While I hadn’t ever co-created a zine before this one, I have planted many seeds and I can’t help but make the parallel between these acts. The process of planting seeds for me is as material as it is spiritual, whereby I make a commitment to the earth and reaffirm my belief in the radical power of hope. It is also a practice in leaning into community (human and more-than-human alike) and trusting the process. The development of this zine has been similar on all accounts.  

What began as an idea nearly a year ago grew steadily into what appears before you thanks to many caring hands, heads, and hearts. Initially I wasn’t sure how long it would take or what it would look like or whose art it would feature. All I knew is that it was needed. I craved a container for intentionally holding stories from these moments amidst historic crises; a space we could return to in order to remember, to learn, to grieve, to witness, to celebrate, and to connect — with ourselves, each other, and this world.

So as the COVID-19 pandemic worsened and we were forced to disconnect from what we loved, we invited artists to tell us about (re)connecting through food. We hoped that their stories would help us traverse through this portal into a new world more abundant with justice, beauty, and healing for all. Inside these pages, you’ll find piece after piece of wisdom that we hope you can return to as needed for nourishment through the crises that may come before us yet. We titled this zine “Recipes for a New Normal” because what is a recipe but a story about how to nourish ourselves?

Coordinating this zine has been a tremendous gift and an opportunity to practice building new ways of being together. We set out with a commitment to intentionality, equity, and collaboration and these guiding principles were as present in the process as they are the product. We paid our artists for their work, moved at a life-affirming speed, and collaborated with love. We also centered accessibility, both in terms of disability justice (by creating a digital version which includes audio recordings and alt text for each piece), and economic justice (by including sliding scale purchase options for the print version and offering honorariums with priority to BIPOC, disabled, and queer creators). 

I must end with gratitude. Many thanks to all our contributors. To the Organizing Collective members. To those who donated. To those who fed us throughout. And always, to the past and present stewards of the land that nourishes us from the roots. 

In loving solidarity,
Momo Wilms-Crowe (on behalf of the Organizing Collective)
Zine Coordinator and Food Justice Project Co-Chair