Presenting Subversive Blessings!

This semester’s edition of Requiem is titled Requiem: Subversive Blessings. The original concept was Requiem Blessings – an attempt to focus on that which we are grateful for. However, around this time the Tr*mp admin had come back into office and despite how shit everything was already, it got worse. The more we thought about this semester’s direction for Requiem, the angstier we got. So we decided to lean into the angst and take inspiration from the concept of Subversive Blessings.

A subversive blessing is a blessing that doesn’t abide by the rules of a traditional blessing. Traditional blessings can be quiet and polite, often asking for permission to be sanctified. Those are cool, but we think we’re all a little tired of asking for permission. In this edition of Requiem we want to demand, declare, and spit in the faces of those who have denied. We want to honor that which has been deemed unworthy or shameful – corporal messiness, failure, rage, queerness, etc. We want to reclaim and recreate a spiritual language that was stolen from us. A subversive blessing can be all of these things and more.

In the context of our zine, this semester’s edition is an embodiment of this concept. It is a material space where our team has redefined what it means to bless and be blessed. It has been so cool to explore this concept together over the course of the semester. It was really special to see all the different directions our team members took this in, each with their own unique interpretations. The product of this collaborative exploration can be found within these pages. We hope you take time to sit with our work and are inspired to organize, connect, and bless.

Stay blessed,
Alexa & Diya

You can view the full zine Here