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!