Free Radicals, a book of comics and drawings, is the product of the seminal Providence, Rhode Island Paper Rodeo group and its eponymous underground comics tabloid. The group, which has published 18 issues so far, was founded in 2000 by Mat Brinkman and Leif Goldberg of the art, music, and performance collectives Forcefield and Fort Thunder, among others. The work in Paper Rodeo is exuberant, freeform, and psychedelic. In the summer of 2004 the group placed a call for submissions to Free Radicals in an issue of Paper Rodeo, and in addition to normal distribution, the issue was sent to artists in prison through two "Books Through Bars" programs. The resulting compendium collects the drawings of about 45 contemporary artists, including members of Forcefield and Paper Rad, prisoners, other readers, and regular contributors to the magazine.
