The Personal is Political: Writing Your Manifesta!

WRITING A MANIFESTA WRITING A MANIFESTA

Yo! so I am using this writing activity to teach Social Resistance and Writing to some young writers here in Durham. Try writing your own manifesta and send them to me. I will be looking for manifestas written by women of color for an art project I'm working on here in dopealicious Durham.

Use the information below to help you!

peace and luv
e!

Why is your topic important to you? Why should it be important to your reader? Why did you decide to write on it? What is the title of your zine? Why did you choose this title? How do you locate yourself in relation to your topic? Where does it fit in subculture pop culture? How does is challenge hegemonic popular culture? One of the most important aspects of your manifesta/o is your voice. The manifesta/o is not a place where you outline your zine, but rather one where you engage with the (sub)cultural (and personal) importance, intervention and possibilities of your topic.

As we discussed in class, manifesta/os are infused with a sense of purpose and passionyou need to make your reader care about your topic, and provide her/him with enough information so that s/he can understand why you care about it. Be carefulthe manifesta/o is not a rant. A rant is a diatribe against something which frustrates or angers you. A manifesta/o is a mission statement that articulates your position and your passion for your topic. When you put your manifesto in your zine you will be altering its formatyou are welcome to handwrite it, to add artwork, to cut and paste. If you wish to hand in your manifesta/o already formatted to a zine page, you may. Format: Its your manifesta/oyou decide.

You must have a title, it can be a poem, play, short story or any mixture of literary forms.