ANALOG CONNECTION. The Eau Claire Collective, a group of young adults in the Chippewa Valley with backgrounds in art, design, history, literature – number of which identify as queer – has founded Eau Claire's latest print publication: Ashcan. The zine aims to uplift queer identities across the Chippewa Valley through poetry, prose, photography and illustrations. (Cover of Ashcan issue one by Laurel Schuck; background image by Sasah Nevnik)

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Ashcan, Eau Claire's newest physical print media outlet. This publication features individuals who shape queer art, comics, advice and a variety of other content in the Chippewa Valley.

The zine, a grassroots effort, welcomes all walks of life from the region through its tether to “The Eau Claire Collective.”

The Eau Claire Collective, a group of young adults in the Chippewa Valley with backgrounds in art, design, history, literature – a significant number of which identify with queerness – was formed through a shared sense of interpersonal and political discontent on both national and local scales.

As a primary organizer for the collective, Jacky, also the editor for Ashcan, envisioned a physical space and outlet for folks to support one another; also utilizing art in a contemporary way. Its goal is to bring people together and ease the feelings of distance the group observed in their community.

“I personally was feeling frustrated that politicization was creating more distance between people,” Jacky said. “What we need is to come closer together and I think that art is a really good way to do that, while also not feeling like you're losing (parts) of yourself.”

Thus, the Ashcan zine's first issue began to take shape in the spring of 2025. Issue one of the publication, titled “New Introductions,” was shared in true analog fashion this past November: in third spaces and coffee shops across Eau Claire. It was later shared online through the collective's social media platforms.

An “ashcan” – where the zine derives its namesake – is a term used for indie American comic book publishing, created to establish trademarks on potential titles and series' not intended for sale. As Eau Claire's own Ashcan remains free for the public, it was this element of the concept which ultimately stood out to Jacky.

“The title feels like it is grabbing this idea that (Ashcan) is not supposed to be this polished (or) sanitized thing. It's supposed to be a raw form of art,” Jacky said. “(Ashcan is) just this little piece of the community that, if you want, you can read – and throw it into the fire and turn it into ash.”

A spread within issue one, "New Introductions," of Ashcan shares a visual guide to mushrooms' connections to queer identities, along with tips and tricks to either forage or preserve (as seen above) fungi from natural world.

Jacky and the other zine contributors are dedicated to keeping the Chippewa Valley’s history of queer identities alive, they agreed.

Ashcan, as a local advocacy tool, aims to uplift the voices of anyone who identifies with the term “queer,” and who encompass the entire LGBTQIA+ spectrum. It's a space that focuses broadly on queer experiences in all their forms, without being centered on one specific topic, Jacky said.

For the Eau Claire Collective, having a physical publication remains essential to the project; it serves as a time capsule, a record of where the local queer community is now and where they are headed.

“It is important for our community to have information out there without any sort of pay incentive and without this incentive to grab your attention for as long as possible,” Jacky continued.

Issue one includes poetry titles such as “If I Die Young” by Emily Saris, “Pheasant’s Back or Dyad’s Saddle,” a guide to foraging and queer representation in ecology by Sasha Nevinik, photography and writing excerpts from Luke Plagens, among others.

The second edition of Ashcan has a tentative release timeline for the new year; Jacky noted the zine accepts content submissions on a rolling basis and intends for the zine – and The Eau Claire Collective at-large – to become an avenue for fundraising on local and national levels.

“We are interested in collaborating with local queer businesses,” Jacky said. “We were interested in putting zines in (their storefront) or also collaborating with them for future fundraising opportunities.

“We exist and we’re here to stay; our (queer) identity is beautiful and can contribute something beautiful to the world,” they continued.

To learn more about Ashcan, the Eau Claire Collective and its ongoing fundraising efforts, visit the organization's social media platforms online (@ashcan_ecc). Copies of issue one are available to pick-up in person at Racy D'Lenes Coffee Lounge (404 Riverside Ave., Eau Claire), SHIFT (615 Graham Ave., Eau Claire), the Acoustic Café (505 S Barstow St. #A, Eau Claire) and The Joynt (322 Water St., Eau Claire).