The Life of a Mormon Anarchist Housewife

I never knew there were Mormon anarchist housewives in the world until Kristina emailed SQUAT a few months ago to tell us about her upcoming zine. I was pretty surprised at her openness in identifying as a Mormon anarchist housewife as I know many anarchists would balk at that mixture of beliefs. I think I even labeled the email 'Holy Shit' (yes, this is a label that we use occasionally for exceptionally noteworthy emails -  no pun intended) and made a note to remember Kristen, because she is doing something really powerful by saying who she is and sticking to it. No doubt she'll receive some criticism, but I hope she gets the support she deserves.

Kristina describes herself in her zine as "...a mom to a two and a half year old boy named, August, and a five month old baby girl named Hazel. I am a friend, lover, and partner to a man who does juggle mormonism and anarchism with absolute grace; maybe you know him? We live in the Virginia suburbs (which we lovingly call "Babylon") outside of DC. I make my money as a doula, a childbirth educator, and a yoga teacher. I was raised in a queer family and in the DC punk community in which I got to play in a couple of bands. I don't eat animals. I am anti-war but I do not identify with "pacifism". I am a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am a feminist. I am an Anarchist. Hello, my name is kristina and it's nice to meet you. Now, let's get on with it."

On top of being bold enough to spell out her beliefs as plainly as she does, she is also a fantastic writer and I'm really looking forward to what she puts out in the future. She has a lot of potential to make waves in both the birth community and anarchist community (and I'll venture to guess the Mormon community too) simply by being who she is, which is what she states her motivation behind the zine is: a place to be herself.

Her new zine The Life of a Mormon Anarchist Housewife Issue 1: It's a Girl! is available for downloading via her website and it features her birth story, definitions of both Anarchism and Mormonism, a vegan muffin recipe, an essay on homophobia and religion and Outlaw Midwives: a Manifesta by Mai'a. It is a great read and worth having in every zine library.

 This blog was written by Meghan Guthrie, the art director and co-editor of SQUAT.