Protest Power Zines and Lit by Microcosm

"Mutual aid" has been a much-buzzed phrase lately, but what does it really mean, and how does it work? This zine introduces some basics about the practice of mutual aid throughout history--most importantly that we've always exercised it in one form or another, and that anyone can do it! Illustrated with examples like ancient Roman libraries, the Young Lords' trash cleanup efforts, Boobs Not Bombs' estrogen-sharing program, the Black medics who invented ambulances, and contemporary farm share boxes, this pocket-sized companion serves as both inspiration and action plan. When times get tough, just look to your community and see where people are already working to support each others' mutual flourishing, and help where you can. Mutual aid is a beautiful human thing. P.S. Send us the examples that inspire you or that you are involved in!

Originally published in 1923, the nineteenth edition of the International Workers of the World's Little Red Songbook contains the most popular, timeless gems that are more relevant to working people today than ever before. Now, the most popular book in American labor history can remain a staple on picket lines and in the hearts and minds of people who need it all over the world for years to come.

This illustrated history celebrates American changemakers and revolutionaries that are often left out of public narratives about our shared past. These firebrands hail from Canada, Chile, and everywhere in between, from the 1500s to today. Instead of focusing on the powerful, rich white folks so often featured in textbooks, these gorgeous portraits with accompanying biographies recognize the work of grassroots organizers, revolutionaries, visionaries, anarchists, workers, and artists. These heroes put their bodies and souls into fighting injustice and making their communities better, and they often gave their lives for the causes they believed in. Each story is vividly illustrated by a member of Justseeds Artists' Cooperative and offers a radical glimpse into how individuals can work to change the world. A new introduction by editor Shaun Slifer launches the third edition of this beloved collection, which 15 years later remains a powerful resource for anyone of any age seeking the role models they missed out on in school.Firebrands include Frida Kahlo, Audre Lorde, Sitting Bull, Gloria Anzaldúa, Pablo Neruda, Nina Simone, Emma Goldman, Fred Hampton, Buckminster Fuller, Paulo Freire, W.E.B. Du Bois, Sojourner Truth, Chico Mendes, Tupac Shakur, Grace Lee Boggs, Muhammad Ali, Yuri Kochiyama, and many more.

A harrowing collection of interviews and articles from a well known democracy activist, illustrating the shocking increase of the use of torture in democracies. Focusing on the history, psychology and current state of torture in the US as well as ideas about prison abolition, anarchism and the role of the media in contemporary society. The little discussed use of torture by the authorities in supposedly democratic states is exposed in this dark and informative text which exposes human rights abuses and thus creates the impetus for change by contributing to the fight for democracy.

Celebrate ten whole years of FUTEL's guerrilla public telephone project with this latest issue of their long-running zine. This dispatch from everyone's favorite anarchist art social service telecoms project features news from newly-up-and-running public phones in Portland, organic mutual support with the Multnomah County Library, beatboxing for a caller singing Taylor Swift, struggles with artistry and anonymity, and lots more. As of publication, the only public telephones, pay or otherwise, on the streets of Portland are now operated by FUTEL. From the manifesto: "We are primarily driven by the basic needs that we see on the streets every day, by giving something away that is cheap for us but valuable to the recipient. But we hope that we can also build a tower of Babel on top of that, a monument of telephones and switching networks and cascading psychological structures which will give the community something else as well, something we may not appreciate until it has forever changed us." Happy ten years of keeping public communication networks accessible and interesting, with over 15,000 calls made in 2024! FUTEL forever.

Teenage Rebels provides a glimpse into the laws, policies, and political struggles that have shaped the lives of American high school students over the last one hundred years. Through dozens of case studies, Dawson Barrett recounts the strikes, marches, and picket lines of teens all over the U.S. as they demand better textbooks, start recycling programs, and protest the censorship of student newspapers. With historically-influenced artwork and accessible writing, this book is for anyone who has ever challenged the rules and wished for a better world.Spread the Teenage Rebellion!Donate a copy of Teenage Rebels to a school, library, community center, or directly to an individual and help teens find the inspiration they need to take charge of their world!To donate, just purchase a copy here. On checkout, enter the mailing address of your donation recipient. And use the "order notes" to let us know what to write on the book plate—we have two spaces to fill, "Donated to:" and "By:", and we'll write what you say.Thanks for spreading the rebellion!Read an interview with author Dawson Barrett on our blog!

This solarpunk book of shadows will guide you in surviving and resisting climate crisis and dystopian political systems so you can take radical action towards a positive future. Longtime activist and practicing witch Justine Norton-Kertson introduces a fresh approach to witchcraft at a time when it's desperately needed. Drawing on the natural connections between modern paganism and the literary, artistic, and activist movement known as solarpunk, Norton-Kertson provides meditations and correspondences for developing a spiritual practice rooted in nature, the Sun, and a powerful belief in our ability to build a better world. Readers will also find a host of spells to use in the fight against climate change, fascism, and inequality. These politically conscious magickal practices forge a new spiritual praxis to guide us as we work together to envision and create the future we want to see.

Brochures and pamphlets from Jane, an abortion service in Chicago in the late 1960s and early 1970s, appear (rekeyed) in this political zine. There are also interviews with women who worked with Jane and a discussion of feminist politics and abortion, especially with regard to race and class and police persecution.

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Have you ever wondered how to protest safely and effectively? It's not just about showing up, chanting, and holding signs. You need to know what your rights are, how to handle the police, how to dress appropriately for all situations, what to do when tensions escalate, how to be an empathetic ally, and more. Packed with infographs and invaluable tips, this handbook is a must when you're organizing your next protest or attending a rally or march.

How do you start a movement that can flourish for decades alongside the mainstream? How do you get out of bed every day to pursue your meaning and purpose when the world is falling apart around you? Microcosm Publishing's Joe Biel and Elly Blue tell the story of how an attempt borne of desperation to find meaning and purpose ended up sticking, growing, and catching on with others who were on the same quest for tools to make life worth living. In this jam-packed zine celebrating Microcosm's 30th anniversary, we share tips and lore about how to publish books and zines, organize events and tours, find your passion, prevent suicide, do mutual aid, and more ways you can take the scrappy spirit of punk rock and other underground movements to build something better than the mainstream and live according to your values every day.

A primer on the International Revolutionary People's Guerrilla Forces. This zine contains both images and text to inform the reader about who these people are and what their goals are. Social revolution sometimes needs muscle and these folks come with the intention to support not command or control the anarchist upheaval of the oppressed, currently most focused in Rojava and Kurdistan- Syria. "Dare to struggle, dare to win." There's more passion and punch in this small pastel zine than one would expect.

Since the first day after the tragedy was announced, controversy has surrounded the death of rap and cultural icon Tupac Shakur. In this work, preeminent researcher on the topic, John Potash, puts forward his own theories of the events leading up to and following the murder in this meticulously researched and exhaustive account of the story. Never before has there been such a detailed and shocking analysis of the untimely death of one of the greatest musicians of the modern era. The FBI War on Tupac Shakur contains a wealth of names, dates, and events detailing the use of unscrupulous tactics by the Federal Bureau of Investigation against a generation of leftist political leaders and musicians. Based on twelve years of research and including extensive footnotes, sources include over 100 interviews, FOIA-released CIA and FBI documents, court transcripts, and mainstream media outlets. Beginning with the birth of the Civil Rights Movement in America, Potash illustrates the ways in which the FBI and the United States government conspired to take down and dismantle the various burgeoning activist and revolutionary groups forming at the time. From Martin Luther King Jr. to Malcolm X to Fred Hampton, the methods used to thwart their progress can be seen repeated again and again in the 80s and 90s against later revolutionary groups, musicians, and, most notably, Tupac Shakur. Buckle up for this winding, shocking, and unbelievable tale as John Potash reveals the dark underbelly of our government and their treatment of some of our most beloved Black icons.

What is the role of the white working class in the US? Are we at the front lines of the fight against oppression, or are we capitalism's complicit foot soldiers? Are we the ultimate underdogs or dangerously unaware of our privilege? Or some combination of all and none of the above? Written in the early 1980s from prison by David Gilbert, a white activist who worked with the Weather Underground and Black Liberation Army, this pamphlet reflects on the historical race and class analyses of thinkers such as W.E.B. DuBois, J. Sakai, and Ted Allen to tease out the complexities of the contradictions of the white working class identity. Activists seeking to end white supremacy and build solidarity across race and class lines will gain valuable insight in these lessons from the radicals of the 1960s and before. Read this instead of Hillbilly Elegy, ugh, seriously.

Remember that 'Oh shit' moment you had at your first protest? Or maybe you've been avoiding the news and your Facebook feed; you want to get out there and be involved but you don't even know where to start with the shit-show of our current state of affairs. How Not to be Arrested is a zine full of illustrations, checklists, and thoroughly researched survival tips for the beginner demonstrator and the seasoned activist. This is the zine I wish I'd had when I was a newbie and it's still my go to in my evolved status of fledgling activist.

Black Man's Guide satirically explores the issue of police harassment in an effort to find a solution to the problem...or you know, at least make cops feel guilty enough to leave us alone!

Connect with the powerful history of May Day, from its origins as an ancient celebration of spring to present-day actions led by workers, anarchists, and communities to uplift labor and people's history. A People's History of May Day provides a pocket-sized glimpse into the legacy of this beloved radical holiday, alongside insights about efforts to disrupt working class movements. This zine offers vignettes of May Day by year, citing specific actions, successes, struggles, and demands from around the globe, spanning 1871 to 2020. For your local labor library, your radical reading group, or for inspiration to organize with your coworkers and community, this zine will connect you to the May Day spirit: "At base, May Day isn't about labor: it's about abundance. It's about excess, pleasure, freedom--the burgeoning source of life itself."

The ultimate guide to creating welcoming, safe, and accessible gatherings for everyone. With detailed strategies and illustrative examples, How to Organize Inclusive Events and Conferences uses principles of design justice to share how to put on truly inclusive occasions built for the needs and abilities of all. If you attend or host conferences, organize events for fun or for a living, or if you have thought "I guess these spaces just aren't made for me," this book is written for you! Expert events organizer Alex D. Ketchum provides the ethical framework of what true inclusion in action means, considering a broad variety of identities and experiences such as economic hardship, childcare needs, racial and ethnic identities, disabilities, neurodivergence, and more. Whether you're hosting an academic symposium, an activist meeting, a feminist zinefest, or a comics con, Ketchum offers a step-by-step guide through the planning and execution process, with useful tips and templates along the way. This book is an indispensable companion to building events and conferences from an ethic of care, allowing us to cultivate authentic community and to create the better world we desire--together.

A short, easy to read booklet drawing on ways in which pirates of old organized. Their history offers suggestions for current folks struggling against oppressive society.

Burnout is a topic on everyone's mind since the pandemonium hit in March 2020. But what about autistic burnout? It's a real thing, caused by the demands of trying to navigate a world not built for you, and autistic and neurodivergent adults have been experiencing it for a long, long time. This collection of first-hand writing is about what burnout feels like, where it comes from, and what to do about it. Features a piece by Burnout co-author Amelia Nagoski, along with series regulars like Eliot Daughtry, Partly Robot, and Joe Biel, and some striking new voices.

Want to change the world without crashing and burning? Whether you're advocating for disability rights, climate change, racial justice, abortion care, trans youth, or any of the innumerable causes that demand attention right now, it's time to commit to the longterm. For that, you need skills to navigate the emotional ups and downs of advocacy work. Framing activism as an individual and collective healing process, this zine will guide you away from our cultural obsession with instant gratification and toward relationships and resiliency, using guerrilla gardening as inspiration. For healthcare workers, artists, educators, and everyday people trying to get through to family and neighbors, these pages offer reflective exercises, examples, and encouragement. So let go of the feeling you have to fix everything right now, and let's build movements together without destroying our mental health. There's always one small step you can take!

Idealists, gather round! How do you pursue your passionate cause to the fullest while still meeting your own needs? How do you solve the world's problems without perpetuating problematic dynamics in your organization? How do you put your energy into fighting for liberation instead of fighting with your board? Therapist Dr. Faith G. Harper and business leader Joe Biel, co-authors of Unfuck Your Business, bring their decades of experience in nonprofits to lend perspective and practical approaches to your thorniest issues with serving the public good. In these pages, you'll learn to work more effectively with your team, resolve interpersonal conflicts, deal with severe dysfunction, and unpack your own baggage. If you're struggling as a volunteer, worker, or board member, or starting a new not-for-profit or charity and want to create an organization that's aligned with your values, there's key wisdom here for you.

Everyone's got goals. Maybe you're working towards single-payer health care in the US, or maybe you've set your sights on simply making it through a stressful doctor's appointment next week. Maybe you want to get out of debt, or maybe your goal is just to pay rent on time next month. Whatever your goals, big or small, there's a way to achieve them--and Microcosm Publishing bestseller Dr. Faith has broken it down into steps and produced this handy workbook that you can use to envision, plan, execute, rinse, repeat. Because now is an era in history where we need to be as effective as we can, at everyday functioning as well as leading the resistance.

An intimate, never-seen-before examination of the life and death of Lee Harvey Oswald. Where other would-be Oswald biographies focus on the immediate events leading up to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, here we have a full and panoramic look at Oswald's short, conflicted, adventure-filled life. Using exclusive info and newly declassified documents, CIAMSFU #6 puts into perspective a richly-detailed version of the Oswald story, from birth in 1939 to his historic televised assassination. This is Lee Harvey Oswald the husband, the son, the brother—a man whose personality profile differs wildly from the "Lee as lone-wingnut" theory crafted by the Warren Commission. Much of this info is seen here for the first time in print—info that does much to humanize the controversial and polarizing man. As the zine states, the most interesting parts of Oswald's tale are what's missing in the storytelling of previous versions. Packed with interview text featuring figures as close to Oswald as his wife and mother, CIAMSFU #6 shows us Lee as a confused Marxist, an employee, a soldier, a lover, a people person, a trouble-starter, a world traveler, a show-off, even a "real cutie." This is a zine that tells us that while the events are from the past, the topics discussed are still heavily relevant. The tactics used by the government in this story are still being employed to this day; the lies and the propaganda are still being forced on us and will be so until we educate, fight, and change our way of thinking. Shocking, humanizing—whatever you take away from it—this is the most fascinating and fast-moving CIA zine to date. A great addition to this well-loved series.

Originally written in 1944 by the Office of Strategic Services--the CIA's precursor--this manual teaches the art of sabotage through inefficiency, delays, and distractions. Read along to see 1) how the state weaponizes individual actors to disrupt collective efforts, 2) tactics to watch out for in your groups and collaborations (and within yourself!), 3) ways regular people can hack back against destructive forces through simple, nonviolent means that require no tools, skills, or training. The master's tools may never dismantle the master's house, but maybe we can peacefully monkey-wrench a master's subdivision or two, you know what we're sayin'? Why let the CIA have all the fun!

Struggling with the state of the world? Learn to support your mental health with the power of the seasons in this tender offering. Each season has its own lessons, and winter is a potent time for deep dreaming, transformation, and planting the seeds of a better future. Whether you're "witch curious" or already have an established spiritual practice, this zine of spells and reflections will help you to work with winter's unique magic. If you are feeling anxiety or grief about our planet and political climate, you are not alone. May these spells sustain you, and remind you that the seasons are here to guide you, the earth is with you, and we are all bound together in the fight for liberation. Let's conjure kernels of hope together!

Save the trees! This primer guide to direct action explains concepts about protesting in forests, such as how to shop for safe climbing gear, tying knots, climbing trees, and funky treehouses. Experienced tree-sitters offer detailed explanations of why and how to work with forest giants to prevent environmental destruction, including lots of cute cartoons, diagrams for knots, and drawings of the treehouses. Read up and get someone to help you figure out the basics! Be safe and happy climbing!

Bookstores are important. So are booksellers. And they--and the ideas and communities they serve--need protection. Danny Caine, the best-selling author of How to Resist Amazon and Why and co-owner of the Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kansas, writes a stirring call to action. Bookstores are not charities, he writes, and they shouldn't get a pass on exploitative labor practices, but they play a vital role in our society that is worth upholding. Preparing the ground for a more expansive book on the topic, Caine offers 50 ideas for protecting this idiosyncratic business niche and, by extension, the neighborhoods that bookstores anchor. Some of the ideas are straightforward: buy books at bookstores, talk them up on social media, and write glowing online reviews. Others ask you to think bigger: support your local bookstore's neighboring businesses, support your local library, and lobby your elected officials to pass legislation that ensures livable wages and makes it easier to run small businesses. Still others are just excellent advice: go on dates at bookstores and buy and read weird books that you've never heard of before. Readers, publishers, politicians, workers, union organizers, and landlords can all find tailor-made calls to action in these pages. Especially now, with freedom of speech under attack from the right, it's time for us to protect books and those who sell them.

Preparing to fight? Know your rights! Whether you're an activist protesting on the streets, a worker preparing for ICE to come to your job, or simply a regular person concerned about the rise of fascism, knowing your rights is the first step to staying safe and free. The legal system and law enforcement can be used against you, but you can use the Constitution to protect yourself and your community. Lawyers put together this guide to help you understand what to say when cops confront you (spoiler: nothing), what is and isn't covered by the first amendment, and more. This pocket-sized resource offers example dialogues and scripts, quizzes to test your understanding of real-world applications of legal principles, and a glossary of terms. Written by criminal defense lawyers who represent activists and have seen it all, this is an accessible must-read for anyone concerned about democracy.

Service dogs, wheelchair accessibility, protection against being fired due to a disability--these basic rights are all a result of the American Disabilities Act passed in 1990. Even though 1 in 4 people in this country have a disability, it took years of street-level activism and political advocacy to bring the ADA and its precursors into existence. The standalone second issue of Do Not Pet is the story of that fight in graphic form, introducing the disability rights movement's boldest leaders, as well as everyday people who joined the cause, of the 70s and 80s.

In 1999, Ronni and Ronica traveled around Asia and the Middle East and conducted interviews with female activists in Palestine, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The majority of these women work for human rights groups, attempting to secure the rights of prisoners and to stop torture; others work for anti-abuse and anti-debt organizations. They discuss issues of oppression as well as the roles of racism, sexism, and homophobia in their respective countries.