Jzl Jmz (pronounced juh-zell jaym-s) is a writer, artist, nightlife fixture, & digital degenerette. Her award-winning books have been taught & sold globally. Born in Los Angeles, now based in the Pacific Northwest, she has been a writing instructor & creative mentor for over a decade. Her focuses include imaginations of Trans identity, Femme interrogations, & Black futures.
What is the first transmission you received that altered your understanding of language?
my mother tells the story, at dinner one night, an almost five year old version of myself asks: mommy teach me how to spell purple, green & orange — from there I apparently began reading & never stopped, purplegreenandorange is the word my mom had to teach me to spell & everything thing that that fallen out of my mouth has been colored since.
In what way does transness tune/re-tune the craft choices you make?
no. i’m black. meaning my transition started in the middle of the Atlantic at the bottom of the ocean before my people landed on the gulf & coalesced with the indigenous under the brutality of enslavement. meaning my transition started when i had to speak a language given to my blood. then i realized the body i was embodying was only part of journey, so transitioned again here in this world. the only craft i know is a ship. the rest of this shit is beats per minute.
If your work could transmit beyond this moment, to future readers, or even back to a younger version of yourself, what would you want it to carry?
my work has. it already has. it’s the only way i sleep at night. but the future will know my work beyond this exercise in imagination. i’ve uploaded more than i’ll ever remember. what are we talking about?