this zine is a gathering of expressions of grief. a painting, a poem, a piece of pottery... most creations can be a part of this offering.

as you can see in the examples of past zine volumes here, there is a wide range of creations i've received. i do not need the original art you create, i will simply need a picture, scan, or copy of what it is you desire to share.

you can contribute as much or as little as you desire. there have been many in the past who have submitted more than one creative piece - there is space here for all of it. 

this is absolutely individual, open to interpretation, and full of possibility.

for some, this may mean a poem written to someone in their life who has died. it may be a collage of the flowers you picked with a loved one you used to have in your life, on that really special & magical day. it may be a photograph that reminds you of your beloved pet who died 10 years ago. it may be a love letter to the person you used to be before that one life-changing experience totally eradicated your sense of self. it may be a list of things you wish you had said to your mom as she was dying. it may be a picture of the garden you began right when you got diagnosed with that chronic illness that keeps kicking your ass (and maybe that garden is now more actually like a pile of weeds). it can be a painting of the anger you have never been able to express to those who let you down.

you get where i'm going with this? 

• if your grief-heart could speak through your art, what would it create?

• what do you wish the world knew about grief?

• what does loss feel like in your body?

• create some art dedicated to someone who has died in your life, or to an aspect of identity that has died.

• experiment with different mediums and how expressing your grief feels through each one (ex: collage vs watercolor).

• write a letter or poem to a person no longer in your life.

• collage all the pieces of how grief can feel to you.

feel free to reach out if you would like more prompts or guidance on how to navigate creating a submission for the zine. <3

this is by no means a space to judge what is artistic enough. i believe that art is simply what comes out of a creative space. it does not have to be pretty or beautiful. (grief isn’t pretty and neat anyway, is it?). if you would like a sense of the range of possible art submissions, check out previous volumes of the zine.

that's the easy part. if you are thinking of submitting your creation(s) to this zine, feel free to contact me here. you can also send me an email at togetherinsacredgrief@gmail.com. i am happy to connect, answer any questions, and give you more detailed instructions along the way. really all i'll need is whatever you're wanting to submit and what name you want listed in the table of contents (anon is totes ok.)

this one is the kicker. each year has looked a little bit different. at the very least, each year's volume will be 'published' into a digital copy. vol 2 was the only one i have been able to get into print so far (due to personal capacities, costs to print, etc.,) but omg it was so beautiful. my hope and intention every year is to be able to get physical copies printed. i also try to provide free physical copies to those who contributed their work to the project, when i can. my dream would be to have enough energy/space/time to get a freaking grant for this project, so that printing costs could be covered every single year! maybe that will happen this year, maybe next... time will tell. i will for sure be keeping you in the loop along the way - but my intention is to have a finalized volume 4 completed for sharing by 12.12.25.

if you have made it this far, it seems as though you'll likely be one of the magical ones who will be a part of this very special project, in one way or another. thank you for being a part of this, even if just a musing for now. <3