Giveaway and Interview: Kindred

I feel fortunate enough to be a part of another issue of Kindred Magazine. The first issue was filled with an amazing gathering of words supported by stunning photography. It was a pleasure to snuggle up on the couch with a cup of tea and soak in the warmth of this magazine in my own hands. 

As I have seen the list of contributors for this next issue grow, I know this issue is going to be filled with more insightful stories, thoughtful poetry, and beautiful photography.

From Kindred:

"At Kindred we believe in the power of story to bring people together. We believe stories are written to be shared, to change people, to shape culture, to spark a desire to know and be known. It is in the creation and celebration of story in all its forms: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and visual that we celebrate home. In embracing the idea of home, we celebrate the messy, the meaningful, the people, and places we hold near and dear to our hearts."


I asked Amanda, the inspiring editor, to do a little interview here and she kindly agreed. Enjoy learning a little more about Amanda and how Kindred came to be...

You obviously have a love for the written word. Can you pinpoint a time in your life where that love began?

I was a child of daycare. During the summer, the daycare had a program where they took a load of kids to the library once a week. I begged my mom to sign me up because in my mind, it had to be better than spending even more time on the playground. That first week, they helped me get a library card and set me loose. When it was time to leave, I had my limit of books in my arms and made a mental note to bring a bag next time. There are very few things I remember about my time spent in daycare but this, the weekly library trip, still shines in my memory. 

Once I discovered the library and began reading the stacks of books I came home with, I was never alone again. The girls in the stories were my friends, I traveled to faraway places, I had adventures. I was hooked. And not only hooked on the escapist aspect but also on the way words were used. I began keeping a list of words to look up in the dictionary and a separate list of words that rolled off the tongue, words that made me feel.

Photography is a beautiful part of your blog and now Kindred. When did you first realize the power of photography to tell or add to the telling of a story? 

My grandparents gave me a camera when I was about eight or nine. I remember the feeling of picking the prints up at the little Kodak kiosk, the anticipation of opening the envelope, holding those prints in my hands. I usually photographed my extended family at gatherings, silly shenanigans with my friend that lived down the street. It wasn't anything terribly interesting or artistic, heads were often cropped a bit, eyes were frequently closed. But they were a way for me to relive a moment. I can still recall one photograph in particular, you can see a bit of my feet (blurry of course) and down on the ground, two banana seat bikes laid on their side. I used to look at that photograph to  conjure up the feeling of freedom I felt when climbing trees with my childhood friend.

In high school I had an inspiring photography teacher. He pushed me, challenging me to tell stories with camera. The high school and college years were spent with me trying to capture bits and pieces of a story that might translate into something bigger in the darkroom, on paper.  


How did this all become Kindred?

Kindred was born out of my long history as a chapbook and zine maker. In high school and college, I collected writing, photography, and art from friends and other creatives. I’d take over a corner of the local copy shop and spend hours watching the green light of a photocopy machine whiz back and forth, paper trays moving, inhaling the smell of warm paper and ink, folding, stapling. Friends would buy copies, other copies I'd leave at local independent bookstores.  When I moved several states away to begin graduate school, I started again because I hadn’t gotten this need to curate and distribute out of my blood. Then again in Montréal, a bilingual chapbook meets zine, working with playwrights, poets, songwriters. And still, I felt a deep urge to start something, to gather work together for sharing. I'd mentioned it in passing on a few occasions and one morning over coffee, I brought it up again, telling my husband my idea. He chimed in with a few ideas of his own and Kindred was born. 

I believe every single one of us has a voice and something to say. I wanted Kindred to be the place where you could tell a story, breathe life into a poem, compose a list, or put photographs together with a few words, no matter your publishing history, no matter that you do most of your scribbling and feeling in journals in stolen moments. 

Thank you Amanda!

If you are wondering how Amanda manages to write her own works, take beautiful photographs, and edit a lovely magazine, along with homeschooling her five kiddos, and so much more, you can read more about how she divides her time in her series about time found here, here and here. And about her favorite apps here.

~~~ 

Amanda has offered up two copies of Kindred for a giveaway. Even if you have already pre-ordered a copy of your very own you could always pass an extra copy along to a friend.

If you would like to enter please leave a comment below telling us anything you like about the role books, writing, or photography play in your life. Or just say hi!

A winner will be chosen by random number generator on Sunday, March 24th and announced here on Sunday morning. 


And the winners are... 

PKJ who said: 
I was also a high school zine maker- in fact I was just helping a friend of mine fold and staple her new one. It's good to see that early creative spark can be transferred to other projects too.

Jen who said:
I love books. Amanda's story of going to the library struck a cord with me. We used to live only a short walk away from our local library. During the summer my sister and I would walk there many times a week. Reading opened up a whole new world for me. We'd read, then play act what we read (Little House on the Prairie being a favorite!) I sort of lost the love of getting lost in words after college. Life took a tumultuous turn for a bit. But it has settled down now and through Amanda's blog I have again found the love of words & poetry. I want to pass along the beauty of words....and what we can do with them to make the world beautiful....to my 3 year old. Thank you Amanda for kindling the fire of words in my soul again! And thank you Dawn for the opportunity to win a copy of Kindred!


Thank you to everyone who left a comment. It was truly wonderful to read about your connections to writing and photography and how they inspire!

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