Stateville Speaks is a newsletter written by and for incarcerated individuals, their families, those working in the correctional system and other interested citizens. Learn more
Publication Design
Chicago Artists for Brandon Johnson was a coalition of artists organizing in 2023 to elect Brandon Johnson for Mayor of Chicago. Artists created graphics, art, posters and more about the importance of art in our communities; the needs of Chicago artists like fair wages and housing; and the need to end state violence and policing in our communties. River designed this zine using text written by the collective to educate voters about Paul Vallas’ anti-education, anti-queer, anti-working class platform that courted white supremacists and the far right. Learn more
There Are Trans People Here by H. Melt, Haymarket Books: There Are Trans People Here is a collection of poems that centers the deep care, love, and joy within trans communities. The collage featured in this book design is “Trangender Hiroes” by Chris E. Vargas of the Museum of Transgender Hirstory & Art (MOTHA)
Ancestor Transmissions Zine remixes text and images from 70’s and 80’s gay and lesbian underground publications found in the Washington Harold public library in Chicago. The zine searches for connection with queer ancestors and reflects on the state of queer and trans liberation.
Wowaus (J. Printer) is an artist book inspired by Nipmuc printer and translator Wowaus, called James Printer by English settlers. In the 1600’s he became the first Indigenous printer, training on the first printing press brought to North America from Europe. He was instrumental in printing many of the first books in the British colonies and served as a translator for settlers and Indigenous communities. However, he was only given credit for his work once, in a single colophon. This book prints this colophon over and over again until it becomes unintelligible, mirroring the complicated politics of language, technology and culture Wowaus likely navigated.