The Freedom Shop Aotearoa

The Freedom Shop and Book Haven invite you to the launch of Splendid Bush by Clare Havell-Shufflebotham. Splendid Bush is a queer reckoning with love, its warpath, motherhood and ghosts (of capital, of violence, of sweet lemon trees). Part protection spell, part map of self-dissolution, this collection is an ode to hookgrass and an offering of dirt. The works are at times ruthless, at times tender nano-essays on the rebound, queer haunting, the parties you should have left, and all that you want to stay. This is not a break up album, although the greatest hits do make an appearance. Rather, it takes the wounds that motherhood lays bare, and produces queer nature magic as antidote and as mirror. Written in the crucible that is suburbia with young children, Splendid Bush questions the spaces between ourselves and ‘nature’, macho colonial bodies, violent bodies of the state, and our own. Above all, it is about the power of Bush. Havell-Shufflebotham arrived home to Aotearoa not long bef

It's here! Plan B for 2023 is out. It's the fifth year of the planner and as always, it is loaded with events and dates of those often ignored, overlooked, deliberately forgotten histories from Aotearoa. It is a planner featuring countercultural and radical histories.  As you plot and plan your way through 2023, you can be reminded of what has come before. This time around, Plan B was made in association with Zinefest and features stunning artwork from Daily Secretion commemorating events from the planner.  By popular demand the 2023 edition is spiral bound, black and white, and has one week to a spread with monthly highlights and monthly art. Copies are for sale at the Freedom Shop for $17 each or online from  Book Haven  

Join us for a discussion evening with Giacomo Lichtner , Associate Professor of History at Vic Uni. The slogans at the protest at Parliament earlier this year were sometimes frightening. On the one hand a public vaccination campaign was compared to the holocaust, on the other hand Jacinda was labelled ‘a Jew’, resulting in demands for public lynchings. It seems the imagery of Europe’s fascism of the 20th century is fair game for anyone to use. Exactly one hundred years after the Italian establishment allowed Mussolini to become Prime Minister we want to discuss why so few people seem to be worried about the rise of far-right groups. Giacomo Lichtner will give an introduction on the subject, followed by discussion. See Giacomo´s previous article on this subject. Tuesday 1 November, 6:30pm  at Book Haven 160 Riddiford Street Newtown

And of course the Freedom Shop will be there! Wellington Zinefest is happening Saturday, 15 Oct and Sunday 16 Oct, 12-4pm (accessibility hour from 11 to 12).   139 Vivian Street School Of Design Innovation Te Herenga Waka Victoria University Wellington Zinefest is hosting two days of markets to celebrate the thriving self-publishing and zine scene here in Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Same set up as usual: We'll have sixty unique stalls each day, loaded with self-made comics and zines. Accessibility Hour From 11am to 12pm each day we'll run 'accessibility hour'. This is a chance for any visitors who, for whatever reason, can't attend when Zinefest is crowded. We'll have no music and try to maintain a low-stimulation environment. See https://www.wellingtonzinefest.com/zinefestweekend

A discussion about what is really needed to avoid climate disaster Currently no political organisation is even advocating for the kind of change required to avoid the effects of catastrophic climate change. Some say that the solutions being put forward by the current government are worse than doing nothing. Yet we all know that drastic change is required. Let's talk about how we can get there. Tuesday, 11 October  2022, 6:30pm at the Freedom Shop, 160 Riddiford St, Newtown For further reading see this interview with Mike Joy . This is the first in a series of talks and discussions we have lined up. Coming up are a talk about the rise of fascism (one hundred years after Mussolini became Prime Minister) and a talk about investigative journalism. Stay tuned.