Emerson is a trans-man, faerie. His focus is social justice, activism, environmental equality, and literary liberation. Right now, he works as a freelance writer, book artist, farmer and founder of burgeoning small press, Love & Freak.

Emerson is currently enjoying a break from journalism (He reported and wrote for: The New York Observer, New York Politicker, and Radar Magazine) and is currently authoring and hand-binding a chapbook series that examines the classification, characterization and identification of people as “freaks”. He loves blueberries, twilight, roller-ball pens, glitter, coffee, and all sorts of witches in general.

Check out Emerson’s official Website/Blog! click here!

Wolfie E. Rawk is a genderqueer fabric artist. Their work deals with themes of fragmentation, repetition, anonymity/erasure and communion. He uses fabric and embroidery to discuss the body as a site of ongoing trauma, a series of tenuous connections and a locus of earthly revelation.

Using clothing as a stand in for the body, Rawk recycles and manipulates discarded clothing of known and unknown origin. He uses its gender and craft contexts to discuss the concepts of anonymity, gender, violence and healing.

Links:
Official Website

Raised in Central Florida to be a good little Catholic girl, Bastian found out he was really a nice Jewish young man fairly early in life, but did not come out as trans* until 2005, when he was 23 and living in Kansas. Bastian is a writer and poet who dabbles in watercolor and oil painting, printmaking, and Native arts and crafts. He also plays trumpet, piano, baritone, bassoon, french horn, and sings…but does not practice as much as he should, aside from his trumpet in pep band.

Bastian Quinn Dubh-Ze’ev  attends a small Catholic university, where he is out on campus and frequently participates in PFLAG Coming Out Panels across Wichita. He will graduate in 2011 with a degree in English and Elementary Education. Bastian plans on eventually teaching Special Education using Expressive Arts Therapies (Music/Drama/Dance/Art) and would eventually like to open his own school.

Unpublished professionally, he regularly contributes and edits his school’s yearly literary magazine. Bastian loathes traditional terms for sexual orientation and gender identity. He self-identifies as “heteroflexible” or “qweird.” He and his adorkable ftM boyfriend, Elliot Holloway, live in Wichita with their cat, Smokey Elvis, and dog, Rufus Valentine. They are active members of the Wichita Two-Spirit Society and regularly attend shul at Temple Emanu El. When they have time, they hold weekly TransFamily dinners for their small community.

Check out the Official Website for Bastian Quinn Dubh-Ze-ev

Chastine Crystal Patterson is an artist in wood and engraving, teaching art, as well as performing and writing music. She has been blessed for 63 years with bringing this alive with a strong passion for music, as well as the performing arts.

Chastine finally emerged, two years ago, the female that she always was within. Known as Chas by her soul mate, partner and friends, Chas shows unyielding passions for life and her music.

Being a part of the Tranny Roadshow in 2008, as a local performer, added one more delightful and fulfilling chapter to her life. Being both born and raised in Colorado, Chastine has performed and written much of her own music over the last several decades. Growing up on the old 50s & 60s country music, this is where she not only shines, but comes to life.

The original artist is by her side and deep within her soul, bringing forth the passion and excitement that lives within us all, while bringing her own flame to every one she performs.

Samael C. S. Bowens started to write as soon as he could read. He discovered his passion to quench the large imagination he had developed to cope with having to move around a lot. He’s been to such places as North Carolina, Guam, California and the United Kingdom.

Though from Buffalo, his heart is in Lakenheath where he spent most of his growing teenage years. While in California he took on painting and photography at the age of 10 which helped him explore even more of his creative juices. He has never published his works, but he’s working on a novel that he hopes to get published.

In the Fall, Samael will be joining other artists as he delves into furthering his education as a photography major at The Academy of Art University.

Links To Samael C. S. Bowens:

Click here to Check out the latest Art and Writings from Samael!

Blog & Writings (past)

Let’s Rock Together!

That’s right folks! We are at it again!

Announcing the Call for Submissions for the 2nd Trans-Genre Compilation CD! (set to release Jan. 2010)

What We’re Looking for:

• Musicians
• Bands
• Spoken Word
• Storytelling
• other Audio
• Artists
• Graphic Designers

…to showcase their amazing talent on the next Trans-Genre Compilation CD!

We’re Sending out the call now to give you all plenty of time to get your stuff together. Last Year we featured over 15 Artists, Musicians, Performers, & Speakers on the “Trans-Fusions CD. This Year it could be you…

Requirements:

• Must be a Registered Artist with Trans-Genre (not registered yet? Submit your profile here! )
• Work must be of original content and not infringe upon any legal or moral copyrights.
• Images (for the cover, inside booklet, back, and CD) in .jpg*, 300 dpi (prefered)
• audio in .mp3, .wav*

*other formats accepted with prior approval

You can Submit Directly through the Site with our Simple Submission Form Below, or by emailing A.J. Bryce at Trans-GenreSubmissions@live.com

*It is possible that all submissions may not make the final cut due to space limitations but we’ll try our best to include as many as possible!

Visual Art, Writer, Spoken Word Performer, Actor, Activist/Speaker

Cooper Lee Bombardier is a Visual Artist, Writer, Performer, Actor, Carpenter, Welder and Activist. He lives in New Mexico, with his two genius dogs. He works as an organizer with LGBT and straight ally youth and as a journeyman stagehand/carpenter.

Cooper’s visual art and performance have been exhibited nationally.
He is a veteran performer of the legendary Sister Spit tours, as well as the Lowdown Highway book tour. He has performed individually at institutions of higher learning ,sleazy bars and everything in between all across the country.
You can check out some of his writing in the anthologies Lowdown Highway, From the Inside Out-Radical Gender Transformation FTM and Beyond, and the forthcoming anthology Gendered Hearts. Cooper is widely known as the dude on the cover of the Drag King Book. He is currently working on his first novel. He would love to jump in your van for a tour!

Contact Cooper

Articles featuring Cooper:

Dealbreakers – Our Chart

TransNation Article – San Francisco Bay Times

(Former female Sam Peterson describes his forays into a brave new world of masculinity via therapy and testosterone: one that involves “manfirmations,” sublime hilarity at the expense of self, and just general all’round trananigans. – ThaManSam.blogspot.com)

Sam Peterson is a Sam-of-all-trades. He’s tattooed AIDS activist/performance artist Diamanda Galas, been filmed by the Discovery Channel for their documentary on artists and piercing, been filmed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (TransGeneration, The Eyes of Tammy Faye), taught feminist porn-writing with Gynomite!, escaped from a cult, and played guitar at CBGBs. And that was before he manned-up!

There is no voice on the interwebs quite like Sam’s. His trans-cendant writing arcs past the union between the hormone-filled syringe and an anticipatory thigh. The path from F to M, so frequently rendered by a butch line drawing, in Sam’s world is a full-blown ecstatic vision. Sam decodes trans as the ultimate Trickster, waiting for that moment of silence to create mischief and even mayhem.
Sam hails from Austin, via Manhattan by way of D.C. seeing it ALL along the way. He works in Chapel Hill, NC now, painting out of his home studio, writing incessantly, and cracking wise about the tragicomic pratfalls of being a middle-aged former woman with an 18 year old boy’s brain, which, after decades of sex, drugs, rock and roll, and body modification, seems pretty darn placid.

Sam is gregarious, warm, and articulate. He would be delighted to speak at your college, school, bath house, or bank. Join him for a night of witty, gritty, savory, and sweet readings that will leave you wanting more.

For booking information, please contact Sam through Trans-Genre, or you can Email Sam Directly.

Links to Sam Peterson:

Sam’s personal blog – Tha Man Sam

Artwork by Sam Peterson – Hands of Sam

Writing / Poetry, Photography

Pat Paul Jammernegg was born in Salzburg, Austria in 1979. Paul used to live in both Asheville, NC and Salzburg, currently he is planning on relocating and touring (new live readings in 2009).

Reader’s Round Table Prize by the House of Literature in Salzburg, 2000.
Published in the anthology book Langeweile! (Boredom!), 2002.
First poetry in English featured in the compilation book Bound By The Secrets We Share, 2008, debut poetry book “Prototype”, May 2008.

Poems by PPJ:

After She Came Back From Exile

Benazir Bhutto shot – another suicide bomber dead
somebody wanted to make sure – whoever claimed guilt
the party was born a new martyr at 6:16 pm
said the party, how shrewd and handy
ethical mass grave for the partly bombed to splinter party-C-pants
there she was brought down to her father’s tomb
first open-to-all ballot box cross-graded to a box
to put hung democracy into as the dictator’s trophy

tumult in Pakistan, tomorrow bad news are somewhere else
stirring up another pre-paid headline
to stick believers in line with meaningful mastication
so they go to hell when loyalty is not needed any more
terrorism is a catch phrase to dislocate and cover up
a time of worldwide combat everyone is a prejudiced soldier in
never been any other way, shapeshifters still stay the same
homicide of Benazir, [maybe] I pay [for] my last respect

Snowflake In September

dusty strings, a frozen feather
ice crystals the layout of a letter
encrusted dirt under fresh cut nails
fragile ballerina on top of all scales
windy teasers in black and white
yellowed beetle trapped in its last fight
a herd of midges hover zigzag
the head disguised in drag
cerebral clowns in search of the punch-line
if there is no reason there is always the sine
cloudy smiles, a billion for one
twitch in clenching neuro-lung
a single snowflake in September
says: “Set the clock and do surrender.”
the sweetest voice will walk the loon
soup of honey, lack of spoon

Schedule:

July 08: Book cover image for Within My Electric by Scott Faithfull (release Dec. 08 )
New book of poetry & photography set to be released in early 09.

He currently works on three mixed-media collaboration projects. More infos as soon as all the work is done.

Find more from Pat Paul Jammernegg here:

Official PPJ website

Photography

Myspace

You Tube

Publisher

…embracing melancholy with magical…

performing ‘The Neck Hater’ from Hear Them Howling: Surreal Fables and Mental Health Survival

“reflective and imaginative…an intimate moving experience”                                      - New Haven Pride Center

Amid cups of tea, mounds of fabric and thread, piles of cardboard, and altars of found objects, Geppetta fervently builds tiny heads and arms, sculpts mystical creatures, paints imaginary, yet nostalgic landscapes, and collects piles of rusty found objects. What crawls from the wreckage become twisted tales, whimsical puppet theater, and story-punk melodies described as “mournful but ingenious” with delightful twists and turns.

Inspired by classic fables and myths, occult symbolism, street art, and surrealism infused with a pension for social/ environmental activism and transfeminist sensibilities, Geppetta presents art/performance as a cryptic, yet politically aware language that is imaginative and enlightening.

Geppetta has been featured with the Tranny Roadshow, the Femme Show, and Puppet Uprising, and featured visual work with Fresh Meat Productions Defying Gravities and Critical Views through Red Sun Press among others. She is a principle artist and organizer for the upcoming Trans Fusions National Tour.

Additionally, she teaches art and social workshops at schools and universities across the country.

For further inquiries, commisions 0r booking, as well as forlorn love letters, please contact Geppetta at stitchingtentacles@gmail.com

Links:

Geppetta’s website

Stitching Tentacles – Geppetta’s Blog

Author, Artist, Performer, and Activist

Sassafras Lowrey is a genderqueer high femme, militant storyteller, author, artist, performer, and activist. Ze believes that everyone has a story to tell, and that the telling of those stories is essential in order to create social change.

Hir visual art has been showcased in conferences and galleries across the United States, including the “Fresh Meat” Gallery in San Francisco, and the legendary “Southern Comfort” conference in Atlanta. An accomplished storyteller, ze was an original member of “The Language of Paradox” founded and directed by Kate Bornstein and was honored as one of Portland’s top emerging writers by In Other Words Feminist books and resources in 2004. . Ze is also a contributing author for LGBTQ: America Today a three-volume 600,000 word encyclopedia from Greenwood Press.

Hir first book GSA to Marriage: Stories of a Life Lived Queerly is scheduled for release from the queer publisher Homofactus Press. Additionally, Sassafras is the editor of the Kicked Out anthology also from Homofactus Press which is bringing together the voices of current and former LGBTQ youth from around the world who were forced to leave home as a result of their sexuality and/or gender identity.

Sassafras Lowrey has led workshops at schools, conferences, and for community groups across the country including The Portland Zine Symposium, NYAC’s (National Youth Advocacy Coalition) conference in Washington DC, and Sylvia’s Place emergency LGBT youth shelter in Manhattan. In addition to workshops and presentations, Sassafras designed and taught the ‘Gender Revolution: Explorations in Gender Transgression” at Portland State University as part of the revolutionary Chiron Studies program.

Sassafras is available to teach/facilitate workshops and lecture on a variety of topics, all of which can be tailored to a specific audience. You can find more information about bringing Sassafras to your campus or organization including rates, and detailed workshop descriptions here…

Sassafras lives in New York City with hir partner, two puddle-shaped- cats, and a princess dog.

Websites:

Pomo Freakshow Official Site!

Friend Sassafras on Myspace here!

Kicked Out on Myspace here!

TransNation Article – Sassafras Lowrey

A.J. Bryce is
an in the moment 1 line poet
whose “Affix Label Here” sign
winds around his female lines…
and curves, before you know it you’re inside,
he’s sold it he’s still broke, but he owns it’
… kind of guy.

He’s a 1 man Rock band with fans across the land
jammin to the 1 fan in the stands
like a wanna-be
FTM Rock God Legend.

Actor, Artist, and most importantly ‘Queer FTM Rocker’
A.J. Bryce is armed and ready to enlighten the world on what it’s like to be a Man who is Trans wielding a guitar in his hands.

Currently Performing under the Title “Modern Day Pinnochio” A.J. is gearing up to spearhead revolutions in Trans-Awareness by fusing his mad guitar skillz with his charming demeanor.

He has performed at Such venues as Camp Trans, Bushstock08′, the Hillsborough Road Coop’s “FreakShow” , as well as performed across the country with the Tranny Roadshow 06-08.

A.J. Bryce currently resides in Carrboro, North Carolina, where he lives at a cooperative house that holds many community events (and some really kick-a** parties’). In his free time he goes to work at a local cooperative food store as a Produce Clerk, and also is Marketing Coordinator for a national Staffing Company.

Links:

• Official Interactive Flash Website of Modern Day Pinnochio
  

• Modern Day Pinnochio Friend MDP here!
• the Hillsborough Road Cooperative this is the co-op I live in with the most amazing people! We host everything from free community events to Great Local music, and even the Tranny Roadshow in Mar. 08′

Websites:

• Art and Photography at Deviantart.com
• the Tranny Roadshow only my favorite touring group of all time

Check out MDP’s Trans-Genre Exclusive Soprano/Alto/Tenor “solo/duet” below! It’s a multi-layered duet with himself before and after T!

Author, Artist

Dylan Scholinski was born Daphne Scholinski. As a young girl growing up in the Chicago suburbs, she played first base in Little League and preferred drawing to playing with dolls. When she was 15 years old she was locked up in a mental hospital, diagnosed as “an inappropriate female”, and spent the rest of her high school years undergoing extreme femininity training. At 18, her insurance ran out and she was discharged.

Now 41 years old, Dylan resides in DENVER CO and is a distinguished artist, author, and public speaker . Dylan has appeared on 20/20, Dateline and Today to discuss his experiences and has been featured in a variety of newspapers and magazines. Recently his award winning book (The Last Time I Wore a Dress: A Memoir – Penguin/Putnam) was listed in the Top 10 Must Reads in Out Magazines first Transgender Issue. His work not only portrays the anguish of his hospital years but also his ultimate triumph. Dylan is the founder/witness for the Sent(a)Mental Project : A Memorial to Suicide. He spends much of his time working in his studio, public speaking, creating zines – such as Freedom of Depression, Please Forgive Me For Judging You, Sent(a) Mental – and frequently opens his studio to a variety of at-risk youth to provide safe space to explore and discover ways of expressing and empowering themselves without bringing harm to themselves or others.

I paint for my survival and myself. Time and again, I have realized that without my art, I would likely be dead. At the age of 15, primarily because I lacked signs of being a ‘heterosexual female,’ I was labeled ‘mentally ill’ and confined to a psychiatric ward. I lost over three years of my youth. I consider all of my art to be autobiographical. I tell stories about my life: what I am thinking, feeling, experiencing; creating a sort of map of living and breathing emotions. I rarely hold my breath in a painting. Unlike in real life, where the simple process of breathe, the literal proof of my own existence, poses a daily challenge. The content of my paintings deals with the experiences I had leading up to and during my years in the hospital and continues on to reflect the struggles I face being transgender, gay, human, as well as an ex-mental patient.

My purpose in my work is to encourage the sympathetic indulgence of emotions, which most are ashamed to give way to in their own lives; to try to get people to feel things and to help to reacquaint them with themselves. As much as it is personal, my art is also a social commentary: as a society, we view the emotional world as an oversimplified dichotomy, seeing emotions as either “good” or “bad.” We all spend outrageous amounts of time and energy trying to rid ourselves of the “bad,” and I believe that in doing this we can never truly experience the “good” and that it is only once we learn to embrace the full spectrum of emotions that we will fully experience our lives, ourselves, and each other. We often find it hard to tolerate those with full emotion because it reminds us of all we don’t feel ourselves. It holds up a mirror that we see as ugly, self- indulgent, and pitiful. What we rarely admit is that it is ourselves that we see, a side that many of us have fought very hard to leave behind. In my work I am attempting to be this mirror by showing myself. It is my hope that once you get in touch with these emotions in yourself that then you may identify them in others and as a result we will have better understanding, compassion, and tolerance of each other and all of our differences.

See Pt. 2 of Mental (st)ealth here.

I don’t think in terms of gay/straight, male/female; who is more over this way or that way. I believe that if we just came to terms that we are all both, it wouldn’t matter, and we would begin to see ourselves in everyone. I have painted most of my life, but it is only in the last 10 years that I have realized my place as an artist. I have been to school, read books, looked at art; and just like when I was 13 looking for myself in magazines, I have found it hard to see myself here. Where is the individual’s passion, life, and emotion? Where is the truth in painting today? If it is true that art saves lives, as it has mine, then the truth must be shown; and my individual goal is to be as honest as I can be.

Contact

• snailmail – Mental Studios PO Box 2537 Denver, CO 80201
• www.myspace.com/dylanscholinski
• www.dylanscholinski.com
• Sent (a) Mental project
• Freedom of Depression the art of Dylan Scholinski