This project is perfect for the GENERATE community. Join in the fun!

Artists of all kinds (amateurs and professionals), participate by giving away at least one piece of their own original art work (any form of media/art) to the world through internet links during the Advent Season (Novemeber 27-December 24) as a Public Domain Dedication, or by using a Creative Commons License, (where some copyright can be maintained. Such as crediting the creator, limiting derivative works, or prohibiting monetary gain from one’s donation).

WHAT? you say. Gain nothing from producing and sharing my own art? I don’t keep my rights to it? Huh? That sounds reckless or even nuts. What if someone takes my donation and makes a billion dollars from it?

Well…Yes and No. If you decide to give as a Public Domain Dedication, you give up your rights. Of course, you can also decide to choose a limited-use copyright license that you feel comfortable with. But, you also get the opportunity to have your creation transcend the ages; create notoriety for you or your other works of art or creativity, as others freely share your work; and benefit humankind in a way that cannot happen otherwise. Personally, I will be donating some creative works both as Public Domain Dedication and using a Creative Commons License. (Check out both to see what will best suit you by clicking the links in the last sentence.)

The Artist Advent Project (#ArtistsAdventProj) is a mission of goodwill to freely share art with the world, and for posterity.

It’s a radical project to celebrate Advent, the Coming of Christmas, artistic and creative expression, and goodwill to men through creativity. To make a true difference, and brighten a bit more the world now, and for years to come, we need as much help as possible.

Will you please participate?

You might already have something to give in your stock pile of digital photos. That’s the perfect place to start. (Clicking either licensing links will give you code to add the copyright specifications or no copyright title and logo to your work.)

Once you have links to your work share them on the interwebs with the hashtag #ArtistsAdventProj. Think of this as an Open Source venture. Just run with it.

Ideas for artistic gifts:

• Photography
• Photography of art in various media (i.e. fabrics, cut paper art, found object art, sculpture, etc.)
• Illustration/Drawing
• Multimedia
• Music
• Film
• Poetry
• Literature

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM TIM SNYDER

Dear Generate community,

I’ve been with Generate Magazine since we launched 2009, but this past summer I was honored to take on a new role as Executive Editor. In this new role, I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes this magazine special and lately I’ve been talking about the magazine as a workshop. Generate is a platform where together we practice telling grassroots stories of kingdom hope. For many of our contributors, this is the first time they have ever published their work. For others it is just one of many publishers they work with. This is what I love about the magazine. There’s just nothing else out there that tells these stories through the creative mediums of our magazine.

Because this is workshop we create together can play an important role in the changing shapes of Christian communities, over the last few months we’ve been working hard to deliver some exciting changes here at Generate that will ensure our ability to continue creating this unique publication and to grow the community that generates, enjoys and shares the publication.

So, beginning in November we are very excited to announce the following changes to Generate Magazine:

First of all, from now on Generate Magazine will be published in a new 8.5 X 11 format. The new enlarged format is part of wider partnership with our new publishing partner, Magcloud (HP). Through their print-on-demand service, you will now be able to order the print magazine on the day we release it and the cost will stay the same ($10). You will also be able to decide for yourself how you want it shipped. If you’ve ever had problems receiving Generate (like I have!) you’ll be excited to about the new tracking options.

To kick off this new format, we are re-releasing Issues 1-3 in print through Magcloud beginning within just a few weeks.

Second, through this new partnership we will also be able to offer for the first time a full digital version of the magazine! The digital version of Generate will be readable on iPads, iPhones, e-readers and any computer and immediately available the day we release a new issue. The digital version will come free when you purchase the print edition, or you can buy just the digital version ($7).

Finally, as a token of our thanks for all your support over these past couple of years, we’re offering Issues 1-3 now for a special buy one, get one free (original format). There’s a limited supply of these, so jump on that quick.

On behalf of the entire Generate staff — thank-you for all your support!

Be generative,

Tim K. Snyder

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Taking on Water was conceived, filmed and edited in about 90 minutes as a response to a creative prompt given by author/speaker Ian Morgan Cron to a group of artists at a retreat at Laity Lodge in the Hill Country of Texas in October, 2011. The prompt was simply to be inspired by water, and to consider its bearing on the creative process. Visual artist Paul Soupiset captured the footage on the grounds of the retreat center using an iPhone, and screened a rough cut to the retreatants later that morning. Paul and musician Pam Hobart turned the short film into a collaboration with the artful inclusion of an original soundtrack, recorded a few days later, and featuring Pam on the hammered dulcimer.

Taking On Water from Paul Soupiset on Vimeo.

David Wheeler, author of the stunning book of poetry Contingency Plans, shares this poem. His poetry was featured in issue 2 of GENERATE.

Through A Glass, Dim but Never Dark

We keep our dreams beneath our heavy lids

and reach through strata silvering for a kiss

as the breathing daylight finds new ways around

the Sound, the clouds, the doubts unwound

with everything we had no use for in the night.

We keep our dreams close by;

we never let them out of sight.

Elizabeth Sands Wise, whose interview of Over the Rhine was featured in issue 2, wrote a poem about making zucchini bread in community:

I squatted down at the edge of the garden and reached
my arm under the Michael Crichton-worthy leaves,
on the hunt for the small, crook-neck squash
I’d been anticipating for weeks.
Having been warned about their proliferation,
you can imagine my surprise to discover
not a single yellow gem but instead two
hunter-green zucchini,
masquerading as baseball bats.
I lugged the monsters inside and
heaved them onto our fake-marble countertops,
along with one average-sized zuke,
a handful of Roma beans, and
a pound or two of Swiss chard.
No problem, I told myself, confidently
pulling out the More-with-Less, a gift from a friend,
the same cookbook found on the kitchen shelf
of my momma and both grandmothers.
I was armed with recipes for zucchini brownies,
zucchini crab cakes, zucchini-egg skillets, and
zucchini bread—the mother of all shredded squash recipes.
Slipping into my frilly apron for the occasion,
also a gift from said friend,
and grabbing the decades-old Pyrex from the mother-in-law,
the reliable Pampered Chef spatula from the mother,
the eggs from the CSA,
the flour from the local mill, and
the organic sugar from my favorite co-op,
well,
wouldn’t you know it,
there I found myself in the middle of the kitchen:
whipping up a double batch of community,
sprinkled with cinnamon sugar,
just the way I like it.

First published on her blog Texas Schmexas.

Breena Wiederhoeft, a Portland graphic novelist and comic, posts comics regularly on her website Easel Ain’t Easy. On August 8th, Breena’s debut graphic novel Picket Line will hit real and digital shelves. Breena’s comics were featured in issue 2 of GENERATE, so Thomas took some time to catch up with Breena.

Thomas: So, I have been following Easel Ain’t Easy for a while, and the style is pretty similar: you, your friends, your thoughts and cats. Some of the early sneak peaks of your debut graphic novel Picket Line seemed to be of the same vein, but when I saw the trailer there was a dinosaur and tree huggers! With most artists staying with what is familiar to them for their first work, what made you want to branch out?

Breena: Well, the story is very loosely inspired by my life (I spent a few months living in northern California and encountered environmental protesters from a distance) so it wasn’t entirely departing from the old adage “write what you know.” But I think the fictional elements — and definitely the fantasy — came about very organically. I didn’t have a complete story in mind when I began writing, and just allowed things to unfold as they seemed natural. In that way, it was familiar territory because it was all coming out of my own imagination and experiences, while at the same time I was able to really push the limits of what I’m doing with Easel Ain’t Easy.
I saw it as this challenge, to create a story that was bigger than myself, I guess.

Thomas: So do you view your novel as a magical realism of sorts?

Breena: Lynda Barry coined this term “autobifictionalography.” I like that. Emphasis on the “fictional.” I think it’s magical realism in the sense that the real parts really could happen, and the magical parts aren’t so ridiculous, once you realize that they are imagined.
The most non-fiction part of the story is its emotional core, I think. I drew very heavily from my own experience to write that, and sort of crafted events up around that.

Thomas: I like the term. I think it’s similar to what other authors do with creative nonfiction, which is a similar oxymoronic definition. But authors like Annie Dillard make it work. With a graphic novel though, do you feel it’s still hard for people outside of the comic and graphic novel community to take a work like this seriously, even after it’s won an award?

Breena: Probably. I think it’s an exciting time for comics creators because the genre (can you still call something so broad a genre?) is getting more attention and respect, but it still has a long way to go. I think there are still plenty of people who see a book like this and automatically assume it’s for children. Hopefully people who take the time to read the book will see that it is more complex than that, but there are definitely years of piled-up stereotypes that serious comics makers come up against. Fortunately, though, the people who like graphic novels tend to love them and support them almost religiously.
And, to give the rest of the population credit, I’m encouraged to hear from a lot of people who are interested in the book, even if I have to first explain what exactly a graphic novel is. I think people are open to something different, once they understand it better.

To pre-order Picket Line you can purchase a copy from Breena’s store.

Christopher Cocca has a great video of his poem “Paxil Christi (for Lorenzo Albacete).” Watch below:

Subscribe now!

Don’t forget! You can only get the inaugural issue if you buy a 4-issue subscription before Sept. 29th. There will be no opportunity to buy the issue on back order. This will be a collector’s item so get it while you can!

We would like to work with your church/group/organization to get GENERATE Magazine to you. We have bundle offers for any group and we are willing to work with your budget. Contact Makeesha today for some special offers including a copy of the Kingdom Experiment to pass around…a perfect group book!