Zine News Round-Up: 27.11.11

photo by Catherine Elms

1. Zine Releases

2. Upcoming Events

3. Submission Calls

4. Distro News

5. AOB (Any Other Business)

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1. Zine Releases
- RAGE, a counter-zine for freshers published out of London, is now available to view online for free!  Definitely worth a flick-through. http://rageofmaidens.wordpress.com/rage-zine/

- London art zine “Naked Victorian Babes in Space” was released last week, and according to the author, “it does exactly what it says on the tin”.  Contact the author for your copy here (she also has a free zine out called “Screw Your Zine”, so ask for that one too!).

- “Snow Black’s Dresses: Paper Doll Adventures” is out now!  Each copy comes with 7 paper dolls for you to dress yourself! http://www.etsy.com/shop/SnowBlacksShop

- Rum Lad #5 is out now, featuring stories and drawings detailing the Moloch/Thou tour of the West Coast of USA.  Buy a copy at Steve’s website or at Vampire Sushi distro.

- Welsh zine “Sadwrn” (welsh for both “Saturday” and the planet Saturn) was released this week.  The zine features poetry in Welsh and English, and a Wales-inspired dream.  Read it online here.

2. Upcoming Events
- ShadowPlay’s fanzine evening: 30^th November. 7pm til 10pm at Drink, Shop & Do in Kings Cross, London on the 30th November from 7pm-10pm. More information can be found on their blog.

- Charity art groups Egaku and Smile have teamed up to organise a Christmas Charity Art fair on 1^st December.  4 til 9.30pm at  Designersblock, London. To donate artwork to be sold, get in touch asap at EgakuSmileATgmailDOTcom.

- Girls Get Busy Zines & Art Exhibition: 3^rd – 4^th December at The Shaklewell Arms, London.  12 til 5pm. More info here.

- Bristol Radical Zine Fest: 12^th February 2012, 12 til 6pm at Kebele Community, Co-Op. Want to apply for a table? Email bristolradicalzinefestATgmail.com with a bit about who you are and what you’ll be selling before 8^th January 2012.

3. Submission Calls
- R is collecting submissions for a zine written about and for people who hear voices.  Any kind of submissions are welcome - personal and technical/academic writing is welcome in any format from prose to poetry and beyond.  Artwork is welcome.  Any submissions or questions about the project can be emailed to gadfi_um AT yahoo dot co dot uk.

- Dirty Grrrl zine is looking for personal pieces about exploring one’s sexuality.  Writing, poetry, and artwork welcome.  Questions and submissions can be sent to dirtygrrrlcollectiveATgmail.com.

- Katy B is starting a new project called “Three Days In…”, and is looking for submissions on travels you’ve been on, your home town, or a place you’ve researched that you’ve always wanted to visit.  Photos and mementos can be submitted too. For more info, email katyATgirlindustries.com.

- AK from Princesa Pirata Distro is calling for submissions on the topic of consent.  She is looking for pieces about one’s own experiences, but also welcome are helpful tips, text you might have seen in other zines, useful resources, good books to read etc.  Deadline: end of January 2012. Contact princesapirataATwildmail.com for more info.

- Make It Work is “a  DIY fat radical craft zine, focusing on strategies for resistance, tutorials and craft projects for fellow awesome fats”.  They’re looking for submissions for their next issue.  More info can be found at their tumblr.

- Want to contribute artwork or writing to the tenth issue of the Girls Get Busy zine, a nonprofit feminist collective? Email girlsgetbusyzineATgmail.com by 16^th December!

4. Distro News

- Marching Stars was updated last Tuesday with more zines and oodles of new descriptions! www.marchingstars.co.uk

- There are new zines, bookmarks, and crafty bits available at Pushpin Zines!

5. A.O.B.
- Emma Jane Falconer (of Fanzine Ynfytyn) is giving away zine grab bags and Fanzine Ynfytyn mixpacks. Grab yours at her etsy store before she runs out!

Zine Reviews: November '11

*trigger warning re: sexual assault and violence against women*

Brash #2

Alana, London - http://alanasartwork.blogspot.com

Brash reminds me exactly of what zines are all about – a messy cut-and-paste zine all about Alana’s passion for skateboarding and art.  Inside, we read about Alana getting involved in a skating competition and meeting other awesome female skateboarders, and reviews of CDs and books she enjoys.  She interviews female skater Georgie Winter, one of the first lady skaters Alana ever met, and illustrator Bunny Bissoux (the lady behind this year’s BZF design).  The zine closes with a list of things Alana recommends to the reader, including Horse Zine and Rogue, the UK’s first girls only skate team.  Throughout there are lots of amazing drawings and skater photo collages by Alana which are probably the highlight of the zine.  While there’s not as much personal text as I’d usually like to read in a zine (e.g. some more writing about Alana’s experiences of being a female skater), it's still a lovely read, with some quirky layouts. I love the messy charm of Brash!

Rape Escape: Handy Pointers for Heavy Situations

No contact information

I picked up this zine from Princesa Pirata Distro at one of the summer’s zinefests.  It’s a fairly short half-sized zine detailing a few self-defence tips for women who find themselves in situations that may result in sexual assault.  Advice includes what to say when confronted with verbal sexual harassment, how to fight if someone grabs you, which parts of the body to protect in an attack (always the jaw), and how to be assertive when creeps invade your personal space.  The general tone of the zine is very much one of self-preservation and looking out for other women, and there are lots of genuinely useful tips, for example, “keep a [physical] barrier between you and the attacker” and “do not smile and try to act friendly when saying no”.  I found the section on the “warning signs” of a person who might be a rapist or abuser particularly interesting.  Some tips, however, hover a little too closely to victim-blaming attitudes so often found in “rape prevention” guides, e.g. the oft-repeated “never leave your drink unattended”. There’s no acknowledgement that some tips just may not work, e.g. “communicate your wants and refusals clearly” - sometimes you just can’t “deter sexual assault”, no matter how well you handle the situation.  I think some sort of disclaimer should’ve been included in this zine, explaining that it’s easy to forget what you’re ‘supposed’ to do when you’re frightened for your life (e.g. if someone threatens you with a weapon), and that it’s never the victim’s fault for doing the wrong thing – the attacker is the only one responsible for the attack.  I’m sure that the writer(s) of this zine agree, but it’s important to reiterate nonetheless.  Recommended with caution.

Girls Who Fight

Various - magazineATtheydid.org.uk

A quarter-sized feminist compzine, Girls Who Fight is quite a mixed bag – we read light-hearted stories, drawings, reviews, and cartoons, all focusing on strong, inspiring women, but in other places the zine reminds me of a teen magazine, with its focus on fashion, advice, and whimsy – though the content is of course far more DIY and female-friendly.  There’s a cool 5-page spread filled with lots of sweet questions and answers, including “What did your mother always tell you?” (“to never walk barefoot on a kitchen floor”) and “What is your most embarrassing moment?” (“being caught stealing from a library”).  The “Rad or Bad” feature is another little gem, where the writers list their likes and dislikes; also included is a fashion page of the writers modelling “clothes we didn’t pay for”.  In true zine style, there are some tasty recipes at the back.  It’s a bit mish-mash – not quite a fashion/pop magazine, and not quite a DIY feminist zine. But for 50p, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Tragic Boffin #2

Donna, Edinburgh – tragicboffinATgmail.com

Another lovely little zine by Donna.  This issue of Tragic Boffin is very similar to the first in terms of themes and visuals (read my review of the first issue here).  We read about what Donna has been up to since the last zine, how she manages her depression with good food and plenty of sleep, and riding her bike Polly.  She also discusses the world overpopulation argument against human reproduction in a lengthy piece, considering how people tend to rush into having children without thinking about the responsibilities involved (something I completely agree with – I’m one of the few women from my class in school who hasn’t had a baby!).  There are also little random thoughts dotted between each longer piece, such as Donna’s wish to be able to talk to animals, or the lack of positive role models for girls.  A thoughtful, whimsical zine, but a little too short!

Moments of Struggle: An Illustrated Introduction to some Anarchist History

Isy Morgan, Brighton  - www.morgenmuffel.co.uk

This is a short quarter-sized zine written by Isy (of Morgenmuffel zine), all about anarchism through the ages.  She takes us through a number of key moments in history, including the anarchist-esque human origins, the heretics of the Middle Age church, the French Revolution, 17^th century Piracy, and the Russian Revolution.  At the back, Isy includes some further reading.  The zine is presented as a comic strip, all drawn in Isy’s signature style, with a little humour thrown in.  Very well-designed and informative, you can tell that Isy has done some good research on this.  And it’s only 50p!  Brilliant!

Zine News Round-Up: 13.11.11

image by Catherine Elms

1. Zine Releases

2. Upcoming Events

3. Submission Calls

4. Distro News

5. AOB (Any Other Business)

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1. Zine Releases
- Snow Black's first zine has just been released, called Paper Doll Adventures Chapter One. It includes 6 stories from paper doll hoarder, Snow Black, and also includes one exclusive paper doll drawn for the zine. Each zine is signed and stitched by Snow Black, and can be found at her Etsy shop.

2. Upcoming Events
- ShadowPlay’s fanzine evening: 30^th November. 7pm til 10pm at Drink, Shop & Do in Kings Cross, London on the 30th November from 7pm-10pm. More information can be found on their blog.

- Girls Get Busy zine will be having their first ever exhibition next month, including lots of amazing live music as well as some great artists and zines. It takes place at the Shacklewell Arms in London from the 3rd to the 4th of December. RSVP on Facebook. 

3. Submission Calls
 - Creature Mag are calling for people to create a Movember Moustache character for a project in aid of Movember. The best ones will receive prizes!  Deadline: 30th November. Lots more info can be found on their website.

4. Distro News

- Marching Stars distro is off hiatus! The distro has also added 12 new zines to the site, as well as having lots of zines come back into stock. www.marchingstars.co.uk

5. A.O.B.
 - The Brighton Zine Fest Collective have disbanded, which means there will be no more Brighton Zinefests in the near future. This is very sad news, as BZF is one of the biggest annual UK zine events.  If anyone would like to offer words of support, or offer to hold their own zine event in Brighton, you can join the conversation on BZF's facebook page.

Written by Caitlin and Cath