Zine News Round-Up: 12.05.13

via http://girlsgetbusyzine.tumblr.com

1. Zine Releases

2. Upcoming Events

3. Submission Calls

4. Distro news
5. AOB

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1. Zine Releases

- The first issue of The Northern Bullet Fanzine is available to read for free online here: http://issuu.com/thenorthernbulletzine11/docs/thenorthernbulletissue1
- Issue 26 of the UK horror fanzine Necronomicon is out on Etsy, with a big feature on Whitbys Bram Stoker International Film Festival. http://www.etsy.com/listing/121928470/necronomicon-26-uk-horror-fanzine-zine?ref=shop_home_active - Let us know if we’ve missed anything - spillthezinesukATgmail.com!

2. Upcoming Events

- Bradford Baked Zines: A Popup Zine Shop - 13th to 18th May, 13 Market Street, Bradford.  Lots of details at their website: http://bradfordbakedzines.wordpress.com/
- Alternative Press Fair: 1st June, 1 Albert Road, London.  For more details, including how to apply for a table, check out http://www.alternativepress.org.uk/index.php/events/

3. Submission Calls

- Kat W is looking for reviews, essays, quotes and artwork for her Stephen King fanzine, titled ‘Death Is When The Monsters Get You’.  For more info, email kjwilliams1986ATgmail.com.
- Girls Get Busy zine is always looking for feminist-themed writing and artwork to feature in upcoming issues! You can submit to the zine by emailing your work to girlsgetbusyzine @ gmail.com.

- Poor Lass, a zine about working class women, is looking for submissions for its second issue!  More info at https://www.facebook.com/PoorLassZine.
- If you have any art that you want to put out into the world please feel free to submit them to Brown Paper Bundles! Get in touch at thechickencoop @ live.co.uk.
- Lee is putting together a compzine on bereavement and grief.  If you'd like to contribute any prose, poetry, art etc., forward them to Lee at losborne74 @ gmail.com.  More info at http://primitivepeople.livejournal.com.
- Pandora Press, a feminist compzine from Swansea, are looking for submissions for their 6th issue! The theme is body.  More info at http://swanseafeministnetwork.wordpress.com.
- Submissions wanted for a fanzine titled 'Sonorus: Feminist Perspectives on Harry Potter'! Lots of info over at the website: http://sonoruszine.wordpress.com/

4. Distro News

- Marching Stars Distro is off hiatus, and has had a big redesign! Woo! www.marchingstars.co.uk
- Lots more zines in stock at Vampire Sushi Distro! http://shop.vampiresushi.co.uk/

- New stock at Princesa Pirata Distro! http://princesapiratadistro.wordpress.com/about-2/
- SW Zines website updated with new zines: http://swzinecollective.weebly.com/our-zines.html 

5. AOB
- Broken Pencil (Canada's magazine of zines and indie culture) recently launched an iOS and Android app, The Nub: Indie Arts Hub. The app provides readers with a stream of content from participating independent arts and culture magazines: columns, poems, short stories, essays, interviews, profiles, book/zine reviews, comics and rants.  The app is free for a limited time - more info at http://www.brokenpencil.com/thenub.
- Feminist magazine Spare  Rib is relaunching! http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/apr/26/spare-rib-magazine-rosie-boycott

April Zine Reviews: Sheffield Zine Fest Edition

Here I've reviewed some of the zines I bought and traded at last month’s Sheffield Zine Fest (read our review of the event here).  I’ve been a bit lax with updating this blog recently, so I hope you enjoy this bumper zine review post. :)

We Heart Lisa Simpson

Edited by Beth Sivyer, London – http://bethsiveyer.tumblr.com/

An awesome concept – this zine is all about Lisa Simpson and her feminist credentials, and includes songs, drawings, opinion pieces on why Lisa is awesome, and screencaps of some of her best moments from the TV series (including a scene in the school cafeteria where she is seen reading ‘The Bell Jar’!).  Printed in full colour, and with lots of Lisa-themed artwork dotted throughout to break up the text, it’s a lovely zine to look at – bit of a shame that the zine is entirely written in comic sans font, but that’s just me being a font snob!

Bi Community News

Edited by Jen Y, Manchester – www.bicommunitynews.co.uk

BCN is a regularly-published (maga)zine for bisexuals, with lots of great resources on offer including local group listings, news, upcoming events, national bi organisations, and publications of interest.  Alongside the regulars we read some longer articles and opinion pieces; this issue features writings on mythbusting bisexuality, gender and romantic relationships, and reflections on starting up a bi group.  The zine has a professional, almost glossy feel, and this issue is printed entirely in colour.  I cannot recommend this zine enough to my fellow bisexuals!  I had the pleasure of meeting the editor Jen at Sheffield Zine Fest, and she tells me that BCN is always looking for contributors – drop her a line at editor @ bicommunitynews.co.uk.

Tempest In A Teacup #6

Louise, Lincoln – directingshipsxo.tumblr.com

The 6^th issue of Louise’s feminist perzine, written especially for SZF, seems to focus on moving beyond her negative experiences to make positive changes in her life.  We read stories about major life changes including new friendships, new pets, travel, loss, bereavement, assault, and career change.  Louise closes the zine with a positive piece on her hopes for 2013 and beyond.  The layouts are fairly plain and cute this time around – mostly black text on white background, with some stickers and pretty pictures of women and cats here and there. A very nice read!

Hard Femme

Kirsty Fife, Lewisham – kirstywinters.etsy.com

This is half-sized perzine all about the concept of hard femme, femininity outside of social norms, and what this means to the author.  Rather than focusing on the style aspect of hard femme, Kirsty focuses on themes of resilience, self-reliance, strength, survival, and “femininity on its own terms”.  Her hard femme identity includes being fat and strong, being marked with bruises and scars, modifying her body, and surviving a childhood partly lived in poverty.  Entirely handwritten in Kirsty’s scruffy capitalised handwriting, laid over leopard-print backgrounds, the layout itself feels very true to the hard femme aesthetic!  A powerful, thoughtful zine that gave me lots to think about.

I Love Myself: A Self-Care Zine

Kirsty Fife, Lewisham – kirstywinters.etsy.com

Another zine by the same lady; this time, a minizine on the importance of self-love and body confidence, which folds out to reveal an A4 “self-care map” full of self-care tips.  Love it love it love it - I want to photocopy this zine and put a copy inside every glossy magazine I see!

Awaiting an Epiphany

Rachel, Stoke-on-Trent - http://www.awaitinganepiphany.co.uk/

I’ve been waiting to get my hands on this zine for aaages!  It’s a perzine that focuses on the things that mean the most to Rachel, and the cover features a painting of her late rabbit Taff, whom Rachel had hoped to write about but couldn’t quite face just yet.  Inside, we read about her ME and recent frustrations where she was badly misrepresented in a local newspaper interview on ME (reading it made me sooo angry!), her love for the Manic Street Preachers and meeting the band, and a thoughtful piece on extinction and the lesser-known species that humanity has wiped out.  The zine closes with some zine reviews, and lists of things Rachel has enjoyed recently.  A lovely read, with a nice variety of topics.  

D&D Virgin

Emily, Sheffield – www.emilytulett.com

D&D Virgin is a friendly zine all about the author’s love for fantasy roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons, and includes an explanation as to how the author got into D&D, the story of her first gaming experience (where she played the role of an elf cleric named Tia), a basic guide to the game, and a glossary of terms.  I’m not sure I’d have the patience to play D&D (some games can potentially stretch to 10 years long!), but Emily’s enthusiasm is very infectious!

Buy Her Candy #5

Bettie, Sheffield – manufacturinghearts.blogspot.com

This issue of BHC was written for Sheffield Zine Fest (Bettie was one of the organisers!), and has a mostly positive and strong tone.  Bettie writes about feeling empowered at Sheffield Reclaim the Night, meeting fellow “rad fats” at the Yorkshire Rad Fat plus-size clothes swap event, tabling at London Queer Zine Fest, and more thoughts on her identity as a “hard femme dyke”.  The zine closes with an angrier piece on her frustrations that so many zines and blogs about body hair focus on the “normal” areas of pit, leg and pubic hair, with no mention of facial hair or excessively dark/thick hair (completely agree with this – I’d also add that many of these writers tend to be white, thin, cisgendered women too, which grants them certain privileges when it comes to growing out body hair)!  An introspective and personal zine, this may be my favourite issue so far!

Pylon

Jacob Tomlinson, England – www.candle-party.tumblr.com

I’ve started to get into comic zines more and more, and Pylon is one of my recent favourites.  The story is described by the author as “about not spiralling inside online and the importance of nice people in your life”.  After getting frustrated and angsty online, the protagonist is taken on an adventure by an internet friend where they travel to another dimension and skim stones over the clouds.  Expressive drawings and a great story make this a lovely read.  The cover looks good too, printed on glossy paper.

Bolam Retrospective (Grab bag/package)

Richard Bolam – richardbolamat50.wordpress.com

Bolam is a mixed-media modern artist, and this Retrospective package is part of an “ongoing project to catalogue, curate and present [his] life's work in art” towards his 50th birthday.  The zine package doesn’t seem to be a retrospective in and of itself, but part of the larger project; having read through his blog, I think the project will culminate in an art exhibition, although it’s not immediately clear whether this is the case.  The package contains issues 1 through 7 of Bolam’s art zine, along with other fun goodies including a fridge magnet, some coasters, and business cards.  I have to be honest and say that I didn’t understand what the art meant, but I don't want to be dismissive of Bolam’s work - perhaps I'm not the right audience.  I can’t say I found the content engaging, as I’m not a fan of modern art, but from a design point of view, it’s a lovely tactile package, and each issue is very different from the others, so it feels like a good introduction to Bolam’s work.  Check out his website for more info about the Retrospective project.

Zine News Round-Up: 07.04.13

picture by Liz Prince - thanks!

Seems to be a very quiet one this fortnight… or maybe we just haven’t been able to find enough zine news?  Keep sending us your news (or news that you’ve heard of that you think we’d like to hear about)! It’s just me running the blog at the moment so there’s only so much of the internet I can read! Spillthezinesuk @ gmail.com.

Cath

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1. Zine Releases

2. Upcoming Events

3. Submission Calls

4. Distro news

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1. Zine Releases

- The latest Lights Go Out zine is out now, featuring reviews of gigs from 2012 . details here: http://www.lightsgoout.co.uk/?product=lights-go-out-issue-20 
- Let us know if we’ve missed anything - spillthezinesukATgmail.com!

2. Upcoming Events

- Artists’ Bookmarket: Saturday 20 April, The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, 11am til 6pm.  Lots of artwork and zines on sale! More details at https://www.facebook.com/events/499067516818389/
 - Victoria Baths Fanzine Fair: Sunday 5 May, Victoria Baths, Manchester, 12 til 4pm.  More info here: http://www.victoriabaths.org.uk/visit/2013/family-friendly-trail/

3. Submission Calls

- Kat W is looking for reviews, essays, quotes and artwork for her Stephen King fanzine, titled ‘Death Is When The Monsters Get You’.  For more info, email kjwilliams1986ATgmail.com.

- Annabell is creating a zine called ‘fōbēə’, focusing on strange and obscure phobias. Illustration, articles, and stories all welcome, and even if you don't fancy submitting but have an obscure phobia you’d like to share, that would be helpful too. More info, email annabell.daltonATgmail.com
- Poor Lass, a zine about working class women, is looking for submissions for its second issue!  More info at https://www.facebook.com/PoorLassZine.
- If you have any art that you want to put out into the world please feel free to submit them to Brown Paper Bundles! Get in touch at thechickencoop @ live.co.uk.
- Beth Siveyer is looking for submissions for an updated e-zine titled 'We Heart Lisa Simpson'.  Lots more info here: http://bethsiveyer.tumblr.com/post/47471948303/ive-decided-to-redesign-my-we-heart-lisa-simpson
- Feminist campaign 'Armpits for August' are looking for submissions on their zine about women's body hair.  For more info, check out their website http://armpits4august.org/.
- Pandora Press, a feminist compzine from Swansea, are looking for submissions for their 6th issue! The theme is body.  More info at http://swanseafeministnetwork.wordpress.com.

4. Distro News

- Marching Stars Distro is off hiatus, and has had a big redesign! Woo! www.marchingstars.co.uk
- Lots more zines in stock at Vampire Sushi Distro! http://shop.vampiresushi.co.uk/

- New stock at Princesa Pirata Distro! http://princesapiratadistro.wordpress.com/about-2/
- SW Zines website updated with new zines: http://swzinecollective.weebly.com/our-zines.html 

5. AOB
 - Check out this video about last weekend's DIY Cultures 2013 zine fest: 

Zine Reviews: March '13

Social Notworking

Sofia Niazi, England – www.sowfia.blogspot.com

A cute little comic zine about the phenomenon of  Social Network Syndrome (SNS), written by imaginary scientist Dr Gustav von Schneider.  In this study, he details the development of SNS, the symptoms (compulsive behaviour, unfounded anxiety, and loss of concentration), experiments, psychotherapy notes, and the 4 distinctive types of SNS sufferers.  Presented as a scientific study, complete with observations and conclusions, this zine is so original and entertaining!

Opinionated Nobody #2

Rebecca, Barnsley - http://sullen-hearts.blogspot.co.uk/

Inside this lovely little perzine, Rebecca writes introspective stories which reveal a great deal about her personal life, including going on a “fat swimming trip” organised by the Yorkshire Rad Fat Collective, her fascination with the Christian Patriarchy Movement, her favourite bed, meeting up with some zinesters at last year’s Little Zine Party, thoughts on religion after studying theology at university, and her love of to-do lists.  Rebecca’s style of writing is nice and easy to read, and I love how it feels you get to know Rebecca well when reading her zines.  I like the layouts too – clean and neat, with handwriting and computer-printed text.  Email or write to Rebecca to grab a copy.

Athemaura #3

Anon, Surrey – http://athemaura.weebly.com/1/category/athemaura/1.html 

A half-sized, horizontal zine with a cool tracing paper cover and messy cut-and-pastey layouts, Athemaura #3 is more personal than previous issues, focusing on details from the author's life.  Inside, we read a long piece about her struggles working with difficult colleagues in her beloved library, which escalated to the point where she had to resign.  She then goes on to discuss the positive things that she has done since, including volunteering with a wildlife project, growing vegetables, and cat-sitting.  We also read about the death of her beautiful dog Jazz (along with a photo – what a cutie!), and some thoughts on bullying in adulthood, and how we should speak out when we witness people being shitty to others.  Though she writes about some upsetting and frustrating experiences (I felt sooo angry when reading about her awful colleagues at the library!), she seems to take a positive approach to it all, encouraging the reader to learn from horrible incidents in their lives, and to be aware of what’s going on around them and help others in need. 

Paper and Ink Vol. 1: Broken Hearts and Broken Bottles

Edited by Martin Appleby, England – http://inpursuitofexpression.blogspot.com

Paper and Ink is a collaborative literary zine featuring short stories and poetry by a selection of writers.  The theme is heartbreak, and the featured pieces are all good quality and lovely to read.  The layouts are clean and functional – black text printed on white background, with lots of blank space on each page, and a different font used for each contributor, which I thought was a nice touch.  It’s quite short at 14 pages, so I managed to devour it very quickly! One of the better lit zines I've read for a long time.

Buy Her Candy #3

Bettie, Sheffield – http://manufacturinghearts.blogspot.com

Buy Her Candy is a consistently good queer/feminist perzine, and no issue ever disappoints!  This issue features short pithy pieces on letter-writing, growing up and feeling as if she’ll never be a ‘proper’ adult (me too!), and queer identity.  There’s also a very sweet story about missing post involving an elderly lady assuming Bettie and Ingrid are children writing to each other!  Bettie includes some short reviews of zines she has enjoyed recently at the back of the zine.  The layouts are really cool – cut and paste, with lots of stickers and simple striking imagery.  Highly recommended!

Want us to review your zine? Details here.

Review: Sheffield Zine Fest 2013

photo of Sugar Paper's stall by Emma Jane Falconer - thanks!

This is a guest post by Caitlin Gwynn.  Caitlin is a feminist zinester, co-founder of the Swansea Feminist Network, and amateur music journalist.  You can find her on Twitter at @WonderCaitlin. 

Last Saturday saw two fabulous zinesters, Bettie (of Buy Her Candy and Anatomical Heart) and Chella Quint (of Adventures In Menstruating) pair up to organise Sheffield Zine Fest. After a previous successful zine fest in the city back in 2011, the pair joined forces to organise their own event celebrating DIY zine culture.

Tabling at the event were our very own editor, Cath Elms, renowned zine distros Vampire Sushi and Marching Stars, as well as other names previously featured on this blog, such as Sugar Paper and Fanzine Ynfytyn. As well as old and established names, there was much on offer to discover, such as the lovingly put together Young Explorer zine written by Steve and Liz (www.youngexplorerzine.blogspot.co.uk) and the brilliant Kirsty Fife, writer of Make It Work and Hard Femme zines (she can be found at fattyunbound.blogspot.co.uk). Whilst it goes without saying that the majority of the tablers were primarily zine makers, several tables dedicated themselves to selling other crafty wares. For example, the delightful table from Emily & Anne (www.emilyandanne.co.uk) that had zoetropes and flipbooks for sale as well as zines, and Lolly (lollylikesfatshion.blogspot.co.uk) who kindly brought along vegan cakes for hungry zinesters. A communal table was also available for those who wanted to leave their zines for members of the public to pick up for free.  

Along with the actual zines themselves, the organisers offered a wide range of workshops taking place throughout the day: everything from body positivity to working on a collaboration zine with Hollaback Sheffield to getting some inspiration for creating zines from Emma Jane Falconer (Emma’s own round-up of the event can be found on her blog).  Cath Elms put on a workshop discussing zines and feminism, and brought along enough materials for attendees to create their very own works of art, which they did with sheer enthusiasm. Looking at the different mini zines that each attendee created was a wonderful testament to what can be done in the zine format, as every zine created was entirely different to the next.

Looking at the actual venue itself, the Electric Works had the strong advantage of being very central to Sheffield town centre, and central to the bus / train station, handy for anyone coming from further afield. Also, more importantly, it has a helter skelter, and has the amazing honour of being Britain’s first indoor office helter skelter.

Our only complaint about the day is that four hours went surprisingly quickly! Kudos to Bettie and Chella for organising a wonderful event that celebrated the best and brightest in self-publication and supporting the clearly flourishing creative zine scene in the UK (and further afield, of course!). There was an overwhelmingly positive atmosphere at the event, and supplied a safe and positive space where all attendees were free to enjoy and support the creativity of others. We look forward to 2014 already!  

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If you liked Caitlin's review, check out these other reviews of the event:

Forbidden Planet (yes, that Forbidden Planet!): http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2013/sheffield-zine-fest/

Emma Jane Falconer: http://emmajanefalconer.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/sheffield-zine-fest-redux.html

Rebecca McCormick: http://sullen-hearts.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/sheffield-zine-fest-and-what-i-wore.html

Cath (STZ editor): http://blatantblithe.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/zine-fests-workshops-and-feministing/

Jenna Lee Alldread: http://jennaleealldread.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-sheffield-zine-fest-2013.html

Richard Bolam: http://richardbolamat50.wordpress.com/2013/03/20/i-printed-i-stapled-i-zined-sheffield-zine-fest-2013/

Zine News Round-Up: 18.03.13

photo by Ten Minute Reviews - thanks!

Had to post our news round-up a day late due to how tired we were this weekend after Sheffield Zine Fest (a review of the event will be published on Sunday)!  Enjoy!

Cath

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1. Zine Releases

2. Upcoming Events

3. Submission Calls

4. Distro news

4. AOB

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1. Zine Releases

- ‘Buy Her Candy’ #5, a queer feminist perzine, was released this weekend!  Contact Bettie for a copy. Details here.

- ‘Pandora Press #6: The Media Issue’, is out now.  Details on how to buy a copy can be found at the Swansea Feminist Network blog.

- ‘Paper and Ink: A Literary Zine’ was released this week.  More info at http://www.inpursuitofexpression.com/p/zine.html  

- Issue 6 of ‘The Strange New Times Zine’ is out now! More info about the zine can be found at http://thesnt.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/issue06-sneak-peak-pics.html  

2. Upcoming Events

 - DIY Cultures 2013: Sunday 7 April, 12 til 7pm.  A festival of zines, comics, artist-run spaces, talks, films, art and workshops.  http://www.facebook.com/events/590291354321604/?ref=2  

 - Any upcoming UK zine events?  Let us know – spillthezinesukATgmail.com!

3. Submission Calls

 - ‘Narwool’ is a new zine by and for crafty people, featuring tutorials, how-to’s, artwork, and more.  To submit, contact the editor Kim at narwoolzineAThotmail.co.uk.

- Twigs and Apples, a zine collective based in Preston, are looking for submissions for their latest comp zine.  Welcome topics include “art, illustration, photography, writing, reviews, music, film, veganism, recipes, anarchism, environmentalism, sports, gardening, bike-riding, philosophy, travel, DIY & craft”.  More info at http://twigsandapples.tumblr.com  

 - Kat W is looking for reviews, essays, quotes and artwork for her Stephen King fanzine, titled ‘Death Is When The Monsters Get You’.  For more info, email kjwilliams1986ATgmail.com.

- Annabell is creating a zine called ‘fōbēə’, focusing on strange and obscure phobias. Illustration, articles, and stories all welcome, and even if you don't fancy submitting but have an obscure phobia you’d like to share, that would be helpful too. More info, email annabell.daltonATgmail.com

4. Distro News

- There’s a new distro in town! Girls Get Busy zine distro stocks feminist/female-authored zines.  Take a look at their developing catalogue and buy some cool zines at http://girlsgetbusyzine.bigcartel.com/category/distro

5. AOB

- Check out this cool short film about Sheffield Zine Fest! http://youtu.be/uA2Z3NrXZ8k

Zine News Round-Up: 24.02.13

image by Angry Violist - thanks!

1. Zine Releases

2. Upcoming Events

3. Submission Calls

4. AOB

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1. Zine Releases
 - Poor Lass #1, “a collection of stories of what it's really like to be working class”, is out now!  Buy a copy for £2 at http://sugarpaper.bigcartel.com/product/poor-lass-1

 - Becoming: A Feminist Coming of Age, a zine created by Project:BABE, is out now!  Contact the editors for a copy at projectbabecollectiveATgmail.com.

2. Upcoming Events
 - Workshop on Zines and Feminism: Thursday 8^th March, 10.30am at Swansea University.  Part of the Swansea Feminist Network’s workshop day for International Women’s Day.  More info at http://swanseafeministnetwork.wordpress.com.
 - Sheffield Zine Fest: Saturday 16 March, 12 til 5pm.  The organisers are looking for people to table and hold workshops – more info and contact details can be found at http://sheffieldzinefest.wordpress.com/ .
 - REVOLT #2: Saturday 16 March, Taylor John’s House, Coventry.  A riot grrrl night with zine stalls and feminist music.  http://www.facebook.com/events/532368940127398/?ref=2
 - DIY Cultures 2013: Sunday 7 April, 12 til 7pm.  A festival of zines, comics, artist-run spaces, talks, films, art and workshops.  http://www.facebook.com/events/590291354321604/?ref=2
 - Any upcoming UK zine events?  Let us know – spillthezinesukATgmail.com!

3. Submission Calls
 - Pandora Press, a feminist compzine published by the Swansea Feminist Network, is looking for contributors for its 5^th issue (theme: media).  Extended deadline: 28 February.  More info at http://swanseafeministnetwork.wordpress.com

 - Kat W is looking for reviews, essays, quotes and artwork for her Stephen King fanzine, titled ‘Death Is When The Monsters Get You’.  For more info, email kjwilliams1986ATgmail.com.
 - ‘Narwool’ is a new zine by and for crafty people, featuring tutorials, how-to’s, artwork, and more.  To submit, contact the editor Kim at narwoolzineAThotmail.co.uk.

 - There’s a Doctor Who fanzine in the works!  Lots of detailed information can be found at http://type-40-zine.tumblr.com/Submission-Guidelines

 - Twigs and Apples, a zine collective based in Preston, are looking for submissions for their latest comp zine.  Welcome topics include “art, illustration, photography, writing, reviews, music, film, veganism, recipes, anarchism, environmentalism, sports, gardening, bike-riding, philosophy, travel, DIY & craft”.  More info at http://twigsandapples.tumblr.com.

4. AOB
- Kirsty, of Make It Work/Hard Femme zines, is currently doing an oral history project on zinesters as part of an MA in Archives and Records Management, and is looking for people to get involved. She can travel to you (or vice versa) and you'll have a 1-2 hour chat about zines, how you started making them, your involvement in the community and so on, anything you want to talk about! Fancy being involved? Or know someone who does/want to recommend someone? Email Kirsty at kirsty.fifeATgmail.com.

Guest Post: How I make my zines, by Emma Falconer

This is a guest post written by Emma Jane Falconer, which originally appeared on her blog 'Emma Makes Stuff'.  Emma is a zinester, illustrator, photographer, and film-maker.  You can find out more about her work at www.emmajanefalconer.com. 

This is how I personally make my zines, mixed in with a few tips for beginners. There's no right or wrong way (aside from doing things like accidentally making it unreadable once photocopied or forgetting about your margins and cutting off half the text). If you want a more in-depth guide to all things zine-related, I can recommend Stolen Sharpie Revolution. You can see all the back issues of my zines on my website.

What I put in them:

I have these two notebooks. The small one is for jotting down ideas. When I think of things, it's usually not when I have the time to actually make them. If I don't write them down, I tend to forget.

The ideas notebook has pages set aside for various categories of things.

I usually write out the contents longhand first. I revise and edit them when I type them up on the computer. If I write them straight on the computer I'm more likely to get distracted. The important thing is to write about the things that personally interest you, not what you feel you "should" write about. Fads in zines come and go like anything else, and sometimes it seems like everyone is writing about a certain topic, and then next year it's something different.

Making the pages:

I make the pages on separate sheets and then glue them onto one master sheet.

I keep all sorts of interesting scraps in this old biscuit tin for zine and collage use. Things like magazine pictures, food packaging and travel tickets.

For the backgrounds I cut pieces of paper about 1cm smaller in each direction than the finished page. That way the margins are built in, and I can't go over them. Things like old wrapping paper, tourist maps, the inside of business envelopes and magazine pages are good sources. You want high contrast patterns, things with delicate colours don't photocopy well. I try to have facing pages have the same background design if they're part of the same article.

I also print off some patterns on the computer. You can get books of copyright free patterns that you are allowed to use for small-scale projects like zines.

I keep all kinds of interesting pictures in the tin too. The blue thing is a Bulgarian metro ticket. If I want to use my own photos, I up the contrast before printing them on the computer. Again think about how well the pictures will copy.

The tools of the trade: glue, scissors, markers (I use Posca ones), correction pen. I recommend sticking to the well-known brands of glue. I've had bad experiences with cheap glue sticks not sticking very well. I wouldn't use fancy or best scissors, because you *will* end up with glue marks on them. I keep a scrap piece of paper to one side to glue on.

I print out my text set into columns. For one column per landscape page I make it 8cm across, for two 5.5 cm. I stick to 9/10 pt Baskerville for the text, and pick one decorative font per issue to use for titles. Too many different jarring fonts hurt your readers' eyes. The fine-tipped scissors come in very useful for this stage. They were £2 in Wilko. In the UK Wilkinson's is a great source for zine stuff. They sell cheap card-making supplies, which are the same things that are useful for zines (I swear by their paper folding tools).

I do pages when I feel like it, and set them aside until I have 24 that I feel will make an issue together. Sometimes they sit in the box for quite a while until they find a home. When I've got enough, I arrange them in order, and then write the pages numbers on the corners. Numbering your pages is very important, it makes assembling much easier once you've photocopied.

I label my master sheet with the numbers (some tips here) and glue the page sheets on, then I'm ready to photocopy.

Zine News Round-Up: 10.02.13

photo by Tukru

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1. Zine Releases

2. Upcoming Events

3. Submission Calls

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1. Zine Releases
- Lisa, author of perzine ‘Sometimes I’m Dreaming’, has released a travel zine about her recent visit to Japan, titled ‘Japanese Whispers’.  Buy your copy at her etsy store.

 - Emma Falconer’s new full-colour zine ‘Little Whisper Smoke Signs That You’ll Never Get’ #2 is available to buy from her website.
 - ‘Opinionated Nobody’ #4, a feminist perzine, is out now!  To buy/trade a copy, get in touch with the author Rebs @ http://sullen-hearts.blogspot.co.uk/
 - Emma, author of ‘Angry Violist’ has released the third issue of her perzine ‘Hedgehog in the Fog’ this week.  To buy or trade a copy, get in touch with her at angry.violistATgmail.com.

2. Upcoming Events
 - Sheffield Zine Fest: Saturday 16 March, 12 til 5pm.  The organisers are looking for people to table and hold workshops – more info and contact details can be found at http://sheffieldzinefest.wordpress.com/ .
 - REVOLT #2: Saturday 16 March, Taylor John’s House, Coventry.  A riot grrrl night with zine stalls and feminist music.  http://www.facebook.com/events/532368940127398/?ref=2
 - DIY Cultures 2013: Sunday 7 April, 12 til 7pm.  A festival of zines, comics, artist-run spaces, talks, films, art and workshops.  http://www.facebook.com/events/590291354321604/?ref=2
 - Any upcoming UK zine events?  Let us know – spillthezinesukATgmail.com!

3. Submission Calls
 - Pandora Press, a feminist compzine published by the Swansea Feminist Network, is looking for contributors for its 5^th issue (theme: media).  Extended deadline: 28 February.  More info at http://swanseafeministnetwork.wordpress.com

 - Kat W is looking for reviews, essays, quotes and artwork for her Stephen King fanzine, titled ‘Death Is When The Monsters Get You’.  For more info, email kjwilliams1986ATgmail.com.
 - ‘Narwool’ is a new zine by and for crafty people, featuring tutorials, how-to’s, artwork, and more.  To submit, contact the editor Kim at narwoolzineAThotmail.co.uk.

 - There’s a Doctor Who fanzine in the works!  Lots of detailed information can be found at http://type-40-zine.tumblr.com/Submission-Guidelines

Zine Reviews: January 2013

Angry Violist #5.5

Emma, Cambridge – http://angryviolist.wordpress.com

Angry Violist is one of my favourite UK zines – Emma writes about classical music and esoteric musical ideas in a fairly accessible way, and I feel as if I’ve enriched my mind somewhat after delving into her writing.  This particular issue was created in 24 hours, so it’s a little shorter and messier than other issues, and is rather more personal and opinionated.  The zine opens with a fascinating piece on the hierarchy of music, sound and noise, and how these 3 intertwine, illustrated with a detailed Venn diagram (who doesn’t enjoy a good Venn diagram?).  We also read about the discipline of acoustic violin/viola/cello playing, and “the wilderness of exceptionally loud and distorted noises” that emerge when you hook your instrument up to an amplifier.  My favourite piece was about the joy and vulnerability of making music with other musicians, and the danger of comparing yourself to other musicians.  The layout is messy and cut-and-paste, though the focus of the zine is the words rather than the visuals.  I adore this zine series - Emma strikes me as a knowledgeable musician, and her zines are always so vibrant and engrossing! 

Girlzone #2: In Your Dreams

Edited by Charlotte Cullen, Huddersfield – http://project-babe.tumblr.com

This lovely half-sized compzine is all about girly sleepovers, an empowering practice of female bonding and exploration that are “an important part of any adolescent adventure”.  We read tips for good sleepovers, how to build a fort, nail art ideas, a list of perfect sleepover films, and tales of sleepovers gone wrong.  There are also pieces of artwork dotted throughout, and the centrefold is a big pink Ouija board!  Printed in colour and bound with pink and green cotton thread, it’s a cute, quirky zine (though unfortunately due to the way it’s been printed, it’s a bit difficult to read in places).  Highly recommended!

Light of My Life: Adventures in Low-power Lighting #1
Flo, Leeds – http://ledfantasticblog.wordpress.com

Light of My Life is a cool half-sized zine all about LEDs, created by Flo while on an electrical apprenticeship.  It’s packed full of info about LEDs, including the advantages of using them over other types of lighting (namely, you save around 92% energy!), how and where to work with them, and how to make a 12-volt LED circuit.  There’s also a list of things Flo loves about their apprenticeship.  It’s a short zine with a nice cut and paste look, and Flo’s enthusiasm for their work is really lovely to read.

Agua Pura: A Month on the US/Mexico Border

Kathleen, Leeds - agua.pura.zineATgmail.com

Kathleen, author of perzine ‘Scratch that Itch’, wrote this zine all about her experiences working as a paramedic providing humanitarian aid on the US/Mexico border.  Every year, thousands of people from central America walk for days through the searing heat of the desert to cross the US/Mexico border, pushed to do so by “economic imperative, systematic violence and family ties”.  Kathleen writes much about the experiences of the travellers – the exhaustion and terror, dehydration and frequent deaths along the way, the US Border Patrol’s overzealous hunting of travellers using helicopters, drones, ATVs and dogs, and Kathleen’s struggle to emotionally detach herself from the events in the desert.  We also read about her personal experiences there – her colleagues, rattlesnakes, finding a dying traveller at the side of the road and being legally unable to drive him to get help, and hearing that a friend of hers died by his own hand while she was away.  The layout is nice – mostly black text on white background, with illustrations, comic strips, and some handwritten sections.  I also love the blue ink on the cover and centrefold.  A very well-written and thoughtful story.

Her Kind #1

Amy Isme, England - herkindAToutlook.com

I picked this zine up for free at a riot grrrl night in Coventry called REVOLT, and it’s actually one of the best British zines I’ve read for ages!  Her Kind is a half-sized perzine that features themes of queerness, sisterhood, illustration, erotica, feminism, and body acceptance.  It’s quite disjointed, featuring lots of little things rather than any extended pieces – lots of illustrated quotes on the topic of eroticism and lesbianism, a sexy piece of erotic fiction (AKA “the one-handed read”), an illustration of her heroine Delphine Seyrig, an open letter to Amy’s school bullies, and some awesome feminist-themed illustrations!  The zine closes with a passionate piece on the power and wonder of the cunt – I adore the whole thing, but especially the image of a turned-on cunt widening “as if trying to hook itself around the furthest-away stars in the galaxy, travelling further & further up into space, making all of the infinite BLACKNESS throb & throb”.  Such beautiful imagery!  Her Kind is intelligent, accepting, and affirming – it’s the kind of zine I wish I could copy and give out to everyone I know!