested in the digital verison of this zine! (PS This zine pairs wonderfully with a hot drink while listening to Preachers Daughter by Ethel Cain)

On my instagram I’ve been highlighting (reviewing?) zines I’ve enjoyed and I think they would get more love on here! So I’m planning on posting them here from now on :)

Hey guys I’m back with another zine highlight! I loved the zine Try Loving! by Rosie. It’s inspired by Thicht Naht Han, a Vietnamese Buddhist Monk, author, and activist as well as Erich Fromm, a 20th-century German author, psychoanalyst, and philosopher. The colors and artwork that line the pages feel so cozy and bright and the content of the zine was amazing. (If I told you guys everything I liked I think I would be typing all day long.) An idea that stood out to me was Rosie’s concept of what love truly is. In the author's words, “Love is difficult to define. That is because it is an EXPERIENCE, not an OBJECT”. I love the idea of experiencing love vs. having it in your possession. In my opinion, understanding love as an experience makes it feel more abundant like there’s more than enough to go around. I’d hate to spoil this one for you guys so I highly suggest reading it yourself if you ever get the chance!!

I really like how the lettering looks on my most recent zine. I sorta wanted to keep it simple but still fun and I feel like that was achieved! Here’s the rest of the zine if you’re interested. I made it with a bunch of magazine scraps and lino-cut stamps made by myself.

Hey guys it’s been a while! I’ve been super busy with school and the denver zine fest but anyway enough small talk!

There are the pictures i just finished for an upcoming zine I’m working on called ✨ “A New Light” ✨ . It’s all about my top surgery experience and growing up religious. I’ve been working in this zine for what feels like ages and i’m so excited to produce a zine on a larger scale that isn’t through the collective zine I run.

Pictures were taken by my lovely girlfriend and the model is yours truly lol. I did all the work on photoshop/procreate myself as well. (I’m not an expert y’all so don’t be too critical 🥲)

Can’t wait til you guys get to see the final result!

Here are some of my latest doodle pages :)

More recent sketchbook pages! Blue and orange one is def my favorite.