Update: This zine is currently being funded on Kickstarter now available!
It’s official: Taking the Lane #7: BikeSexuality exists, and nearly every order has been mailed. If you haven’t gotten yours yet, drop me an email and I’ll check it out. If you also ordered Pedal, Stretch, Breathe, I may be waiting to mail them both at once — it’ll be another week or so.
It’s time to start working in earnest on the next issue. I recently emailed my subscribers with a call for submissions for #8, tentatively on the topic of “bicycle memories.” Several great essays came in immediately: An early childhood memory of running away from home by bicycle, and a mom’s meditation about her three kids learning to ride. I like that, (and I’m also inspired by Sarah Gilbert’s new literary magazine for parents) so I’m going to make that the theme.
So. It’s official. Taking the Lane Volume 8: Childhood is open for submissions. The family bicycling movement is huge, and I know that you cycling parents out there have a lot to say that’s funny, serious, sassy, important. Or maybe it’s your own childhood or your child-free family planning you want to write about. Or maybe it’s the kids you teach or the ones you see roll past your house on those adorable run bikes. It’s a big topic and I’ve got a big tent here.
Technical details: Send your nonfiction missives by August 15th to elly at takingthelane dot com. Under 1,000 words (very short is fine). Finished pieces or pitches are fine. Illustrations are also sought. Questions are great.
I can’t wait to see what you have to say. Thank you! And happy riding.
– Want to get a sense of what these zines are all about before you start writing? Order the back issues here.
– For more good reading about kids on bikes (ahem, the family bicycling revolution!), check out this photographic overview of biking with young kiddos and this story about a mom who bikes with her six kids.