Soil//Kopanie & Other Works from the Mud

Soil // Kopanie & Other Works from the Mud is a genre-bending excavation of ecological collapse, post-Soviet vignettes , and digital decomposition—a compilation of works by Cass C, Mindape, and Cicada, and published by HOUDINI Magazine.

This isn't nature writing. This is soil work.

The first section, Soil: A Narrative by Cass C, is a nonfiction dust bowl narrative written by an environmental scientist. It outlines how soil forms, how it’s been degraded through industrial agriculture, and what it would take to restore it. 

Kopanie by Cicada is a personal essay about rural Poland in the aftermath of the Soviet collapse. Told through family stories and local folklore, it connects land, memory, and violence across generations.

The wormhole between the two works is Dematerial Dictionary & an Interview with Mindape is a short interview with the 'cold crack' artist Mindape, discussing the creative process behind using Decker, a low-code creative tool. The interview touches on art, decay, and underground media. 

All works originally published in HOUDINI Magazine, now re-collected in paperback form.

This is a Special Itch.io Pre-Print Version, released to help raise money for an ISBN and proper physical publishing.  This version contains the full contents of the final book, but is being distributed digitally in advance of official registration and print production

Purchasers of this version are directly supporting the growth and reach of HOUDINI Magazine.

Readers are encouraged to report any typos or formatting issues. If an organization is interested in supporting the wider publication and distribution of this work, contact HOUDINI Magazine at hedorahmusic@gmail.com.