Sunday, March 17, 2013

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 MontrĂ©al, 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!


25 comments:

  1. I LOVE Kindred, such a lovely magazine.

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  2. I missed out on ordering issue one and am planning on getting my hands on a copy of issue two, for sure! (would love to win one, obviously) I use writing and photography to chronicle my days together with my family, hash out ideas that flutter around in my mind, make endless lists in the hopes of becoming on track and semi-organized (ha!) and to attempt to 'capture' sweet memories for later gazing and recollecting.......

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  3. I'd love a copy of Kindred. Writing helps me to bear witness and to express the parts of me that are formless until they are put down in words.

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  4. I would love to have a copy of Kindred. I just discovered Amanda's blog, The Habit of Being, and have been really enjoying getting to know her writing and photography. Thanks!

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  5. 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.

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  6. Wow, what an amazing big flower photo! Makes me hungry for spring. Would love to check it out!

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  7. I'm dying to get my hands on a copy of Kindred! As a writer and photographer myself, these two endeavors keep me grounded and connected to what really matters on life.

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  8. Stumbled across Kindred a while back and have been dying to get my hands on a copy!

    Photography and writing are, to me, ways of seeing. They wield the power to transport as well as to understand and acknowledge what is.



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  9. I have been meaning for a while now to order Kindred; I love Amanda's blog, especially "weekending." My creative side soared when my husband bought me a good digital camera a few months ago. (Not a DSLR, but close.) I have been smitten with photography ever since. I agree with many others who say that, with a camera, they notice things more. Especially the beautiful things. I love to take pictures in the anticipation of putting them on my blog. And, with the blog, my love of writing has returned. It is nice to have a personal outlet for creativity, a project completely apart from taking care of children, homeschooling, housekeeping, etc. Thanks for your generous giveaway!

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  10. Books have been important to me since I was a young girl. My home-life was not all that rosy as a child and books gave me a way of escaping the chaos and the fear. The characters were my best friends and the books themselves were my sanctuary. As an adult I don't need to seek safe haven in my books but the love I developed for reading in those early, scary years has remained the same. And as a photographer that creative endeavor has brought out in me a person I did not know existed...a creative soul who longs to travel to the places I only read about in my beloved books.

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  11. I think this is a great way to encourage others to follow their creativeness. I am so glad my Daughter found Kindled. This months cover of Kindled is one of her photographs. I am so prud.

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  12. Books allow me to see things from others perspective in a different way than talking to another person can. I am able to read their throughts then integrate the thoughts into my mind as my mind is able to accept them. Sometimes this is not even the way the author intended but it is what I am able to use of the information.

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  13. Books play a very important part of my day, my life. I read everyday, and have for as long as I can remember. I think one of my greatest accomplishments as a Mama was to pass on my love of books to all of my children.
    Thank you for such a wonderful giveaway.

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  14. what a lovely interview; love hearing about amanda at the copy shop and the zines & chapbooks!

    amanda is a beautiful example of the twain quote, “Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great.” she is an inspiration for other people who want to bring more creativity into their lives or share their work with others. <3

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  15. 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!

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  16. I'm saying hi! I would love a copy of Kindred, as our family budget won't allow for any extra expenses right now, even for a magazine. I love to read and write. My first novel will be written this year during NaNoWriMo, which I'm really looking forward to! Thank you for the give-away : )

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  17. As a mother to two young children - along with publishing a quarterly magazine as well - the written word is ever-present in our days. Weekly library visits, frequent storytimes, with moments snuck here-and-there to write a few words of my own. Perhaps my favorite right now is watching my little ones start to develop their own power to write. I'm so excited to watch that grow!

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  18. I'm say "hi" and I have been a lover of books since my preteen days, I would hide to read instead of play with the local neighbor kids. My best friend who was a non reader just didn't get me! (but she loved me.)

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  19. Hi! I enjoyed issue #1 and would love to read #2. I have similar library stories. My mom took me every week throughout my childhood, and I worked at our local library as a teen. I wasn't the fastest at shelving books, because I kept stopping to look at them! That job opened me up to the wonders of non-fiction.

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  20. I have Kindred on my wish list and would love to win a copy.

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  21. What a great giveaway! I've been so inspired by Amanda -- and Kindred!

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  22. i have my birthday on the 24,
    maybe that makes me extra lucky in this drawing!: )
    i would love to win a copy.

    vibeke

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  23. I love Kindred magazine because I like that most of the stuff written in it are stories from people of different walks of life. I love reading life stories with beautiful imagery and images! Love love love kindred!! <3

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  24. Taking photos by my own means to me:
    to capture a quite moment or scene that
    nobody else does notice at the same moment, but me.
    As i never heard about the Kindred magazin before
    i would love to explore a copy of it.
    I'll get my fingers crossed.

    DaniEla
    (.de)

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