Jen Angel has been a writer and media activist for over 15 years. She is the co-founder and publisher of Clamor, an award-winning quarterly magazine covering radical culture and politics. In 2002, she was named as one of “30 under 30 Visionaries who are changing the world” (along with Clamor co-publisher Jason Kucsma) by Utne Reader.

Jen is a founding board member of Allied Media Projects, a non-profit independent media advocacy organization. She have vast expirience in the field of zine writing, including as editor of one of the most influential zine Maximum Rock and Roll between 1997-1998.

Q: The first time I read your zine F**ktooth, I think it was brilliant. You engage your reader in a subtle discussion rather then being emotional when discussing a topic. Have it change much since then? Did you still write F**tooth?

A: I haven’t written F**ktooth in a long time, almost 7 years. I do have a lot of writing and have thought about putting it out as a zine, but haven’t really decided if I want to do that yet or not. Most of my work now is editing and doing some writing about topics that are important to me for other publications.

Q: You have been involves in activism from a young age. How does it get started? Who or what influence you?

A: I got involved with activism when I was around 15 or 16 years old. I’m not really sure what got me started. I started to really become politicized first through zines and then through punk rock - once I turned 18 I started meeting a lot of people and learning a lot about what other activism people were doing. I learned things like compassion from my family and that really influenced me early on.

Q: I only read one issue of Clamor. I think it was a magazine with vision and very focus on human right and activism issues. How does it first started?

A: Clamor started in 1999, with my friend Jason Kucsma. Unfortunately, we stopped publishing it in 2006 - you can read more about that at www.clamormagazine.org.

Q: Did you still do The Zine Yearbook?( An anthology or collection of (fan)zines, mainly from US)

A: I do not do the yearbook anymore. I published it for eight years, and it may be published again in the future by Microcosm publishing (www.microcosmpublishing.com), but we’ve just started to talk about that.

Q: It was really sad to hear Clamor magazine is no longer exist. I’ve read your long explanation about it from your blog. It’s sad, just like what happen at MRR. But sometime thing happens for a reason. What did you learn from the experience?

A: I met and interacted with a lot of really amazing people over the course of Clamor. From people who worked on the project, to writers and artists, to people we interviewed or featured in the magazine. That was very valuable for me.

I also learned that it is very important to think big, to work on projects in a long-term way with dedication, and that it’s important to build alternative institutions that will challenge mainstream notions of what it is to do business or to interact with each other.

Q: I really want to know who is Jen Angel, what she likes and hates. Do you have any oh-so normal hobby or interest?

A: Oh, I have tons of interests. I have a dog and I love to go on hikes with him. I love to cook, especially for friends. Friends, family, and food are very important to me. Most of my favorite memories involve those things. I like to watch films, and I love to read.

Q: It seems like money still control our daily life. Do you think you can escape monetary (money) problem or are there any other practical way to start a project with minimum amount of money?

A: This is the central question that many activists are facing right now. There are a lot of people doing good thinking on this, such as the INCITE anthology called “The Revolution Will Not Be Funded.” I’d like to do a lot more research on this topic soon.

Unfortunately, we live in a capitalist world, and we have to play by its rules to some extent. We can do our best to subvert it, and it’s important that we challenge ourselves to create new ways of sustaining ourselves and creating projects and structures that do not rely on what the dominant culture is doing - because capitalism is not good for everyone.

Q: What organizations are you actively involves in?

A: Right now I’m a producer for a KPFA Radio program called “Against the Grain” - you can find out more at www.againstthegrain.org. I am also doing freelance writing and editing, and working with friends to book tours for their films and books. I am hoping to start a cooperative booking agency, because this is something that is needed by activists in the U.S. I work with a local affinity group on anti-war and environmental issues.

Q: What are in your play list now? what books or websites do you currently read?

A: I’ve read a lot of really great books lately, and here are a couple:
Stephen Duncombe: Dream - Reimagining Progressive Politics in an Age of Fantasy
MacPhee and Reuland: Realizing the Impossible - Art Against Authority
Kristian Williams - American Methods - Torture and the Logic of Domination
Mark Anders - All the Power
Marina Sitrin - Horizontalism - Voices of Popular Power in Argentina
James Laxer - Empire

Q: As an activist, what issues are often overlooked, both locally and on the international front? What issues are over-played by certain quarters and need to be ignored?

A: I think it’s important for people to remember that activism happens and needs to happen in small towns and all across the country and world - especially in the U.S., there is a tendency for a lot of people to focus their energy on big cities like New York and San Francisco, but if change is going to happen, it needs to happen everywhere. There are a lot of people in the world that don’t live in big cities.

I also think it’s important that the WAY you do things matters just as much as WHY you do things. How you interact with others, how you lead your life, is very important. We need to model the world we want by acting out as much of our vision as we can.

Q: What do you feels about Bush administration? Do you think the Iraqi war is really a war against terrorism or against Islam? Or is it all about oil?

A: I don’t really know the answer to that question. Like many Americans, I believe that the Bush Administration mislead the American people about the reasons to go to war and continues to do so today. There is an entire system of empire that is behind the war, and it’s not just as easy as saying it was a war for oil.

Q: Have you ever been to Asia, or Malaysia in particular?

A: No, but I would like to!

Website: http://jenangel.wordpress.com

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