Autumnal Equinox Updates

C.L.A.P. community, what's happening?

Summer's ended and fall is just beginning. We're going into a new season at C.L.A.P. as well.

Holly Hilgenberg, the sheriff of C.L.A.P. since its inception, has decided to focus her efforts on painting, her new house and her new career. She's handed over the editor duties to Ryn Gibson and myself, Shieva Salehnia. We've taken the oath of honor to protect and publish your work with the utmost care and respect.

With the blessing of the C.L.A.P. elders, we launched a Kickstarter campaign. We need your help to cover printing costs and to sponsor events around the Twin Cities community. The campaign is going on now through October 21st. Kirstin Olsen shot the film featuring several MPLS womyn, and features a smashing Kitten Forever track. Check out our video and project and gifts here: C.L.A.P. Kickstarter.

The Light 2013 issue is hot off the presses. Copies of "Make Art, Not War" will soon be available at our distributor locations. Inside you'll find illustrations, several essays, and even a recipe.

Twin Cities Zinefest was a success for us, and hopefully for all involved. It was really fun to meet so many people and to debut the new issue.

We're excited to start working with you and to hear from you all.

All the best,
Shieva and Ryn, the mayors of C.L.A.P.town

News! Upcoming Events!

If it seems like it's been a while since we got together for a chat, that's because it has been. At C.L.A.P. zine, we've been in the process of change and growth over the last few months. We'd like to get you all involved in what's happening.

First, we switched our printing schedule from quarterly to biannually. Time is hard to come by, and we want to give everyone the chance to sit down and contribute with care.

Image from Mind Panic Studio's blog

The deadline for Light 2013 issue - Make Art, Not War has been extended to Monday, September 2nd. Mark your calendars! You've got another month and a few days to put your great ideas out there and into the zine. You can reach us at creativeladiesarepowerful@gmail.com. Check out our Contribute page for FAQs, and feel free to email us with any further Q's you've got.

Second, we are lucky this year to be part of the Caffetto Craft Fair happening Sunday, August 18th from 11 am to 7 pm. Stop by and see what we've got to offer. (Hint: sweet stuff!)

We hope everyone is enjoying their summer and making the best of the sunshine.

xo

New year, new changes in store for C.L.A.P.!

As 2012 comes to an end and we rejoice in the fact that the Mayans were apparently totally wrong, we've been reflecting here at C.L.A.P. headquarters about the future. That reflection has brought to our attention a few things that could stand to be improved upon, so in the spirit of new beginnings, here are some changes we have in store for 2013:

New publication schedule! 

Starting this year, C.L.A.P. will be moving from a quarterly to a biannual publication schedule. The reasons behind this are numerous, but can be summed up in saying that three months go by really, really fast and we want everyone (contributors and everyone involved with putting C.L.A.P. together) to have more time to do so. We love what we do and, as many a creative woman can tell you, one of the worst things about pushing yourself too hard is burn out. So...in the spirit of being healthy and happy (two keys for sustained creative effort), we will now being doing a Fall/Winter issue and a Spring/Summer issue.

What this means for upcoming issues: We will have six months to work on each issue. Contributions for upcoming issues will be accepted anytime after the publication date and theme of the issue are released, which should be soon after the most recent issue is released. That gives everyone a lot more time to ponder and get inspired about how to best express themselves. Stay tuned to hear more about our Spring/Summer 2013 issue!

What this means for C.L.A.P. subscribers: Current subscribers will still receive four total issues of C.L.A.P., though it may take longer to fulfill this number depending where you are on your subscription cycle. NEW subscriptions will still be for a year, and are available at a 20% off discounted price through our Double Peace etsy shop.

What this means for the Winter 2012 issue:  In the spirit of having a more relaxed publication schedule, our Winter 2012 issue will be coming out at the end of January (yes, I realize this means it will technically be 2013, but just ignore that for now).

This means that WE ARE STILL ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS FOR THE OUTERSPACE, DREAMS AND OTHER DEEP THEMES ISSUE! To contribute, email us at creativeladiesarepowerful at gmail dot com.

Our apologies to any contributors who were anxiously waiting to see the Winter issue before the end of the year—we promise the wait will be worth it! PROMISE! We have all kinds of trippy shit ready to run in this upcoming issue, from recipes to dream analyses (email creativeladiesarepowerful at gmail dot com to submit YOUR dream for analysis now!) to a tutorial on making god's eyes to an essay on my personal favorite band of all time, Fleetwood Mac.

What this means for events: C.L.A.P. will now throw two larger events yearly to celebrate the release of each issue. Stay tuned to hear more about our mid-winter party, in the works and guaranteed to melt away the winter blahs!

Questions or comments about our new schedule or to contribute, email creativeladiesarepowerful at  gmail dot com.

Happy holidays everyone! Hope 2012 ends on a high note for you all!

New look! New look!

Hello new friend!

Farewell old friend!

While I have a lot on my plate (including the upcoming August issue of our newsletter, which you won't miss by signing up here; several Q&A's to write and send to amazing women we will soon be featuring; a Winter issue to send out to our first out-of-country/continent purchaser (from AUSTRALIA! HOLLER!); AND a media kit and business cards that need finishing up), something that I've been wanting to do forever is redesign the C.L.A.P. blog. While I will always have a place in my heart for the original look that C.L.A.P. sprung from (and will continue to embrace the handmade!), it was time to clean things up and add more information on what we are about and have been doing!

In addition to making the blog more user-friendly, with a sleek (and easy to change, when we get the whim to do so) look, I've have added additional pages with lots of information for anyone interested in contributing to, advertising in, buying, selling, or planning events with C.L.A.P. I also added a F.A.Q under our 'About' page and included an 'Issues' page with a rundown of all the issues we have put out so far (six in total! can you believe it?!). Our 'Contributors' page is also updated, with our new Summer 2012 additions. If you are a contributor and would like your personal bio and/or pic updated on the 'contributors' page, send your updated info to creativeladiesarepowerful@gmail.com.

Don't forget! We are now accepting submissions for the upcoming Fall 2012 issue, themed "Peace, Love and Happiness." Deadline is September 1st, so contact us at creativeladiesarepowerful@gmail.com if you would like to contribute!

With that, I am going to reward myself with a cookie for a day's work well done! And then I am going to watch the last half of the extended version of Return of the King! It is going to be AWESOME.

Sign up for the C.L.A.P. Monthly newsletter!

In an attempt to streamline communications, C.L.A.P. is putting out a monthly e-newsletter! WHOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

In addition to being quite possibly the sexiest (not sexist, Momar), newsletter out there, C.L.A.P's monthly  message will be an excellent reminder for me to pay my rent on time (and if you also have your payments due on the first, perhaps for you as well. BONUS).

The newsletter will contain important info about submissions, advertising, deadlines, events and other news bits. We might throw in some other bells and whistles as well. In general though, it is a way for us to keep our contributors and readers in the loop with what we have going on.

I PROMISE this will only be a once-a-month deal. Nothing is more annoying than signing up for something that peaks your interest only to have your inbox flooded with messages about every piece of information an organization comes across.

Sounds good? Signing up is easy—you can simply fill out the box on the right hand side of this screen, under our list of social media platforms, or below! Technology at its best! Note: When you are prompted to put your name in, it will call the list "C.L.A.P. Contributors." That is an error we are working to fix. Even though we of course would love to have you all contribute, signing up will not force you to do so! This is for the newsletter, so don't freak out.

Subscribe to our mailing list

In our own words...C.L.A.P. media round-up

We have been very grateful here at C.L.A.P. for the great exposure we have been getting through some of our favorite independent, local media outlets. In the past month, C.L.A.P. has been featured twice on KFAI, our Twin Cities community radio station. First, Sheila Frankfurt, of "Dear Sheila" and I sat in on a portion of "Minnesota Sound," to discuss the zine, our favorite local bands and the upcoming Is/Is album release we will be at (this Friday! for more details on the sweet show, which also features Heavy Deeds, Zoo Animal, Acid Baby Jesus and Fire in the Northern Firs, check it out here). We were also able to play some of our favorite lady-and-lady-ally bands including C.L.A.P. contributor Littlefoot, the Burglars (which includes contributor Shieva Salehnia), C.L.A.P. supporters Cadette, Robust Worlds, Leisure Birds, the Cactus Blossoms, and of course, Is/Is. To hear us a few drinks in discussing all this fabulous stuff (thank you Acadia happy hour...you really greased the wheels on this one), check out the audio here, under "Minnesota Sound".

Second, I was joined by regular C.L.A.P. contributor, Molly Harrington, to discuss C.L.A.P. for a segment about the Legacy Project. Phil Khalar, who I work with and who has been a supporter of the zine from the start (his girlfriend, Ryn Gibson, has also been a huge supporter and contributor of C.L.A.P.) was the brainchild behind this piece and did some excellent editing to create the final product. You can hear the whole piece here:.

Finally, we were recently contacted by Juleana Enright about being featured on her first underground culture column for L'etoile's newly launched blog/website. I met up with her at Cafetto last week and we had a nice chat, despite both of us being rather out of it (myself in particular). I personally think that her piece on C.L.A.P. (cheekily titled, "We've Got the C.L.A.P.!") is very well written and entertaining—clearly Enright is a talented creative lady that we want to support and promote—so I highly recommend checking it out here!

It has been great being part of these local media sources—not only to get the word out about what we are doing, but also to take place in the conversation happening in our community. If anyone would like to feature C.L.A.P. in an article, podcast, radio story or blog, please contact us at creativeladiesarepowerful at gmail dot com . We'd love to talk!

Creative Ladies outside the TC area: C.L.A.P. is now ONLINE!

I am extremely pleased to announce that, after about six months, C.L.A.P. is FINALLY available for purchase online!

To get your hands on a copy of our Summer issue, click here. Our Fall issue can be purchased here. Quantities are limited (we are almost completely out of our Fall issue!), so get them while the getting is hot!

This just in: C.L.A.P. subscriptions are now available through our etsy shop as well! To get four issues of C.L.A.P. delivered right to your doorstep, check it out here.

For our friends in the Twin Cities area, have no fear! Copies are available at Yeti Records, Everyday People Clothing Exchange, the Mighty Swell, Boneshaker Books and (this afternoon) Miller Upholstering! Soon to come at the Grand Cafe and Mayday Books as well!

C.L.A.P. News + Summer Issue coming out soon! JUNE 24th!

I am so very excited that our summer issue is coming out this week, on June 24th! We have some great articles, ranging from topics such as body positivity, to the parallel lives between one writer's mother and Patti Smith, to a road trip to the best destination EVA, House on the Rock, and much, much more!

Just like ma.

Even if you weren't able to contribute to this issue, we would love to have you at our assembly party, this Thursday, on June 23rd, from 7-10 at Yeti Records! We will be putting together the new issue of the zine, working on fliers for upcoming C.L.A.P. events (!), and, of course, hanging out with awesome ladies while ingesting some excellent chow and beverages. For more event details and to RSVP, check out the Facebook invite!

Thanks to our new promoter, Sheila Frankfurt (of, among other things, "Dear Sheila" fame), we will also be at these upcoming shows featuring totally rad Twin Cities lady musicians! (Note: If you want to chat with Sheila about putting together some sort of C.L.A.P. event, show or promotion, hit her up at sheila.frankfurt@gmail.com!)

Thursday, June 30th you can see the Coathangers, Gospel Gossip, Kitten Forever and Cadette at the Triple Rock for an 18+ show that starts at 8! THEN on Saturday, July 2nd (whoa), come to the C.L.A.P.-sponsored the Chambermaids, Nice Purse and Night Moves show at the one and only Kitty Kat Club (which has a happy hour that may or may not have gotten me through grad school)!

We have so many more exciting things in store for the upcoming months, but in the meantime, check out this fabulous Girl Germs podcast featuring C.L.A.P. (including music from this issue's contributors Littlefoot, STACIAN and Cadette) AND amazing GLBT artists like JD Sampson and the Gossip. Stay tuned for a summer issue C.L.A.P. GIVEAWAY through Girl Germs this week!

Luv you JD!

Creative Ladies are ruling this week!

So much has been going on this week for C.L.A.P.!

This morning I met up with the lovely Dana from Girl Germs, an amazing female-focused music podcast, to chat about doing some work together (more details to come) AND yesterday kicked off our first GIVEAWAY with High Plains Thrifter, a great thrifting (yes!) blog by Meghan McAndrews.

To read a bit more about C.L.A.P. and for a chance to win a copy of our preview issue, check it out here.

Finally, I am working on getting the blog functioning a bit better, which includes adding important info about submissions and subscriptions. This will come in due time, but for anyone that is interested, we are currently putting together the summer issue of the zine, out June 21st. Pieces that need to be laid out are due June 7th, and those that are already laid out (for you really adventurous types) are due June 14th.

If you are interested in contributing, contact us at creativeladiesarepowerful@gmail.com! If the summer issue is too soon, we are also looking for submissions for future issues as well. If you have an idea that involves women and/or being creative, share it! We'd love to have you be part of this project!

Again, I apologize for dragging my feet on getting the zines up for sale online. If you aren't able to hit up Everyday People or Yeti Records for one, but would like to get a copy asap, just drop me an email and we can work something out!

Yay for creative women! Happy Hump Day everyone!

peace,

Holly

C.L.A.P. Memories

I'm so excited by all the fabulous feedback and energy I've been getting from ladies who want to be part of this project! Though I was a bit worried that the April 20th deadline for the preview issue would scare people off, so many wonderful women have said they can contribute to the zine by that date! VERY exciting!

Also very exciting—Operation Sparkle (the thrifting blog I run with my great friend Laurie Marman) and Fashionasty (the fabulous Jake Thompson's blog) will be selling the preview issue at the Handmade Heartfelt fair on April 23rd in Minneapolis! The event takes place at the VFW on Lyndale from 11-6, so hope to see you there (we will also be selling fabulous thrifted gems, so if your closet needs some spice, this is the place to be!)! Lisa Luck of Yeti Records has also been awesome enough to not only do a ton with the zine but to also offer to sell it at her shop! So look for the preview issue at Yeti starting April 23rd! Also, the new and improved facebook page for C.L.A.P. and brand new twitter account @CLAPzine are now up and running! Very exciting stuff.

In addition to chatting with fabulous ladies about this new adventure, I have been thinking about the C.L.A.P. of the past, and what about it was so great that it still, to this day, lingers with so many of us. While these pieces might not wholly sum up what made the original C.L.A.P. collective so special, I think they do embody some of that excited energy!



A piece of cardboard, way back from Spring of 2007 that I have been holding on to (and was actually propped up on our kitchen counter for, well, over two years now) that contains some of the initial plans of C.L.A.P. (you may notice, they mostly involve "fun" activities and dressing my dog up in various outfits).



My "vision board" we made during one special C.L.A.P. meeting. Even back then, we knew vision boards rocked. This one currently makes its home in my dank basement studio. It still touches a special place in my heart.

Here is to positive women energy!

peace,

Holly

Welcome to C.L.A.P.!

Originally founded in 2007 as a creative women's collective in Minneapolis, C.L.A.P. (Creative Ladies Are Powerful) is being resurrected as a progressive print zine! Following the same aims as the original C.L.A.P., the zine aims to celebrate, support and inspire women in all their creative capacities, while making life fun.

Central to the zine is the idea that many women are creative, and that creativity is not limited to the "arts." As this is the case, C.L.A.P. will feature content about any number of topics, including, but not limited to: the arts (written, visual, performance, music, etc.), politics, environmental work, entrepreneurship, health, food and fashion.

While C.L.A.P. as a zine is still in its infancy, and pretty much "anything goes," here are some possible content ideas:

-features (longer pieces w/ interviews, q&a’s (however those differ from the plain “interview”)/personal essays on individual women, groups, businesses, etc.
-reviews (of books, music, art shows, etc.)
-creative ideas/exercises
-events of interest
-resources for creative women
-street fashion (of course)
-unique art (a piece in each zine and zine material)
-comics
-tips, "how to's," DIY materials
-quotes, stories, jokes
-recipes

Of course, if you have any ideas of other kinds of content, please let me know!

Things are still up in the air in terms of how the zine will work financially. Eventually, I would like to be able to pay contributors, but in the meantime, any profits made from sales will mostly likely only cover printing costs. I would like to include advertising in the zine and on the blog as well, for lady-friendly businesses and groups. The zine will be available for sale through the Double Peace etsy site, as well as (hopefully) at some local businesses.

Sound interesting? Want to get involved? Email me at creativeladiesarepowerful@gmail.com !
I am aiming for a preview issue to be available by April 23rd, so I am booking on this—if a deadline of April 20th seems to daunting (which is more than understandable!), there will be plenty of opportunities to get involved in the future!

Also, check us out on Facebook and on twitter @CLAPzine!

peace,

Holly Hilgenberg