• • All About Shameless

  The Shameless Justice issue: on its way!

  June 10, 2013 • Sheila Sampath

  

  I can’t remember the first time someone told me that “life isn’t fair,” but I know that I’ve heard it too many times to count. It’s hard to remember a month in my adult life where I haven’t had it said to me, and, in the process of sitting down to write this letter, I realize that it’s entirely likely a month hasn’t gone by when I haven’t said it to someone else.

  When I reflect on these three words and unpack their implications, I can’t help but feel uncomfortable with how many of us talk about fairness and how we understand our relationship to justice. “Life isn’t fair,” means that we understand right and wrong, that we understand justice, but that we have also grown to accept the sad reality that our day-to-day lives are often affected in ways that are inconsistent with these values. The statement suggests a push for complacency and acceptance, because that’s just how things work.

  I am tired of hearing these words. I am tired of saying them, too. Yes, life isn’t fair, but also: yes, it should be. And: yes, we can imagine a fairer world when those three words are used to start a conversation, not end one.

  We hope to start that conversation with this issue of Shameless. In it, we ask important questions about our justice system and whose interests it serves (p. 18), we advocate to replace systems of punishment with those of community-led restoration and healing (p.28), and we provide a breakdown of how to affect the laws that affect us (p. 24). We challenge the policing of our classrooms (p. 10), our bodies (p. 13) and our closets (p.40), and we explore justice as it relates to the environment (p. 16) and our access to food (p. 38). With this issue, we hope to start a conversation about justice that can be used to challenge a culture of complacency and, in turn, fight for a fair and just world.

  Yours Shamelessly,
  Sheila
  sheila@shamelessmag.com

• • All About Shameless

  Upcoming website downtime

  June 6, 2013 • Team Shameless

  On Friday, June 7, the Shameless site will be down for maintenance for a few hours in the early morning (Eastern time), from approximately 4am-8am Eastern. Don’t panic — we’ll be back soon!

• • All About Shameless

  Subscribe today! Get an extra issue of Shameless!

  May 27, 2013 • Team Shameless

  

  Excited about our upcoming Justice issue featuring a first-hand account of the prison system from formerly-incarcerated G20 activist Mandy Hiscocks? More excited about the Sports issue coming out in the fall? Just want to flip to the very end to see Coco Riot’s latest comic?

  Whatever you love about Shameless, you will get more of it when you subscribe or renew now!

  Any one-year or two-year renewal or new subscription that Shameless receives between today and June 30th will receive an extra issue added to your subscription. This means you’ll get 4 issues for $15 if you’re a Canadian subscriber instead of the usual 3. For our American friends, this will be 4 issues for $25. Each issue of Shameless is jam-packed with all the news, views, reviews and features you can handle.

  As you know, Shameless in a non-profit magazine, published on pure volunteer power, so each subscription you buy keeps Shameless publishing.

  Subscribe online now and receive four beautiful, illustrated magazines delivered right to your mailbox!

• • All About Shameless
  • Body Politics

  Shameless gets a shoutout in Bitch magazine!

  May 23, 2013 • Julia Horel

  Awesome feminist magazine Bitch has given a mention to a Shameless web feature on Health at Every Size.

  The article can be found on page 18 of the summer issue of Bitch (our mention is on page 19!), and in its entirety online at Bitch’s website.

  The fabulous quote in question from our piece is from self-identified fat queer Latina activist Margarita Rossi:

  “Fat hatred is often used to uphold racism, and vice versa.”

• • All About Shameless

  Shameless is looking for a new arts editor!

  April 8, 2013 • Sheila Sampath

  Shameless magazine, a Canadian, independent, feminist voice for young women and trans youth, is looking for a volunteer arts editor. Are you devoted to grassroots publishing? Do you have a commitment to anti-oppression and inclusive feminist politics? Do you have some time to volunteer and a vision for Shameless? Then we need you.

  We are looking for a smart, sassy, shameless person to work as our new arts editor. This is an editorial position.

  Job description:


  • Works with the editorial team to plan and assign the arts section
  

• Assigns stories to writers and works directly with writers to shape stories


  • Edits stories


  • Occasionally represents the website and/or the magazine at events such as Canzine and Word on the Street

  The ideal candidate will:


  • Have an understanding of and commitment to Shameless’s mandate
  

• Have excellent writing and editing skills
  

• Be super organized and an excellent communicator


  • Have lots of story ideas (contacts with writers is a plus)
  

• Be available for regular editorial meetings
  

• Work well with a team

  We are looking for people who work well collaboratively, who have a good sense of Shameless’s editorial vision, who are committed to anti-racist feminist politics, who have editorial experience, and who are excellent communicators and work well over email (Shameless has no office).

  All positions are part-time, requiring 5-10 hours per week, depending on the production cycle of the magazine. Most people who work on the magazine do so outside of regular business hours, and meetings will likely be held during evenings and weekends.

  Like all roles on this volunteer-run magazine, these positions are unpaid. (If you have ideas for how we can change that, then please get in touch!)

  We strongly encourage applications from women and trans people of colour and Indigenous women and trans people, queer and gender-queer folks, and those with experience with anti-racist feminist politics and/or anti-racist feminist organizations. Preference will be given to residents of the Greater Toronto Area to facilitate face-to-face meetings with magazine staff.

  Please email a resume, a cover letter containing your ideas for the magazine/website, and three writing samples (published or unpublished) to sheila@shamelessmag.com. The deadline for applications is Monday, April 22, 2013. We’ll contact you if we’d like to set up an interview.

• • All About Shameless

  Humber student video features Shameless launch party

  March 18, 2013 • Team Shameless

  TV and broadcast students featured Shameless’ most recent launch party at the Academy of the Impossible in a video assignment. Check out their piece below! (Transcript below the jump.)

  (more inside…)

• • All About Shameless
  • Event Listings

  LAUNCH PARTY! Sunday, Feb 10, Toronto

  February 5, 2013 • Team Shameless

  Shameless‘ new winter issue has been published, and we’re holding a party to celebrate! The launch party will feature bands and a DJ, so come listen to some great music and then dance the night away! We’ll also be having great food from Urban Herbivore!

  

  Sunday, February 10
  5pm

  The Academy of the Impossible

  231 Wallace Ave
  Toronto, Ontario
  M6H 1V5

  This venue is accessible
  $5 cover at the door (includes a free copy of the new issue!)

  This event is ALL-AGES!

  Featuring performances by:

  Superlion
  Labour Day
  DJ Sun Sun

  Come have the chance to win prizes from Come As You Are and the lovemuffin bakery!

  –

  The Get Schooled! issue features:

  Learn Outside the Classroom: What they didn’t teach you in school, By Auburn Phillips, Anqi Shen, Kate Miller, and Laura Shaw

  It’s Your Right to Study: Making education your right, By Karine-Myrgianie & Jean-Francois

  Aboriginal Education: How Canada’s colonialist tradition affects Indigenous communities, By Jackie Mlotek

• • All About Shameless

  Join the Hall of Shameless, Get a Free Book!

  February 1, 2013 • Team Shameless

  Team Shameless has been hard at work lately, producing the Get Schooled! Issue, a timeline of Idle No More events and recommended reading, and tons of original blog content. We’re in the middle of putting together an amazing justice-themed issue.

  Shameless is 100% volunteer run, which means that every penny we raise goes toward printing and distributing our magazine. We are working toward paying our contributors and staff and making Shameless sustainable for years to come.

  You can help!
  Join the Hall of Shameless, the kick-ass team of people who give us a few dollars a month to help us keep doing what we’re doing.

  Members get a free, ongoing subscription to Shameless and free entry to all our events. And, for the month of February, everyone who joins at the level of Shameless Pro ($10 per month) will get a free book! That’s right, sign up this month and we’ll send you a copy of She’s Shameless: Women Write about Growing Up, Rocking Out, and Fighting Back.

  Join the team!

  

  
  

• • All About Shameless

  Shameless is looking for: Publisher, Fundraising

  January 29, 2013 • Team Shameless

  Shameless is looking for a Publisher, Fundraising. Are you devoted to grassroots publishing? Do you have a commitment to anti-oppression and inclusive feminist politics? Do you have some time to volunteer and a vision to make Shameless financially sustainable? Then we need you!

  We are looking for a smart, sassy, shameless person to take on this position. The Publisher, Fundraising will work with the Publisher, Operations, to ensure that the business side of Shameless is running smoothly and strategically.

  Job description:

  All tasks are done in collaboration with the Publisher, Operations and the Shameless team:
  · Collaborates with the Publisher, Operations and the Editorial Director on strategic planning for Shameless
  · Develops fundraising plans and works with the team to implement them
  · Oversees the implementation of fundraising plans, including: drafting fundraising asks/packages for potential donors; approaching potential donors; researching foundations or other funders to approach; working with our amazing network of supporters to raise our profile; coordinating the Hall of Shameless, our sustainers program; supporting the planning of fundraising events; and researching grants.
  · Represents the website and/or the magazine at profile raising and fundraising events
  
  The ideal candidate will:
  · Have an understanding of and commitment to Shameless’s mandate
  · Have excellent communication skills

  · Be super organized
  · Be comfortable with talking to people about money and supporting Shameless!
  · Be comfortable keeping people motivated and on-track with fundraising
  · Be available for monthly business meetings

  · Work well with a team
  · Previous experience in fundraising is desirable, but not necessary
  · Previous experience with grant writing desirable, but not necessary
  We are looking for people who work well collaboratively, who have a good sense of Shameless’s editorial vision, who are committed to anti-racist feminist politics, and who are excellent communicators and work well over email. (Shameless has no office.)

  All positions at Shameless are part-time, requiring 5-10 hours per week. Most people who work on the magazine do so outside of regular business hours, and meetings will likely be held during evenings and weekends.

  Like all roles at this volunteer-run magazine, this position is unpaid. (One role of the Co-Publisher, Fundraising is to generate income for Shameless so that we are able to pay staff and contributors in the future.)

  We strongly encourage applications from women and trans people of colour and Indigenous women and trans people, queer and gender-queer folks, and those with experience with anti-racist feminist politics and/or anti-racist feminist organizations. A strong preference will be given to residents of the Greater Toronto Area to facilitate face-to-face meetings with magazine staff.

  Please email a resume and a cover letter addressing your suitability for the position, and no more than three writing samples – something relevant to the position, like a newsletter or fundraising letter, would be ideal – to wire@shamelessmag.com.

  We will start reviewing applications on Tuesday, February 12, but continue accepting applications until the position is filled.

• • All About Shameless

  Get schooled: new issue on its way!

  January 1, 2013 • Sheila Sampath

  

  The academy is not paradise. But learning is a place where paradise can be created. The classroom with all its limitations remains a location of possibility. In that field of possibility we have the opportunity to labour for freedom, to demand of ourselves and our comrades, an openness of mind and heart that allows us to face reality even as we collectively imagine ways to move beyond boundaries, to transgress. This is education as the practice of freedom. — bell hooks

  While putting together Shameless’s education issue, I had the chance to think about my own relationship to learning, both in and out of the classroom. I went to public school, then to university, then to college. And in each of those spaces, I had the opportunity to learn a lot. I took classes in science and grammar and history. I learned how to submit assignments on time and raise my hand when I had answers.

  I’ve been out of school for a number of years now, and in that time I’ve had to unlearn a lot. I’ve since negotiated how to balance textbook science with intuition, English grammar with debates around the politicization of language, and capital-H History with the herstories we embody every day. While I still know how to submit assignments on time (a bit of a requirement when running a magazine!) I have since learned to raise my hand when I have questions; I have since learned that real answers are complicated and are few and far between.

  Education for me, then, has become less about diplomas, degrees and course credits and more about the ongoing process of learning and unlearning, imagining and reimagining, failing and trying again. Education is just as much about the conversations we have over meals and the ways we share our stories as it is about assignments and tests. It’s about listening, and while it can and does often happen in the classroom, it also happens everywhere, and this process lasts a lifetime.

  I continue to learn a lot from working on Shameless: from my fellow staffers, our wonderful writers and artists, our readership and our community. After every editorial meeting, I return to my work with newfound energy and perspective, and with every issue we produce, I continue to feel grateful for sharing this process of learning with you.

  It’s with this spirit that I’m proud to present our education issue. In it, we explore alternative education models (p. 18), break down the Québec student protests (p. 24) and study up on Aboriginal education (p.28). We debate single-sex schools (p. 10), give advice on challenging your teacher (p. 12) and imagine an education designed for a better world (p.48). This issue just skims the surface. We hope to inspire you to continue the dialogue and to take control of your education, regardless of where you’re at, to make it work for you, to create your own paradise, your own possibilities and your own freedom.

  Yours shamelessly,
   sheila

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