William Gillis is a second generation anarchist activist who studies high energy theoretical physics and has written extensively on the politics of abolition and transformative justice. Check out William's website which hosts a ton of their writing, and order William's new book, "Did The Science Wars Take Place: The Political & Ethical Stakes of Radical Realism."
Camas Collective member Eligh shares with us their scholarship on contemporary fascism, its strategies and tactics, and how fascists leverage disenfranchisement and resentment into political power.
Dr. Yannick Giovanni Marshall is a scholar, writer, and speaker specializing in anti-colonial Black thought, political exile, and dissent. He taught Contemporary Black Thought in the School of Critical Studies at CalArts before fleeing the United States amidst the escalating suppression of Black Studies, protest and academic freedom. His forthcoming book, "The End of Supplication: The Invention of Prostrate Blackness as a Replacement for the Maroon," challenges the containment of Black radical traditions through liberal and Civil Rights discourse. Through essays in Al Jazeera English and public talks delivered globally, Dr. Marshall offers urgent provocations on anti-Blackness, colonialism, and the global crackdown on dissent. Check out more of Dr. Marshall's work on his website.
Liz Cronin is the spokesperson for the Victoria Transit Riders Union, a grassroots organization advocating for free, rapid, and reliable public transit service in the Greater Victoria Area. Adequately funding public transit helps increase accessibility, which is an essential part of building an inclusive community. Check out VTRU’s website, and follow them on IG. Watch the beautiful documentary “The Trolley" on Youtube, and read Marc Lee’s fantastic article “Why BC Should Make Public Transit Free” at The Tyee.
The DIRA (Documentation, Information, References, and Archives) library is an anarchist collective located in Montreal. The project aims to acquire and disseminate, free of charge, documents on the libertarian movement in Canada and abroad, as well as a host of other topics. Today we are joined by three collective members - O, Pixie, and Vitis - who spoke to us about DIRA’s origin, mission, and goals for the future. Check out DIRA’s website, and consider donating to their fundraising campaign to help ensure DIRA remains a permanent, welcoming and central hub for Montreal’s anarchist community.
This week we are starting a new series of episodes in which we record and post audio versions of different Zines we carry in the store. This week’s Zine is “Camas vs Capitalism,” about how our store and our anarchism interacts with the larger capitalist hegemonic project. We hope you enjoy it! And if you do, you can always drop by the store at 2620 Quadra street in Victoria from 10-6 every day of the week and pick yourself up a copy.
subMedia is an anarchist digital media collective. First established in 1994, subMedia has produced hundreds of videos on everything from urban insurrectionary tactics to land-based mutual aid projects. On this episode we speak to collective member Heatscore about the collective's work documenting the 2019-2020 Estallido Social uprising in Chile, the 2020 ShutDownCanada movement, and the role of anarchist media in pushing for liberation. Checkout subMedia's work on their website, and follow them on IG.
Kanien’kehá:ka filmmaker, land defender, and cannabis activist Clifton Ariwakehte Nicholas joins us to talk about the 1990 Oka Crisis and his lifetime of activism. Check out Clifton’s latest film, “A Red Road to the West Bank,” at Amplifier Films.
Franklin López is an anarchist, troublemaker, and incredible filmmaker. We spoke to Frank about the ongoing violence of American colonialism in Puerto Rico and Vieques island, as well as his work documenting Innu land defender Shanipiap's efforts to defend her ancestral territory from logging and environmental degradation. Follow Frank on IG and check out his work with Amplifier Films.
Filmakers Clifton Ariwakehte Nicholas and Franklin López join us to talk about intersectional colonialism and their new documentary, "A Red Road to the West Bank," which explores the heartwarming and heartbreaking commonalities between the Palestinian and Indigenous Canadian experiences. Follow Clifton and Franklin's efforts on IG.
Shay and Sarah share their lived experience of transitioning, what it's like to move from the heights of cis male privilege to an identity that is oppressed and discriminated against, and how much more beautiful and magical the world is after they transitioned.
USCO is a collective of community activists who are fighting for the rights of the unhoused residents of Kelowna. They are demanding the government cease its militarization of Kelowna's Tent City, allow all people to return for both daytime and nighttime shelter, and transition to a peer-led model where Tent City residents themselves are empowered to govern the site and make decisions that directly impact their community. Learn more about USCO's righteous struggle here, and follow them on IG.
Allan Antliff is an art history professor, a life-long anarchist and activist, and one of the original founding members of Camas Books & Infoshop. He joins us to discuss the history of anarchism in Canada and the U.S., and how Camas got started in the ancient days of 2005.
HARD Law (Harm Reduction and Decriminalization) is a student club at the University of Victoria law school. Started in 2021, HARD Law members are activists, academics, frontline workers, people who use drugs, and people who have quit using drugs. Club members are directly impacted by drug prohibition, but are also afforded great privilege because of their position as future legal professionals. HARD Law is their attempt to use that privilege for positive change. Follow them on IG.
Sandra Carr is a maker, instructor in the Fine Furniture Program at Camosun College, woodworker and artist, and all-around exceptional human being. We spoke to Sandra about the nature of work, when does labor becomes art, and why it is important to make beautiful things.
Author Kerry Coast talks to us about her book, The Colonial Present: The Rule of Ignorance and the Role of Law in British Columbia. Beautifully written with hard hitting prose, Kerry demonstrates how the historical and present injustices faced by the various Indigenous nations in B.C. are founded in deep seated ignorance, which can be traced back to the roots of white supremacy and a driving capitalist-colonial extractivist greed. Visit The West Wasn't Won archive project here, and the Archive Quarterly (journal of The West Wasn't Won) here.
Labor activist and musician Art Farquharson shares some stories from his life as an IWW member, labor organizer and agitator, and plays us a few Wobblie songs guaranteed to get the anti-capitalist blood flowing!
Activist and internationalist Kevin Neish shares his experiences being a human shield in Gaza, protecting trade unionists in Guatemala, sheltering Fairy Creek protestors, and what lessons young radicals can learn from his life of solidarity and struggle.
Eve Rickert is a Gen X, queer, solo polyamorous, relationship anarchist, neurodivergent cis woman living on unceded W̱SÁNEĆ and lək̓ʷəŋən territory (Victoria, Canada). She is a professional writer, editor and mastermind, and the co-author of More Than Two, Second Edition: Cultivating Nonmonogamous Relationships with Kindness and Integrity and the founder of Thornapple Press.
Books to Prisoners is a grassroots organization bringing books to the folks inside Vancouver Island Regional Correction Correctional Centre and Nanaimo Correctional Centre. Follow them on IG.