Casper Cendre

Background

About Casper Cendre

I am the co-founder and Director of A.B.O. Comix, an abolitionist publishing collective dedicated to amplifying the voices of incarcerated LGBTQ+ people through artistic expression. Through A.B.O. Comix, my team and I have published an annual comic anthology featuring stories from currently incarcerated queer and trans artists. We have also published over 60 books and zines in direct collaboration with system-impacted artists by working closely with individual prisoners to develop their art and more effectively tell their stories. In 2023, we opened a physical location (bookstore, art gallery and venue space) on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland to help better connect our communities across prison walls. From 2014-2015, I served as Editor of Pacific Review Literary Magazine, based in San Diego, CA. My duties there included selecting and editing short fiction and poetry submissions for publication. I was responsible for designing the journal cover and formatting the magazine. In 2010, I served as a Web Designer/Social Network Administrator for AFT Local in San Diego, CA, where I created, designed and edited online content and a company logo for a grassroots campaign for higher education. I formulated project goals and ensured that goals were met by managing a team of student volunteers, created and maintained project social media pages, and was responsible for community outreach. In 2008, I was a Publishing Associate for Montezuma Publishing in San Diego, CA, where I edited course readers and student theses making them suitable for university classes. I served as a volunteer Group Facilitator at Hillcrest Youth Center where I facilitated a weekly feminist discussion group for queer teens. I also served as a volunteer Group Facilitator at the San Diego LGBT Community Center, where I facilitated a monthly queer literary discussion group. I received a Bachelor of Arts in English from San Diego State University in 2013 and an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts from Grossmont College in 2011.