![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Performatively Edgy Gardening
Jan. 25th, 2022 03:18 pmIn my first writing log for 2022, I said that I submitted a short story to the mushroom-themed issue of a solarpunk zine hosted on Tumblr.
For me at least, solarpunk is an interesting conversation because it’s a combination of practical advice regarding urban gardening, real-world science and speculation on biologically friendly urban spaces, and the gentle but radical acknowledgment that it’s acceptable for things to end and decay. There’s also a tacit acknowledgment that one person alone can’t fight capitalism, but that’s okay: capitalism will ultimately destroy itself, and we can help ourselves and our communities by shepherding it on its way out.
My own solarpunk aesthetic is that it’s fun to disrupt bourgeois sensibilities while dreaming about a greener future, and also I just really like plants. I believe people who live in cities (such as myself) should have access to green spaces, even if that means quietly breaking the law.
The problem is that this sort of softness doesn’t vibe with the performative edginess of punk, and I’m afraid that a lot of self-identified punks see my work as a gentrification of their movement. So, even though my story is decently well-written and on theme, I don’t think the zine will run my piece. Honestly, I’d be surprised if they even send me a rejection email.
I guess it’s a good thing there’s nothing stopping me from making my own zine.
For me at least, solarpunk is an interesting conversation because it’s a combination of practical advice regarding urban gardening, real-world science and speculation on biologically friendly urban spaces, and the gentle but radical acknowledgment that it’s acceptable for things to end and decay. There’s also a tacit acknowledgment that one person alone can’t fight capitalism, but that’s okay: capitalism will ultimately destroy itself, and we can help ourselves and our communities by shepherding it on its way out.
My own solarpunk aesthetic is that it’s fun to disrupt bourgeois sensibilities while dreaming about a greener future, and also I just really like plants. I believe people who live in cities (such as myself) should have access to green spaces, even if that means quietly breaking the law.
The problem is that this sort of softness doesn’t vibe with the performative edginess of punk, and I’m afraid that a lot of self-identified punks see my work as a gentrification of their movement. So, even though my story is decently well-written and on theme, I don’t think the zine will run my piece. Honestly, I’d be surprised if they even send me a rejection email.
I guess it’s a good thing there’s nothing stopping me from making my own zine.
