SELECTED WORKS

Issue 001: UNlearning

Overview: 001: Unlearning, SPICY’s first print zine, is a retrospective of the essays, op-eds, and art that emanated from our community. 001 uses the concept of “unlearning” to reverse the colonialist ideals we’ve been surrounded and fed our entire lives, while simultaneously setting a foundation of reimagining the world we want to live in.

Process: Since SPICY launched in February 2018, we’ve received a multitude of essays, op-eds, and art that live on our online zine, but we also wanted to honor these works in our first print issue. Whether it’s an op-ed on gentrification in Brooklyn or a photo essay on our relationship with body hair, these works all had a similar through line — they explored, unpacked, and at times, grappled with “unlearning” the toxic ideals, norms, and values we’ve been taught to normalize. That being said, we were inspired to create an “anti-textbook” comprised of these works, with glossary-like pages sprinkled in between that redefined terms such as “beauty” and “liberation” through our own unique framework. The cover, which is an homage to iSpy books, also showcases the tools we use to “unlearn.”

Results: Within a week, 001 was sold out. We have since distributed copies of this zine in the New York Public Library, Office Magazine Newsstand, Bluestockings, and more.