The cover of the first Mouth magazine has a logo with a screaming mouth for the letter O in Mouth. The name of the magazine then was, "This Brain Has A Mouth." Its subtitle was, "The National Magazine of People with Brains."

1990

The cover of the tenth anniversary issue shows a photo of disabled activists carrying signs. The fellow in the foreground looks gentle and mild. His sign says "Disabled and Proud."

2000

It's still the same raw newsprint.
Only the times have changed.

What looks like a texbook page warns of "The Rights and Wrongs of Patients' Rights" and says, " The greatest detriment to the mentally ill may be the 'patients' rights' laws."
Incoming!
Watch out!!

by Lucy Gwin

B. Faw, Mouth's first illustrator, used to duck, cover, and holler "Incoming!" when the mail arrived.
Incoming still pounds the Mouthhouse. What you see at left are just two rounds that dropped on us in May, 2000. Directly at left, an old warning against patients' rights that is truly in tune with the times; below it, one of the reasons we keep mouthing off about rights never granted and rights snatched away.
Mouth got going in 1990 to let people know that laying claim to our human rights, and questioning anyone's authority to decide which rights we are to be allowed, is well worth doing. I was also following advice from Lex Frieden to "find thirty people who believe what you do."

A handwritten letter to Mouth says, "It was so cool to read your magazine and see the fact that my anger is the truth, not something I should just deal with or be ashamed of." It is signed, "Peace. Naomi Ortiz"
By now we've found thousands, and they are no longer alone. Some, like Naomi Ortiz, are locating their own first thirty, and, in the process, discovering that their anger at the disability runaround must not be diagnosed and treated. It is truth: a fair-minded judgment on the second-class citizenship we are expected to accept -- and with gratitude.

Tom Olin says that Mouth's essential function is to develop language, a vocabulary to describe us and the inside-out lives we lead, the tyrannies we endure.
Language gives knowing. Knowing anger, feeling the truth of it, delivers power. Every second-class citizen could use more of that stuff.
Mouth, while it lasts, might fairly be called a power supply line. If that is so, please -- jump on and get yourself some.
If anyone along the way should tell Naomi -- as many told me -- that she's "too angry," she knows exactly what to say to that.

Begin at the beginning
of the Mouth Chronicles
with a load of Mouthy graphics
and wonderful quotes from names in the news.

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