Ramy Youssef (comedian, actor, creator of Ramy) has made a career out of asking the big questions. This past Ramadan he connected with 8 friends old and new to discuss what's maybe the biggest of them all: what do you believe in? His zine, Issue 12: Keeping the Faith, is now available in the A24 Shop and at select stockists—see below for details.

I started fasting Ramadan when I was six years old. No one told me I had to, but I wanted to. I wanted to feel close to God. I wanted discipline. I wanted to be good. I also think my Mom gave me a doughnut in the middle of each day. 

Today, I’m almost 30, and I just finished a Ramadan that I desperately needed. No food, no water, no shortcuts. If anything, I wish it lasted longer. I was physically distant from my community, but I was connecting in new ways. 

This zine is a series of conversations I had this Ramadan with some old friends and some new ones. Faith is the subject of my show, Ramy, but I also love talking about it with people, especially those I’ve just met. It's really hard to know who someone is, or to even know who you are, but I think what we believe in says more about us than anything else. 

We’re always changing. In many ways we’re different people every day. What’s a little clearer, however, is knowing who you want to be. What do you believe in? Who is your higher self? What deal have you made with God? How do you submit to what’s out there—God, or more specifically, that which is beyond description. 

— Ramy Youssef

Stockists

** Zines will arrive by June 19. **

UNITED STATES

Arizona
Import News @ Palabra Phoenix

California 
Arcana: Books on the Arts Los Angeles 
Import News @ The Optimist Los Angeles
Skylight Books Los Angeles 
Videotheque Los Angeles 
Park Life San Francisco

Colorado
Shop at MATTER Denver

Florida
Exile Books Miami 

Georgia
Videodrome Atlanta

Massachusetts 
Bodega Boston
Video Underground Boston

Maryland 
Beyond Video Baltimore

New York  
Homecoming Brooklyn
Posteritati New York
Printed Matter New York 

Oklahoma
Commonplace Books Oklahoma City

Pennsylvania
Viva Video! Ardmore

Texas
BLK Vinyl Austin 

Wisconsin
Wildewood Madison

CANADA

Better Gift Shop Toronto