BOOK WORK
SHAPESHIFTERS: BODIES LIKE WATER
Published by Buddy's Bench Press
Shapeshifters: Bodies Like Water honors the deep connections between the body, land, and queer wisdom. The strength of these connections manifests as the courage to separate from predetermined ideals of gender, to surrender and embark on a sacred journey of self-realization. Shapeshifters: Bodies Like Water is a celebration of this journey.
Why do we focus on gender as the playground for liberation? To play with gender is to play with power, to actively shift the violent dynamics of colonization, white supremacy, and other systems of oppression that rely on seemingly unchangeable gender norms. Photographer and body artist Jenny Zander worked with seven artists to depict their connections with self, land, and imagination. These photographs are accompanied by words generously offered by each artist in both poetry and prose.
Over the years “Shapeshifters: Bodies Like Water” has made its way onto bookshelves and aided students in classrooms across the country. The book is integrated into Anthropology of Gender courses at Tulane University in New Orleans and used as a facilitation tool in support groups for Trans inmates at the Rikers Island Correctional Facility in New York City. The stories and photographs have been showcased in numerous galleries, pride centers, libraries and art spaces.
We are very honored to continue hosting workshops and exhibitions. Contact Ira Baumgarten, Buddy’s Bench Press Publisher at: irabaumgarten@gmail.com
SHOWCASES
Rockland County Pride, Nyack, NY
Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
Destination Tomorrow LGBT Center, Bronx, NY
San Gabriel Mountain Valley Pride Center, Carmilla, CA
State University of New York at Oneonta, Oneonta, NY
Rochester City Public Library, Rochester, NY
Fayetteville Public Library, Fayetteville, NY
Unitarian Church – Beyond the Binary Conference, Syracuse, NY
Sierra Madre Public Library, Sierra Madre, CA
Rikers Island Correctional Facility, Bronx, NY
Russell Sage College, Troy, NY
Café Euphoria, Troy, NY
Arts, Letters and Numbers – How We Shape Exhibition & Workshops, Averill Park, NY
The Red Light House, Minneapolis, MN
Moon Palace Books, Minneapolis, MN
Braveheart Books & Bazaar, Stephentown, NY
Tulane University – Anthropology of Gender Class, New Orleans, LA
MY THOUGHTS IN A BUNDLE
My Thoughts in a Bundle, written by Dominique Miller, is a collection of original poems accompanied by Jenny Zander's photographs. The poems encourage one to embrace the beauty of nature, find the beauty within yourself and to share this with others.
