Mother Earth is fever dreaming and we are spiraling in the delirium of her dark nights. Feel her high temps torch forests and ice? See the virus multiply through her exhausted body? Hear truth run distorted through her fiery mind? We are conjuring the medicine of Art that we may one morning sweat out our fever and wake from this collective nightmare. MALA LECHE #2 asks creatives to courageously use their imagination to reckon with what ails us, and offer a vision of our Mother Earth healed.
The Feminist Union of Charlottesville Creatives (FUCC) is proud to present the second issue of MALA LECHE, a quarterly radical art zine featuring the work of women, non-binary, and genderqueer artists and writers from Central Virginia. The second issue entitled MALA LECHE #2: Fever Dreams of Mother Earth features the work of 18 artists and writers from the Central Virginia area. The issue includes work of: Rochelle Sumner, Kori Price, Jess (JD) Walters, Laura Josephine Snyder, Sam Gray, Barbara Shenefield, Seo Kelleher, Mihr Danae, Miranda Elliott-Rader, Ramona Martinez, Brielle DuFlon, Elizabeth Mayer, Lana Gentry, Audrey Parks, Dana Wheeles, Makaela Johansen, Kendall King, Mica Rose, and Kate Boland. The front cover of this issue features Gestation, a composited photocopy work developed by artist Rochelle Sumner.
The theme and submission selection was curated by our special guest editor, Meesha Goldberg. Goldberg is an artist, poet, and farmer living in a secluded valley in Virginia. Her experiences journeying through monocultures, standing on frontlines, and living off the land have all served as inspiration through her evolving work. Her primary medium is oil paint, which she uses to render realistic, mystical landscapes that speak to humanity’s belonging and responsibility to the earth. One of her poems, Casualties of the Anthropocene, was featured in our first issue of MALA LECHE. To learn more about Goldberg and her work, check out her artist website or her Instagram (@meeshagoldberg).
We’re so excited to be able to share this issue with you and are thankful for such a wonderful opportunity to collaborate, connect, and support such a vast and talented local community of artists and writers.
For readability purposes, we have a PDF option for the second issue, which opens in a separate page:
I WANT A PHYSICAL COPY. WHERE DO I GET ONE?
MALA LECHE is made for print; therefore, the physical copies are limited edition and distribution will be quarterly. This page will house an archive of print editions (if you can’t get your hands on a physical copy).
You can snag a print copy of our MALA LECHE: #2 at the following locations:
RAD PRESS news stands outside The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative (209 Monticello Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22902)
McGuffey Art Center main desk (201 2nd Street NW, Charlottesville, VA 22902)
Milli Coffee Roasters (400 Preston Avenue #150, Charlottesville, VA 22902)
Second Street Gallery (115 2nd Street SE, Charlottesville, VA 22902)
Studio IX / JBird Coffee Supply (969 2nd St SE, Charlottesville, VA 22902)
Visible Records (1740 Broadway St, Charlottesville, VA 22902)
WHAT IS MALA LECHE?
MALA LECHE is a quarterly radical art zine by The Feminist Union of C’ville Creatives. This zine will feature the art and writing of women-identifying, non-binary, and genderqueer artists and thinkers.
We believe that all art is inherently political and has the power to reshape society. We believe that in this time of separation, we have the opportunity to come together as never before. We believe that authentic creation is a radical act, even more so when it is shared with others. May this zine be a testament to our inevitable future, one without fascism, capitalism, and white supremacy.
In this time of physical separation, this zine creates an opportunity to collaborate and present our work outside of the gallery space in an impactful way. Making art is a revolutionary act - an act of confronting the world. Through artmaking, we assert and own our existence (who we are, where we came from, our ancestors that came before us…). MALA LECHE will be a tangible outlet for this, reflecting our own world and ideas.
WHAT DOES “MALA LECHE” MEAN?
MALA LECHE is a Spanish colloquial expression that can be used two ways:
To define a person’s character, or to say someone is acting in bad faith (their milk is bad and shouldn’t be trusted.)
Este chico tiene muy mala leche, no te juntes con él. → This boy is very mean, don’t hang out with him.
Being pissed off (your milk has gone bad.)
Julia está de mala leche porque se le rompió el coche. → Julia is in a bad mood because her car broke down.
We chose this title for our zine because we do not trust society’s milk, and we’re pissed about it.
SUPPORT MALA LECHE
MALA LECHE is a program within The Feminist Union of C’ville Creatives and is still in its infancy and requires the need of year-round community fundraising to support paying creative contributor stipends, labor in layout and production, printing and distribution costs, as well as organizing/coordinating in-person/virtual events around the release. If you are interested in supporting MALA LECHE and FUCC, please consider making a contribution via our donation portal. If you an organization interested in sponsoring an issue or sponsoring a part of the production process, please contact Sri & Ramona at heyfucc@gmail.com.
ARCHIVES OF MALA LECHE
MALA LECHE #2: Fever Dreams of Mother Earth | Second issue of MALA LECHE featuring 20 creatives: Rochelle Sumner, Kori Price, Jess (JD) Walters, Laura Josephine Snyder, Sam Gray, Barbara Shenefield, Seo Kelleher, Mihr Danae, Miranda Elliott-Rader, Ramona Martinez, Brielle DuFlon, Elizabeth Mayer, Lana Gentry, Audrey Parks, Dana Wheeles, Makaela Johansen, Kendall King, Mica Rose, Kate Boland, Meesha Goldberg, and Sri Kodakalla
MALA LECHE #1 | First issue of MALA LECHE featuring 13 creatives: Mariana Bell, Sunny:D, Jess Davis, Miranda Elliott-Rader, Meesha Goldberg, Sam Gray, Sri Kodakalla, Ramona Martinez, Tobiah Mundt, Allison Profeta, Guleer Shahab, Abigail Wilson, and one anonymous contributor
I WANT TO BE A PART OF MALA LECHE. HOW?
MALA LECHE is a quarterly zine and we open up for submissions 4 times a year. We’ll open up a call for submissions for visual and writing submissions for the next issue at the end of May 2021. All women-identifying, nonbinary, and gender-queer creatives are welcome to submit to our open calls.