After two and a half years Radical Self-Care is complete! My new book creates a practical and holistic resource to healing from past emotional difficulties at the individual, communal, cultural, and societal levels. The 18 main chapters are beautifully illustrated by my childhood friend over the course of 446 pages.

From the back cover: What do conflict, PTSD, addiction, heartbreak, anxiety, and anger have in common? They all persist because of emotions that became trapped in the body from difficult experiences. Building on titles like My Grandmother’s Hands, Complex PTSD, and The Body Keeps the Score, Sage Liskey reimagines how we think about life’s struggles, making healing easier and more accessible for privileged, oppressed, and marginalized communities alike. Scientifically backed techniques to deal with big and small struggles are covered from over seventy books, hundreds of research articles, and the author’s personal experiences. These include mindfulness, emotional releases, visualization, conflict resolution, asserting boundaries, EMDR, inner child work, psychedelics, correcting self-limiting beliefs, dealing with addictions, forming healthy relationships, and creating a more equitable society. Whatever you are experiencing, here are the tools to begin your journey to feeling better and becoming more resilient in life.

You can buy a copy anywhere books are sold or get a signed edition directly from me at www.etsy.com/shop/radcatpress or the Eugene Saturday Market.

Dress up in your finest and fill your mug with a drink of choice. Read your own words, from your favorite authors, stories, other creative tid bits, or just listen. If you plan to play music it is suggested you enable the “Original Sound” setting in your main Zoom settings and then in the Zoom client. Alternatively if you are using a simple microphone or webcam, keep some distance between you and your interface or there might be feedback issues.

Performers and audience are allowed in and sign-ups start at 6:50PM PST. 7:00PM performances begin, but feel free to arrive and sign-up whenever.

To sign up, click the “Raise Hand” button (located in the … more menu on phones). Depending on how many people sign up there will be a 5 to 7 minute limit to performances. After a performance feel free to unmute and give some love to the performer.
If you want to support this event sign up for my Patreon over at www.patreon.com/sageliskey or buy some art or books from etsy.com/shop/radcatpress - thanks!

Finally, don’t be an asshole. I’ll kick you out if I feel your words are discriminatory or inappropriately shitting on someone or their culture.

Facebook Event Link (viewable even without a Facebook account): https://fb.me/e/1VGLfx220

Please see the Google Calendar or Rad Cat Press Facebook event for more details. Every Monday through Friday throughout Winter!

LINK: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/l226fj/i_am_the_author_of_powells_books_1_selfhelp_title/

On Thursday 1/21/2021 starting at 9AM PST throughout the day I will be answering your questions! Ask me about coping during COVID, mental wellness, activism, community building, design, publishing, building a creative career, or whatever else might be tingling your mind.

The AMA will be hosted on www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/ by u/sage_seeds and I'll post the direct link once I launch tomorrow!

I'm overjoyed to announce that You Are A Great And Powerful Wizard: Self-Care Magic for Modern Mortals has become Powell's Books #7 bestseller in nonfiction, and of those is the #1 bestselling mental health title!

You Are A Great And Powerful Wizard: Self-Care Magic For Modern Mortals (illustrated by Eugene artist Barbara Counsil) weaves together science, activism, psychology, and important reminders for personal empowerment. Using the fun lens of magic and wizardry, I explore topics like coping with the darkness (depression and anxiety), magic potions (food and nutrition), forming magical allies (friends and relationships), destructive spells wizards are commonly under (toxic habits), magic alchemy (effective activism), and much more.

The Coronavirus has skyrocketed feelings of depression, helplessness, and loneliness. According to the Census Bureau and Hartford HealthCare, over a quarter of Americans are experiencing pronounced depression from current events, and rates of suicide have increased dramatically. My book introduces tools to the reader to find the motivation to shift perspectives, build community, and find contentment in these trying times.

You Are A Great And Powerful Wizard guides the reader on a motivational quest to discover their highest form of being and challenge unhealthy aspects of society. While most self-help books are all about individual transformation, You Are A Great And Powerful Wizard acknowledges that the culture we exist in often fuels loneliness, despair, and sickness. I assert that by working to become more powerful wizards and overthrowing the “wizards in control” we can become mentally and physically healthier and happier.

You can support me directly by purchasing a signed copy, artwork, and other books and zines through my online Etsy shop. For the latest news you can also follow me on Instagram. In stores you can find You Are A Great And Powerful Wizard at places like Microcosm Publishing and Powell's Books. You can also wholesale order the book through Microcosm Publishing here.

Photo credit: Ariel Kusby

As many of you step up as changemakers, it's important to understand some of the psychology behind convincing others to adopt your beliefs and actions. Three useful words to remember are COST, CARE, and CONVENIENCE. Does your initiative save a person money? Does it save them time or energy? Or do they already care about the principles of an initiative? Typically at least two of these must be met in order for a person to consider changing their beliefs or actions. Framing your arguments with the needs of your target in mind can make a huge difference. This is why, for instance, offering food at an educational event can increase attendance. The food provides convenience and saves a person money. On top of already caring about the cause, the person's needs are met.

Read the free activist guide, Surviving Climate Change and Other Disasters for more tips like these.

There are many ways to change the status quo. You can read a full synopsis of each of these tactics and general activist organizing tips by downloading the free half e-book, Surviving Climate Change And Other Disasters or buy a copy at my Etsy Shop. Be careful out there protesting!

Non-Violent Direct Action: Usually takes the form of disrupting an event, either by causing a ruckus through singing and shouting, or by blockading passageway to an event or something significant. Outright defiance of the dominant culture also works, such as when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in opposition to segregation laws.

Violent Direct Action: Using forceful or destructive means to create a statement or attempt to create change. These are primarily used by military forces and include setting property on fire, wars, assassination, riots, torture, and even computer hacking.
Hacking and Programming: With many people relying on robots for their survival now, those with knowledge of how to create and manipulate the world of electronic devices and data networks have very great powers to both destroy and create.
Indirect Action: Shows how meaningful a cause is to a person, such as with hunger strikes or signing a petition online. Typically these have very little influence on anything other than as a means of drawing attention to an activist cause and potentially gathering new allies.
Education: Educates a populace about a topic they were previously unaware of via fliers, presentations, art, conversations, videos, etc.
Idea Exposure: Introducing a diversity of beliefs, or secluding people from outside ideas is responsible for changing many minds throughout history. When ideologically different people live in close proximity or have access to each other through things like the internet, many are forced to question their beliefs. On the flip side, if a group of people secludes themselves from outside ideas, their beliefs can exist unchallenged.
Communication: Different situations may call for violent or nonviolent communication. Violent communication can work by shaming people into certain behaviors, although it is unlikely that they will like you or actually support what you believe. Nonviolent communication is a method of connecting with a person's basic human needs and is much better at creating mutual understanding than swearing or yelling at a person (read Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg). You can also just casually talk to people about why a particular thing is problematic and give them alternatives.
Youth Education: Since activism can take a considerable amount of time to transform culture, and adults are often set in their ways, focusing on introducing new ideas to youth through entertainment, the internet, and public education can be the quickest way to change cultures at a mass scale.
Propaganda: Propaganda uses media to change minds about some subject, generally by appealing to a person's basic needs or emotions. Propaganda may stretch the truth or be completely fabricated from what the creator knows to be true, but the result nonetheless helps change minds. This can be done through fliers, news broadcasts, articles, posters, speeches, etc. The best propaganda speaks to a person's basic emotional and material needs, like happiness or money.
Laws: Creating or demolishing laws is a fairly effective way to create change, because following or not following that law is connected to a person's basic need for freedom – breaking the law will potentially end their freedom. It also makes everyone aware of the alternatively desired idea, even if they don't want to believe it. While effective, many laws are not well enforced. Some laws can also have the opposite of the desired effect. For instance, making “drugs” illegal in the USA has actually led to a greater incentive for drug dealers to convince people to take drugs because the monetary value is higher. You need to be careful with the repercussions of making rules.
Lawyers: Lawyers can help change laws or challenge the behaviors of people and businesses who are being unlawful. Some lawyers will assist activists for free, but others charge a considerable sum of money.
Self-Care and Passion: People who take care of themselves, especially within oppressive institutions, can be amazing beacons of light and sources of inspiration for those who are lost or do not entirely agree with an existing system. Just by setting an example through being fully passionate about a particular subject you help change those around you. You don't have to necessarily tell people that they're wrong, you can show them the amazing world that is possible if things were to change.
Fun and Entertainment: Activism doesn't have to be dull and stressful, it can involve making educational games for children, creating art, performing a theatrical act, singing a song, making people laugh, dressing up in costume, and generally uplifting the lives of others. Activists that incorporate these aspects into their causes are much less likely to burnout while drawing a greater number of members to their ranks. In fact, artists are often the first ones to introduce ideas to the masses and make movements exciting to participate in.
Creation: Activism may be accomplished by way of creating things, especially art, new products, and businesses to challenge existing products, service models, aesthetic values, work standards, and so forth. Many activists just focus on destroying existing institutions before ever having an alternative to fill in or replace what they're opposing, but showing people a better world that is possible makes convincing them of your ideals much easier.
Purchases: Enough people opting out of or into buying something can crash or bolster industries and services.
Philosophy: Many philosophers have thought a lot about the meaning to life (or the lack thereof) and through their written ideas and observations of existence come to conclusions that whole nations may decide to follow. However, there are many competing ideas that make any philosophy difficult to spread into a movement, so don't rely on this too heavily.
Scientific Research: People in recent times have some amount of trust in scientists, and so using the scientific method and the observable world to understand a concept, or discovering the benefits or drawbacks to a particular idea or material can have vast repercussions on everyday people. Scientific research becomes especially helpful when paired with lawyers, law, medical fields, and the engineering of new technologies.
Creating Small-Scale Examples: Even if your community or city is just a few thousand people, you can exemplify sustainable systems to show the world what is possible. Generally larger communities want data and examples before adopting change, so your local actions could start a mass movement. Consider this with voting systems, technologies, community gardens, vertical farms, prisons, and other reforms.
Building Communities: Ending your role in individualism can be very powerful. Change will not happen unless people unify together to demand it. Unionize, strike, host potlucks, live together with like-minded people. People are hugely divided in the world right now, but climate change is an excellent way to have a common enemy to fight together against.
Donations: Social and environmental change groups always need more money, more volunteers, more food, and more supplies.