I’m officially holding my first published work. “Joy on the Farm” is a zine. I’ll pause here to explain because almost everyone I talk to has never heard of one. A zine is a small-circulation original work which ranges in content, but generally has undertones of revolution. They became popular in the 90s as an underground swell of literature pumping the bird to the big publishing companies who rejected their alternative ideas. The medium faded out with the dawn of the internet, but zines are making a comeback as collectable tokens of art and counterculture. Within the scope of agriculture in our country, our farm is revolutionary. We represent a counterculture of farmers who want to buck the system and actually care for the land. These are entries from the early days of the “Dear Farm Journal” project. They include the stories of Rufus and I falling in love. Some entries are comical, others down right sad, but under it all, I’ve got my middle finger up to big ag. I’m so grateful to Ope Publishing for taking on this project, as well as Pete Hodapp, who’s brilliant illustrations bring this work to life. They’ll be for sale on our website in a couple of weeks (only 200 copies).

~Joy

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