Zine News Round Up: 25.03.12

image by Strawbleu, 'Loosely Bound Zine Extravaganza'

1. Zine Releases

2. Upcoming Events

3. Submission Calls

4. Distro News

5. AOB (Any Other Business)

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1. Zine Releases
- ‘Your Pretty Face Is Going Straight To Hell’ #16 is out now! Buy a copy through Tukru’s distro, Vampire Sushi, or at her blog.

- ‘Necronomicon’, a fanzine focused on retro horror films, has just released its 22^nd issue! Buy your copy at etsy.
- Louise Viner has released 'Tempest in a Tea Cup' #5 this month! Buy a copy of her feminist perzine at etsy.

- ‘Pandora Press’ #3, a feminist compzine published by the Swansea Feminist Network, is out now! Buy your copy at any upcoming SFN event, or at Marching Stars distro.

- 'Shape & Situate: Posters Of Inspirational European Women' Issue #3 is out now! For a list of places where issues can be found/ordered, visit http://remember-who-u-are.blogspot.com.
Also available via etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/COTL?ref=si_shop

- A brand new ‘Enchanted Times’, an A5 newspaper format zine of re-told fairy tales, is out now!  For more info about the zine and how to order, visit http://enchantedtimes.wordpress.com/.

- ‘The Frightening Church’ was released this week – it’s a zine full of “dreams, hallucinations and thoughts expressed through drawings, words, photography and collage”.  To order the zine contact Robby Shackleton at: hissingframesATgmail.com.

‘Larry’ #5 is out now!  An A5 illustrated perzine, each one is individually numbered and tied.  Get in touch with the author via We Make Zines to buy or trade a copy.

2. Upcoming Events
 - Ladyfest East London: Sunday 1^st April in Hoxton Square.  A day of zines, music, workshops, and cake!  The organisers are looking for people to get involved – email ladyfesteastlondon@gmail.com for more info.

- Victoria Baths Fanzine Convention: Saturday 19^th May at Victoria Baths, Manchester.  There are plenty of spaces for stallholders left – more info can be found here.

- Are you running a zine event in the UK, or do you know of one that we haven’t mentioned yet?  Let us know so we can share the news with our readers!

3. Submission Calls
- Pandora Press is looking for submissions for its 4^th issue!  The theme is “pink”.  For more info and writing prompts, check out this page: http://swanseafeministnetwork.wordpress.com/pandora-press/

- A compzine about arrest experiences are calling for people to submit their stories of being arrested by the police.  Submission deadline is March 31st. Please send all submissions and questions to arreststoriesprojectATriseup.net.

 - A new UK film zine called Human Batteries is looking for submissions for its first issue.  More info can be found on their comprehensive flyer.

4. Distro News

- Black Sunday is in the process of setting up a new UK-based distro that specialises in dark zines, e.g. horror, death, macabre, rock n roll.  If you’re interested in submitting your zine for consideration, email katiedirgeATgmail.com with details of your zine.

- Vampire Sushi is open, with a new design and lots of new stock! www.vampiresushi.co.uk

5. AOB
 - Did you get a chance to pop down to Bradford’s zine extravaganza yesterday? If not, here are some great photos from the day: http://www.flickr.com/photos/strawbleu/sets/72157629294265658/

Zine Reviews: March '12

Xyz #4 / C-Section #1

Will/Chloe - http://zisforzine.blogspot.com

I was originally going to review this zine in my zine review vlog, but I had so much to say about it that I couldn’t fit it all in!  This is a great split-zine, as both sides deal with the overarching theme of trans and genderqueerness, and both make reference to each other rather than remain entirely separate.  Will’s section is as informative and fascinating as ever – we read about the concept of bodily autonomy and its relation to medical care, the Feminine Apologetic (“the performance of socially approved models of femininity as a form of penance for behaviours considered unfeminine”) and The Patriarchal Bargain (when “those who would not otherwise succeed under patriarchy agree to accede to its demands in return for whatever small amount of personal gain they can take from it”), how to avoid menstruating, cis privilege, what oestrogen and testestorone do, and lots of other interesting gender goodness. I love Will for hir ability to write about difficult concepts in a clear and interesting way, and it's clear that ze has really done hir research.  'C-Section' is much more perzine than 'xyz', and deals almost entirely with Chloe’s story of coming out as a trans woman – how, when and why she came out, what it's like to be come out to, and the positives and negatives of coming out.  There’s a particularly interesting piece about children’s reactions to visibly trans/non-binary people, and some thoughts on how parents can or should respond to their child making tactless comments like “THAT’S A MAN!”  Finally, there’s a great section in the middle where both writers discuss their friendship, and a middle page spread of cute notes and facts about each other, e.g. “Will is a bear because… ze is very protective of hir cubs”.  I learned so much from both writers - this is possibly the best zine I’ve read this year.

Elderflower Tea #1
Sarah, Staffordshire – http://elderflowertea.blogspot.com

At only 18 pages long, Elderflower Tea is a fluffy perzine that makes for a quick and cheerful read with a cup of tea.  It has a romantic and whimsical theme; the author discusses daydreaming, friendship, love, flower picking, and her favourite book “The Perks of Being A Wallflower”.  We also read a love letter to Miranda July, and a list of things she loves.  The layouts are neat and pretty, with some doodles, though the typewritten text is fairly messy (not that it bothers me – I think it adds to the charm - but it might bother some). The cover is really cute too.

Sweet & Tender #1: British Gloom

Ariane, Wales - http://goldenscales.wordpress.com

Ariane explains in the introduction that she decided to write about British gloom when she realised that her grumpiness and loneliness made her feel like a cliché - she realised that her fulfilment of this cliché gave her a sense of connecting with a wider community, and that this turning suffering into belonging is a very British thing to do.  She begins with a geographical explanation of British gloom – London has Jack the Ripper and Oliver Twist, while Northern England has 'This is England' and 'Jane Eyre'.  There are UK-wide gloomy things documented too, including BBQs ruined by rain, and angsting over the Daily Mail!  Ariane goes on to discuss the gloominess of charity shops, the gender implications of Wales being called “The Land of My Fathers”, and female misery icons, such as Anne Elliot from Jane Austen’s 'Persuasion'.  My favourite piece is a funny hand-drawn guide to Goths, including “history-loving Goths” and “trendy modern Goths”!  While this zine is not very substantial or focused, it’s an entertaining read nonetheless, packed with drawings, interesting collages, and cut-and-paste text. 

Financially Hard Times #10: Feb 2012

Tom Casson, London – financiallyhardtimesATgmail.com

My favourite issue of 'Financially Hard Times' so far, the February issue offers us a glimpse into a totalitarian future where Facebook, Tesco, Subway, and Apple are the world superpowers, politicians are elected by winning reality TV programmes, one’s Facebook Timeline becomes their gravestone (so passers-by can “browse through pictures of happier days in ‘Malia 09 Babyyy’”), and Middlesborough becomes a holiday hot-spot due to its balmy post-global-warming weather.  Brilliant!  You can buy a copy at Tom's Big Cartel store.

Mythologising Me #4

Ingrid, Oxford – mythologisingmeATgmail.com

The fourth issue of Ingrid’s perzine focuses on more positive (and mostly grown-up) topics than the previous three – we read about budgeting and dreaming of being debt-free, thoughts about job-seeking and careers, trying to start 'Couch to 5k', positive things that have happened since she moved home, and her favourite TV shows at school (I loved 'The Racoons' too!).  Her writing style is quite casual, as if you’re having a chat with a friend.  A messy, cut-and-paste interior, with mostly typewritten pages, and a few handwritten sections. 

Zine News Round Up: 04.03.12

via http://bit.ly/x0Si08

1. Zine Releases

2. Upcoming Events

3. Submission Calls

4. Distro News

5. AOB (Any Other Business)

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1. Zine Releases
- Girls Get Busy #11 is out now!  Buy your copy here: http://girlsgetbusyzine.bigcartel.com/product/girls-get-busy-11
- Financially Hard Times #10 is out now (we'll be reviewing it this month, by the way)!  Take a look here: http://tomcassonillustration.blogspot.com/2012/02/financially-hard-times-february-10.html

- Have you released a new zine this month?  Let us know so we can share the news with our readers!

2. Upcoming Events
 - Loosely Bound’s Zine Extravaganza: Saturday 24th March at 1 Tyrell Street, Bradford.  The collective are looking for stallholders for the event - Please email your expression of interest and a link to your website tolooselybound@hotmail.com  by Monday 12th March.

 - Ladyfest East London: Sunday 1^st April in Hoxton Square.  A day of zines, music, workshops, and cake!  The organisers are looking for people to get involved – email ladyfesteastlondon@gmail.com for more info.

 - Victoria Baths Fanzine Convention: Saturday 19^th May at Victoria Baths, Manchester.  There are plenty of spaces for stallholders left –more info on applying for a table can be found here.

3. Submission Calls
- I’m putting together a blog post on what people like to read/see in a zine (e.g. lists, collages, rants, future plans, handwritten text), and I need you guys to send me a few words about your favourite things in zines!  Either tweet @SpilltheZines, write on our Facebook wall, or email us (spillthezinesukATgmail.com).  I’ll be putting the post together at the end of the month.

- Zineage Kicks (awesome name, huh?) are looking for images of the zines you made in your teenage years!  More info can be found at the website.

- A compzine about arrest experiences are calling for people to submit their stories of being arrested by the police.  Submission deadline is March 31st. Please send all submissions and questions to arreststoriesprojectATriseup.net.

4. Distro News

 - Marching Stars is off hiatus, with lots of new zines in stock, and an exciting new feature: the Marching Stars loyalty card! Every zine you buy that costs £1 + earns you a stamp. Earn 15 stamps and you get a free zine!  Check out all the goodness at www.marchingstars.co.uk

 - Vampire Sushi Distro is closed for a little while for a post-zinefest stock check.  There will be new zines in stock when they re-open!  www.vampiresushi.co.uk

 - Some new stuff has been added to Pushpin Publishing’s catalogue! http://www.pushpinzines.co.uk/collections/new

5. AOB
- Spill the Zines’ Facebook page has had a makeover! Take a look and “like” us!

- check out this cool video taken at Tooting Zine Fair last weekend: