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The AAPA and the IPRC

The AAPA and the IPRC

First, the December bundles were stuffed on Monday, mailed on Tuesday. Happy Reading! And also:

The Independent Publishing Resource Center here in Portland, Oregon, is in a time of financial need and is raising money in a Kickstarter campaign that I thought would be of interest to our members.

Many of you are probably familiar with the IPRC at least by name. It is a non-profit space that teaches classes,has the largest zine library in N. America, does outreach to schools and prisons on questioning media consumption and the power of taking the press into your own hands, provides access to letterpress equipment, screenprinting equipment, computers, corner rounders, typewriters, etc, etc, etc...What doesn't the IPRC do?

I joined the IPRC in I think 2007, maybe 2006. I had some time after a big botany job where I could live on that money and work on art until I was eating only oatmeal again, and I wanted to print a small book of poetry. Someone pointed me in the IPRC's direction and I spent every afternoon printing until they closed at 10pm, where I was then faced with the financial decision of getting a doughnut and walking two hours home, or taking the bus. Folks, the doughnut won every time.

The reason I could afford to print is because a yearly membership was $40, donated paper was free, classes were cheap, and eventually I was signed off to be able to print unattended. The support was endless. The IPRC is the reason that I print. I printed a decade of posters there for Cinema Project. I volunteered to help beginners at the Open Hours. I've heard an endless line of 20 year olds talking about revolution. At this point, I can't even imagine what my life would have looked like without the IPRC.

It is also how I got signed up for the AAPA. I was alone in the print shop, printing a poem, when the room filled suddenly with people who started talking to me and asking me questions. I was confused and sort of mortified at being the center of attention, and asked "did you all used to print?" which was met by a hilarious chorus of "USED TO? USE TO?" And then Jiyani Lawson announced that he was going to sign me up and pay my dues for a year. Honestly, I had no idea what had just happened, but look at me a decade later, the official mailer! Yet another thing that wouldn't have happened without the IPRC (and Jiyani's foresight - thanks Jiyani!)

If you have a little extra money right now, I hope you will consider adding to their campaign. They bring so much to Portland, and to the worlds of amateur journalism and printing.

www.iprc.org

www.kickstarter.com/projects/1078496550/grow-with-the-independent-publishing-resource-cent

 

 

 

 

 

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