Why, thank you for asking! Here are a few things I've been up to lately.
You can also sign up for my low-volume announcement list here. And here I am, on twitter.
Jan. 17, 2024
This Saturday, Pleasure Pie is hosting a zine event at the Armory. I'll be giving a quick talk about Boston's zine history and the Somerville Public Library's zine collection. Why not join us?
191 Highland Ave., Saturday, January 20, 7 PM to 9 PM. free!
Nov. 18, 2023
Cambridge feminist legend Gilda Bruckman mentioned me and my zines in an oral history, and I'm pleased as punch. You can read it here.
Nov. 15, 2023
If you're in New York, check out the Brooklyn Museum zine fair this Sunday. Printed Matter will have my zines at their table...
Nov. 10, 2023
My new zine-- a collaboration with Greer Muldowney (who handled the photos, editing, and publishing duties) and Kristen Mallia (who did the design and layout)-- will be available this weekend at the Boston Art Book Fair.
It's an entirely rewritten version of the very first Free the Future Press publication from 2016. It's called "Buying and selling other people's homes," and looks at how the Somerville condo market works-- and the effects of all the greed involved. Get yourself a copy! It's a pretty limited print run.
Sept. 25, 2023
Epic zine distro Antiquated Future is now carrying my new mutual aid zine, and had this nice thing to say: "Tim Devin is arguably the most dedicated researcher working in zines right now, and his series of radical history zines are testaments to what's possible in the zine form."
That's one of the nicest things anyone's said about my publications. I really don't know what to say...
Aug. 6, 2023
Ok, here's my new zine all about early 1900s Boston Italian mutual aid societies! Featuring drawings from the epic Mr. Pat Falco...
In the early 1900s, there were over 150 Italian mutual aid societies in the Boston area. They provided Italian immigrants with much-needed social and material support, and quickly expanded to become visible forces in the local Italian community--hosting parades and public celebrations, and raising money for causes.
A hundred years later, these Italian mutual aid societies are all but forgotten--and were nothing more than vague family stories for me (my ancestors were members of some of these societies). As mutual aid groups sprouted up again during the pandemic, I remembered these stories, and started doing some digging.
This zine draws on material from archival records, books, local Italian-language newspapers, and good old-fashioned microfilm. Along the way, we learn how these societies operated, where they came from, where they went--and where they went wrong.
This publication includes illustrations by Pat Falco, a Boston artist who is also descended from members of Boston's Italian mutual aid societies.
July 11, 2023
The very cool Silvio Lorusso added my 2008 zine "i left this here for you to read" to his amazing Post-Digital Publishing Archive. Super flattering, and super cool in itself!
But it also made me cruise around the site, to see some of the other amazing things he's collected... like James Bridle's piece about the presentation of the Iraq War on Wikipedia, Timo Klok's firefox amazon plug-in, and more....
Definitely worth a look around!
Oct 17, 2022
Burn Aout just put out a French version of a Half Letter Press / Print Room zine that I wrote an article for. Pretty cool!
The original English titled is "What problems can an artist publisher solve?" And features discussions by about 20 zinesters...
Oct. 7, 2022
Looking for something to do during the Honk Festival this Saturday in Davis? Why not stop by the activity booth that me and Mr. Pat Falco are putting together, in conjunction with the Community Action Agency of Somerville? It will be interesting.
July 25, 2022
After much hang-wringing, I just had to increase the prices on my zines. Sorry y'all.
July 22, 2022
Tonight, the very excellent More Than Words is showing an amazing documentary about Cambridge's legal graffiti wall. The director, Olivia Huang, will be there-- and they've asked me to lead the Q&A after the film. Cool stuff! Hope to see you there!
March 10, 2022
The Somerville Arts Council featured me as their artist of the month for March! Pretty cool! Here's an interview they did.
Feb. 11, 2022
I'm pretty excited to say that the very excellent "A public space" journal has included excerpts of my "Mapping out utopia" zines in their new issue. Grab a copy!
Feb 10, 2022
The BU Design Dept. is putting together this excellent symposium on art books, and asked me to give a talk. I'll be part of a panel on Friday, Feb. 25 at noon. Come on by!
Dec. 1, 2021
I'm pretty excited to say that one of my publications is in this epic show at Barcelona's Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA).
The show is called "Repair manuals and cosmic sounds: Self-publishing to heal the entire universe," and features everything from "The Whole Earth Catalog" to Hakim Bey to Temporary Services and... my zine on 70s hippie parenting. The show runs through May 2022. If you're in Barcelona, take a peek!
Aug. 10, 2021
This is fun-- an article about data visualization in zines.
It covers my zines, as well as a host of other favs-- Brett Bloom from Half Letter Press! Lily Xie from Mooneaters! Liz Mason from Quimby's! Catherine D'Ignazio from Institute of Infinitely Small Things! Plus a bunch of new-to-me titles like Carni Klirs's "Visualizing the History of Fugazi."
Cool stuff.
Aug. 5, 2021
Boston's underground culture podcast Kids Like You & Me had me on to talk about zines, art, and community spaces. Take a listen!
July 9, 2021
New zine alert!
Free the Future Press is proud to present the second zine in our new Magical Space series: "55 Norfolk St."!
A tiny, one-floor storefront near Cambridge's busy Central Sq. has been home to more than its share of radicals & artists. Let's take a look at their world, & see how this one small space made it all possible.
Features stories about 55 Norfolk Street's magical past, including: the Mobius Artists Group. A radical tenants rights group called Eviction Free Zone. Two performance art spaces--Meme, and 55 Norfolk. A couple rent strikes. A maverick gallery run by future-Zeitgeist kingpin Al Nidle. And a politically-radical player-piano-busker known as Piano Dave.
Includes info from interviews with Al Nidle, Alice Vogler, E. Stephen, Jane Wang, Jason Pramas, Mary Regan, Meg Rotzel, Rob Chalfen, and Sandrine Schaefer.
44 pages. 14 photos. Hot pink cardstock cover, with gray interior pages. 5.5" wide x 8.5" high.
$8.50 + $2.50 s/h (US only).
I'm super excited about this one! Get yourself a copy here!
Dec. 28, 2020
On Thursday, Jan 14 at 7pm, the very excellent Alex Arzt and I will be having a discussion over ye olde zoom about utopia, community, and our publications. The event is hosted by the Fruitlands Museum, as part of their "Recruiting for Utopia: Print and the Imagination" show.
Join us? Free!
Dec. 8, 2020
It's been a bumper year for Chris Strunk's zine on punk spaces that I published through my Free the Future Press.
In addition to getting profiled in the British music mag The Wire, it's on Antiquated Future's top 10 selling list for the entire year-- and was a finalist for Broken Pencil's zine award. Pretty crazy stuff!
I've stopped printing them, but you can still get some copies at Antiquated Future and Printed Matter.
Dec. 2, 2020
There's been some cool stuff going on with my zines lately.
Printed Matter featured my zine on hippie parenting in an article on artists and education. Half Letter Press started carrying my zine on Somerville's lost river-- and sold out the same day! They have copies again. And legendary zine store Quimby's has a section for my zines on their website.
Super cool stuff!
Aug. 11, 2020
Here's some news about Chris Strunk's zine on punk spaces that I designed and printed up:
- The British music magazine The Wire ran a half-page story about it in their September issue. No, really!
- The zine is the 6th best selling book this month down at New York City's legendary art bookstore Printed Matter. Right after John Cage, and right before Jenny Holzer...
May 24, 2020
Free the Future Press is proud to present the first zine in our new Magical Space series: Chris Strunk's history of Boston's underground punk spaces!
Boston has had more than its share of underground punk venues, and scene veteran Chris Strunk is here to take us on a tour of almost 50 of them.
In addition to sharing his memories of these spaces, Chris provides an overview of the scene, where it came from, and where he sees it headed.
Along the way, Chris gives us a bunch of fascinating insights-from the fresh energy a feminist house brought to the table, to the community's failed hopes for creating an all-ages, aboveground space. He also tells some pretty memorable stories, like being at a South Boston gig raided by the FBI; and finding himself the only person who showed up to help clean a moldy basement venue.
This zine is part of Free the Future Press's "Magical Spaces" series, which takes a look at Boston's DIY and underground cultural spaces-everything from punk basements to artist lofts. (More on that soon!)
Get yourself a copy here!
April 4, 2020
The ever-epic Neil Horsky interviewed me for his "Stating the state of the state of the arts" column in this month's Boston Compass. If you see a copy, grab it. The issue is chock full of interesting discussions of art and creativity in our new COVID age.... Important stuff!
March 29, 2020
Really excited to say that Justseeds included my "Let's help each other!" in their second COVID graphics care package-- available for the download here.
Feb. 29, 2020
And... here's my new zine!
It's called "The river never left us." It looks at a river my city buried in the 1800s, and then forgot about. It covers how that happened; how that's affected the environment; and what that says about our culture. Plus it's green!
Take a look here.
Feb. 22, 2020
Excited to say that I have a couple things in a show about utopia at the Fruitlands Museum this spring! It's called "Recruiting for Utopia: Print and The Imagination."
UPDATE: because of COVID, this show has been postponed. It's now scheduled to open in June 2021.
Dec. 30, 2019
I wrote a year-in-review article for the super-excellent Boston Hassle. It covered local art, activism, and small press books. It was later reprinted in the Boston Dig, which was super cool. You can read it here.
Oct. 18, 2019
The next (and maybe last) Mapping Out Utopia walking tour around Inman Square is ON for Sunday, Nov. 3. Thanks again to Practice Space for hosting it. Details here!
Sept 18, 2019
I just found out that the Tate Museum in London has one of my Mapping Out Utopia zines in their artist book collection! How cool is that?
Sept 5, 2019
On Saturday, Sept. 14, I'm leading a walking tour of a long-buried river here in Somerville!
Up until the late 1800s, a stream ran from Spring Hill to Union Square in Somerville. It never had a name, and there's no record of when it was buried--and that speaks volumes about our civic ancestors' views on nature.
Join me for a group exploration of where the river went; what it might've looked like; what lead to the decision to bury it; and what the long-term effects are of burying an urban waterway.
Starting point: Center for Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave, Somerville (in the first floor entrance way / hallway)
Date & time: Sat., Sept. 14, 11-1230pm
Rain date & time: Sun., Sept. 15, 11-1230pm
FREE!
This program is supported in part by the Somerville Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. And special thanks to the Armory for letting us meet there!
Sept 4, 2019
Boston's NPR station, WGBH, ran a story about my Mapping Out Utopia zines and walking tours during the local version of Morning Edition! How cool is that?
July 7, 2019
And my new newsletter is out, and most likely in your spam folder. You can read it here.
July 5, 2019
The Boston Compass featured my Sept. 13 countercultural walking tour on the front page of their July newspaper. It's not online yet-- but track it down. The Compass is chock full of amazing stuff.
July 2, 2019
On Sat., July 13, I'm going to lead another Mapping Out Utopia walking tour. This one will focus on the spirit of generosity that made most of these groups possible. We'll talk about benevolent landlords; community-run women shelters; restaurants that were more concerned with building community than earning money; and a host of other inspiring stuff.
This tour is hosted by the very excellent Practice Space. Tickets are $5 each, and there are only 30 of them. Get yours today!
Starting point: Practice Space, 1307 Cambridge St., Cambridge
Date & time: Sat., July 13, 1pm-230pm.
Rain date: Sun., July 14, 1pm-230pm.
Facebook event page here.
Jan. 21, 2019
Scout Cambridge ran a two-page spread about my "Mapping out utopia" zines in the new issue of their magazine. Grab a copy if you're in town!
Jan. 8, 2019
Excited to say I got an interrelated media fellowship grant from the Somerville Arts Council. Thanks SAC!
Jan. 6, 2019
There are a couple pages about my older work in a Mexican art theory book called Circulacion y resonancia: publicos fantasma. Pretty cool!
Nov. 14, 2018
Last week, Julia Taliesin from the Somerville Journal wrote this great article about my Inman to Union Mapping out Utopia walking tour. And this week, it was reprinted in the Cambridge Chronicle! Thanks Julia!
Nov. 12, 2018
I'v got a few things in a show called "ENGAGED EDITIONS: Creative Advocacy in Print" at Booklyn in Brooklyn NY. It opens this Saturday, and runs through Jan. 11. If you're in NY, take a look!
Oct. 19, 2018
I reprinted this oldie but goodie on Somerville's real estate market. It looks at changes in Somerville real estate by examining the careers of two large property owners. $5. Why not buy two?
Oct. 15, 2018
On Saturday, Nov. 3, I'll be leading a free walking tour about Cambridge and Somerville's 70s counterculture.
The tour leaves from Practice Space (1307 Cambridge St., Cambridge) at 2pm. We'll go to 10 or 12 different spots, and discuss various 1970s groups ranging from the Somerville Tenants Union, to Science for the People, to the Mass. Feminist Credit Union.
Families and kids welcome! Details here.
Aug. 16, 2018
I wrote a piece on small press books and zines for the Weekly Dig! I'm pretty excited about it. Take a look here.
July 6, 2018
Super proud to have a piece in this zine by Temporary Services and Printroom! Temporary Services has long been a source of inspiration for me.
From the description: "For this booklet we invited 17 artist publishers to respond to the question: Thinking locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally: What are some social, political, economic and ecological problems that artist publishers are equipped to address or solve using their knowledge, skills, and resources?... This booklet can be thought of as one step for how we can create together, support each other, and sustain ourselves into the future, which looks more uncertain all the time."
June 13, 2018
And here's the thrilling conclusion to utopia!
After some delays, Book 3 of "Mapping out utopia" is back from the printers!
80 pages, 10 hand-drawn maps, and 17 illustrations-- all about how the 70s counterculture thrived in the communities surrounding Boston. From Polaroid Revolutionary Workers' Movement to the Institute for Psychoenergetics, it's all in here.
May 3, 2018
I'm giving another 70s countercultural walking tour. This one will look at Inman Square's collectives, coops, and companies concerned with things other than the bottom line.
It will be at 11am on Sunday, May 20. We'll be leaving from the very excellent Practice Space (thanks for hosting!), and the tour will last about an hour. Tix are $5, available here. Hope to see you there1
April 25, 2018
Atlas Obscura (one of my fav news sites) wrote this thoughtful and in-depth profile of my Mapping Out Utopia books. Thanks Atlas Obscura!
March 25, 2018
The Museum of Modern Art has a copy of my hippie parenting zine! The Museum of Modern Art has a copy of my hippie parenting zine! For real.
Nov. 20, 2017
More big news from utopia!
Book 2 of "Mapping out utopia" is back from the printers!
108 pages, 11 hand-drawn maps, and 26 illustrations-- all about Boston's 70s counterculture. From Operation Black to the Recycling Revolutionary Coop, it's all in here.
Sept. 20, 2017
Lots of big news in "Mapping out utopia" land!
First off, the walking tour was written up in Harvard Crimson's weekly magazine. Big thanks for that!
And you can now get the book at three amazing distributors! Half Letter Press, Antiquated Future, and Quimby's! They're three of my favorites, so I'm really excited about it!
Sept. 6, 2017
This Saturday, I'm giving a free walking tour about 1970s countercultural Cambridge. It leaves from Practice Space (1307 Cambridge St.) at 1pm. Here's more info!
Super thanks to Boston Hassle and Boston Counter Cultural Compass for listing it as a recommended event. And super super thanks to Cambridge Day for running this awesome article about it.
Sept. 1, 2017
I got the second print run of my new book back from the printer today. I got all fancy, and put it on textured paper. Pick one up? Good.
You can also get copies of the book at the legendary NYC art/small-press bookstore Printed Matter!
Aug. 9, 2017
The Improper Bostonian ran an article about the local zine scene, and featured me and my zines. Check it out here!
July 28, 2017
Tomorrow, I'm going to speaking about Cambridge's 70s counterculture as part of this awesome event at the Cambridge Public Library that Marc Levy is putting together! Hope you can make it.
July 11, 2017
And... here's my new book! 80 pages on 1970s countercultural Cambridge, for your purchasing pleasure.
June 26, 2017
What are you doing this Thursday? Why not join me for Future-a-oke at the Armory? 7-9pm at 191 Highland Ave. See you there!
Future-a-oke is the open mic about the future-- with live band accompaniment!
Join us! You're invited to:
- speak (or sing) your thoughts about the future
- read something about the future that you've written beforehand
- read some future-y printouts we'll have on hand
Go ahead, free your inner Nostrodamus. We've got your back.
The Future-a-oke Family is Ian Kovac, Neil Horsky, Scott Mizrachi & Tim Devin.
March 26, 2017
I've got some things in this excellent show, called AMPLIFY + MULTIPLY: Recent Printed Activist Ephemera. It's at Colorado College's IDEA Space, and runs from March 27 to April 17. If you're in Colorado, take a look!
Jan. 15, 2017
Do you accept the new normal? I don't. Anyway, our new president inspired me to put these posters up around the Boston area.
Like what you see? Buy one for $10 + shipping, to help me print and hang more of them.
Nov. 28, 2016
I just found out that this book on typewriters in the 21st century has a bit about my old band, The Boston Typewriter Orchestra-- and tells the story of how I started the group. Neat!
Nov. 17, 2016
Legendary NYC art book store, Printed Matter, now carries my book on hippie parenting! Crazy.
Oct. 13, 2016
Next week, I start work at the Somerville Public Library, which I'm pretty excited about!
Oct. 11, 2016
I'm super excited about this! My favorite small press/distributor, Half Letter Press, is now selling my zine on hippie parenting!
Oct. 8, 2016
The Harvard University dining hall staff are on strike again, demanding a living wage. Time to put up more of my history signs!
Sept. 28, 2016
I have some things in a show at the Nave Gallery about community-minded street art. It opens this Sunday, and runs through October 30. Swing on by if you get the chance. Should be amazing!
Sept. 21, 2016
Hey now! Amazing zine distributor Pioneers Press is carrying my zine on hippie parenting!
Sept. 4, 2016
More exciting news: legendary zine distributor Microcosm now carries my zine on hippie parenting!
June 22, 2016
And here's Free the Future Press's first book: "What are you raising them for? Tim Devin tells you all about 70s hippie parenting."
Tim looks at parenting ideas found in 1970s hippie publications -- and compares them with what grown-up hippie writers have to say about their youth. Topics include alternative schools, food, and gender roles, among many others.
The book also profiles a few of Tim's favorite hippie magazines, like "Communities Magazine," "Synergy," and "Kaliflower."
64 pages. 17 illustrations. 5.5" wide x 8.5" high. $7.00 + $2.00 shipping. Buy it here.
June 18, 2016
Here's an oldie from the file: "Security cameras are the new gargoyles & vice versa."
Now you can purchase a copy of my 2012 photo zine on this important topic here. Only $3.00 + shipping!
May 30, 2016
Great news! The petition to remove my book from the Somerville Public Library has been withdrawn! Still no word on who wanted it removed or why.
For those interested, the library's has a policy for challenged materials, which invokes ALA's Library Bill of Rights and specifically states "Challenged materials that meet the criteria for selection in the materials selection policy of the library should not be removed under any legal or extra-legal pressure."
I'd really like to thank the SPL folks for collecting the book in the first place, and for standing by that decision. Love living in this town!
Here's the catalog record for the book, if you're in the library with some time to spare. Or you can get yourself a copy here.
May 20, 2016
Someone formally requested the Somerville Public Library to remove its copies of my book, "Buying and selling other people's homes." No word on the reasons for it. The library has only had the books for about 4 weeks. This is the first formal request in recent memory, SPL tells me.
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April 21, 2016
I've got some zines in a show at the Distillery Gallery. The show is being put together by the very cool Dave Ortega, and runs from April 25 to May 28. The gallery is at 516 East 2nd Street, South Boston.
April 20, 2016
On Monday, April 25th, I'll be giving a talk as part of the Cambridge Historical Society's new History Cafe series. The series invites residents to come to different bars across town and discuss issues facing the city. This one will cover gentrification (fun!) and will take place at the Hong Kong at 1238 Mass Ave. in Harvard Square, from 630pm to 8pm. The other speaker is the very amazing Japonica Brown-Saracino, who is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Boston University. Come talk with us!
April 19, 2016
My new Spring newsletter is out in world, visiting spam folders from here to Gardena. Enjoy?
March 31, 2016
Curious about how the local real estate world works? I was too, so I did some digging, and wrote a pamphlet about what I found.
It's called "Buying & selling other people's homes." It looks at how the local real estate business works, by focusing on the doings of two large-scale property people. It pulls data from public databases about their business dealings (purchases, holdings, mortgages, condo-izations), and shows how their careers have fit in with changes in the city in the last 20 years.
It's $4.50 + $1.25 shipping. You can order a copy here.
Feb. 10, 2016
Today, the Brookline Public Library announced its new artist-in-residence program, which was masterminded by Andi Sutton, Colin Wilkins, and Bonnie Bastien. I'm proud to say that I'm on the advisory committee.
Jan. 29, 2016
Last night, I hosted an open community meeting at the Somerville Public Library that focused on sharing. Over 30 people showed up, and shared their ideas on how we as a community could share resoures. Here are the minutes. More soon!
Jan. 7, 2016
I stepped down as a board member for the very excellent Somerville Arts Council today. I'd been on the board for 5 years, and served as the chair for the last 3. Twas a wonderful experience.
Jan. 6, 2016
On Thursday, Jan. 28, I'll be hosting a community sharing brainstorming session at the Somerville Public Library main branch at 7pm. We'll discuss ways that people can share things like expenses, household items, and real estate-- and hopefully come up with some steps forward.
Jan. 2, 2016
Chris Berthelsen interviewed for his Small Workshop series. We talked about affordability, being a parent while trying to be an artist, and what happens to a community when the daily grind forces people to stop making art. There will be a related event on Jan. 24 at the Mairangi Arts Center in New Zealand, if you're in the neighborhood.
What did we talk about? I thought you'd never ask! You can listed to the full conversation here or download a pamphlet Chris made here.
Nov. 19, 2015
Tonight! Join the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism & Getting by in Boston to discuss the tough economics of being an artist in MA & how we can change it.
Oct. 21, 2015
Today's the day that Marty McFly visited the future in the 2nd "Back to the future" movie.
How did Somerville residents' predictions compare with Spielberg's? Take a gander at my "History of Somerville, 2010-2100" to find out!
Oct. 12, 2015
Welcome my new website!
It's got an entirely new design, and is responsive to mobile devices. It also has some new content. Enjoy?
Sept. 28, 2015
Alexa Mills wrote a great piece on artists getting priced out of Somerville for MIT's Urban Planning department's website. It includes a quote or two from yours truly. Take a look here.
Aug. 31, 2015
And... the book version my new project, "behind the black boxes," is out!
Get your copy today!
Aug. 21, 2015
Pyragraph republished an article I wrote about Getting By In Boston's first year. Thanks for helping spread the word, Pyragraph!
Aug. 10, 2015
Here's a sneak peek at my new project, "behind the black boxes."
The project looks at the heavily-redacted 2012 report on the FBI's involvement in the PRISM surveillance program-- and tries to fill in the black boxes through research and interviews. Interview subjects include an ACLU expert on privacy; an FBI agent protrayed by Heather Kapplow; and a tarot reading by the Center for Cognitive Chaos & Astral Physics Research.
Full project coming soonish...
July 27, 2015
Here's my new newsletter. Full of info on recent events I helped organize, articles I've written, and other things I've been involved in-- and a teaser about a new project I'm about to release. Enjoy!
July 15, 2015
I got a copy of Nicholas Ganz's new book, "Street Messages," today. The book presents street art that involves text, and includes work by Banksy, Jenny Holzer, Candy Chang, Billboard Liberation Front... and me! Pretty crazy. Get yourself a copy here!
June 9, 2015
Getting by in Boston had its first birthday last week. GBIB is a loose network of creative people, concerned about how to get by in our expensive city. Here's an article I wrote about it how it started; what issues people have been discussing; what groups have formed out of it; and what the outcomes have been.
June 1, 2015
Here's an article I wrote about our second "how to be an artist and a parent?" discussion event that took place this past Saturday.