Tenacious zine box set
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Abstract
Box set with every issue of the zine Tenacious: Art & Writings by Women in Prison. The Tenacious project is spearheaded by prison abolitionist, prolific writer, speaker, and activist, Victoria Law, and the box set was produced by Booklyn.
Biographical note
Victoria Law is a freelance journalist whose work focuses on the intersections of incarceration, gender and resistance. She is the author of Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women and "Prisons Make Us Safer" and 20 Other Myths About Mass Incarceration, co-author of Prison By Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reform, and co-editor of Don't Leave Your Friends Behind: Concrete Ways To Support Families in Social Justice Movements and Communities.
In 2002, she was approached by women incarcerated at Oregon's Coffee Creek Correctional Facility who wanted to create a zine of incarcerated women's art and writings. Lacking resources such as photocopiers, postage and even the ability to write to people in other prisons, the women approached her to be the outside editor and publisher. The first issue of Tenacious was published in Spring 2002. Since then, Law has published 44 issues of Tenacious. The latest and last issue, in fall 2020, focused on the twin pandemics of coronavirus and systemic racism experienced by women (cis- and transgender) imprisoned across the country.
Law is also a co-founder of Books Through Bars—NYC, an all-volunteer program that sends free books to people imprisoned across the country.
Source:
- "Tenacious Zine Box Set: art & writings by women in prison, 2002 to 2020." Booklyn. https://booklyn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Booklyn_Victoria-Law_Tenacious.pdf
Scope and Contents
This box set archives every issue of Tenacious: art & writings by women in prison, spanning two decades. This is the first collection of all Tenacious zines available in their entirety, including original materials from contributors and institutions. The Tenacious project is spearheaded by prison abolitionist, prolific writer, speaker, and activist, Victoria Law. This boxset is a primary resource for experiences and widespread impacts of mass incarceration.
Included in each boxset are all 44 issues of the zine, starting in Spring 2002 and culminating with the final issue in the summer of 2020. Zines will be from the first printing or the 2021 second printing. Also included are two original handwritten submissions and one box set catalog. This box set is the first such collection created and is a valuable resource for academic institutions. Subject matter includes pregnancy and motherhood, mental health, HIV, harassment, sexual assault, addiction, sentencing, aging, education, sexuality, correction officer and institutional abuse, prison programs, re-entry, experiences of trans women, self-love, and women working together to support one another.
Source:
- "Tenacious Zine Box Set: art & writings by women in prison, 2002 to 2020." Booklyn. https://booklyn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Booklyn_Victoria-Law_Tenacious.pdf
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
Original personal correspondences are for private use only and should not be reproduced or cited.
While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Tenacious zine box set, CBHM.0021, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchase from Booklyn, 2021.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The collection is in its original housing and order as received from Booklyn.
