Hoax Zine

Hoax is a US bi-annual queer feminist compilation zine that aims to create a space to analyze the feminisms of our everyday lives. People of all lived experiences are encouraged to submit! Contributors do not have to identify with a particular gender and/or as feminists in order to submit work to Hoax.

According to the premier issue, the zine "attempts to bring feminism into everyday life & [find] the connections between us despite our differences". Typical issues discussed include race, gender, sex, sexuality, class, anarchism, trans* identity, sexual assault, politics, mental and physical health, social problems, reproductive issues, eating habits, and personal histories. Each issue contains the reoccurring sections, "I Heart Feminists", "Unsung Feminist Hero", and "Vegan Recipe Time!" among essays and artwork that changes from issue to issue. An additional reoccurring section, "Current Feminist Heroes," which gives descriptions of organizations and efforts centered around queer and feminist efforts, was introduced in issue #7.

Nine issues have been published between September 2009 and September 2013, even though issues #1-4 are no longer in print. Issue #10 is expected to be finished in Spring 2014 and is centered around EMBODIMENTS. Submissions are being taken until March 31st, 2014; details can be found on Hoax's tumblr listing.

In April 2013 the editors wrote up a set of Frequently Asked Questions, including ones like, "Is Hoax downloadable online?" and "Is Hoax a for-profit zine?" in order to better help readers find out about Hoax in a condensed manner. The listing also includes several pointers for submitting to the zine, such as word counts and advising writers to give trigger warnings along with their material.

In December 2013 they added their Mission Statement, Core Values, and Shared Goals to ask that potential contributors actively agree to them before sending in material.

Past Issues

From Hoax's tumblr page, here are the details for each issue:

issue #1 is about RELATIONSHIPS and is 1/2 size and 36 pages. essays on consciousness-raising, the "i'm not a feminist, but..." phenomena, money and power in hetero relationships, gendered language, having a feminist boyfriend, a case against marriage, polyamory, racism in friendships, bicycles, reverse sexism and delicious veg(etari)an recipes! [Published September 2009]

issue #2 is about RELATIONSHIPS: REDUX. essays include: what could be called “feminist relationships”, the loss of an animal friend, illegal immigration from mexico to the us, conversations between a perpetrator & survivor (trigger warning), love/hate for one’s home state, forgiving an abusive parent, a physical altercation, use of feminism as a working woman, a letter to an ex, a letter to a father, a queer reponse to straight friends, a butch femme rant, contradictions learned from lesbian feminist parents, getting yer period, pressure to live up to the queer label, dealing with being partially deaf, a mini-history of birth control as well as various comics, a recipe, and music/book/zine recommendations. 1/2 size, 52 pages, text heavy. [Published December 2009]

issue #3's topic is HEALTH! essays include: being queer at the doctor's, female sexual dysfunction, having a congenial heart condition, getting an abortion, how science has affected views on menstruation, menstruating with a blood disorder, reframing addiction, special issues of queer female & lesbian health, (inter)sex & gender, incarcerated women and reproductive rights, what the DSM means for radical people, finding a stray cat & difficulty in finding help with her, hierarchies of animal friends and their care, emotional labor & mental health, whole foods market's employee discount program, aversion to being labeled a victim/survivor of sexual assault, how going vegan improved mental & physical health, recovering from an eating disorder, menstrual product FAQs & myths, and home remedies! also including comic excerpts, feminists we love, a menstrual chart, and vegan recipes! 1/2 size, 64 pages, text heavy. [Published May 2010]

issue #4's topic is HIRSTORIES! essays include: issues of bias & falsified neutrality in using a pen name; girlhood and influences from community and parents; questioning riot grrrl’s contemporary survival; combating gendered notions from parents and coming to learn about feminism; storytelling and transnational feminist theory; comparing the position of women in ancient rome and contemporary united states; jane addams & the hull house; standing up to a teacher who was a perpetrator of sexual assault; community, art, and media autonomy in slovenia; calling out the HRC/liberal gay agenda for perpetuating heteronormativity and assimilation; being a “drag hag”; exploring the idea of living a past life as a witch; being a queer, male-bodied/male-identified pro-feminist; being influenced by a grandmother’s inadvertent feminism; sylvia plath and the feminist inversion of mythology; a brief history of witchcraft; heterosexual brasilian sex tourism; FBI infiltration of the second wave feminist movement; learning about feminism through a father; reflections on working in a women’s shelter; the achievements of jeanette howard foster; coming to be a feminist man & questioning restrictive masculinity; the alchemy of the “caucasian”; in-depth exploration of one’s first triggering experience; becoming a christian feminist; and the radical feminist history of mother’s day. also includes original artwork & comic exerpts, feminists we love, and vegan recipes! 1/2 size, 80 pages, b&w, and super text heavy! [Published December 2010]

issue #5 is about COMMUNITY! essays include: core requirements for a “safe space”; a manifesta written as the basis for the mother ourselves bootcamp for queer folks of color; supporting those who are new to feminism; notes from a trans*feminist; queer land movements; community in the punk scene; environmental consciousness and ecofeminist policy; a comic about food co-ops; looking to create community for one’s child; a coming of age story about radicalization through queer internet forums and punk rock; thoughts on collectives; wanting a more intersectionary feminist community; rethinking personal feminist politics; a comic about the cons of “women’s space;” reflections of a soon-to-be community organizer; a short introduction to the amish community; an intersectional feminist library short list; girl-on-girl crime & the need for unity amongst women; a reinvestigation on sexual assault; the effects of a family member’s suicide; reflections of zine release party that implemented as “safer space” policy; and how the labor movement has helped feminism! also includes an interview with the editors, original art/comics, prose, feminist we love, and vegan recipes! 1/2 size, 72 pages, b&w, and super text heavy! 10% of all proceeds from this issue sold through september will be donated to bo the dog for his knee surgery! [Published May 2011]

issue #6 is about feminisms and COMMUNICATION! essays include: the power & privileges of academic language; feminist reflection on self-care; comedy & comics as an exercise in visibility; re-thinking “righteous anger”; challenging the unspoken commandments of punk; empowerment through getting a tattoo; communicating anger in a subdued manner; feminism & disability on campus; white-washing and the trouble with “people of color” as an umbrella term; scholarly journals & achieving accessibility; the privilege of “progress”; trans* identity & expressing anger; exploring the waves of US feminism; blackness & perceived education; false exposure and “confessional” writing; communicating trans feminine experience; why the n-word is not for white people; recovering from intimate partner violence; rape denial & the cops; “ally” as a false identity; slutwalk & false individualism; handling suicidal thoughts; gay capitalism & the pink dollar market; conscientious language vs. political correctness; women & learned shyness; reframing anti-semitism; survivorship, zine-writing, and disabilities; and the women’s land army! also includes original art/comics, prose, feminists we love, and vegan recipes! ½ size, 76 pages, b&w and super text heavy! [Published November 2011]

issue #7 is about feminisms and CHANGE! essays include: western feminism’s relationship with Islamic feminism and notions of “visibility”; the concept of a “real” name; zine-making as a feminist process; the importance of daily change for trans*/queer folks; a father’s death and recollections of childhood; creating “life lists” and engaging in active positivity; recovering from an eating disorder; how a haircut released personal baggage and changed social interactions; identities in zines; examining discussions of consent in workshop settings; the “love your body” concept and chronic illness; the Vagina Monologues and questioning the concept of “accessible” feminism; handling a daughter’s self-harming; an interview with fat-positive activists Tasha Fierce & Hanne Blank; white activism as a social performance; questioning sexuality as a young teen; dealing with the loss of a friend; how family history and sexual assault influenced one to stop drinking; pregnancy and parenting while genderqueer; fourth-wave feminism and the incorporation of trans women; the potential of poetry to induce personal change; exploring new models of accountability and forgiveness with an alcoholic friend; reflections from a former CNN journalist about why corporate journalism is not conducive to social change; never before printed interview with lawyer dean spade. also includes original art, feminists we love, vegan recipes, and current feminist heroes! ½ size, 72 pages, B&W and super text heavy! [Published June 2012]

issue #8 is about feminisms and MYTHOLOGIES! essays include: Trans* identity mirrored in the myth of the Minotaur and concepts of monstrosity; Mythmaking of gender and queerness in one’s personal relationships; The importance of active listening in community organizing; Consent, yoga, and authentic embodiment; Questioning the werewolf myth as it pertains to queer and female embodiments; Coping with the death of family members and living/being “alone”; The myth of Ed Gein and the transgender killer; A woman of color’s guide to white men; Trans women’s alienation within queer theory and means of articulating their own experiences; Being an archivist and the intricacies of creating history; Czech foundation myths and concepts of gender; Interview with a retired New Jersey Sexual Violent Predator Facility Administrator; Appalachian women’s narratives and experiences in activism opposing mountaintop removal; Exploring one’s abusive past through the story of Persephone; Connecting the myth of the Big Bad Wolf to abusive men in the author’s childhood life; Debunking myths surrounding being an out trans woman and EMT striving to build queer community; Queer cultural amnesia of the AIDS epidemic and a call to refocus queer activism; Investigating the differences between blood-related family and chosen queer family; Reflecting on Roland Barthe’s Mythologies and one’s personal quest as a feminist trans woman; Recovering from sexual assault and racism in heterosexual relationships via creating one’s own narratives, self-care tactics, and self-imposed celibacy; Invoking theoretical patricide by making deliberate changes to oneself to resist resembling an abusive father; How the blues gave women of color public space to express their histories of abuse and victimization. Also includes poems, a feminist mythology comic, feminists we love, current feminist heroes, and vegan recipes! ½ size, black & white, 74 pages, text heavy. [Published January 2013]

issue #9 is about feminisms and VULNERABILITIES! essays include: How vulnerability can combat misogyny within trans communities; Vulnerabilities and doors as a queer mixed woman; Coping with internalized misogyny, consciously staying away from men, and familial dynamics; Nuances of high school experiences; Letting go of hurtful narratives while embracing heartache and the process of “breaking down”; Views on queer identity interrogation, performance, and transparency as a punk zinester; Vulnerabilities of mental health perspectives and lack of intersectionality; Witnessing misguided white manarchist resistance to police and reflections on vulnerability of communities of color; Multi-generational healing work and vulnerabilities as a male-socialized survivor; Questioning the responsibility of self-agency after “checking out” during sex; Asking for help as a necessary self-publishing task; Experiences of racism and sexism in a hospital setting and the legitimacy of describing one’s pain; Trans women and solitary confinement; Boundary setting in the contexts of capitalism, physical and mental illness, and life crises; Inpatient hospital stays and changes in labels of one’s mental illness(es); Loss of memory and personal history, critiquing queer/trans* growth narratives, and creating (non-)advice for non-normative teens and young adults; Vulnerability of discussing physical illness; Navigating queer attraction and desire with a history of violence; A feminist coming out monologue; Dealing with kink, trauma, and complexities of BDSM involvement; Interview Excerpt with Daniela Capistrano, Founder of the POC Zine Project; Examining the necessity of assertiveness for disabled women and asking for accommodations. also includes poems, feminists we love, current feminist heroes, and vegan recipes! ½ size, black & white, 80 pages, and very text heavy. [Published September 2013]

External Links

Hoax's Etsy Page

Hoax's Tumblr Page

Hoax's Facebook Page

Rachel's WMZ profile

Sari's WMZ profile

Interview with co-editor Sari from Not Quite A Yes

Interview with co-editor Sari from the Podcast "Zines: From Sci-Fi Fans to Riot Grrl Revolutions"