By Kirsty King
A Belfast woman is platforming local female artists to raise money for Palestine and Sudan.
Phoebe Comiskey, 25, is putting together ‘Uppa Women’, a zine of work by female creatives which will be sold at a music quiz and raffle in The Sunflower Pub, Belfast, on Tuesday, August 20.
All proceeds from the event, which will include ticket sales, raffle sales and zine profits, will be evenly distributed between the Sudanese American Physician Association and Palestinian families via GoFundMe.
Phoebe, who has always been a fan of live music and local gigs, first organised an Uppa Women event last year when it was announced that there would be budget cuts to Women’s Aid, which she said “as a screaming feminist awakened something inside me.”
“I’ve always been quite creative, hopping from hobby to hobby, and thought maybe I can have a go at putting on a live event.”
She went on to organise a music and prose event celebrating women to raise money for Women’s Aid in Belfast last September.
“This year I wanted to have some sort of fundraiser again for a really important cause.”
Phoebe is currently in the process of collating the zine which has received submissions of poetry, artwork, photography and more from over 30 artists.
“I wanted to do something physical to platform women and showcase local women’s art,” said Phoebe.
“I’ve never made a zine before, but putting it together has been really enjoyable.
“It’s been really interesting to see the scope. We have some darker pieces, some written introspective pieces, pieces of illustration that really complement some poems, and lots of different mediums and colours.”
“I’ve welcomed beginners, and established artists have also made individual pieces. I was overwhelmed by the submissions received. It was so lovely to see the creative community coming together.”
Physical copies of the zine will be sold for £5 at the Uppa Women event on August 20.
Local artist Ruby Valor will be performing on the night, and winners of the music quiz and raffle will also be in with a chance of winning a variety of prizes donated by local women-led artists and businesses.
Phoebe said: “It will be a night of really good fun and relaxed energy, with a competitive quiz, fantastic music, and chances to win numerous prizes while doing good for people in need.”
