Slingshot is an independent radical newspaper published in Berkeley since 1988.
It really comes down to how we want to live our lives. Thanks to an infinite series of random events across limitless space over an incomprehensible period of time, we’ve found ourselves together on this planet today. Possessed with self-awareness, free will, creativity, and a drive to seek pleasure with others, we gaze out at an interconnected ecosystem composed of billions of other creatures and us. Without all the oppressive cultural, economic and political cages we’ve built for ourselves, we’re in paradise.
Yet even with all the restrictions into which we’ve been born, most of us are able to live meaningfully and peacefully — cooperating with others to create communities, enjoy friends, embrace lovers, and create homes. And even more, we make and enjoy music, art, literature, theater, gardens, parties, cuisine, and social structures and inventions that make our lives better.
We want to be happy, not miserable. We seek to be inspired, not bored and frustrated. We don’t want to be scared or angry. We want hearts full of love, awe and wonder.
Which brings us to the current moment of state cruelty, violence, repression and terror. We refuse to live like this. The government is fucking up our lives. We would prefer to be out on a hike or going to the beach, but we will fight this shit not because we’re angry or because we want to fight for its own sake, but because we want to be left alone so we can do something lovely and positive.
We’re not afraid of ICE or any of the government’s grim-faced tough guys. Go ahead and put a target on our back — fuck you! The fewer people who cower in fear but rather rebel and refuse to go along, the less each of us will individually be vulnerable. We keep us safe.
We’re not hiding — we’re right here in Berkeley making this zine and distributing it everywhere. Not just to spit in the face of the systems that spoil all of our lives, but more importantly to keep focused on building a better world here, now and in the future by distributing ideas that can help.
Human beings aren’t perfect — none of us always act the way we want to act or thinks the way we want to think. We don’t know how to fix everything. Let’s be modest and embrace the complexity and gray areas.
But we can set our intentions in the right direction and focus on the right things. We’re not wasting our lives accumulating wealth and power or building AI computers to take our places. Life’s too short for that crap.
There’s DIY projects to create, join and nurture. There’s art to create. There are ideas to work out and discuss. There’s fun to be had and lovers to kiss.
Our continued existence, engagement, and defiance with humor, silliness, and playfulness in the face of state scare tactics is the message of this issue. Don’t obey. Make your own zine. Live.
These articles are written, edited, and published by a very loose collaborative of people, with open meetings and little structure. No two Slingshots are published by the same group. Many of us disagree with aspects of articles we publish. Each issue is an invitation, if not to work on our paper, then to engage with the problems of our day.
Slingshot is always looking for volunteer distributors. If you can hand out papers to your friends or put a few copies into your local cafe, library, truck stop, laundromat, school or whatever, we can send you copies for free. We’re trying to reach people who’ve never stumbled across the underground press before rather than just preaching to the choir. We’re also always seeking new writers, artists, and editors. Even if you aren’t an essayist, illustrator, or whistleblower, you may know someone who is. If you send an article, please be open to its editing.
Thanks to the people who made this: Antonio, Decay, eggplant, Floyd, Hazel, Henry, Holiday, Jesse, Jody, Jordan, Laird, Matteo, Naomi, Rain, Robin, Rosie, Sanjana, SeanDunn, Sirkka, Soren, Story, Stuart, Sylvia & all the authors and artists!
Slingshot Article Submission Info
We’re not going to set a deadline for the next issue. We encourage you to submit articles for the next Slingshot anytime you want. We’ll make another issue when we feel like it. Check the Slingshot website, IndyBay, instagram and facebook for deadline info. We also have an internal email list that announces the next deadline so email if you want to be added to the list.
Volume 1, Number 143, Circulation 38,000
Printed October 17, 2025
Slingshot Newspaper
A publication of Long Haul
Office: 3124 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley CA 94705
Mailing: PO Box 3051, Berkeley, CA 94703
510-540-0751 slingshotcollective@protonmail.com
slingshotcollective.org
instagram/ facebook @slingshotcollective
Circulation information
Subscriptions to Slingshot are free to prisoners, low income folks, or anyone in the USA with a Slingshot Organizer, or are $1 per issue donation. International $4 per issue. Outside the Bay Area we’ll mail you a free stack of copies if you give them out for free. Say how many copies and how long you’ll be at your address. In the Bay Area pick up copies at Long Haul and Bound Together books, SF.
Slingshot free stuff
We’ll send you a random assortment of back issues for the cost of postage. Send $6 for 2 lbs. Free if you’re an infoshop or library. slingshotcollective.org