Social Distanziner

We're an online zine filled with quarantine creativity. We publish poetry and prose, art, music, and more. Submit your work and learn about our Distanziner Postcard Program - new issues each month!  Submissions open for issue 3 https://distanziner.com/SUBMIT

[distanziner]

Visit Original Link

Always seize the day, and stay strong my friends!

[distanziner]

Let’s Get Saucy

It’s finally summer! The balmy weather and warm sunshine usually means you’ll find me at new restaurants on the weekends, trying exotic cuisines and exciting flavours. Sadly, quarantine means I’m stuck at home, with only my food processor to keep my company. So I guess it’s time for some culinary experimentation! To help make quarantine dinners a little more interesting, here are some of my favourite sauces and dips adapted to suit my modest downtown kitchen and limited fridge space. All of these recipes can be tweaked to your liking, so keep tasting until you find what you like! (I’d like to apologize in advance to all the chefs in the world, for desecrating their traditional methods and ingredients. I will now bow my head in shame.)

CHIMICHURRI 

NOTE:

This Argentinian sauce is traditionally made by finely chopping all the ingredients, and infusing its flavours into olive oil, but blending it in a food processor or a blender makes the process much, much faster. Do as you please!

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch fresh parsley, stems included

1 cup olive oil

1/4 onion, whatever type you have in the fridge

4 cloves of garlic OR however much you like

1/4 cup fresh OR bottled lemon juice (we don’t judge)OPTIONAL: 1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems included

OPTIONAL: Fresh chilis to taste OR Chinese style Laoganma chili oil OR sriracha OR any type of red chili oil/paste you have

Salt and black pepper to taste!

Garnish: red chili flakes and fresh parsley leaves

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Crush garlic, roughly chop

2. Roughly chop onion

3. Chop off the heads and tails of chilis, and remove spice if you’d like to reduce the spice level

4. Throw fresh parsley and fresh cilantro into your food processor, and blend until you reach the consistency of a rough paste

5. Add the onion, garlic and chili, blend again until homogenous

6. Stream in olive oil, lemon juice, and blend until smooth

7. Serve on grilled chicken, grilled steak, salads OR use as a marinade for meats and seafood

HUMMUS

INGREDIENTS:

1 can canned chickpeas/ 1 cup dried chickpeas

4 cloves of garlic, OR however much you like

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup fresh or bottled lemon juice (again, whatever you have!)

2 tablespoons tahini OR peanut butter

Hot water

Garnish: drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika OR cayenne

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Toast your chosen nuts in a pan over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, or until they turn brown. This will make your pesto so much more fragrant! Let them cool to room temperature.

2. Put your basil, toasted nuts and garlic cloves in the food processor, and blend until you have the consistency of a rough paste. Add parmesan and blend again until well combined.

3. Stream in olive oil, and blend until you have a smooth puree.

4. Season with salt and black pepper! Serve on grilled chicken OR mixed in with Caesar dressing on a salad. Whip up a quick pesto pasta by mixing in with al dente pasta, a few tablespoons of pasta water, and a tablespoon of butter. Enjoy!

PESTO

NOTE:

If you’re super bougie and own a mortar and pestle, feel free to make pesto the traditional Italian way! Sadly, I do not, but I aspire to and I deeply envy those of you who do.

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup pine nuts OR almonds OR walnuts, basically any neutral tasting nut!

1 bunch basil, Italian OR Asian style

3 – 4 cloves garlic, or to taste

1 cup olive oil

¼ cup grated fresh parmesan OR parmesan from a bottle (again, no judgement)

Salt and black pepper to taste!

Garnish: red chili flakes and fresh basil leaves

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Toast your chosen nuts in a pan over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, or until they turn brown. This will make your pesto so much more fragrant! Let them cool to room temperature.

2. Put your basil, toasted nuts and garlic cloves in the food processor, and blend until you have the consistency of a rough paste. Add parmesan and blend again until well combined.

3. Stream in olive oil, and blend until you have a smooth puree.

4. Season with salt and black pepper! Serve on grilled chicken OR mixed in with Caesar dressing on a salad. Whip up a quick pesto pasta by mixing in with al dente pasta, a few tablespoons of pasta water, and a tablespoon of butter. 

Enjoy!

by Alexa Cheung Toronto, ON

[distanziner]

by Michael Kim Toronto, ON

distanziner.com

[distanziner]

Class of Covid 2020

by Larissa Faria

Brampton, ON

[distanziner]

Laura is a fellow quarantined human who likes to relax by playing little melodies on my kalimba. She is not a professional at all,, but Laura still enjoys playing and hopes you will find it enjoyable as well!

[distanziner]

Getting my Job Offer Rescinded - A Class of 2020 Story

It was late April and it had been a month since COVID took over 2020 and (most of) humanity was put into lockdown. I was back home in Toronto after my short stint of an exchange in the UK and it was hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, I was sipping Earl Gray and dreaming about the Queen’s fluffy corgis. It was also hard to believe that in a couple weeks I was going to be graduating. Sure it’d be on Zoom and I’d be in my pyjamas receiving my diploma from the mailman, but congratulations were in order, I think.

Despite the pandemic raging outside, life felt pretty ordinary. I was sprawled on my bed, my laptop balancing precariously on my stomach as I checked my email for refunds for my cancelled trip to Poland. There was nothing. Figures. But there was something else – a bright and bold email from my employer asking for a call. I froze.

I was supposed to start my full-time marketing job in a month, but if COVID taught us anything it was that “supposed to” meant almost nothing. No matter how excited I was for this job, I knew millions were already laid off and it was possible that my number had finally come up. I glanced at the email again and a wave of dread washed over me. A small part of me desperately hoped that my employer was calling to reassure me that everything was okay - my job offer was still in place and guess what this whole call was actually just a prank and we’d laugh it off and I’d continue my day with my job offer intact. None of that happened. My job offer was rescinded and even though it was nobody’s fault, all I could feel was frustration. Years of schooling and painful recruiting all added up to a ten minute call where I had to pretend like the news didn’t bother me. Months of planning and excitement for the future just so I could pretend to my ex-employer that I was confident that I’d be fine. I told myself that I shouldn’t be upset. It was bound to happen, wasn’t it? People more experienced than me were getting laid off, why would I be any different? But I was still devastated. 

I knew compared to many others who lost their jobs, I was still lucky. I didn’t have bills to pay or 2.4 children and a dog to feed. I was grateful for my privilege. But it was hard to feel grateful. I didn’t think I’d cry over a job I never had, but I did.

For a while, I didn’t want to tell people. Even though none of it was my fault, I was still embarrassed. When I got the job, I told a lot of people how happy I was and the prospect of telling others that it was all gone made me ashamed. I was the only one out of all my friends without a job and there was a small piece of pride within me was terrified of being pitied. Eventually, it got to the point where keeping it a secret started to hurt. Friends would tell me how lucky I was to still have my job and I just couldn’t keep up the charade. So, I told them the truth. I wasn’t sure what I expected, but their response made me forget why I was even reluctant to tell them in the first place.

However. There was this voice whispering in my ear. A smooth, sinister voice that that compared to them, I still didn’t have a job. And I felt insecure. I was not the type to romanticize work, but once everyone had a job, I felt like I needed one too to feel complete. Every time someone talked about being busy at work, I yearned to feel busy too.  I didn’t want to be left behind. Not having a job made me feel like one of those kids left out in the playground because they weren’t wearing Aeropostale or didn’t have a cool phone with a sliding keyboard to text with.

It was frustrating. And it was lonely.  

I had no motivation to look for a new job. I was tired and apathetic - I didn’t feel like myself at all. I gave myself a hard time for that. I constantly thought about how motivated and busy I was back in University. I didn’t understand how I could go from constantly running around campus and waking up at 5am to study for a quiz, to never moving from the couch and using as few brain cells as humanly possible. I thought about everyone else waking up before noon to actually contribute to society and I felt guilty.

Fortunately, I wasn’t alone. After a lot of convincing from friends (like a lot - the shortness of this paragraph understates just how much convincing it took), I somehow gathered the nerve to make a change. I chugged coffee every morning, pumped out personalized cover letters like a machine, and showered the networks of the world with my LinkedIn requests. For the first time in a while, I felt a sense of optimism. Then I remembered how difficult the job hunt was. And boy, was it difficult. There were days when my hand physically could not write another cover letter. There were days when I couldn’t even be bothered to read the job description, so I’d just throw my resume in there regardless and tell myself I was being productive. If I were lucky, I’d get a generic rejection email. But for the most part, I was completely ghosted.

It was hard to stay optimistic. I would think about all the unemployed individuals with much more experience than me competing for the same entry-level jobs. I questioned if there was a point to any of this recruiting.  

After a long, long, long time. I had to accept that there were going to be hard days. Sometimes it was hard to be hopeful, but no matter how delusional I felt I was being, I had to believe that getting a job in this mid-pandemic economy was still possible. I had to keep trying. I tried. I failed. And I tried some more. I had writtten so many cover letters, and even most of them didn’t result in anything, I could feel myself improving. The cover letters I could write now were lightyears ahead of the ones I wrote at the beginning of the summer. There was progress. ---- To the Class of 2020, the world sure is challenging us isn’t it. A lot of things didn’t pan out the way we had hoped. And it’s going to sound cliche, but we can’t give up. If there is one takeaway from this, it’s that people are here to help. Friends, acquaintances, family members - It can be awkward to reach out sometimes, but the payoff makes it worth it. Just having someone look over your resume, offer career advice, or prep for interviews can make a huge difference. I used to hate asking people for help, and sometimes it’s still awkward, but I can confidently say that it’s helped me a lot. You’re not alone. We’re the Class of 2020 and we’ll get through this. Together.

[distanziner]

Cactus

by Annie Pham Mississauga, ON

[distanziner]

Wading in the cesspool of my thoughts

A list for when you’re trying to make sense of the world. 1. Understanding that everyone copes in their own way and in their own time. 2. Absorbing information like a sponge, and feeling slightly overwhelmed by it. 3. Reflecting on how I can be a better human being, because the world is getting tired of inaction. 4. Promising myself to never stop learning, growing and questioning. 5. Knowing that it’s okay to step back and rest for awhile. 6. Trying but hopelessly failing to calm the buzzing thoughts in my mind. 7. Listening to voices that need to be heard. 8. Acknowledging my privilege and calling out my unconscious bias. 9. Pushing myself to keep going, because there is still work that needs to be done. 10. Feeling ashamed of how I have characterized people in the past. 11. Asking myself why I didn’t recognize my microaggressions sooner. 12. Taking accountability for my thoughts and actions, no matter how insignificant they may seem. 13. Wondering if this world will change for the better, and fiercely hoping that it does. 14. Believing in the strength of the human spirit and its ability to carry us through dark times. 15. Finding a way to keep fighting, no matter how glorious or messy it may be. 16. Looking squarely into the future with cautious optimism and a steely resolve.

by Stephanie Li London, ON

[distanziner]

Still Drawing

by Vivian Mei

Connecticut, USA

[distanziner]

Living with Myself: On Learning to Embrace Solitude in the Middle of a Pandemic

How I overcame my fear of being alone while quarantining in Japan

It’s spring in Tokyo and I’ve been quarantining alone in my small apartment (a mere 8.6 tatami mats) for two months with only my stack of toilet paper and stash of uniquely flavoured Horoyoi for company. The unnameable sweet-yet-savoury aroma of the kabocha no nimono gently stewing on my single-burner stove mixes with the smell of fresh laundry and afternoon spring air. “Nobody” by Mitski blares from the tinny speakers of my cellphone, rattles the counter, probably annoys the neighbours I’ve never seen.

I moved from Toronto to Tokyo a few weeks before the coronavirus became a pandemic with neither a grasp of the language nor a single friend. I’ve spent most of my time in Japan teleworking and staying in on the weekends, and I am the opposite of lonely. If you knew me before I moved to Japan, this is not the reaction you would expect. I moved away for university and cried into the pages of my paperback anthologies for two years straight. I took the train to visit my family and friends as often as possible, dramatically staring out the window as if I were returning from war. I needed plans: a party, a night out, a day at the beach, a brunch, an expensive vacation. I procured a gaggle of mediocre suitors and less-than-mediocre boyfriends. I didn’t know it at the time, but I could not stand being alone with myself.

I was not alone in my aversion to solitude (no pun intended): a University of Virginia study found that most people would rather hurt themselves than spend time alone with their thoughts. For many people, knowing themselves is terrifying. But quarantine forced me to abandon addictive chaos and embrace functional peace. I was alone with my thoughts for the first time in a very long time. I cooked twice a day, I went for long walks every night, I journaled every day. I conducted a mental autopsy on myself: I split myself open and waded through everything I had been running from—my shame, my desires, my anxieties, my discomfort—and discovered my capacity for self-love and truly reveling in solitude. Now, I love spending time with myself. A New York Times article cites many benefits to spending time alone, such as becoming more confident, learning more about yourself, and forging more meaningful relationships. An article in The Cut says alone time can also boost creativity, improve problem solving, and produce a calming effect. Writers, artists, psychologists, and even religious texts celebrate solitude. In medieval times, “alone” was defined as the “completeness in one's singular being.” So, how do you learn to be alone with yourself without wanting to subject yourself to electric shocks? I first tried to cut out as many distractions as I could—that included social media, books, Netflix, Houseparty video calls, and even music—for at least an hour every day. I used this time for journaling, creating something, or simply sitting alone with my thoughts. Spending so much time alone with myself forced me to become my own best friend—to forgive myself, be gentle with myself, love myself, and find productive coping mechanisms for the need to constantly ruminate about my past mistakes, anxieties, or short-comings. I learned to regulate my emotions, self-soothe, and ultimately enjoy spending time with myself. I imagined I was six years old, all curly hair and chubby cheeks. I cooked myself healthy meals, bathed myself, cleaned my space, and took care of myself. I did fun things, like dancing alone in my room, buying a bunch of Japanese snacks on my weekly supermarket run, and treating myself to at-home picnics. By spending time alone, I became more self-aware and focused on self-improvement. Once I sharpened my understanding of myself—what I really liked and disliked, what my desires and goals are—I found myself moving through life more authentically. I don’t need other people or societal expectations to regulate my self-esteem or validate me, and I choose to occupy my time with activities and people that enrich my life. Learning to enjoy spending time alone and building a good relationship with myself wasn’t and isn’t linear. There are days I feel lonely and discouraged and would rather be anywhere than in my head. But most days, my alone time rejuvenates me. Some days, my emotions are not so neat or black-and-white, and they shift by the hour, by the minute. Now, it’s summer in Tokyo and life has seemingly returned to normal (save for the flimsy plastic partitions and footprint-shaped stickers on the floors of the conbini, the Don Quijotes), which has thrown me into a new type of isolation. I’ve taken the role of spectator: I watch friends and family chattering away on neon-lit streets, in bustling izakayas, at the beach. I am still alone—only now, I am alone with 37,393,129 people. But my two months in quarantine have prepared me for the adversity of starting over in a new country. I know myself better, root for myself, and value my independence. I am alone, but I’m not lonely. And as life moves on and new people eventually come into my life, I will still make time for myself.

[distanziner]

Trapped in Quarantine

24 hours Time tosses endlessly Conversations blend into static Contact, a reminiscence Technology becomes the sole lens to view reality Morale redefining rock bottom Dwindling optimism fuels depression A reality none sought Yet penetrated its disruption across nations Dawn merges into dusk But the grass still grows Highlighting the passage of inconceivable time Amidst bleakness, growth blooms Conversations initiated Self-sufficiency challenged Internal doubts defied Priorities evaluated and nurtured Now students of an unwelcome havoc Sprouting lessons tackling presumption Nourishing adaptability Appreciation Love

by Joeyanne Cheung Toronto, ON

[distanziner]

Une distance particulière

by Jennifer Smith Paris, France

[distanziner]

patience

time has little meaning in this place which I have found. like the oak, she sits and stares and like the stream, he flows around

where once they gripped and shouted now here they make no sound. he does not speak, or even sigh her branches are unwound the shadows do not waver and the crickets do not bound. the grass is dull, the soil still, the stones are in a mound once, the clouds rushed up above and white moon shone so round now, the stars do naught but blink and disappear without a sound she gave him leaves and laughter he gave her pebbles drowned green like saplings in a field blue like lips unbound it falls to me to speak the word yet still there is no sound no silent speech, no second breath no syllables around they do not blame me though how could they? they have found their place and I have mine, this place of roots and lilies drowned and time is all I have to know within what I have found but time has little meaning in this place which I have found

by Anthony Tan Kirkland, QC

[distanziner]

Black Canadian Authors: A Reading List

Non-Black readers, perhaps you have pledged to be an ally, or a better ally, in fighting anti-Black racism. Recognize that this is the first step in your commitment to a long journey of learning and unlearning. Allyship is not a status we can achieve by declaring it, it is something we have to continuously work at. As pandemic restrictions lift, and as we return back to our “normal” lives, we need to think about what this “normal” entails and recognize what needs to change, namely, the systems that perpetuate racial injustices.

Part of that work includes amplifying Black voices and reading more works by Black writers. This includes reading stories of Black joy in addition to stories of Black pain. It’s time to read more. Here are some books by Black Canadian authors - this is by no means a comprehensive reading list, but it can serve as a starting point.

Anthologies:

Black Writers Matter - edited by Whitney French - read about the anthology here

The Black Notes: Fresh Writing by Black Women and Girls - edited by Althea Prince - read about the book in this interview with Prince (scroll down)

Non-Fiction:

I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You - by David Chariandy - read about the book and Chariandy’s story

The Skin We’re In - by Desmond Cole - read about the book in this interview with Cole

Policing Black Lives - by Robyn Maynard - watch Maynard speak about her book here

BlackLife: Post-BLM and the Struggle for Freedom - by Rinaldo Walcott and Idil Abdillahi - read a review here

Dear Current Occupant - by Chelene Knight - read a review here

‘Membering - by Austin Clarke - read about the memoir here, and about Clarke’s life and legacy here

They Said This Would be Fun - by Eternity Martis - read about the book in this interview with Martis

Angry Queer Somali Boy - by Mohamed Abdulkarim Ali - read about Ali and his book here

Queer Returns: Essays on Multiculturalism, Diaspora, and Black Studies - by Rinaldo Walcott - read about the book here

Bla_K [Blank]: Essays & Interviews - by M. Nourbese Philip - read about the book in this interview with Philip

Fiction:

Theory - by Dionne Brand - read a review here

Days by Moonlight - by André Alexis - read a review here

Shut Up You’re Pretty - by Téa Mutonji - watch Mutonji talk about her book and her writing here

Things are Good Now - by Djamila Ibrahim - read about the book in this interview with Ibrahim

Washington Black - by Esi Edugyan - read about the book in this interview with Edugyan

The Illegal - by Lawrence Hill - read a review here

Frying Plantain - by Zalika Reid-Benta - read about Reid-Benta and her book here

Have You Met Nora? - by Nicole Blades - watch a review here

Falling in Love with Hominids - by Nalo Hopkinson - read a review here

The Heart Does Not Bend - by Makeda Silvera - read a review here

Poetry:

Execution Poems - by George Elliott Clarke - read about Clarke here

Sonnet’s Shakespeare - by Sonnet L’Abbé - read about L’Abbé and her book here

Personals - by Ian Williams - read about the book here

by Angela Gu

Toronto, ON

[distanziner]

Chant

By Anike Morrison

[distanziner]

Distanziner Postcard Program

To receive your postcard, fill out your form HERE.

In this socially distanced world, it can be difficult to connect with others. That's why we want to send postcards as a small token of gratitude to anyone who has the means to donate to charity and help the world rebuild. Thank you!

We often see incredible people doing amazing things for their community and we want to thank them for their initiative and generosity (if this is you, thank you!). If you’re us, however, it can sometimes be difficult finding ways to help. There’s so much that needs to be done, but we just don’t know where to start. That’s why we’ve created this program to encourage donating to one of the three charities we’ve chosen to support (only if you have the means!).

For every donation over $5, you can choose from one of three postcards featuring art from the first issue of Social Distanziner which we can either: mail to you, to a friend or loved one, or we can send a postcard on your behalf to a healthcare worker or resident in a long-term care home.

Why postcards? In this time of social distancing, it can be difficult to maintain relationships and contact with those we care about. Technology has made our lives much easier in that regard, but there’s something really special about receiving something special in the mail. We wanted to help people connect to those who matter to them, and so we created a fun way to do so.

You can choose from any of these four organizations to support. We’ve done the research, and handpicked the following organizations, to support a range of impactful causes in this challenging time: Daily Bread Food Bank, Doctors without Borders, Street Health, and Stella’s Place.

We’ll cover postage, and you can put a personalized message on the postcard you wish to send.

The Postcards:

THE ORGANIZATIONS:

Daily Bread Food Bank

What:

feeding our neighbours in need in Toronto.

Why:

They are one of Canada's largest food banks, providing food to thousands of low-income individuals a year. They were listed by Maclean's as one of the top 100 charities in Canada as determined by impact, transparency, and how each donated dollar is used.

Donate here:

www.dailybread.ca/ways-to-give/

Doctors without Borders (MSF)

What:

providing global support for the coronavirus pandemic

Why:

MSF is one of the most effective charities in international health emergencies with the best track record in fighting epidemics.  They are currently supporting hospitals and public health systems in 22 countries.

Donate here:

www.doctorswithoutborders.ca/

Street Health

What:

improving the health of people experiencing homelesssness in Toronto

Why:

 Homeless individuals are some of the most at-risk populations for contracting COVID-19. Street Health delivers vital community healthcare services and mental health programs for homeless individuals during the pandemic.

Donate here:

www.streethealth.ca/donate

Stella’s Place

What:

delivering mental health services for 16-29 year-olds in Toronto

Why:

The pandemic has presented complicated mental health challenges for many people, youth especially. Since the pandemic started,  demand for their services have tripled.

Donate here:

www.stellasplace.ca/get-involved/ways-to-give/

The fine print:

Please note that we currently only send postcards to locations in Canada and the US. If you are located elsewhere, please contact us ([email protected]) and we can try to figure something out.

There are three postcard designs to choose from, each subject to availability. We are making limited-edition runs of 50 prints each. You can indicate your preference in the form below, and we'll try our best to get you your absolute favourite design. But trust us, all the designs are pretty darn good. The artists have given us permission to reproduce their artwork for this purpose.

Privacy:

We're not going to sell your personal data. We'll delete any personal data received through this form as soon as it's not needed anymore, meaning, after we've sent out your postcards. We might retain aggregate numbers of how much money was donated to each charity.

Thank you for your donation and if you have any questions please email us at

[email protected]

If you don't have questions, you can still email us!

Share the joy of postcards with people you love - spread the word about the Distanziner Postcard Program!

[distanziner]

Issue 3 Submissions Open!

Submissions for Social Distanziner issue 3 are open!

https://distanziner.com/SUBMIT

Deadline: Sunday August 23 at 11:59pm

For this upcoming issue, we want you to share your imagined futures.

Distanziner has always welcomed BIPOC voices, and we emphasize our commitment to providing opportunities for racialized people, especially Black and Indigenous writers and artists. 

We welcome all kinds of creative expression, including but not limited to: 

art (drawing, painting, digital, multimedia, etc.) 

poetry

short stories

personal essays

craft (embroidery, sewing, etc.)

photography

memes

music 

videos

culinary creations (quarantine baking anyone??) 

Who are we?

Social Distanziner is an independent zine for individuals all over the world to share what human beings like you and I are feeling during this pandemic. In this socially distant time where a sense of connection is so important, we created this magazine to bring individuals together by finding solace and resilience in the creative process, whether that be through art, words, music, or bread. We want to collect expressions of candid thoughts, emotions, and reflections about the state of the world, and about changes in each of our own little corners of the world. We encourage everyone to express themselves freely in any chosen medium.

Social Distanzier is housed online and you can learn more about us (and read issues 1 and 2 and find out about our cool contributors) at distanziner.com.

If you have any questions feel free to email [email protected] Wishing you all health and safety and sanity in the coming weeks and months. 

Socially distant, 

Virginia and Angela