Welcome to Zel Amanzi's Substack!
What to expect from the Isazela Writes substack!
Introducing Zel
Isazela Amanzi (ee-sah-zay-lah | aw-mawn-see) here!
Pronouns they/he.
Most people know me as Zel. You can call me Isazela, Zel or Z.
I am a Black genderqueer, neuroqueer & disabled transbeing with a passion for writing and specialist training in education and somatics.
My M.S. in Education concentrated on social justice in education, with my thesis centering on developing anti-racist habits in curious teachers. I have certificates in yoga, tantric meditation, yoga nidra, and western Reiki, but I center community endorsement & participation over often-too-shallow certification. I also take ongoing classes in Hoodoo divination.
Through my public practice, Transgressive Medicine, I teach classes, short-form workshops and long-form courses that focus on the intersection of energy work-mindfulness-healing & counter-colonial praxis.
I center myself imperfectly within the principles of Disability Justice and the neurodiversity paradigm. Abolition, consent culture, accountability & access are important to me at all times, not just when it’s trendy or in times of crisis. If I’m not measuring up, I welcome community-centered call-ins!
You can follow me on IG at @transgressivemedicine.
Why Substack?
I love writing—and my ancestors have made it clear that my community engagement from here forward must center writing, no matter how insecure I am about it!
While you may know me from class or Instagram, I’m also looking to offer writing that is both a creative exercise and an extension of my formal teaching in an environment that is less deliberately addictive than Instagram and other social media.
I recognize the value of shorter form spaces, but also recognize how de-stabilizing they are for everybody (especially for those who rely on it for income), and I want to explore opportunities for connection that are less subject to shadow-banning and algorithms.
And if you have coins to support my contributions, substack offers that option!
Community
I want this to be an intentional space where people can
ponder writing without the distractions of instagram.
relate to writing as community-based expression and not as “content.”
move deeply into nuance that can’t be held by other spaces.
explore intersections of queerness (including neuroqueerness, genderqueerness, disability as queerness) and energetics (including somatics, mindfulness, and ancestral spirituality).
ask thoughtful questions without the antagonistic nature of a social media comment section.
connect with other folks who are thinking about similar things!
enjoy some poetry and affirmations just because life is hard and sometimes they help!
What am I posting about?
There are currently 3 sections:
Creative Writing: poems, short stories, & clips from longer-form pieces (e.g. my memoir)
Expository Writing: essays, typically on neuroqueer spirituality, community energetics, abolitionist somatics, gender liminality, and things that relate to these!
Trans* Origin Stories: A collaborative effort to support TGNC people in reclaiming their origins by creatively reframing their narratives
You can subscribe to both or either!
Subject matter:
I often write about my experiences surviving and occasionally thriving in this simultaneously antagonistic and deeply beautiful world as a Black, queer, trans & multiply neurodivergent person living with disabling chronic pain.
I also write about concepts central to abolition, spirituality, energetics & somatics in ways that do not whitewash ancient nuanced traditions.
Tone:
My writing ranges from joyous celebration to neutral acceptance to curious exploration to ancestral rage!
Frequency:
My ultimate goal is to post something once every 2 weeks. It might take me until 2024 to get into that groove! And let’s be real, I operate on crip time. So, there will undoubtedly be lapses 😁(beaming face with smiling eyes emoji).
Subscribe!
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You can subscribe for free, and posts will be available to you for 1 week before they are archived.
Archived posts are available to paid subscribers! You can test out a paid subscription with a 7-day free trial :)
Cheers,
Zel