The publication of this little booklet in your hand is the most significant thing we’ve done since launching the first issue of the magazine over two years ago. You may have read Speak Up Magazine, the larger format full-color magazine that we’ve been publishing for awhile now. If so, you know this is a pivot in a new direction.

The Zine was born in response to two questions. How can we better give a voice to our friends on the streets? How can we increase circulation so the street vendors selling the magazine will earn closer to a livable income?

The Zine answers those questions.

First, everything in here (except for a couple intro letters) was written by people who’ve been homeless. Many still are. Some are Speak Up street vendors; others just attend one of our weekly writing workshops. This is their uncensored voice.

Second question, how can this lead to more income for the hardworking street vendors who sell Speak Up, many of them still homeless? Well, we think the easier entry point of a lower-priced publication will mean more yesses, more sales. The cover price of this is just one dollar. In contrast, the full-size magazine currently sells for $4. Although vendors will make a smaller profit on each sale (sixty cent profit versus $3), our hypothesis is that they’ll sell so many more that their overall profit will jump considerably.

We’ll see.

In the meantime, the next large-format issue is in the works. Moving forward, we’ll be publishing both Speak Up Magazine and Speak Up Zine. While clearly different in format and execution, they are driven by the same heart and distributed according to the same empowering model.

By buying this Zine, you’ve become part of the solution. You’ve said yes to someone working to reclaim his or her life and become a productive and contributing member of society. You’ve said yes to getting past the stereotypes and listening to real people. You’ve said yes to second chances and hope for the future.

Thank you!