So, Teal Triggs' book on "Fanzines" came out and a lot of people are pissed about it. There is a lot of misinformation, and people's work re-printed without permission, etc.
There are two links I know of right now discussing this, here and here.
If there are any others, please feel free to post links as comments.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
TAKING A BREAK
I am taking a break from zine reviews right now, for a plethora of reasons. School is really taking over my life right now, as well as some other things I’ve become more interested in.
The past six months or so, I’ve really contemplated my place in the zine world. Sometimes I love it so much, but there have been a few times I’ve been alienated and even what I felt was bullied by people who are supposed to create a safe space for creative expression and activism. I’m not progressive enough, I judge too harshly, people can’t handle my criticism, I need to watch my language. Whatever. I once found solace in the zine community, but now I’m wondering if maybe I’ve grown out of it. I’ll always consider it to be deep in my roots as a person, a writer, an artist, a designer, but I think I’m made for bigger and better things.
There are some zines I still have to review, it wouldn’t be fair to those who have sent me zines for that specific purpose to leave them out. I will try to do that very soon. I don’t know if I’m going to stop doing zine reviews forever, I might update from time to time, but it won’t be a regular thing and if I come back, I'll most likely do things a lot differently.
I wish all of you luck with your projects
Chantal
The past six months or so, I’ve really contemplated my place in the zine world. Sometimes I love it so much, but there have been a few times I’ve been alienated and even what I felt was bullied by people who are supposed to create a safe space for creative expression and activism. I’m not progressive enough, I judge too harshly, people can’t handle my criticism, I need to watch my language. Whatever. I once found solace in the zine community, but now I’m wondering if maybe I’ve grown out of it. I’ll always consider it to be deep in my roots as a person, a writer, an artist, a designer, but I think I’m made for bigger and better things.
There are some zines I still have to review, it wouldn’t be fair to those who have sent me zines for that specific purpose to leave them out. I will try to do that very soon. I don’t know if I’m going to stop doing zine reviews forever, I might update from time to time, but it won’t be a regular thing and if I come back, I'll most likely do things a lot differently.
I wish all of you luck with your projects
Chantal
Monday, August 23, 2010
#11 - instant film, the incarcerated, girl love and some olives on the side
Asylum #1 / High on Burning Photographs #5
by Matt Hahn/Ocean Capewell
I was interested in this because it is a split with an incarcerated fellow named Matt. I’ve heard of Books for Prisoners programs and that of the like, but was on the fence about the idea of having anything to do with convicts. Anyway, regardless of his situation, I felt the content of this zine was amazing. Their stories are of a bigger picture, ideas of real thinkers often brushed off as crazy. I also enjoyed how they both wrote about their experiences of 1997. Matt’s stories are heart-breaking and beautiful although they are on the sad side. His stories of death, loss and gain gave me a different perspective on life and freedom that I can appreciate. Sometimes it was hard to tell whose story was whose though, I found myself guessing or cluing in by a name drop. But seriously, I’d recommend this zine as a good read.
Fight Boredom #5: Girl love
by Amber Forrester
http://hello-amber.blogspot.com
This comp zine is about conquering girlhate and jealousy, taking back sexist language, a deeper look into the “mean girl” stereotype, the importance of calling people out on rape jokes (I could really resonate with this article, as someone who has been labelled a humourless feminist for speaking out) and several thoughts by zinesters and female musicians on the supposed revival of riot grrl. I may be missing some stuff, but seriously, Amber did not disappoint me with this zine (not that she ever has). I also really like the inside page which says, “If I gave you this zine, I probably want to be your friend.” I’m always trying to make girl friend and instill girl love in this small city where a lot of girlhate happens, so it’s refreshing to be reminded there are strong, like-minded women out there who are fighting for the same thing.
Polazine #1
by Emma Jane Falconer (visit her site here)
Who doesn’t love instant film? And I say instant film instead of polaroid because Emma uses pictures from her Fuji Instax Mini, which I also have and love! I think little photo zines are neat because they give you a little glimpse into another’s life, sort of mysterious in a way. Plus, mini zines that size are always my favourite!
Fanzine Ynfytyn #8.5
by Emma Jane Falconer (visit her site here)
This is a perfect example of what a 24 hour zine should be like. I also think they should have their own category since the point is to make it in such a short period of time, where things like editing and fanciness are too time consuming for the objective, which is to create a tangible medium for your brain to spew all over. Emma writes little anecdotes about things like trying to like gin, learning to ride a bike, and includes lists like, “Best Cakes I’ve Eaten at the Sanctuary Cafe.” I giggled at the part about accidentally eating bacon, I was veg for +10 years and did that with a pita once. I like this zine, it didn’t take too long to read and I felt nice after. Plus, it’s printed on orange paper, and for some reason I really like zines printed on orange paper.
Fanzine Ynfytyn 11 - Colour Issue
by Emma Jane Falconer (visit her site here)
Colour zines, especially laser copied, make me a little hot, not gonna lie. This zine is filled with bright colours and photography of various kinds. There is writing in it as well, but I won’t elaborate too much on it except say that it compliments the photography beautifully, which seem to me is the main focal point of the zine. I especially liked the list of “Top 5 pick n’ mix sweets” not only because of my infamous sweet tooth, but I’d never heard those names before and it sounded distinctively British. Let’s face it, things in accents, even when you read them, are much more attractive sounding.
Oh for Olives! #1 (2003)
by Emma Jane Falconer (visit her site here)
This zine made me laugh once I realized what I was looking at. It’s a mini 14 page zine of collage, matched with absurd text and quotes, and lots of imagery from illustrated instructions and medical textbooks. I’ve heard people say about these kinds of zines, “what’s the point?” but I also think those people are more into text-heavy zines (I thought I’d mention that, because it annoys me). I thought this was inspirational because I love the collage and feel there isn’t enough of it in the world. Pairings of image and text can be so beautiful, can invoke such a strong and powerful emotion if you let it, and I don’t think this little zine is an exception. Phrases to describe this zine: borderline disturbing, laughably morbid, clever. A nice edition to my collection.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
on criticism
A while ago, I got some complaining about a review I did because of my pickyness of typefaces and a comment I made about the content. It was from a girl who sent me her zine specifically to be reviewed. I gave her a good review before, and she had since added me to Facebook and put a link to TMC on her blog. However, after becoming very defensive of my criticisms, she left a passive aggressive comment on the link on Facebook, which she then deleted me from, and removed my link from her blog. My friend Alysha then said, “Wow, she’d never make it in art school.”
And it’s not art school, it’s in any type of profession, or any creative thing you do really. We are people who grow as we live. We learn every day, we are constantly soaking up information and honing our skills and learning new things.
Criticism is something that is inevitable when you put something out to the public, whether it be a piece of art, a zine, or any type of writing. People will like it, there will always be someone who doesn’t. There will be people who tell you it’s good when they don’t actually think it is and there are people who will tell you what you could do better. This is a part of life, and the sooner you learn to cope with criticism, the better your life (and your skills) will be.
When I first started art school, I was extremely sensitive to criticism. And once you get thrown out there into constant criticism, it becomes second nature, and it’s only then when you realize there is so much to learn, and you have to appreciate the feedback of others if you want to reach your full potential. You can’t be pissy about it and put up a wall, or you will definitely not succeed.
Yes, I have a background in graphic design & illustration, so yes typefaces, layout, and aesthetic quality are things that I am going to pick out. I can’t help it. I know that not everyone is a graphic designer or whatever, but a zine is a piece of art no matter how you think about it. When you are holding it in your hand, the cover is either going to pull you in or deter you from reading it. Everything really does matter. It’s not that it is more important than the content, but for most people, if it looks sloppily put together and has an ugly cover and you can see a million ugly typefaces and backgrounds when you quickly flip through it, they may not get as far as reading the content and put it down without thinking twice.
There was a comment made implying that I’m turning into an art snob, and maybe I shouldn’t be reviewing personal zines. It made me think a lot about my involvement in zines and where the future lies with this hobby. I’ve been making zines since I was 15, and consider it as part of my roots. It was one of my first creative outlets as an angry, angsty teenage girl. I think of it as sort of a foundation. My taste in zines has changed a lot since then, and the majority of my attention has been pulled toward other things, like my impending career in art, painting, singing and writing music. This is why I’m not posting as many reviews as I’d hoped when I started. But I’d like to still write reviews because I love getting zines and I think my criticism is valuable to people who are willing to listen and take it constructively. I don’t want to hurt anyone. It helps me grow as an artist as well, and I think sharing information is vital. We can all learn from each other. Everything is connected.
And I’m not going to say that I’m a perfect artist/writer/reviewer/whathaveyou. I’ve accepted the fact a long time ago that I’ve got many years of learning ahead of me, but I also love to learn and take what I can from others. I crave criticism and am always open to what people have to say about anything I do. Sometimes it can hurt, but that hurt is necessary and you get over it.
I guess what I’m trying to say, is that if you don’t want your work criticized, don’t fucking send it to me (or any other reviewers) and cry about it when I’m honest.
And it’s not art school, it’s in any type of profession, or any creative thing you do really. We are people who grow as we live. We learn every day, we are constantly soaking up information and honing our skills and learning new things.
Criticism is something that is inevitable when you put something out to the public, whether it be a piece of art, a zine, or any type of writing. People will like it, there will always be someone who doesn’t. There will be people who tell you it’s good when they don’t actually think it is and there are people who will tell you what you could do better. This is a part of life, and the sooner you learn to cope with criticism, the better your life (and your skills) will be.
When I first started art school, I was extremely sensitive to criticism. And once you get thrown out there into constant criticism, it becomes second nature, and it’s only then when you realize there is so much to learn, and you have to appreciate the feedback of others if you want to reach your full potential. You can’t be pissy about it and put up a wall, or you will definitely not succeed.
Yes, I have a background in graphic design & illustration, so yes typefaces, layout, and aesthetic quality are things that I am going to pick out. I can’t help it. I know that not everyone is a graphic designer or whatever, but a zine is a piece of art no matter how you think about it. When you are holding it in your hand, the cover is either going to pull you in or deter you from reading it. Everything really does matter. It’s not that it is more important than the content, but for most people, if it looks sloppily put together and has an ugly cover and you can see a million ugly typefaces and backgrounds when you quickly flip through it, they may not get as far as reading the content and put it down without thinking twice.
There was a comment made implying that I’m turning into an art snob, and maybe I shouldn’t be reviewing personal zines. It made me think a lot about my involvement in zines and where the future lies with this hobby. I’ve been making zines since I was 15, and consider it as part of my roots. It was one of my first creative outlets as an angry, angsty teenage girl. I think of it as sort of a foundation. My taste in zines has changed a lot since then, and the majority of my attention has been pulled toward other things, like my impending career in art, painting, singing and writing music. This is why I’m not posting as many reviews as I’d hoped when I started. But I’d like to still write reviews because I love getting zines and I think my criticism is valuable to people who are willing to listen and take it constructively. I don’t want to hurt anyone. It helps me grow as an artist as well, and I think sharing information is vital. We can all learn from each other. Everything is connected.
And I’m not going to say that I’m a perfect artist/writer/reviewer/whathaveyou. I’ve accepted the fact a long time ago that I’ve got many years of learning ahead of me, but I also love to learn and take what I can from others. I crave criticism and am always open to what people have to say about anything I do. Sometimes it can hurt, but that hurt is necessary and you get over it.
I guess what I’m trying to say, is that if you don’t want your work criticized, don’t fucking send it to me (or any other reviewers) and cry about it when I’m honest.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
#10 - High on Burning Photographs & Second Hand Smoke
High on Burning Photographs #3
by Ocean Capewell
escape_well@yahoo.com
It’s the first time I’ve read this zine, although I’ve been meaning to pick some up for a while now. There isn’t really a good way to describe the style in which Ocean writes... but it’s strong and thorough and emotional. Done in classic cut and paste style, she writes about grieving, moving from place to place, death of friends, the radio and its comfort, etc. In the middle there’s an enlightening spread of short descriptions of people and the stories they’ve told her. I really like this zine. It’s not self involved but written in a way to learn something from her.
High on Burning Photographs #4
by Ocean Capewell
escape_well@yahoo.com
This series might be my new favourite series! In this issue, Ocean writes about many personal things, like dealing with alcoholics & sobriety, self-esteem, a job she had as a mail opener, “voluntary singlehood,” and more. A lot of these issues touch on subjects I’ve been thinking about lately, so I was especially intrigued and read it in one sitting (my attention span lacks a lot of the time, so it’s a feat for me). And I must say, the part about her dad thinking gay people lived in holes made me laugh out loud. She concludes the zine with a page about staying in Philedalphia and some thank-yous.
The only complaints I have about these zines is that the backgrounds for a lot of the pages are flashy patterns that hurt my eyes when trying to focus on reading. Also, way too many typefaces are used throughout, and there are even multiple fonts used on one page. It makes it really busy and hard to follow at times. Other than that, I really enjoyed both these zines and am looking forward to reading other issues.
Second Hand Smoke #3
by Christian Filardo
christianfilardo@gmail.com
This zine is of sketchbook type drawings and journal-like scrawls, and made me LOL at times. Specifically the comic about wanting to be a sandwich, and not burying a run-over bird because it was “totally smashed.” The doodles also remind me of my own sketches. It’s cleanly put together, simple, and thought provoking in a way (that is almost morbid at times). And, the flap of the envelope greeted me with, “You look great!” when I opened it, which made me crack a smile, not gonna lie. So thanks :) Great zine.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
something I missed: Fight Boredom #4
Apparently I have been a mess lately. I forgot my wallet at a friend’s while solely there to pick up my sweater, I put the peanut butter in the fridge the other day, and I forgot to review the fourth issue of Fight Boredom, which I was a part of this time! What the bloody shit is wrong with me? Crikey.
Why do I like this zine so much? LET'S SEE. The concept of this comp zine is simple: how to fight boredom in a small town. It’s a zine with purpose, made to make people take charge of their lives, to provoke ideas, responses, reactions. This issue has 14 contributors, including Tukru of Your Pretty Face Is Going Straight To Hell, Kira Swales of Exploding the Myth, Maranda Elizabeth of Telegram Ma’am, myself and others. Maranda Elizabeth suggests getting the fuck off the internet, Sheena Swirlz gives good advice such as food jar swaps and fundraiser parties, and Dave Cave writes a hilarious list of things to do (such as “strap a party hat to a dog”) which gets bonus points for rainbow and unicorn stickers. There are also recipes, an interview with Lizzy from Marching Stars Distro, and an old mixed tape list sent from a girl who can no longer be found. It was all really good. Even though everyone had different backgrounds and sent their pieces in from different countries, it formed a sense of community and unity.
In graphic design, it’s frowned upon strongly to use more than like two typefaces for a piece, but in this case, I liked it. In fact, I’m glad it wasn’t done any other way. I’ve seen comp zines where the information from contributors had been taken and re-formatted by one person, and it’s really boring (I’m thinking of an issue of “We’ll Never Have Paris”. This is more authentic, gives personality and emotion.
You can buy Fight Boredom #4 in Hello Amber!’s etsy shop. I know you want to.
Why do I like this zine so much? LET'S SEE. The concept of this comp zine is simple: how to fight boredom in a small town. It’s a zine with purpose, made to make people take charge of their lives, to provoke ideas, responses, reactions. This issue has 14 contributors, including Tukru of Your Pretty Face Is Going Straight To Hell, Kira Swales of Exploding the Myth, Maranda Elizabeth of Telegram Ma’am, myself and others. Maranda Elizabeth suggests getting the fuck off the internet, Sheena Swirlz gives good advice such as food jar swaps and fundraiser parties, and Dave Cave writes a hilarious list of things to do (such as “strap a party hat to a dog”) which gets bonus points for rainbow and unicorn stickers. There are also recipes, an interview with Lizzy from Marching Stars Distro, and an old mixed tape list sent from a girl who can no longer be found. It was all really good. Even though everyone had different backgrounds and sent their pieces in from different countries, it formed a sense of community and unity.
In graphic design, it’s frowned upon strongly to use more than like two typefaces for a piece, but in this case, I liked it. In fact, I’m glad it wasn’t done any other way. I’ve seen comp zines where the information from contributors had been taken and re-formatted by one person, and it’s really boring (I’m thinking of an issue of “We’ll Never Have Paris”. This is more authentic, gives personality and emotion.
You can buy Fight Boredom #4 in Hello Amber!’s etsy shop. I know you want to.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Fight Boredom Distro
The author of Hello Amber! Zine Reviews and zines such as Fight Boredom! and Culture Slut has finally come out with her own distro based from her home in Montreal, Quebec featuring English AND French zines, with also some French translation on the website. Lo and behold, Fight Boredom Distro! How is exciting is that?
While there are a couple Canadian zine distros out there, most of their stock is available in person at zine fairs and festivals, making it hard for us smaller-city folk to benefit from. Amber has an online catalogue for orders, so as long as you have PayPal or wanna risk well concealed money via snail mail, buying's pretty easy! The design of the site is nice and straightforward too, definitely a pleasure to deal with when I made my order today.
So if you're Canadian (and ESPECIALLY if you're into feminist/queer/personal zines) take note next time you're thinking of going through a distro.
Friday, June 11, 2010
#10 - I'm back!
Hey everyone! I know it's been a while. April and May were two crazy months with a lot of crazy shit happening, but I'm back, and I'm planning on posting once a week from now on as long as I have zines to review. Which is where you come in! So if you want me to review your zine, send it to me! (After reading zine submission guidelines, which will save us both a hassle)
DISCONCERTING #7
Janell Hoong
http://janelloshea.etsy.com
I was intrigued by the looks of this zine when I got it in the mail from a girl named Janell - who lives all the way in Singapore. I loveloveLOVE it when people spend the time to make a zine attractive looking. Too many times do I shake my head after seeing zines with extremely uneven and crooked pages. Clearly, love was put into all 54 pages of this one, especially the cover. The content, however clever at times, lacked flow and interest a lot. It’s a definition of a per-zine: thoughts, ideas, stuff floating around in your head at the end of the day that nobody cares about but you messily scrawled on paper without thinking. I think people who like per-zines often enjoy ones that have a certain theme they can relate to - this one reads like a diary: rambly and all over the place. I’m going to keep it though, instead of donating it to the zine library, purely because of aesthetics.
CULTURE SLUT #21 / STAB HEART #11 (SPLIT ZINE)
Amber Forrester / Jane Boston
http://helloamber.etsy.com / janeboston at gmail dot com
CS21: It’s no secret that I love Amber and her zines, and this is no exception. Amber talks about staying positive, and provides lots of lists like, “bands I can’t stop listening to,” “current obsessions,” and “words that make me swoon.” I really enjoyed the piece on funny/interesting things about the French language, a) because I’m French and b) I love etymology and language in general. And obviously there is a lot of vintage imagery, plus hand-coloured covers! Then she closes the zine with some zine reviews and it goes on to the other half.
SH11: I get really excited when people make artsy zines using their own photography and things for collage. Sometimes I feel uninspired with all the stolen imagery zinesters use, it feels impersonal and ripped-off. It’s so much better to use your own stuff, definitely more interesting and authentic from an artistic standpoint. Jane uses exposures from her Fuji Instax Mini (which I also have!) and photos from her Fisheye cam while also providing lists, some with the same titles as Amber’s.
Both zinesters include recipes. I really like this zine - even though they both have clearly different styles, they go together in one zine nicely.
CEMENT, FLOUR, SAINTS
Teri Vlassopoulos
teri.vlassopoulos at gmail dot com
I liked the first part of this zine, double spaced and typed in Times (a typeface I can live without, but oh well). It talks about growing cities, noise abatement, paying attention to your surroundings (CEMENT). Beautifully written, really, it kept me reading onto the recipes (FLOUR) and then ... a story about religious statues and saints (SAINTS), which I’m really not into considering I’m strongly atheist, so I feel it would be ignorant of me to give a strong opinion. It was well written though, and I’m sure those of religious sorts would appreciate it more.
SUBROSA #1
Taryn Hipp
http://badideasleepover.etsy.com/
I like Taryn. I like her blog. She is on my Facebook, and I think she’s a nice girl. Super cute, too. She sent me this zine a while ago in hopes I’d review it, so here it is! Better late than never maybe?
I don’t like to normally review zines like this because its rather depressing and I try to stick to positive type zines that make me feel good. I once heard someone say that writing about anything can be good if it’s written well, and that’s what I thought of when I first read this. It’s sad but also honest, heart-felt, and very real. I felt it was sometimes over-dramatic, but excusable (it’s a zine, right? Everyone gets a bit of lee-way). Some of the things she writes about are potatoes and cabbage, being young, being dramatic, bad-ass girls, body hate, coping with her father’s dead after 9 years, and mentions of Johnny Cash and Courtney Love. One thing I want to say though, and EVERYONE should take note: there isn't a single reason out there to use a script typeface for a zine! This one was really hard on the eyes. Perhaps a slab-serif would have been better. I’d definitely want to read other issues though. **NOTE: Titles were written in script, not the whole thing.**
DISCONCERTING #7
Janell Hoong
http://janelloshea.etsy.com
I was intrigued by the looks of this zine when I got it in the mail from a girl named Janell - who lives all the way in Singapore. I loveloveLOVE it when people spend the time to make a zine attractive looking. Too many times do I shake my head after seeing zines with extremely uneven and crooked pages. Clearly, love was put into all 54 pages of this one, especially the cover. The content, however clever at times, lacked flow and interest a lot. It’s a definition of a per-zine: thoughts, ideas, stuff floating around in your head at the end of the day that nobody cares about but you messily scrawled on paper without thinking. I think people who like per-zines often enjoy ones that have a certain theme they can relate to - this one reads like a diary: rambly and all over the place. I’m going to keep it though, instead of donating it to the zine library, purely because of aesthetics.
CULTURE SLUT #21 / STAB HEART #11 (SPLIT ZINE)
Amber Forrester / Jane Boston
http://helloamber.etsy.com / janeboston at gmail dot com
CS21: It’s no secret that I love Amber and her zines, and this is no exception. Amber talks about staying positive, and provides lots of lists like, “bands I can’t stop listening to,” “current obsessions,” and “words that make me swoon.” I really enjoyed the piece on funny/interesting things about the French language, a) because I’m French and b) I love etymology and language in general. And obviously there is a lot of vintage imagery, plus hand-coloured covers! Then she closes the zine with some zine reviews and it goes on to the other half.
SH11: I get really excited when people make artsy zines using their own photography and things for collage. Sometimes I feel uninspired with all the stolen imagery zinesters use, it feels impersonal and ripped-off. It’s so much better to use your own stuff, definitely more interesting and authentic from an artistic standpoint. Jane uses exposures from her Fuji Instax Mini (which I also have!) and photos from her Fisheye cam while also providing lists, some with the same titles as Amber’s.
Both zinesters include recipes. I really like this zine - even though they both have clearly different styles, they go together in one zine nicely.
CEMENT, FLOUR, SAINTS
Teri Vlassopoulos
teri.vlassopoulos at gmail dot com
I liked the first part of this zine, double spaced and typed in Times (a typeface I can live without, but oh well). It talks about growing cities, noise abatement, paying attention to your surroundings (CEMENT). Beautifully written, really, it kept me reading onto the recipes (FLOUR) and then ... a story about religious statues and saints (SAINTS), which I’m really not into considering I’m strongly atheist, so I feel it would be ignorant of me to give a strong opinion. It was well written though, and I’m sure those of religious sorts would appreciate it more.
SUBROSA #1
Taryn Hipp
http://badideasleepover.etsy.com/
I like Taryn. I like her blog. She is on my Facebook, and I think she’s a nice girl. Super cute, too. She sent me this zine a while ago in hopes I’d review it, so here it is! Better late than never maybe?
I don’t like to normally review zines like this because its rather depressing and I try to stick to positive type zines that make me feel good. I once heard someone say that writing about anything can be good if it’s written well, and that’s what I thought of when I first read this. It’s sad but also honest, heart-felt, and very real. I felt it was sometimes over-dramatic, but excusable (it’s a zine, right? Everyone gets a bit of lee-way). Some of the things she writes about are potatoes and cabbage, being young, being dramatic, bad-ass girls, body hate, coping with her father’s dead after 9 years, and mentions of Johnny Cash and Courtney Love. One thing I want to say though, and EVERYONE should take note: there isn't a single reason out there to use a script typeface for a zine! This one was really hard on the eyes. Perhaps a slab-serif would have been better. I’d definitely want to read other issues though. **NOTE: Titles were written in script, not the whole thing.**
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Scrap Packs
I am x-posting this from my art blog, since I find it relevant to zines.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a collector of things. I don’t only collect ideas, but I collect anything that catches my eye for future use. I’ve picked up things off the side of the road, blowing around in parks, or that was discarded and sitting out on the curb. I pick up things at garage sales, and I keep small, medium, and large scraps in what I call my “collage box” for creative happenings later on.
Well, my collage box is overflowing. I have things stashed in drawers, and am always finding things I forgot I had. This is where you come in!
I am trying to do some “spring cleaning” because it is that time of year. I am selling envelopes packed with stuff from my collage box and drawers for you to use in your creative projects, whether they be zines or collages or whatever project you may feel like doing in this beautiful weather. They are only a couple bucks, plus the cost of shipping (I have already weighed the envelopes and am charging exact shipping). So why don’t you go to my etsy shop and treat yourself to a nice surprise in the mail? There are only a few, and once they’re gone, they’re gone!
#9
Doctrinal Expletives #2
icoveryouwithblood@hotmail.com
This zine is a quarter-sized, messy cut and paste zine that is almost entirely written by hand. Now, one thing that bugs me about hand written zines is the lack of legibility which many of them contain. I have seen zines where the use of it was fine, but I find it very frustrating when you have to stop mid-sentence to figure out a word. If your hand writing is hard to read, please do everyone a favour and type it. It’s 2010 - if you don’t have a computer or a typewriter, I’m sure you can find one and a place to print it.
I found the tone of the zine to be sarcastic, smart and sometimes funny, although I also found it to be unnecessarily angry at times, often jumping to conclusions. The piece about tattoo etiquette made me nod and smile because, as a tattooed lady, all of these questions arise on a regular basis for me so I can really relate. It’s also nice to hear it from someone who agrees, since a lot of people, especially those without tattoos, can’t seem to understand the annoyingness that is having your tattoos groped by strangers, people asking all sorts of personal questions about them, and society assuming you’re some “dark diva” by stereotype. Helen also touches on topics such as cultural ignorance, scientists, and going to a “private liberal-arts college.”
A Piece of my Brighter Side
by Sam Phillips
All stapled between two pieces of cardstock are collages, random notes, thoughts scribbled on yellow lined paper with coffee stains, old book pages, vintage postcards and more. It’s more eye candy than anything to read, but it’s pleasant to look at and hold in your hands. I got this from one of my teachers who got it when he bought some of her merch, as she is a singer and songwriter. Since there is no direct contact information in the zine, I googled her and came across her website, which she lists her zines for $35 each. Every one is original and different, and if you’re willing to fork out the money for it, you can buy one here.
Mirror Tricks #2
by Robin Hustle
I don’t know what the hell this zine is. The intro claims it to be “about mother, child, class performativity, is about borders in and around bodies, it is about and through prostitution,” but I don’t even know what that means. Throughout each page is choppy writing, fragmented sentences, sentences that don’t make sense and degrading and graphic line drawings of women in sexual positions. Nothing makes sense, and if there was some deeper meaning to the whole thing, I totally missed it. And I just have to mention, the page about incest, was really weird and I’m definitely irked by it.
Cursive Bomb #5
by Hazel Pine
I know I’ve said this before, but I loveloveloveLOVE typewritten zines! And it’s not too often I receive one in such a size, or with sewn binding. Hazel writes about being a nanny for a wealthy family who live in a world of excess and materialism, how that makes her feel, experiences with mental health workshops in Portland, the word “crazy”, and a touch of riot grrrl. I really liked this zine, she has a very poetic and articulate way of writing which comes across as beautiful, calm and engaging.
icoveryouwithblood@hotmail.com
This zine is a quarter-sized, messy cut and paste zine that is almost entirely written by hand. Now, one thing that bugs me about hand written zines is the lack of legibility which many of them contain. I have seen zines where the use of it was fine, but I find it very frustrating when you have to stop mid-sentence to figure out a word. If your hand writing is hard to read, please do everyone a favour and type it. It’s 2010 - if you don’t have a computer or a typewriter, I’m sure you can find one and a place to print it.
I found the tone of the zine to be sarcastic, smart and sometimes funny, although I also found it to be unnecessarily angry at times, often jumping to conclusions. The piece about tattoo etiquette made me nod and smile because, as a tattooed lady, all of these questions arise on a regular basis for me so I can really relate. It’s also nice to hear it from someone who agrees, since a lot of people, especially those without tattoos, can’t seem to understand the annoyingness that is having your tattoos groped by strangers, people asking all sorts of personal questions about them, and society assuming you’re some “dark diva” by stereotype. Helen also touches on topics such as cultural ignorance, scientists, and going to a “private liberal-arts college.”
A Piece of my Brighter Side
by Sam Phillips
All stapled between two pieces of cardstock are collages, random notes, thoughts scribbled on yellow lined paper with coffee stains, old book pages, vintage postcards and more. It’s more eye candy than anything to read, but it’s pleasant to look at and hold in your hands. I got this from one of my teachers who got it when he bought some of her merch, as she is a singer and songwriter. Since there is no direct contact information in the zine, I googled her and came across her website, which she lists her zines for $35 each. Every one is original and different, and if you’re willing to fork out the money for it, you can buy one here.
Mirror Tricks #2
by Robin Hustle
I don’t know what the hell this zine is. The intro claims it to be “about mother, child, class performativity, is about borders in and around bodies, it is about and through prostitution,” but I don’t even know what that means. Throughout each page is choppy writing, fragmented sentences, sentences that don’t make sense and degrading and graphic line drawings of women in sexual positions. Nothing makes sense, and if there was some deeper meaning to the whole thing, I totally missed it. And I just have to mention, the page about incest, was really weird and I’m definitely irked by it.
Cursive Bomb #5
by Hazel Pine
I know I’ve said this before, but I loveloveloveLOVE typewritten zines! And it’s not too often I receive one in such a size, or with sewn binding. Hazel writes about being a nanny for a wealthy family who live in a world of excess and materialism, how that makes her feel, experiences with mental health workshops in Portland, the word “crazy”, and a touch of riot grrrl. I really liked this zine, she has a very poetic and articulate way of writing which comes across as beautiful, calm and engaging.
Monday, March 22, 2010
#8 - Mark Burrier
Dead Letters and Rare Words, The Lucky Ones
by Mark Burrier
Mark Burrier is an illustrator and designer whose zines I bought last year from his Etsy Shop. Dead Letters and Rare Words is a collection of sketchbooks pages from 2006-07, also featured in the Print 2008 Regional Design Annual, and The Lucky Ones, featured in magazines such as Print, How, and STEP Inside Design, contain pages from sketchbooks kept in spring/summer 2005.. Anyone who knows me can guess how excited I was when I found sketchbook zines professionally printed on fancy paper with silk-screened covers. I always wonder why there aren’t any more zines like this out there. A lot of times I feel zines are shoddily put together - rushed, unevenly cut and folded with sentences printed off the page - instead of being treated as a tangible piece of art. And art is always better when you put love and time and care into it. Conclusion: These zines are definitely of professional quality and well worth the $6 price tag.
You can buy them here from his website.
He also has a cool blog called RareWords where people give him words and he posts the corresponding illustration.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Call for Submissions - International Girl Gang Underground Zine
"THE INTERNATIONAL GIRL GANG UNDERGROUND compilation zine aims to document and dissect how Riot Grrrl's legacy has manifested twenty years later, as well as provide guidance for those who want to transform "revolution girl style now!" into "REVOLUTION GIRL STYLE FOREVER!"
If Riot Grrrl doesn't resonate with you or your cause, that's okay! We also want to know about all the do-it-yourself, grassroots music movements currently being run by women/girls/trans/genderqueer/queer folks today."
***
I think this zine is an awesome idea, and needs to be done. For all interested, visit the Call for Submissions page on their website for more information.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
gangLion update
I am sorry to say that I didn't make it to the gangLion zine launch. I was super tired and the travelling really got to my body. But, my friend Amber over at Hello Amber! Zine Reviews did a post about it, and you can read it here.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
gangLion Montreal - Montreal, QC
I will be in Montreal for Reading Week, which is really exciting. And on Tuesday, March 2nd, I'll be attending gangLion's launch of their fourth issue, entitled "Spot Colour" alongside some friends, one of which being Amber from Hello Amber! Zine Reviews. We will both be reviewing the event. To be honest, I've never heard of gangLion and have no idea what to expect, but I'm always up for surprises and adventures!
Click here for gangLion's blog.
Click here for the Facebook event.
Click here for gangLion's blog.
Click here for the Facebook event.
#7
FIRST FUCK
by tindronomel@yahoo.ca
This zine is exactly what it’s called - stories of “first fucks.” All anonymous stories about losing your virginity. I got it at Canzine 2006 and proudly paid the extra two dollars for the copy with the colour cardstock cover. It has since been in my collection, read in bathrooms of many apartments I’ve lived in and thumbed through from time to time when I’m bored or procrastinating. These are all so honest and unabashed, and disproves the cultural Hollywood standard of it being something beautiful, highly memorable and with a very important and carefully chosen partner. In fact, I don’t know anyone who really lost their virginity that way. The stories I have heard from my friends follow closely with the ones in this zine - somewhat embarrassing and awkward, at parties while intoxicated, young and stupid. I think this zine is an important read and would highly recommend it to anyone!
NOTHING RHYMES #5
by Chelsea Gunn
This is a perfect issue to follow #4; written in typewriter and put together in a cut and paste style, bound with a green cardboard strip that says, “i sleep better crazy, i think better sick” and vellum wrapped around the cover. A big chunk of it is about her one cat who eventually passes away, which is sad, but it is a touching story as well. There are also charming stories entitled, “new games,” and “hope is the anchor.” Chelsea’s zines are fun to read because they are always positive, even when the mood is sad. Always a read that leaves you feeling inspired and good inside.
BUSH VS. EVERYONE!
by Winston Rowntree
My boyfriend got this zine for two dollars at Canzine 2007 because the front advertised that George W Bush Jr dies on every page, and let’s be honest, who the hell doesn’t want to see that? There’s Bush vs: a gondola of rabid beavers, a guy who looks like Bob Saget, Hitler, and The Driller - just to name a few (even “a distasteful dinette set” gets a piece!). The comics are really mediocre, and the whole idea of the zine is juvenile and without class. But, it’s really fucking funny, and I still laugh when I look at it.
2010 Calendar Zine
by LLYMLRS
In the past few weeks, I won a calendar zine from LLYMLRS, a graphic design student with a blog. Yesterday, the envelope in which it arrived was decorated with my name (spelled right - woo! That rarely happens) in hand drawn type and was a cute little surprise in my mailbox! It's adorable. From what I read, a free PDF of it will be available for download the beginning of March, which is a pretty cool idea.
by tindronomel@yahoo.ca
This zine is exactly what it’s called - stories of “first fucks.” All anonymous stories about losing your virginity. I got it at Canzine 2006 and proudly paid the extra two dollars for the copy with the colour cardstock cover. It has since been in my collection, read in bathrooms of many apartments I’ve lived in and thumbed through from time to time when I’m bored or procrastinating. These are all so honest and unabashed, and disproves the cultural Hollywood standard of it being something beautiful, highly memorable and with a very important and carefully chosen partner. In fact, I don’t know anyone who really lost their virginity that way. The stories I have heard from my friends follow closely with the ones in this zine - somewhat embarrassing and awkward, at parties while intoxicated, young and stupid. I think this zine is an important read and would highly recommend it to anyone!
NOTHING RHYMES #5
by Chelsea Gunn
This is a perfect issue to follow #4; written in typewriter and put together in a cut and paste style, bound with a green cardboard strip that says, “i sleep better crazy, i think better sick” and vellum wrapped around the cover. A big chunk of it is about her one cat who eventually passes away, which is sad, but it is a touching story as well. There are also charming stories entitled, “new games,” and “hope is the anchor.” Chelsea’s zines are fun to read because they are always positive, even when the mood is sad. Always a read that leaves you feeling inspired and good inside.
BUSH VS. EVERYONE!
by Winston Rowntree
My boyfriend got this zine for two dollars at Canzine 2007 because the front advertised that George W Bush Jr dies on every page, and let’s be honest, who the hell doesn’t want to see that? There’s Bush vs: a gondola of rabid beavers, a guy who looks like Bob Saget, Hitler, and The Driller - just to name a few (even “a distasteful dinette set” gets a piece!). The comics are really mediocre, and the whole idea of the zine is juvenile and without class. But, it’s really fucking funny, and I still laugh when I look at it.
2010 Calendar Zine
by LLYMLRS
In the past few weeks, I won a calendar zine from LLYMLRS, a graphic design student with a blog. Yesterday, the envelope in which it arrived was decorated with my name (spelled right - woo! That rarely happens) in hand drawn type and was a cute little surprise in my mailbox! It's adorable. From what I read, a free PDF of it will be available for download the beginning of March, which is a pretty cool idea.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
#6 - The La-La Theory
Katie Haegle of The La-La Theory and I have done flyer trades a few times in the past couple years, and because of this I’m surprised it’s taken this long for me to read any of them. In the past couple weeks however, she sent me a lovely package of zines for the zine library and I took the opportunity to finally read them. I absolutely love the idea of a zine about etymology and language in general, the different ways we communicate with one another and how language affects our perception of life in general. So, here are the reviews of the three zines I’ve had the pleasure of reading. If interested, you can buy her zines through her etsy shop or contact her for possible trades.
***
MAN IS THE HERO OF GEOGRAPHY
by Katie Haegle
This zine contains reproduced pages of a mostly blank geography workbook from 1973 that Katie found at a garage sale. Katie fills in the blanks with madlib-type answers which are mostly irrelevant to the questions, which I found off-putting and confusing, while also intriguing. Some answers are random and left me thinking, “wtf?” while others made me burst out into laughter and made me want to keep reading.
THE LA-LA THEORY #5: BLIZZARDS, BLINDFOLDS, SQUATTERS AND CARTOONISTS (AND OTHER WORDS THAT WERE BORN IN 1880)
by Katie Haegle
The name says it all, really. Each salmon-coloured page gives an etymological explanation of such words as mentioned above, including blazer, outlaw, and narcolepsy. I found the hand-written appearance to be hard on my eyes, and I think it would’ve been better if it had been typed in a legible typeface. Other than that, it was cute, informational and interesting. I also like how every issue of this zine has a little explanation of The La-La Theory, which is based on the thought that language was born of the need to express music, poetry and love. Interesting, indeed!
THE LA-LA THEORY #6: ALWAYS ALREADY
by Katie Haegle
This issue was a bit different than the ones previously mentioned in this post, but it is my favourite! There are things such as a review of the German language and some of the words in it she fancies, an interview with an adapter for Tokyopop, and a poem inspired by foreign words that don’t quite translate in English (I really like “saudade”, which is Portugese for something along the lines of a sense of longing for something that probably can’t be found again. I thoroughly enjoyed every page, although I wish she would’ve printed it in something other than Times New Roman (the world’s most boring and overused typeface there is), but hey, at least it’s not Comic Sans or Arial!
***
MAN IS THE HERO OF GEOGRAPHY
by Katie Haegle
This zine contains reproduced pages of a mostly blank geography workbook from 1973 that Katie found at a garage sale. Katie fills in the blanks with madlib-type answers which are mostly irrelevant to the questions, which I found off-putting and confusing, while also intriguing. Some answers are random and left me thinking, “wtf?” while others made me burst out into laughter and made me want to keep reading.
THE LA-LA THEORY #5: BLIZZARDS, BLINDFOLDS, SQUATTERS AND CARTOONISTS (AND OTHER WORDS THAT WERE BORN IN 1880)
by Katie Haegle
The name says it all, really. Each salmon-coloured page gives an etymological explanation of such words as mentioned above, including blazer, outlaw, and narcolepsy. I found the hand-written appearance to be hard on my eyes, and I think it would’ve been better if it had been typed in a legible typeface. Other than that, it was cute, informational and interesting. I also like how every issue of this zine has a little explanation of The La-La Theory, which is based on the thought that language was born of the need to express music, poetry and love. Interesting, indeed!
THE LA-LA THEORY #6: ALWAYS ALREADY
by Katie Haegle
This issue was a bit different than the ones previously mentioned in this post, but it is my favourite! There are things such as a review of the German language and some of the words in it she fancies, an interview with an adapter for Tokyopop, and a poem inspired by foreign words that don’t quite translate in English (I really like “saudade”, which is Portugese for something along the lines of a sense of longing for something that probably can’t be found again. I thoroughly enjoyed every page, although I wish she would’ve printed it in something other than Times New Roman (the world’s most boring and overused typeface there is), but hey, at least it’s not Comic Sans or Arial!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
5th Annual London Indie Media Fair - London, ON
The 5th Annual London Indie Media Fair is scheduled for March 13th. We want makers of zines, posters, comics, manifestos, blogs, websites, film, photography, silkscreening to show their work. If are interested in having a table, or for more information, please contact indie.media@lpl.london.on.ca or call 519-661-5100 Ext. 4986.
Deadline to sign up is March 7th.
$5 Registration fee / person.
(via London Public Library)
Broken Arts Fair - Oshawa, ON
There is no space left for anyone who'd want to have a table, but you can still attend - it's free! Sorry for not posting this sooner. Click here for the Broken Arts Collective blog.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Kazoo Zine Fest - Guelph, ON
For fellow Southern Ontarians, there is a zine festival in Guelph starting on April 21st until the 25th. I would love to make it, but Guelph is far and I don't drive! So we'll see. But it should be a good time, and anyone who can go should go! The official site is here.
NYC Anarchist Book Fair
For those of you who live in New York City, the surrounding area, or who are willing to travel, there is an anarchist book fair on April 17th from 11am—7pm at Judson Memorial Church. Follow the link here for more details.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
#5 - Art Zines!
PIECES AND PIECES #3
by Amanda Q
electrichaos.etsy.com
I was so excited to get zines from someone who has a background in graphic design!
Aesthetically, this zine is filled with grungey elements, photography and collage - things I adore! I really liked the stereotypes of roommates as well, and I think anyone who has had more than one roommate in their lives would have a good hearty laugh about it. While I found a lot of the writing to be clever, I found some of it to be super boring. But, most of the parts I found boring were about bands she likes that I’ve never heard of, so maybe that’s just me because I have no interest in music zines or reviews of bands I’ve never heard of. Also, she didn’t use any bleeds, which would’ve given the zine a more professional look, and it sort of drove me crazy. Anyone with any graphic design knowledge should know better! The more the zine went on, the more fragmented her sentences got and the more and more she used “like”. Some people would probably link that to an uncensored, more personal feel, which is cool — but I found it rather irritating after a few pages. Despite these criticisms, I did enjoy the zine. It was a good mix of hand-made and computer elements, and a lot of the writing was really cute and real.
MANIFEST MY DESTINY: A COLLECTION OF COLLAGE
by Amanda Q
electrichaos.etsy.com
Yet again, Amanda totally should’ve used bleeds! It would’ve given the zine a much better effect. Nonetheless, I totally adored it. Printed on high quality (maybe semi-gloss?) paper, this zine is full colour and are pages of an altered book project! I really, really like this zine. She sent it to me unexpected, and it was a really nice surprise! I’d recommend it to anyone who likes art zines, or collage in general.
RUM LAD #4
by Steve Larder
This is a comic type zine about Steve’s adventures to Germany for the Mulheim Zine Festival. I must say, I was super impressed with the artwork, and how everything was hand written (although, some of the words I was unable to make out). I sat down and read this in one sitting, which says a lot since I have an infamously short attention span. In between and around stories of the zine fest and the trip to Germany are general thoughts about life and the way he is living it - things I think all of us can relate to, especially creative people. I really enjoyed this zine and would like to find earlier copies, and will definitely be looking out for new ones in the future.
by Amanda Q
electrichaos.etsy.com
I was so excited to get zines from someone who has a background in graphic design!
Aesthetically, this zine is filled with grungey elements, photography and collage - things I adore! I really liked the stereotypes of roommates as well, and I think anyone who has had more than one roommate in their lives would have a good hearty laugh about it. While I found a lot of the writing to be clever, I found some of it to be super boring. But, most of the parts I found boring were about bands she likes that I’ve never heard of, so maybe that’s just me because I have no interest in music zines or reviews of bands I’ve never heard of. Also, she didn’t use any bleeds, which would’ve given the zine a more professional look, and it sort of drove me crazy. Anyone with any graphic design knowledge should know better! The more the zine went on, the more fragmented her sentences got and the more and more she used “like”. Some people would probably link that to an uncensored, more personal feel, which is cool — but I found it rather irritating after a few pages. Despite these criticisms, I did enjoy the zine. It was a good mix of hand-made and computer elements, and a lot of the writing was really cute and real.
MANIFEST MY DESTINY: A COLLECTION OF COLLAGE
by Amanda Q
electrichaos.etsy.com
Yet again, Amanda totally should’ve used bleeds! It would’ve given the zine a much better effect. Nonetheless, I totally adored it. Printed on high quality (maybe semi-gloss?) paper, this zine is full colour and are pages of an altered book project! I really, really like this zine. She sent it to me unexpected, and it was a really nice surprise! I’d recommend it to anyone who likes art zines, or collage in general.
RUM LAD #4
by Steve Larder
This is a comic type zine about Steve’s adventures to Germany for the Mulheim Zine Festival. I must say, I was super impressed with the artwork, and how everything was hand written (although, some of the words I was unable to make out). I sat down and read this in one sitting, which says a lot since I have an infamously short attention span. In between and around stories of the zine fest and the trip to Germany are general thoughts about life and the way he is living it - things I think all of us can relate to, especially creative people. I really enjoyed this zine and would like to find earlier copies, and will definitely be looking out for new ones in the future.
Friday, February 5, 2010
#4 - Mini Zine Love!
I like mini zines a lot because they are little, cute, and simple. They get a direct message across if you need to, can provide a snippet of visual candy, or be a random goody in an envelope that comes from a distro or trade. Here are a few favourites from my collection.
MARKED FOR LIFE #5
Sage Adderly, Sweet Candy Distro
This little gem is written by Sweet Candy distro-runner Sage Adderly, also my fellow Farmville friend! It’s about self-censorship and anxiety, and I think all zinesters feel like what she talks about at some point. It’s one of those zines that gives you a “clicky moment” between what the author describes and your own personal experiences, and I felt really light and fluffy after reading it.
BOOBS AND THE MILK CART
by Taryn Hipp
I don’t remember how long ago I got this, but it’s one of the ones I kept for myself when I took over the duties of the NC Zine Library and donated about 90% of my collection. It’s a memoir of growing up with girlhate and discovering girllove through the Riotgrrrl Movement in the 90’s. Other than the spelling mistakes which I thought could’ve easily been caught, I thought it was really cute, well-worded and inspiring.
FIGHT BOREDOM #2.5
by Amber Forrester
This mini zine is cutely printed on various fluorescent coloured paper and done in typewriter and collage. To Fight Boredom, every day is something different and goes with a matching illustration and image. I also always found the cover to be intriguing. Somehow I have two of these, and I have no idea why. Not complaining.
I have a mini-zine called "One Shot" still available in my Etsy Shop. I'm pretty sure most of you know that, but I thought it was worth mentioning again.
MARKED FOR LIFE #5
Sage Adderly, Sweet Candy Distro
This little gem is written by Sweet Candy distro-runner Sage Adderly, also my fellow Farmville friend! It’s about self-censorship and anxiety, and I think all zinesters feel like what she talks about at some point. It’s one of those zines that gives you a “clicky moment” between what the author describes and your own personal experiences, and I felt really light and fluffy after reading it.
BOOBS AND THE MILK CART
by Taryn Hipp
I don’t remember how long ago I got this, but it’s one of the ones I kept for myself when I took over the duties of the NC Zine Library and donated about 90% of my collection. It’s a memoir of growing up with girlhate and discovering girllove through the Riotgrrrl Movement in the 90’s. Other than the spelling mistakes which I thought could’ve easily been caught, I thought it was really cute, well-worded and inspiring.
FIGHT BOREDOM #2.5
by Amber Forrester
This mini zine is cutely printed on various fluorescent coloured paper and done in typewriter and collage. To Fight Boredom, every day is something different and goes with a matching illustration and image. I also always found the cover to be intriguing. Somehow I have two of these, and I have no idea why. Not complaining.
I have a mini-zine called "One Shot" still available in my Etsy Shop. I'm pretty sure most of you know that, but I thought it was worth mentioning again.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Thirdspace Zine - Call for Submissions
This has nothing to do with me. Nevertheless, I think it's a potentially good idea and some of you may be interested.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Contest!
I would like to thank everyone who has donated to the Niagara College Zine Library, the zine library I run at school. I’ve received a lot more donations than I thought I would, which is awesome, and hopefully they’ll keep coming! I’m always trying to update things and get a wide variety of different zines.
So I decided to have a little contest. Send me your zine between February 1st — February 31st and one lucky winner will end up with whatever collage they want from my Etsy Shop, a copy of my One Shot Zine, a lino print and whatever extra goodies I have lying around. And, obviously, I will review your zine on the blog. Extra awesomeness points if you send two copies, one for the library and one for my own collection (which is next to nothing since I became a zine librarian and donated most of them!) It’s for a good cause! So send your zine to:
Too Many Cookies
93 Rice Rd
Welland, ON
L3C 2V6
Canada
***If you send me anything racist, homophobic, promoting girl-hate, or anything using Comic Sans, I will verbally kick your ass with a bad review. ESPECIALLY if you use Comic Sans.
So I decided to have a little contest. Send me your zine between February 1st — February 31st and one lucky winner will end up with whatever collage they want from my Etsy Shop, a copy of my One Shot Zine, a lino print and whatever extra goodies I have lying around. And, obviously, I will review your zine on the blog. Extra awesomeness points if you send two copies, one for the library and one for my own collection (which is next to nothing since I became a zine librarian and donated most of them!) It’s for a good cause! So send your zine to:
Too Many Cookies
93 Rice Rd
Welland, ON
L3C 2V6
Canada
***If you send me anything racist, homophobic, promoting girl-hate, or anything using Comic Sans, I will verbally kick your ass with a bad review. ESPECIALLY if you use Comic Sans.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
#3
BOOBAGE
by Monica Gallagher
Sub-titled “Trials and Tribulations of Having Small Boobs,” this pink, black and white comic is exactly that. I bought this zine initially because as a 34A, I completely understand. She humorously illustrates the self-conscious behaviour of the average teen growing up flat-chested in a culture where our breasts (among other body parts) are over-sexualized, coveted in one way or another by both genders. The moral of the story however, is that us small-boobed girls are pretty hot too. A good read for any small chested woman.
NOTHING RHYMES #4
by Chelsea Creature
I have loved Chelsea’s zines and writing ever since reading this zine, which I got in a distro order sometime in the summer. It’s nice to find zines about happiness and loving life without dragging on and on about stuff no one really cares about. It starts off with a goodbye letter to Pittsburgh and goes into moving to Rhode Island, keeping positive, touches a little on body image and even gives a basic bookbinding tutorial!. Any time I read it, it leaves me feeling good inside. And, vintage drawings of knitting supplies and zine reviews are a nice touch to the completely typewritten booklet. This is definitely stored in my “favourite zines” box on the old milk crate shelf.
AUBADE #2 - I AM A GHOST
by Katie (aubadezine at gmail dot com)
I really like the way this zine flows together. And after reading Aubade #4 first (previously reviewed here), I noticed that Katie’s writing has definitely evolved over the years and has gotten better. It’s all a mish-mash of life experiences, thoughts on philosophy, places, learning French and tonnes of related and unrelated things in between. Her writing has a way of tugging at my heart, and I’ll definitely be looking out for more issues in the future.
MY THINGS, MY GRANDMOTHER’S THINGS
by Sarah Pinder
When I was thinking about what to say about this zine, I decided to try to think of some words to describe it first. I came up with “meaningful” and “nostalgic” and “thought provoking”. Sarah’s grandmother passes away and being discarded except for what she takes. It’s about material posessions, their meanings, what gives them meanings, remembering/forgetting . . . I found it to be a delightful read, although at one or two points I found it to drag slightly, but it wasn’t a big deal as it picks back up quickly. It really made me think of what will happen to my stuff when I die - which parts of my life will people choose to discard? Which parts will people keep, and why? What material things in our lives are really relevant? Overall, I liked it, she has a very interesting style of writing, the whole thing was clean and to the point.
by Monica Gallagher
Sub-titled “Trials and Tribulations of Having Small Boobs,” this pink, black and white comic is exactly that. I bought this zine initially because as a 34A, I completely understand. She humorously illustrates the self-conscious behaviour of the average teen growing up flat-chested in a culture where our breasts (among other body parts) are over-sexualized, coveted in one way or another by both genders. The moral of the story however, is that us small-boobed girls are pretty hot too. A good read for any small chested woman.
NOTHING RHYMES #4
by Chelsea Creature
I have loved Chelsea’s zines and writing ever since reading this zine, which I got in a distro order sometime in the summer. It’s nice to find zines about happiness and loving life without dragging on and on about stuff no one really cares about. It starts off with a goodbye letter to Pittsburgh and goes into moving to Rhode Island, keeping positive, touches a little on body image and even gives a basic bookbinding tutorial!. Any time I read it, it leaves me feeling good inside. And, vintage drawings of knitting supplies and zine reviews are a nice touch to the completely typewritten booklet. This is definitely stored in my “favourite zines” box on the old milk crate shelf.
AUBADE #2 - I AM A GHOST
by Katie (aubadezine at gmail dot com)
I really like the way this zine flows together. And after reading Aubade #4 first (previously reviewed here), I noticed that Katie’s writing has definitely evolved over the years and has gotten better. It’s all a mish-mash of life experiences, thoughts on philosophy, places, learning French and tonnes of related and unrelated things in between. Her writing has a way of tugging at my heart, and I’ll definitely be looking out for more issues in the future.
MY THINGS, MY GRANDMOTHER’S THINGS
by Sarah Pinder
When I was thinking about what to say about this zine, I decided to try to think of some words to describe it first. I came up with “meaningful” and “nostalgic” and “thought provoking”. Sarah’s grandmother passes away and being discarded except for what she takes. It’s about material posessions, their meanings, what gives them meanings, remembering/forgetting . . . I found it to be a delightful read, although at one or two points I found it to drag slightly, but it wasn’t a big deal as it picks back up quickly. It really made me think of what will happen to my stuff when I die - which parts of my life will people choose to discard? Which parts will people keep, and why? What material things in our lives are really relevant? Overall, I liked it, she has a very interesting style of writing, the whole thing was clean and to the point.
Friday, January 15, 2010
#2
LOVE LETTERS TO MONSTERS #2
Ciara Xyerra on WMZ
I bought this zine solely because of the story of abortion, and because it advertised hand coloured covers (I love zines with extra love!). What I found between the covers were judgemental assumptions, fellow zinester bashing, and not enough to impress me after labelling zine culture a “medium of mediocrity,” which is hilarious considering this woman, after years of making zines, doesn’t even take the time to give her zine proper leading (line spacing) which is really hard for the eyes to follow, which makes it difficult to read at times. She also puts down Jessica Valenti’s books, blogger over at Feministing.com, calling her books “strictly elementary feminist re-treads”, complaining zine culture has nothing really more to offer this self-proclaimed “big fish in a small pond.”
Just because she is familiar with what she has to say, doesn’t mean that other people who don’t know as much about feminism can’t benefit from it. In fact, Jessica Valenti’s books were some of the first feminist books I picked up, and I can wholeheartedly say that they are a great introduction to anyone interested in knowing more about (especially third wave) feminism. Following are insults toward other zinesters and their zines, which I found completely unnecessary.
The only part that I found interesting to read was her experience with abortion, which by the way, would’ve been a lot better if she didn’t split it into three parts and randomly place them separately throughout the zine. I did however appreciate her having the courage to come out about her experience with her abortion - I feel it is important to touch on these subjects, and it was very informative and well written for the most part.
If she does make any more zines, I definitely wouldn’t buy them. I’d read it if a friend gave/lent it to me, or if I got it in the mail somehow. For someone who advocates for change in the world, she sure seems like she is full of a lot of hate.
AUBADE #4 : Virginia Stories
aubadezine at gmail.com
I re-read this zine and may have loved it more this time than the first. Between a two-colour cardstock cover are stories of childhood nostalgia revolving around Virginia. There are some typos, but it is clearly written with a typewriter, which cancels it out as a bad thing. I think typos created via a typewriter gives it a very human and relative feeling, especially in this zine, as you can tell the writer is very skilled in the way he/she strings her words together into sentences. She’s no amateur! Very well put together, this is the kind of zine I’d go out of my way to share with someone else.
BREAD CRUMBS (retracing the map to where I’d been)
Julie Mannell
writers_cramp_390 at hotmail.com
Although I write a lot of poetry myself, I don’t normally like the poetry of others. I don’t know what it is, I think I write poetry for myself because I feel I need to, not because I’m really into poetry as a whole. But Julie, a local I know from high school, has this zine called Bread Crumbs that I picked up at Gender Radical, a fundraiser for Women’s Place that took place a year or two ago, after making a donation. That night, she also did a poetry reading from the zine, and I found myself inspired and surprised that, alas! I actually enjoyed the poetry of another. The layout and everything about it is really simple and easy to follow, the content loud and clear. lovelovelove it.
Ciara Xyerra on WMZ
I bought this zine solely because of the story of abortion, and because it advertised hand coloured covers (I love zines with extra love!). What I found between the covers were judgemental assumptions, fellow zinester bashing, and not enough to impress me after labelling zine culture a “medium of mediocrity,” which is hilarious considering this woman, after years of making zines, doesn’t even take the time to give her zine proper leading (line spacing) which is really hard for the eyes to follow, which makes it difficult to read at times. She also puts down Jessica Valenti’s books, blogger over at Feministing.com, calling her books “strictly elementary feminist re-treads”, complaining zine culture has nothing really more to offer this self-proclaimed “big fish in a small pond.”
Just because she is familiar with what she has to say, doesn’t mean that other people who don’t know as much about feminism can’t benefit from it. In fact, Jessica Valenti’s books were some of the first feminist books I picked up, and I can wholeheartedly say that they are a great introduction to anyone interested in knowing more about (especially third wave) feminism. Following are insults toward other zinesters and their zines, which I found completely unnecessary.
The only part that I found interesting to read was her experience with abortion, which by the way, would’ve been a lot better if she didn’t split it into three parts and randomly place them separately throughout the zine. I did however appreciate her having the courage to come out about her experience with her abortion - I feel it is important to touch on these subjects, and it was very informative and well written for the most part.
If she does make any more zines, I definitely wouldn’t buy them. I’d read it if a friend gave/lent it to me, or if I got it in the mail somehow. For someone who advocates for change in the world, she sure seems like she is full of a lot of hate.
AUBADE #4 : Virginia Stories
aubadezine at gmail.com
I re-read this zine and may have loved it more this time than the first. Between a two-colour cardstock cover are stories of childhood nostalgia revolving around Virginia. There are some typos, but it is clearly written with a typewriter, which cancels it out as a bad thing. I think typos created via a typewriter gives it a very human and relative feeling, especially in this zine, as you can tell the writer is very skilled in the way he/she strings her words together into sentences. She’s no amateur! Very well put together, this is the kind of zine I’d go out of my way to share with someone else.
BREAD CRUMBS (retracing the map to where I’d been)
Julie Mannell
writers_cramp_390 at hotmail.com
Although I write a lot of poetry myself, I don’t normally like the poetry of others. I don’t know what it is, I think I write poetry for myself because I feel I need to, not because I’m really into poetry as a whole. But Julie, a local I know from high school, has this zine called Bread Crumbs that I picked up at Gender Radical, a fundraiser for Women’s Place that took place a year or two ago, after making a donation. That night, she also did a poetry reading from the zine, and I found myself inspired and surprised that, alas! I actually enjoyed the poetry of another. The layout and everything about it is really simple and easy to follow, the content loud and clear. lovelovelove it.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
#1 - Polaroids and Feminism!
Instant Gratification
Frothy on WeMakeZines
Not too long and not too short, this zine is a collection of polaroids with matching coloured backgrounds for pages. I love seeing zines like this where the zinester puts time and effort into layout and binding, creating a piece of artwork that is simple and visually pleasing without having an overwhelming amount of things to look at. She also acknowledges the discontinutation of polaroids in the beginning dedicating the zine to an “endangered format” which, I must say, definitely caught my attention and scored some points. This zine is overall charming, memorable and unique. I read this one at a friend’s in Montreal, and will definitely pick up a copy for myself if I ever have the chance.
Fuck Shyness
by Emma (zines_and_teaAThotmail.co.uk.)
Reading this zine, I realised it wasn’t about shyness, but anxiety. I know this because I’ve dealt with multiple types of anxiety throughout my life and can relate to a lot of things that are mentioned. It’s nice because anxiety is more common than we think and often symptoms are misunderstood and often labelled as abnormal and crazy, even by those who experience it themselves but may not fully recognize it. It’s a good zine to anyone who is a constant “what if?” thinker. Basic and simple with a good amount of humour, this short publication contains things we all need to know and keep in mind.
Culture Slut #18 - The Polaroid Issue
by Amber Forrester
This full colour laser-copied zine is packed full of adventurous polaroids from her small hometown of Lindsay and elsewhere, like Ottawa, Toledo, and the east coast. Whether it’s interesting graffiti, signs, or people, she provides stories (via typewriter, better yet!) to go with the polaroid that makes you excited for what’s on the next page. Bonuses are zine reviews in the back and an inspiring “girl love not hate” picture on the back spelled out in magnets.
Fight Boredom #3 - with Feminism!
by Amber Forrester
I don’t usually go out of my way to read comp zines, but I’m a big fan of Amber’s zines and this was definitely no disappointment. Full of feministy goodness, like a brief overview of how the riot grrrl movement rose and fell, eating disorders and beauty standards in the radical community, a myth-busting piece on Japanese gender stereotypes that leads into perceptions of Hello Kitty, her power (or lack thereof), and her message of consumerism. Plus, I really enjoyed the interview with Chelsea Gunn, of Nothing Rhymes, also one of my favourite zinesters. An all around great read.
Frothy on WeMakeZines
Not too long and not too short, this zine is a collection of polaroids with matching coloured backgrounds for pages. I love seeing zines like this where the zinester puts time and effort into layout and binding, creating a piece of artwork that is simple and visually pleasing without having an overwhelming amount of things to look at. She also acknowledges the discontinutation of polaroids in the beginning dedicating the zine to an “endangered format” which, I must say, definitely caught my attention and scored some points. This zine is overall charming, memorable and unique. I read this one at a friend’s in Montreal, and will definitely pick up a copy for myself if I ever have the chance.
Fuck Shyness
by Emma (zines_and_teaAThotmail.co.uk.)
Reading this zine, I realised it wasn’t about shyness, but anxiety. I know this because I’ve dealt with multiple types of anxiety throughout my life and can relate to a lot of things that are mentioned. It’s nice because anxiety is more common than we think and often symptoms are misunderstood and often labelled as abnormal and crazy, even by those who experience it themselves but may not fully recognize it. It’s a good zine to anyone who is a constant “what if?” thinker. Basic and simple with a good amount of humour, this short publication contains things we all need to know and keep in mind.
Culture Slut #18 - The Polaroid Issue
by Amber Forrester
This full colour laser-copied zine is packed full of adventurous polaroids from her small hometown of Lindsay and elsewhere, like Ottawa, Toledo, and the east coast. Whether it’s interesting graffiti, signs, or people, she provides stories (via typewriter, better yet!) to go with the polaroid that makes you excited for what’s on the next page. Bonuses are zine reviews in the back and an inspiring “girl love not hate” picture on the back spelled out in magnets.
Fight Boredom #3 - with Feminism!
by Amber Forrester
I don’t usually go out of my way to read comp zines, but I’m a big fan of Amber’s zines and this was definitely no disappointment. Full of feministy goodness, like a brief overview of how the riot grrrl movement rose and fell, eating disorders and beauty standards in the radical community, a myth-busting piece on Japanese gender stereotypes that leads into perceptions of Hello Kitty, her power (or lack thereof), and her message of consumerism. Plus, I really enjoyed the interview with Chelsea Gunn, of Nothing Rhymes, also one of my favourite zinesters. An all around great read.
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