Callithump Zine

callithump: (n) a noisy boisterous band or parade. A zine supporting the work of LGBTQ writers and artists. CONTRIBUTE TO THE CALLITHUMP! KICKSTARTER!!

[callithumpzine-blog]

You can now buy our pilot issue on Gumroad for just $5!!

From college love to lycanthropic lesbians, Callithump! brings you four short stories, two poems, and six illustrations in this pilot issue, which features six writers and six artists.

Callithump! is a zine supporting and celebrating positive depictions of LGBTQ+ characters by LGBTQ+ writers, illustrated by LGBTQ+ artists. This 55-page issue features two poems, four short stories, and six beautiful full-color illustrations.

[callithumpzine-blog]

We have just under 24 hours left and about $1500 left to raise.

We’re going to keep trying down to the last minute of this Kickstarter. We want more diverse, happier, less stereotypical queer stories, by creators who know and care about those stories.

That’s what we’ve created with this zine. We’re proud of it no matter what, but we so want to be able to get it to you all.

I know we all want better representation. Sometimes that means supporting those stories on the ground floor - if you can spare even $1 to this zine, you’d be helping get queer stories into the world. You can get fifty pages of original work, by passionate and talented creators, for the cost of one coffee.

Please consider supporting this zine. We’re going to keep trying to get queer stories into the world no matter what - but it would be so much easier with your help.

Thank you!

[callithumpzine-blog]

Introducing Sam!

pronouns: they/them/theirs age: 18 online at: tumblr or ao3

Sam wrote “The Art of Falling” for the pilot issue of Callithump! We love the humanness of Sam’s writing - they capture emotions so well and so intimately!! They describe their story as being “inspired by movies and cutscenes and montages in my story, and the way these multiple moments can tell a bigger story.”

You, too, can read Sam’s amazing story if you pledge to the Callithump! Kickstarter before this Sunday at noon!

We also asked each of our contributors to answer a few questions about themselves! Here are a few of Sam’s answers:

Q: What is your ideal weather?

A: “Early morning fog when the sunlight is shining through so that it looks like curtains of light and the air is cool on the skin, brisk but no cold.”

Q: Are you a good dancer? CAN YOU BOOGIE??

A: “I am actually a ballet dancer so!!! I've been dancing for 11+ years now and dance is a huge part of my life actually so yes, I would like to think i can boogie.”

Q: When did you start writing?

A: “Probably when i was 14? It's been on and off since then but that was the year i did NaNoWriMo for the first time time so I'd count that.”

Q: What is your favorite published queer story/poem?

A: “Slam Poets Andrea Gibson and Denice Frohman are two of my absolute favs who also deal with latinx + poc issues as well.”

Q: WILD CARD please tell us literally anything about yourself that you'd like for the Callithump! followers and backers to know.

A: “My favorite food in the entire world is applesauce.”

[stebers]

hey!! so our kickstarter is wrapping up in just under a week and we have quite a bit of fundraising left to do.

if you’ve been following my blog for longer than about ten minutes, you know that our zine @callithumpzine publishes lgbtq+ stories by lgbtq+ writers, illustrated by lgbtq+ artists. we’re trying to get our kickstarter funded so we can print our first issue. our kickstarter ends this sunday, july 16, at noon EDT.

my girlfriend sarah @buckycurl and i started this zine because we wanted to see more diverse, happier queer stories being told. i’m so tired of sad queer stories and i’m so tired of cishet people getting credit for writing stories that don’t really represent us. i’m so proud of all the stories, poems, and illustrations in this zine, as well as all of the people who made them.

i’d really like to see this kickstarter succeed, so there can be that little bit more positive representation in the world and so we can continue to publish issues of this zine.

we’re pretty far from our goal. we’ve been working really hard for the last five or so months to get this zine together, and the project is incredibly important to us. i want to make sure we keep trying until the end of this kickstarter.

i’ll write you something if you pledge (i made a post about it here!), or i’ll send you a handwritten, personalized thank-you note (i have really pretty pens and i’m great at thanking people!!) or i will make a video personally thanking every single person who pledges (my voice is terrible but i’d still do it) - i just so want to see these stories find an audience.

it would mean the world to us if you would take a second to read about our zine and consider backing it. and if you can’t back our kickstarter, please reblog this post!!

thank you so much for your time :)

[stebers]

we have a pretty big gap to close still but i really don’t want to give up. please take a look at our kickstarter and reblog this post if you can!! thank you i love you all

[queerente]

i really like seeing people like me in stories and art. i really like reading a book with characters i can relate to. i know for a solid fact that i’m not the only one who feels this way. 

my girlfriend and i talked about doing something like callithump! after the election because we were sad and frustrated and we wanted our anger to bring something nice into the world. we talked about creating a sort of something where queer people could have a voice. we wanted a sort of something that would be full of positive and happy things for people to feel hopeful about. 

we created callithump! because of all the books we read where the queer characters don’t get to end up together. we created callithump! because i have never read a trans story that didn’t end in sadness and loneliness. we created this zine because we shouldn’t to settle for one or both queer characters dying. we created it because we’re so tired of settling. 

callithump! is full of contributors who are also tired of settling. it’s full of creators who want to see characters like them in media. it’s full of people who want happy endings and hopeful stories. 

we just want to share some stories with everyone else who is tired of reading everyone else’s stories. we want to normalize happy endings for people like us.

[callithumpzine-blog]

Sarah summed up so well why this project is so important to us. We have until Sunday to meet our goal!!

[callithumpzine-blog]

Introducing Jasmin!

pronouns: she/her/hers age: 29 online at: tumblr and instagram

Jasmin illustrated one of our four short stories, “The Art of Falling.” Her art is absolutely wonderful - we love her character design and the way she captures distinct feelings so accurately.

To see Jasmin’s art and the amazing story it illustrates, pledge to the Callithump! Kickstarter today!!

We also asked each of our contributors to answer a few questions about themselves! Here are a few of Jasmin’s answers:

Q: Do you have any pets?

A: “Tito who is a little goblin (chihuahua-mix) dog and a very old ferret.”

Q: What is your ideal weather?

A: “Thunderstorms are great (as long as you're inside).”

Q: Are you a good dancer? CAN YOU BOOGIE??

A: “Oh..I'm..very white...please don't ask me this...”

Q: When did you start drawing?

A: “Literally as soon as I could hold a pencil I think.”

Q: What made you want to apply to Callithump! and what has the experience been like for you?

A: “As you guys already pointed out, being pretty fed up after seeing one too many SadGay™ or even worse DeadQueerCharacter™ narratives, I loved making a small contribution for more diverse representation.”

[callithumpzine-blog]

Introducing Rebecca!

pronouns: she/her/hers age: 25 online at: twitter

Rebecca’s contribution to Callithump!, “Her Silver Will,” is an excerpt from a novel she started for National Novel Writing Month last year:

Lora Norton is a young woman balancing the demands of moving back home, working a tedious job, and keeping her lycanthropy a secret. During her first summer at home, Lora meets Tess Mackenzie, and it seems there may be more people in town keeping the same secret.

It would be incredibly difficult not to fall in love with Rebecca’s characters instantly - they’re as lovely as the story itself!

To read Rebecca’s story, pledge to the Callithump! Kickstarter today and get your copy!!

We asked each of our contributors to answer a few questions about themselves! Here are a few of Rebecca’s answers:

Q: When did you start writing?

A: “I've been telling and writing stories ever since I could read at five years old.”

Q: What's something you can do that you're proud of?

A: “Over the last few years, I've impressed myself with my baking skills.”

Q: How did you get the idea for your story?

A: “My story is a culmination of story elements I always wanted more of as a young adult reader: life in the Midwest, but with werewolves in their regular, day to day conflicts. I wish I had been able to find love stories between young women because it may have helped me understand my orientation years earlier.”

[callithumpzine-blog]

Introducing Lincoln!

pronouns: he/him/his age: 17 online at: tumblr

Lincoln illustrated “The Breath and the Dirt,” one of the four lovely short stories in the pilot issue of Callithump! We fell in love with Lincoln’s art as soon as we saw it - his lines, colors, and overall style are unique and amazing. His illustration is colorful and incredibly eye-catching!

To see Lincoln’s illustration alongside the story (and even get a print of it!!!), pledge to the Callithump! Kickstarter now!!! :)

We asked each of our contributors to answer a few questions about themselves! Here are a few of Lincoln’s answers:

Q: Do you have any pets?

A: “I don't have any pets, but I do have 4 siblings, which has given me a similar life experience. It's like that cartoon The Loud House.”

Q: Are you a good dancer? CAN YOU BOOGIE??

A: “No, but I'm hoping I can learn a routine to YMCA so when I inevitably dress up as the cop from the Village People for Halloween, I'll be prepared.”

Q: When did you start drawing?

A: “I drew my first comic on my childhood dresser in preschool when my sister became friends with a boy I liked. It was very dramatic & I've been making stuff ever since.”

Q: Who is your favorite person in your life?

A: “My boss/mentor at the theater company I work at. She inspires me to work hard and I love her.”

Q: Do you have a queer role model? If so, who are they?

A: “Julio Torres, a comedian & writer. He's got a really unique aesthetic for comedy especially and I like the way his voice sounds.”

[callithumpzine-blog]

Introducing Lake!

pronouns: she/her/hers age: 17 online at: tumblr or twitter

Lake is one of the two extremely talented poets in our pilot issue of Callithump! We first fell in love with Lake’s writing for its stunning imagery. She describes her piece as being about “burgeoning and bludgeoning possibilities.”

To read Lake’s piece in full, contribute to the Callithump! Kickstarter and get your copy today!!

We asked each of our contributors to answer a few questions about themselves! Here are a few of Lake’s answers:

Q: When did you start writing?

A: “When I was eight, I would write poems on the backs of finished worksheets.”

Q: Where is your favorite place to write?

A: “I'd say my bedroom because I'm the most comfortable here.”

Q: What's something you can do that you're proud of? 

A: “I asked my friend, and she said I can make people laugh!”

Q: Who is your favorite person in your life?

A: “I wouldn't say I have a favorite person, but a special one is my writing partner, Darrien. His writing and his heart are equally dazzling.”

Q: How did you get the idea for your story?

A: “I liked this girl in my class and I wanted to write about her. I included moments of observance, the desire for closeness, and the hope for every beautiful inevitability.”

[callithumpzine-blog]

Introducing Ashlee!

pronouns: she/her/hers age: 23 online at: twitter, tumblr, and instagram

Ashlee illustrated “First Flame,” one of the poems in the pilot issue of Callithump! She is an incredibly talented artist - she says she found particular inspiration from the concept of the “sense of a weight between two people.” It shows!! Her art is a beautiful representation of a beautiful poem.

To see the two side by side, pledge to the Callithump! Kickstarter today and get your copy!

We asked each of our contributors to answer a few questions about themselves! Here are a few of Ashlee’s answers:

Q: Do you have any pets?

A: “6 beautiful cats, 1 handsome dog, & 6 graceful chickens.”

Q: Are you a good dancer? CAN YOU BOOGIE??

A: “My moves are so sick you better call a doctor.”

Q: What's something you can do that you're proud of?

A: “I have a gift for making faces that bear a resemblance to a potato.”

Q: Do you have a queer role model?

A: “Kate Leth!!”

Q: WILD CARD please tell us literally anything about yourself that you'd like for the Callithump! followers and backers to know.

A: “I'm addicted to Yelp.”

[stebers]

i’m doing short writing prompts to raise money for the Callithump! zine Kickstarter!!!

if you pledge as little as one (1) dollar to the Callithump! Kickstarter, i’ll write something short for you!!! and you get all the sweet, sweet Kickstarter rewards too!!! :)

for those who don’t already know, Callithump! is a zine full of stories and poems by LGBTQ+ writers, about LGBTQ+ characters, illustrated by LGBTQ+ artists. we have a blog at @callithumpzine where you can read about some of our amazing contributors and get updates on the Kickstarter!

there are 11 days left of the kickstarter, and we’re trying to get to $1500 by the end of this week!!

SO! if you pledge to the Callithump! Kickstarter, i’ll write you something!!! fanfic, original writing, an au you’re really into, whatever you want - just send me a prompt and i’ll write it for you!! (within reasonable limits. no sex and nothing creepy. thank you!!)

pledge $1-19 and i’ll write you a ficlet (~100 words, sample below the read more)

pledge $20+ and i’ll write you a short fic (500-1000 words)

thanks so much for reading!!

if you can’t pledge, please consider reblogging to get the word out. this project means so much to us, and we really want to see the Kickstarter get funded so we can share these stories with you. :)

(did i mention the Kickstarter enough? here’s the link again just in case.)

Keep reading

[eulenstadt]

Here it is! My piece for the Callithump! pilot edition!

Check out the Callithump! Kickstarter and consider being a backer for this good good new LGBTQ+ zine (and to get sweet rewards yay)! 🍉🌴🌈

[callithumpzine-blog]

Jasmin’s illustration is absolutely beautiful!!! We’re so glad she’s a part of our pilot issue, and we can’t wait to get prints of her art!!

(You can too if you pledge to the Callithump! Kickstarter!!)

[callithumpzine-blog]

Introducing Orion!

pronouns: he/him/his age: 19 online at: poetry blog, main blog, instagram, and twitter

Orion contributed “PSALM 23” to the pilot issue of Callithump! His poem is absolutely stunning - like all of Orion’s poetry, it is full of beautiful imagery and descriptions that leave you thinking for days after you first read them. Orion describes his piece as: “Two boys tussle by a riverbed. It is a desperate and holy encounter.”

To read Orion’s poem, contribute to the Callithump! Kickstarter and get your copy of the zine!!!

We asked each of our contributors to answer a few questions about themselves! Here are a few of Orion’s answers:

Q: Where is your favorite place to write/draw/create?

A: “Curled up in my bed in a nest of pillows with a glass of chocolate milk.”

Q: Do you have any pets? Do you want to tell us about them?

A: “SNICKERDOODLE IS MY DOG!!! She is a tiny fluffball who prefers sleeping and cheese over everything else.”

Q: What's something you can do that you're proud of?

A: “I can play guitar and recite the alphabet backwards!”

Q: Do you have a queer role model? If so, who are they?

A: “Laura Jane Grace is a queer trans woman in the band Against Me! and she's a constant source of inspiration for me.”

Q: How did you get the idea for your story?

A: “I've read a lot of pieces about gay unholiness, but not many about the inverse. I wanted to write a poem that allowed my love for men to be the holy part - although there are other parts of my life (and the narrative of this particular poem) that aren't clean or pretty, loving men isn't one of them. There is nothing more holy than queer adoration.”

[callithumpzine-blog]

Introducing Kaloe!

pronouns: she/her age: 19 online at: knipselmap on tumblr, @kljst on twitter and instagram

Kaloe illustrated “PSALM 23,” one of the poems in the pilot issue of Callithump! She created her illustration by making a lino-cut of her beautiful sketch and then adding paint - and it turned out absolutely amazing!

To see Kaloe’s illustration, pledge to the Callithump! Kickstarter today! :)

We asked each of our contributors to answer a few questions about themselves! Here are a few of Kaloe’s answers:

Q: What is your ideal weather?

A: “Sunny as fuck”

Q: What's something you can do that you're proud of?

A: “I know how to juggle and ride a unicycle”

Q: Where is your favorite place to write/draw/create?

A: “I'm currently in art school and I like to go there when I'm free as well because it's a nice spot with lots of resources”

Q: When did you start drawing?

A: “As long as I can remember, I got serious about drawing I think when I was around 13″

Q: Do you have a queer role model? If so, who are they?

A: “Hannah Hart I think maybe? Because she's always superpositive about everything”

[callithumpzine-blog]

Introducing Alystair!

pronouns: they/them or he/him age: 20 online at: @Not_SoSure on twitter

Alystair wrote a short story titled “The Breath and the Dirt” for the pilot issue of Callithump! They describe the piece as, “Two boys grow up and fall in love in rural Kentucky.” His story contains beautiful visuals and a lovely depiction of the evolution of a relationship.

Pledge to the Callithump! Kickstarter to get a copy of the zine and read Alystair’s amazing contribution!

We asked each of our contributors to answer a few questions about themselves! Here are a few of Alystair’s answers:

Q: Describe your perfect weather:

A: “Bright sun, frequent breeze, clouds moving very quickly across the sky.”

Q: Can you boogie?

A: “I can fake it, but only with non-dancers.”

Q: Do you have a queer role model? If so, who?

A: “Miss Major.”

Q: When did you start writing?

A: “I started writing seriously when I was a senior in high school.”

Q: Tell us anything you’d like!

A: “I am embarrassingly bad at checkers. I have never won a game.”

[queerente]

our kickstarter launched today! if you want a beautiful zine with some sleepy boys on the cover, consider being a backer! 

[callithumpzine-blog]

And here’s Sarah’s beautiful cover for Callithump! #0!! Aahh!!

[callithumpzine-blog]

The Callithump! pilot issue Kickstarter is live!

callithump [kal-uh-thuhmp], n: a noisy, boisterous band or parade.

Callithump! [kal-uh-thuhmp], n: a zine supporting and celebrating positive depictions of LGBTQ+ characters by LGBTQ+ writers, illustrated by LGBTQ+ artists.

Pledge now to support these twelve talented creators - and receive copies of the zine and a bunch of other cool rewards!

[callithumpzine-blog]

COMING FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 2017!

Callithump! is a zine created to support positive depictions of LGBTQ+ characters by LGBTQ+ writers, illustrated by LGBTQ+ artists.

And our pilot issue is ready to go! The pieces are edited! The illustrations are in! Everything is edited and proofed - and looking beautiful, if we do say so ourselves! We have four wonderful stories and two beautiful poems, each accompanied by a gorgeous illustration. We’re so proud of what this pilot issue has become.

And so it’s come time to launch our Kickstarter campaign! On Friday, June 16, 2017 at 12pm (eastern time), the Callithump! pilot issue Kickstarter will be going live. The Kickstarter is intended to raise funds for printing, as well as to help us pay our talented contributors who have worked so hard to bring this zine to you. In addition to print copies of the zine, there are some wonderful rewards available to Kickstarter backers.

We can’t wait to share this project with you!!

[callithumpzine-blog]

One week away!! Tell your friends!!! Get excited!!!! :)