Joyride021: Pedaling Past 40 with writer & zine-maker Julie Brooks

On today’s show I chat with Julie Brooks, creatrix of the Pedal by Pedal zine about women over 40 who ride bicycles. We’ll chat about the inspiration for the book, going the distance… seasonally…  and milkshakes.

I’m not gonna lie – this show is like an Elly Blue love fest – if you’re new to the show, you can check out Elly on episode six of the Joyride here. As you may know, Elly’s work is close to my heart in many ways, herlatest project, Biketopia features stories from a dozen writers each with their own take on utopia, dystopia, and the gray area in between. The project is currently up on Kickstarter – and it has been funded, so the books are on the way, but you’ll still have like 10 days or so to get in as a backer. Do it.

Also, you’ll hear Julie and I talk about a piece in Pedal by Pedal by a woman named Taz Loomans about her experience as a woman of color on the bike, and I want to elaborate on something I hinted towards in my conversation with Julie – which is this – if you’re recently waking up to how entrenched and f’d up institutionalized biases and systemic racism, awesome. Welcome to woke side. Things are going to be pretty uncomfortable for a minute because you never realized how awful they were before, but, in order to affect change you have to take responsibility for how you move through the world and how it impacts the people around you. Me, for example? I want to take responsibility for the media I create as part of this community. One small way I can do that is to take a moment to read an excerpt from Taz’s piece.

Again, big thanks to Julie Brooks for hanging out and having a bike love chat with us! Missing a page or want to contribute to the next Pedal by Pedal zine? Email her here