To Order a Copy of Bound by a Steel Thread (An anthology by Trans Kids) & receive free copies of zines from The Zine Project by Trans Kids, fill out the contact form below (if you’ve helped out the FFTW before, your copy of the anthology is free & I ask you to fill out the form below) For anyone else, it’s $19.95 & you may buy your copy through the ‘Buy Now’ button below.

Shipping: 4-6 weeks.

Bound by a Steel Thread - Update - August 26th, 2023.

We have copies available!

After properly addressing the security concerns with our kids (priority to make sure their personal safety was addressed so they felt comfortable being public & published) I was able to make a limited run of copies of the anthology (200 of them, to be precise) Instead of charging for it, I’ve decided to distribute them for free to anyone who’s helped us in the last few years with the FFTW (which has been independently funded by myself for a long while) I’m putting together a list of who those people are, but it would be a lot easier if people filled out the contact form on this page so that we’re not mailing out copies to old addresses. Bundled with the Bound by a Steel Thread Anthology will be copies of zines made by our kids as a thank you for your extraordinary patience.

To order a copy, please fill out the order form on this page. If you have helped us out with the FFTW at any time, please use the order form on this page & do not use the ‘Buy Now’ button - I will have your name on file. Anyone else, you’re more than welcome to order a copy through the ‘Buy Now’ button.

Bound by a Steel Thread - Update - June 11th, 2023.

There are two reasons why we haven’t been able to ship out copies of Bound by a Steel Thread (a collection of poetry & prose by trans kids) I wanted to address those three concerns & speak to what we are doing about this.

The first reason is that we had threats made against a couple of our kids well into the development process. As I’m sure you’re aware, it’s pretty tough being a trans kid in this world right now (it always has been, but especially now)

It’s my fault for not accounting for the possibility of security concerns arising from doing this work. The kids are now in a safer place, but I needed time to re evaluate how to do this in a way that wouldn’t jeopardize the safety of anyone participating.

There was also a security concern around the actual printing that will remain private. Again, doing anything for trans kids seems to bring out the worst in some people. It’s not the fault of the kids - it’s mine. I need to be a better judge of character when it comes to who we work with.

Two, was money. Being sick in North America (regardless of what country you’re in) can be a very expensive proposition. I didn’t have the money to make a second printing & I feel like I’ve been catching up on bills for two years. Every time I seem to get ahead & have budgeted things out properly, something happens which I’m not ready for. We thought we had a benefactor & at the last moment they withdrew their support.

The fault is mine - the reality is that if I was going to commit to printing, I should have had the budget, in place & ready, in case of emergencies. Poor planning can only be remedied by making better choices.

I’ve put aside an account that will hopefully pay for a printing sometime in the next couple of months from the part-time job & freelancing, but I’m also hoping that if we find a printing place that is sympathetic to our concerns, we can come to a satisfactory arrangement to finally make the book.

So, we pivot to The Zine Project. To make zines costs significantly less & it allows us to pay the contributors more & we are able to adapt should concerns around security arise again. Mailing & production costs are significantly less than a printed book, the kids get some money in their pocket for creating art & it at least puts something in your hands while you wait for the book.

The last thing is promises. Don’t make them unless you’re able to keep them. The kids who I’ve been able to mentor through Spark & the Fund for Trans Writers deserve this to happen & I’m grateful for their patience & for yours. But again, I need to make better choices.

For now, if you see a contact form below an author’s piece, it means they’re part of the Zine project. It’s free to receive copies of their zines (which they’re producing a couple of times a month depending on the funds I have for them) & you simply have to fill out the contact form & we’ll ship them out to you whenever one is made (& we have several waiting for your hands & eyes) I’m quite happy with how this program is going & should have started with this before we moved on to the challenge of making a book. But we learn and adapt & hopefully make the right choices going forward.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can email me at rahim@viciousminuteshour.com