rad dad review in slingshot

zine Review Rad Dad #6 from slingshot
Reviewed by Hefty Lefty
      Rad Dad is a thrice yearly zine on radical fathering put together by
Tomas Moniz. If radical politics and living in ways that are critical
of white-supremacy, capitalism and patriarchy are to be more than just
a phase passed through by young people who have yet to burn out and
buy in, then it is important to consider how radicals can collectively
support each other throughout [all seasons of life]. I am not a parent
and don't see myself becoming one in the near future, however I do
find it helpful to think about how I interact with children and
friends who are parents. Most of us will become involved in a child's
life at some point either as a mom or dad, uncle or aunt, housemate or
friend. It is easy to for radical people, who are often [socialized so
badly], to interact with kids in [messed up] ways, especially if they
haven't reflected on the ways that their politics can inform their
interactions with kids and parents. Writings and conversations about
radical parenting consistently give me things to think about.
Publications that specifically address the concerns of radical men who
are raising kids are valuable because of the way that [society often
attributes nurturing… to women and mothers] It is telling that the
verb 'to mother' evokes an image of active (if not always flattering)
parenting while the verb 'to father' tends to connote a momentary act
without any [necessary] connection to the object fathered. Rad Dad
offers a place for people of all genders to think about issues that
effect parents and here them articulated by men who are often trying
to take a more active role in parenting than was expected of their
fathers and grandfathers.
      One of the things I like most about Rad Dad is the way that it
expresses struggles and tensions rather than solutions. Tomas, who
generally contributes 2-3 pieces to the zine each issue, does not set
himself up as an authority on radical parenting so much as share, in a
very personal way, some of the struggles he has raising three people
in a [broken world-messed up world]. His pieces have dealt with
pornography and drug use; how to watch his children navigate the
racism and sexism of the system while giving them the space to make
mistakes, or even just make choices that are different from the ones
he would make. The other contributors bring in different voices of men
raising kids; struggling to exist in a radical scene that is hostile
to parents or a parenting scene that is hostile to radicals, dealing
with colic in infants and questioning the conventional wisdom of
punishments and rewards, being a gay uncle/sperm donor or a dad who
didn't happen to donate sperm. Rad Dad also frequently includes lists
of resources for radical parents, from message boards to children's
books.
      Issue number 6 showcases another stunning letterpress printed cover
by artnoose which substantially adds to the visual appeal of the zine.
The theme for this issue is anger and frustration. Tomas starts of
with a personal introduction about how he has been angry a lot lately
and butting heads with his son, and about acknowledging that anger but
not letting it overwhelm all of the other things he is feeling. This
is followed by  selections from a message board of men who are
dealing/have dealt with frustration at toddlers are able to share
stories  and give each other support. Chip writes about how he
struggles with fears of becoming the 'angry guy' his father was as he
interacts with his teenage daughter. Several other contributions
follow and Tomas concludes with a piece about how his own father was
often unable to communicate the his love, and that learning from his
father in retrospect and doing Rad Dad makes Tomas hopeful about his
own efforts to show his children his love. There are no answers in Rad
Dad, only the wisdom that comes from sharing struggles for back issues
at $3+postage contact tom_moniz@riseup.net. If you are in berkeley,
you can find copies at  local bookstores and info shops [Pegasus, Long
Haul, etc] Rad Dad 7 is due out in July.

oester and our final kick ass reading

so here are some pics of the egg hunt and well we are coming back tomorrow

see ya all soon

and our roadies introduce us

that's right clover and zora stood in front of 10 people and said .........um..........like..........um.......artnoose does letterpress...........tom does parenting.........um we heard so many times we can copy them..............um bye


they were the best part of the show

somewhere in northwestern washington

so we had our second night off in eight nights -- it was so beautiful outside we laid in the road and watched the stars move then sat around with sky and hannah and had tea and told stories -- the best thing has been the time i've spent with the girls, with artnoose and with meeting so many people who have been willing to put us up, feed us, make us feel so welcome

we have two more shows and then were home

we're beginning to feel that pull, like a rubber band, of our place calling us

soon

tomas

new pics

see they do more than eat candy and donuts

new pics

pics

vancouver

so the country is so beautiful and the city is very big -- there is a lot of poverty and clearly hard times down in the area we were in for most of the day. we walked through downtown, played soccer, laid in the grass, had coffee then our reading, it was a bit of a serious crowd -- no one had seen dumb and dumber in the audience -- can you trust someone without that cultural reference..

and i heard 'eh' a lot -- there are some really cool amazing people though -- the creaters of baby block, and the person who is sharing their house with us -- it's nice to be out of the us...

pics

seattle, babies, new readings, and loonies

ok so a quick recap -- i read 4 new pieces esp because jessica and her wonderful family came to both nights so i was forced to improvise and i think it was the best readings yet -- the kids had a great time playing with emmajoy and mayaray, soccer, food, stories, they were a little tired the evening of left bank books because it was soooo nice and we were all so lazy -- then zora fell off a piece of modern art in the park crying for help -- clover and i just zoned it out

seattle is beautiful -- i think it's my new fav place besides the bay

ok off to lay on a couch and read

here's the magic