When we talk about publishing, it’s usually the finish line for any aspiring author. For Emily Larned, Associate Professor and the incoming Director of Graduate Studies in Art at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, publishing is an artistic practice within itself. She’s been publishing since 1993, when she made her first zine. Currently, her imprint Alder & Frankia publishes new collaborations from feminist archives.

Today on Honing In, we talk to Emily about how her start in the Zine subculture at age 16 taught her to value community-oriented, socially engaged artistic practices. We also talk about Impractical Labor in Service of the Speculative Arts (ILSSA), which Emily started with her friend Bridget Elmer in 2008. ILSSA is a union for artists and makers that publishes contemplative tools and resources and organizes participatory projects, exhibitions, and events.

Throughout our conversation, Emily graciously walks us through the various feminist projects that have informed her work and shares what we can continue to learn from them. She also shares her endeavors to create beyond economic compensation, time constraints, and the pressures to “produce.”

If you’re interested in feminist art, creating without time pressure, and moving individual projects into the social sphere, there is much to learn from Emily today.

Take care and talk soon,
Dr. Kate

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