Zine Reviews: September 2014

This is a guest post by Ann-Marie.  Ann-Marie likes tea, cats, collecting junk and being creative. She blogs about her adventures over at www.lettersfromlimboo.blogspot.com  

She also has a fun facebook page where she posts regularly about zines and cats!  www.facebook.com/kittenbreathdistro

Witch's Hat
Esther McManus, London
www.esthermcmanus.co.uk

There is so much to love about this zine! It had all my favourite things in it- like crows, cats, a gnarly old witch, its set in a wild enchanted forest and of course there's Esther's magical art work too! Witch's Hat is a joyfully spooky zine that makes you curious about the strange doings of birds and beasts..and witch's too. The more you look at this zine, the more details you notice hiding amongst the foliage. Esther's work is always top notch quality stuff. Looking at it you can see its made with loads and loads of love and care and magic witchy powers. A fantastic zine that I would definitely recommend.

Recycled Air
Jenny Harkins, Edinburgh
www.etsy.com/shop/luckyscissors

This is a lovely autobiographical/art minizine by Jenny, a Scottish artist based in Edinburgh. She says it's about "breathing in on a sunday night", which has a nice poetry all of its own. The zine mixes some black and white photos that Jenny took on a bus journey to Glasgow, with bright, bold illustrations in colour. I like to think the illustrations are of things Jenny found in her bag while she was looking for something else.. The things that were tangled in her headphones.. I really like the powerful little details she selected to draw.. It's a short zine but communicates a lot in its 8 pages.

Haphephobia
Ellice Weaver, Bristol
www.elliceweaverillustration.wordpress.com

This is a funny and interesting collection of autobiographical comics. It's a revealingly personal, sweet and eccentric zine where we get to know Ellice quite well. The artwork has a nice nervous energy about it that I liked a lot and suited her misadventure stories. The zine is peppered with Ellice's random thoughts that are often hilarious. It's an offbeat dark comedy that mixes the mundane and the surreal in a charming and entertaining way.

Teagle Comics 1

Jack Teagle, Cornwall

www.jackteagle.co.uk

I love Jack Teagle. This zine collects some damn fine new comics by Jack. There's a lot of fun heroic fantasy action and it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of the stories. Jack's characters are eternally fighting! Fighting for a better world, and to protect the vulnerable. There are some colourful entities in this - hero's, misfits, and monsters.. It's hard to pick a favourite but Catheadarmman is pretty awesome! I have no idea where Jack will go with these stories and I can't wait till the next issue. Im completely hooked.

Super Smooth
Emma Ahlqvist, Edinburgh

www.emmaahlqvist.com

This is an earlier comic of Emma's but also the first one I checked out. I was drawn to the dreamy water colour artwork. Emma is a Swedish artist who lives and works in Edinburgh. She says her comics are inspired by growing up in Sweden. This zine is about a young guy who struggles to find his way in life and decides to leave home and live in isolation. It's a cool zine and funny in an offbeat way. Emma is a talented writer as well as a great artist. The story is easy to slip into and you wont regret it if you check it out.

Elderflower 1
Sarah, Staffordshire

www.etsy.com/shop/elderflowershop

This is a sweet and lovely perzine in which Sarah introduces herself to her readers. She's a happy sad misfit who is learning to look after herself and to cope with her problems. She writes about her mental and physical health, useless doctors and lots of little things that make her happy, as well as things that make her feel bad. It's very much like reading a letter from a new (and very cool!) penpal. Sarah is a sensitive, magical, creative person who is full of love and sadness. I enjoyed this zine a lot and you will too, so check it out!

Zine Reviews, February '14

Stories From Space Camp #1
Edited by Will, London – storiesfromspacecamp.tumblr.com

Subtitled “reclaiming speculative fiction for the rest of us”, this science-fiction and fantasy quarterly zine is for people who sometimes feel unwelcome in mainstream sci-fi and fantasy culture.  3 long pieces of sci-fi flash fiction take up a large proportion of the zine, and while I’m not usually a fan of flash fiction, I actually really enjoyed reading them.  The editor writes an interesting piece about how NASA would never allow sick or disabled people into their space programmes, but that this isn’t an issue in science fiction – Will writes, “The fiction part of science fiction makes me welcome”.  There’s a funny piece titled “Dear Robots”, issuing robots pointers on how to assimilate into human culture, and following this a review of a nuclear bunker leaflet from the 1980s.  My personal favourite part of this zine is an amazing article about the sexist depiction of female companions in Steven Moffat’s ‘Doctor Who’ - as a feminist Whovian, I found myself punching the air while reading this!  I adore the concept of this zine, and the content was so well-written and smart. (I hope to eventually get my butt into gear and submit something myself).  Get your hands on your own copy at their tumblr.  Also, if you are into tumblr, I highly recommend following them, as they reblog some awesome and right-on stuff.

One of My Kind #2
Edited by Sofia, Rose, Heiba and Sabba, London – www.oomk.net

One Of My Kind is a visual feminist compzine, the content of which “pivots upon the imaginations, creativity and spirituality of women”.  This issue focuses on the role of print in art and activism, and features artists and artwork that explore issues including race, body image, sexualisation, spirituality, poverty, DIY activism, entrepreneurship, and more.  Also included are pieces of original artwork contributed by female artists, which include illustrations, lino prints, posters, textiles, and photography (digital and Polaroid).  Visually, the zine is difficult to describe – with its clean magazine-style layouts, colour photos, length (112 pages!) and professional binding, it feels more like a book to read, although the nature of the content is very ziney.  I thoroughly enjoyed OOMK; there’s plenty of varied content, and it focuses on some really important issues.  You can read a free online preview here, or purchase a copy at one of these stockists.

Elderflower #1
Sarah, Coventry – sleepysarah@icloud.com

A warm, cozy little zine created by the author of zine series ‘Elderflower Tea’, this new zine series represents a more honest look at the author’s life, rather than “hiding behind a rose tinted version”.  I loved this line from the opening page, which I felt was a really nice summation of her writing in this issue: “I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be”.  Sarah writes about some recent difficulties in her life, including a mental health relapse, developing chronic pain and fatigue, and heartache.  She then discusses the ways she is trying to heal and care for herself.  The layouts are beautiful – stickers and dainty backgrounds and typewritten text.  Email Sarah to buy or trade a copy. 

The Monkey Wrench Manual vol. 1
Spike, London – http://www.waldenpress.co.uk/

One of the more inventive zines I’ve read for a long time, The Monkey Wrench Manual is a survival guide for people who find themselves “alive at the peak of industrialised civilization”.  It’s a satirical look at modern capitalist culture, with guides on sabotaging industrial machinery which are “destroying your natural habitat”, a stink bomb recipe, instructions on how to vandalise a self-service checkout, and thoughts on how parts of our body are reduced to ways in which they are “economically exploitable”.  There’s also a very inventive poem about the decline of civilization created with brand name - “THE SUN in the SKY has a new ORANGE glow, that fails to make APPLE or BLACKBERRY grow”!  Also included near the end are post-apocalypse survival tips, including how to survive without electricity and how to clean your water supply.  The visual style is so so cool – it’s all printed in a broadsheet folded-newspaper style, folded down to slightly bigger than ¼ sized, entirely letterpressed in red and black ink (I instagrammed some pictures from the interior pages if you're interested to see more).  It folds out really nicely too, with each unfolding revealing new content (i.e. you don’t have to unfold the whole thing and then read it like a broadsheet from cover to cover).  The zine is free when you order something from the store above, so get your buns over there.

Playerist #3
Edited by Martin, UK - Facebook.com/playerist

Playerist is a literary (maga)zine featuring poetry, prose, and artwork that “supports the best practice of established and emergent artists and writers from the UK and world-wide”.  On their Facebook page, the editor writes that this issue is on the broad theme of “comedy”, though as enjoyable as the content was, I wouldn't describe any of it as funny exactly (except perhaps the ‘Pasta Phelps’ sauce illustration, which was very good!).  The zine itself is very stark – black typewriter-like font laid on white background, printed in a neat and uniform way.  Each piece is presented on its own with no title or author name (these are all listed at the front), and all contributor biographies are available to read on the facebook page instead.  I would have preferred to have been able to read the contributor biographies in the zine itself - perhaps people enjoy that kind of multimedia approach, but it’s not for me; I like zines to be little self-contained universes that you can get lost in, with more info about the people behind the words.  Unfortunately, Playerist didn’t contain enough content for me to really get my teeth into. 

Zine Reviews: Queer Zine Fest London Edition!

In December, Spill the Zines tabled at Queer Zine Fest London, and had an amazing time!

Here is my haul of zines bought and traded on the day:

And here are some reviews of my fave UK zines I picked up on the day!

Pits Against Patriarchy #1
Edited by ‘Armpits for August’  - www.armpitsforaugust.org

This lovely DIY compzine is created by the people behind Armpits 4 August; if you haven’t already heard of it, A4A is a month-long charity campaign which encourages women to grow their armpit hair to raise money for PCOS charity Verity.  The zine features people who’ve taken part in Armpits 4 August, where they discuss their feelings on their own body hair, and the cultural beauty ideal of the hairless woman and how this has affected their relationships with their bodies.  All the articles follow the same structure - "I thought my hair was gross, I tried growing it out, now I love it" and focuses more on personal stories rather than critical analysis/critique.  The tone is positive and light-hearted, with a mixture of long pieces, short pieces, Q&As and artwork.  It was also good to see some trans and genderqueer voices featured in the zine, though I would've liked some more!  Not only that, but all proceeds are donated to Verity – what better reasons do you need to buy a copy?

Milk & Apples #3
By Human Bean Zines, Surrey – etsy.com/shop/humanbeanzines

Milk and Apples is a perzine that documents the author’s chaotic life with a mental health condition.  In the third issue, they write about having visits from the Home Treatment Team and the stress of attempting to discuss personal problems with strangers in your home, anger at hearing people talk shit about “scroungers” and people who claim disability benefits being too lazy to work or “pretending to be ill”, moving house every few months due to anxiety, paranoia, and leaving university, and how they cope with stress.  The layouts seemed more complex and interesting in this issue – lots of stamped letters, cut and pasted sentences, and collaged backgrounds.  Can’t recommend this zine series enough!

Weird At WorkAnon, London – librariesforsociety at gmail dot com 

This zine features 3 pages of vented frustrations about the author’s job on topics such as inane conversation, alienation, and feeling untidy next to the perfectly preened co-workers.  There’s also a little folded sheet inside listing her “panic travel kit” essentials.  It’s a small hodge-podge zine, but it packs a punch, and I could relate to her frustrations!  Get in touch at the email address above for a copy of this zine.

Bad Poetry For Pro-Lifers
By Charlotte, London – charlottecooper.net

This densely-packed minizine opens with an explanation for the creation of the zine – a few weeks previously, anti-choice activists 40 Days for Life protested an abortion clinic on the street where the author lives, intimidating and harassing the people accessing the clinic services.  Frustrated at her inability to “undermine the protester’s bulletproof piety”, she decided to channel her frustrations into a zine of bad poetry.  The poems are very funny, gently poking fun at standard pro-life arguments.  A quick fun read!

Adventures in Menstruating: Poetry/Comic Special (June 2013)
Edited by Chella Quint, Sheffield – www.chartyourcycle.wordpress.com

This split special issue of Adventures in Menstruating is divided into 2 halves – one consists entirely of comics on topics including the feminine hygiene industry, unexpectedly early periods, and ways to brighten up your period, the other half features menses-themed poetry including ‘To The Leaking Girl’, ‘Song of the Mooncup’ and ‘The Ballad of “Bloody Beauty” Barbie’.  Very funny and period-positive!

Weak & Lovely
Anon, UK – weakandlovelyAThotmail.com

This half-sized compzine is about feminists with eating disorders, and feminist perspectives on eating disorders.  It’s such a good read, and incredibly well-paced – between the longer thoughtful pieces on their own experiences with ED, the author disperses artwork and comics; these explore feelings of anger, guilt, self-hate, pain, alienation, inadequacy, as well as larger critiques of our misogynistic culture which values thinness above all else.  The zine ends with a cathartic scene where the author, infuriated by subliminal sexist messaging, murders the anthropomorphised couple Patriarchy and Capitalism!  The writers take great care in unpacking the idea that “proper” feminists and political activists would never develop an eating disorder, and exploring the pervasiveness of the super-skinny beauty ideal that so many western women are hammered with on a daily basis.  I also adore the beauty magazine parody cover!

Ffwff #1
Edited by Heledd, Bangor - daldydinAThotmail.co.uk

This zine is AMAZING!  It’s a welsh language anarchafeminist zine (‘ffwff’ is welsh for ‘foof’, in case you hadn’t already guessed!), and features drawings, interviews, poetry and a long piece on anarchafeminism, including a profile of prominent figure Emma Goldman.  The layout is cut-and-paste, messy and typewritten (which as you all know I adore), plus it’s completely free!  If you’re a welsh-speaking feminist, you need this zine in your life!

Hard Femme #2
Edited by Kirsty, England – http://kirstywinters.etsy.com

The second issue of Kirsty’s perzine has a broader scope than #1, focusing not only on her relationship to femme identity but also issues of class, embodiment, and sexuality.  It mostly features artwork and articles by Kirsty herself, with pieces including her hard femme heroes, not having a “home town”, tattoos, exercise, poverty, and self-care.   There are also a few contributed pieces by other hard femme writers, who deal with issues including non-traditional femininity, internalised femmephobia, hard femme cycling, and gender identity.  The message of the zine is positive and strong, ending on an inspiring note to the reader about never giving up.  I love Kirsty's work so much, and this zine is probably my favourite find from QZFL!

Shape of My Heart #1
Vicky-Ann Smith, London – www.vickyannsmith.com

A beautiful mental health perzine written by the author of ‘Gravity’, an eating disorder recovery zine that was reviewed here.  Vicky talks about her history of anxiety and depression, her symptoms and coping methods, her relationship with work as a goal to keep moving for, the healing power of nature, and creating a new sense of self after recovery.  It’s very honest, with lots of personal touches including handwriting, simple collages, and personal photographs. She is very passionate about ending the stigma surrounding mental health and sexual assault, and I think zines like this are an incredibly useful tool towards that end. 

Zine Reviews: December '13

Your Pretty Face Is Going Straight to Hell #19

Written by Tukru, Kent – www.vampiresushi.co.uk

The 19^th issue of Tukru’s long-running perzine focuses on her new venture, an all-female punk band called Sean Bean Death Scene (best band name ever?)!  It’s a passionate and buoyant zine, focusing on how excited Tukru really is “to be finally really doing this rock n roll thing”; we read detailed and enthusiastic accounts of the formation of the band, rehearsals, and the first few gigs, as well as future plans for the band.  The interior is laid out in Tukru’s signature cute cut and paste designs, with lots of music related imagery and gig posters.  The cover is full cover, featuring a little photo of the band together.  Such a good zine!

Pissy Paws #1
Written by Neil, Yorkshire – honestrabbitAThotmail.com

This is the first perzine written by Neil, author of long-running horror fanzine Necronomicon.  It’s a densely-packed text heavy zine that focuses on details of his life and formative past experiences, and you leave feeling like you know the author pretty well.  Some of the topics Neil discusses include his lifelong love for zines, his favourite and least favourite pets from over the years, his scars, noisy neighbours, playing cruel games, voluntary work and having to deal with horrible bosses (you wouldn’t think you’d find horrible people in the charity sector!), playing cruel games, and his love of “pissing and shitting yourself stories”.  Neil writes in such a lively and entertaining way, it’s a great read and I hope there’s a second issue soon!

Mythologising Me: Seven is for Kitty Heaven
Ingrid, Oxford – mythologisingme.tumblr.com

The 7^th issue of Ingrid’s perzine is all about how 2013 was the hardest year of her life; her difficult experiences, the things she accomplished, and her hopes for the future.  The zine largely centres around her moving away from home to study a masters, and the difficulties of finding a relevant job after graduation.  While Ingrid writes about many things she struggled with (money, overwhelm, loss), we also read about the positive things that she experienced, including visiting Norway, running 5k for charity, and volunteering at a music festival.  The zine is subtitled “seven is for kitty heaven” in memory of Ingrid’s beloved cat Munchie, who sadly passed away a week before she finished the zine. L  This is definitely my favourite issue of Mythologising Me, so if you’re new to the zine series this is a good place to start.

Unblissfully #1
Lisa, Petersfield – http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/unblissfully

This is the latest zine by Lisa, the lady behind ‘Japanese Whispers’ and discontinued zine series ‘Sometimes I’m Dreaming’.  Inside, we read about her past love for roller derby, her love of autumn, tarot card readings, and interpersonal growth.  Lisa’s zines have a gentle thoughtful feel, with soft clean layouts featuring floral themes, butterflies, stamped lettering and her gorgeous handwriting (seriously, Lisa’s handwriting might be the most beautiful handwriting ever). 

New To Feminism? Try These...
Kat, Swansea - @polygluttony

A free little minizine packed full of feminist book recommendations for beginners, although the suggestions are also good for seasoned feminists (I’ve only read 2 of the books listed!).  Contact the creator Kat via Twitter to request a copy.

How To Make Zines and Why
Tiitu – available at http://princesapiratadistro.wordpress.com

The title pretty much says it all with this one – it’s a detailed guide on how to put together zines of different sizes, with tips on photocopying, assembly, and colours, and a few reasons as to why you should make your own zine.  It’s only 50p and it’s in copyleft (i.e. you can copy and distribute it yourself, as long as you sell it at a reasonable price) so buy one, copy a few, and spread the word!

Zine Reviews: November '13

The Jellygoose Chronicles, issue #1 (Lisa Stockley, Swanage)

I'm so thankful I happened upon this new perzine at Autumn Zine Fest in Kingston recently. You know when you discover a new zine and you want to tell all the world how ace it is, and end up buying extra copies as presents for friends because it's just that ace? Well, that's how Jellygoose is. It's the creation of artist Lisa Stockley, and her sense of exuberance and fun comes through via lots of whimsical thoughts and drawings. She also includes some serious topics, delivered with humour and personal thoughts. So everything from depression to vegan diet to female sizing in clothes to gendered clothing gets mixed in with more playful stuff (funny cartoons about her life, mentions of Pete Doherty, random thoughts from dogs, Lush products, an ace article about cider vinegar, and so much more) . I just love the way she crams so much in, and you have to go back and read a second or third time around as there are still little bits you might've missed. You can tell she had a lot of fun making it. I don't often go for illustrated zines, but Lisa is one of the zines-makers who is changing my mind. Her art and style is full of so much detail, quite a sense of glee, and is really amazing. I cannot wait for issue two. I love this zine!

http://lisadrawsthings.blogspot.co.uk/

Herbs for Mental Well-Being

I picked this zine up at Bradford Baked Zines pop-up zine shop, in the summer. It's a neat mini zine, hand-drawn, and hand-written about natural antidotes. Even though I have a bunch of zines on the topic of herbs, this zine still shed more light and proved invaluable. I found it particularly interesting to read and learn about adaptogens, which are herbs that 'increase the body's resistence to anxiety, stress, fatigue, and trauma'. There is also a recipe for medicinal tea. The idea of food as medicine and any zines about it are great.

icarusprovidence@gmail.com

Ice Cream For Quo, issue #17 (Stephen Fall, London)

I was so glad when this zine came through my letterbox, as I always am. There aren't many general music zines readily, regularly available in print in the UK that I know of, so I welcome my fix of ICFQ. There are lots of the usual staples this issue, such as Concerts I Have Been To, where people trawl their gig tickets and memories of gigs over the years with many an interesting tale. I love that this can mean discussing Jessie J, Cud, and Dexys on the same page! Room for Ted Chippington too! The regular feature Everything I Know about Pop Music Comes from Radio 4 includes the usual mingle of amusingly related capers. There are articles on LegoLand, unexpected good reads, items on theatre and cinema, and zany overheard bits of conversation across London. It's a nice mix that could only exist outside of the confines of corporate media, and it's all good fun. There is also a wonderful interview with Sarah Nixey, which you don't readily get elsewhere. Back issues are available on the Ice Cream For Quo website - there is so much good stuff involved in each issue, I couldn't recommend this long-running zine more.

http://icecreamforquo.webs.com/

This is a guest post by Fliss, founder of SW London and Surrey Zine Collective - thanks so much!  These reviews have been posted a fortnight late due to life stuff getting in the way; forgive me!

Zine Reviews: October '13

Joining the Dots: A Queer Fat Positive Perzine about PCOS
Edited by Holly Casio, England – supercasio @ hotmail.com
My favourite kind of compzine is one that delves into a specific topic, drawing upon facts and myths as well as the writers’ personal experiences.  Joining the Dots is such a zine; dealing with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, a common ailment that affects 10% of people with ovaries.  We read all about Holly’s symptoms and her years of struggle to get a diagnosis, where she airs her frustrations and offers advice to fellow sufferers.  All contributors look at PCOS from a queer fat perspective, writing at length about the infuriating tendency in the NHS to recommend weight loss or pregnancy as a means of treatment, prescribing weight-loss drugs instead of treating the PCOS, or worse, to insist that if sufferers aren’t looking to start a family then there is no problem!  I found these sections made me so angry; I can only imagine how frustrating this must’ve been for the writers!  Most content is written by Holly, with some stories from other PCOS sufferers on their experiences with the syndrome.  As well as myth-busting, there is also plenty of good advice here for people who think they may have PCOS, including symptoms and signs to look out for, questions to ask your doctor, medication advice, and some lifestyle changes that may help.  Joining the Dots is such an informative and useful zine, and it’s one of my favourite zines I’ve read since the summer.  Highly recommended!

Team Girl Comic! #5

Edited by Gill Hatcher, Scotland – www.teamgirlcomic.com
I picked up this zine in a zine grab bag, and I’m so delighted that it fell into my hands!  Team Girl Comic is an “all-female comix anthology” featuring a number of short comics by different female artists.  The comics vary stylistically from the highly professional looking to raw/rough hand drawn strips, and each has its own distinctive style and mood.  Some of the topics covered in this zine include heartbreak, job loss, racism, romance and alienation.  If you’re a comic fan and haven’t checked out this zine yet, you need to do so asap!

Oh Venus! #1

Edited by Kerry, Gemma and Mica, UK – oh_venus @ live.com
A new feminist compzine, Oh Venus #1 focuses on a loose theme of female sexuality and sexual awakening.  The contributors express this theme through many different mediums inside these pages, including illustration, mixed media, poetry, and articles on menstruation and ‘inner demons’.  This feminist compzine reminds me a lot of Girls Get Busy, with its scruffy DIY feel and diverse content – fans of that zine series should adore this one too.

Athemaura #6

Written by Fliss, London – http://etsy.com/people/starswirlAnother great issue of Athemaura!  This is sort of a zine about zines; inside, Fliss writes about organising her first zine event at the Stuart Hall library, her history of writing zines, setting up her zine collective ‘SW Zines’, community in the zine scene, and going through the process of cataloguing all the zines in her personal collection.  There are also a few off-topic articles on libraries and charity shops, which fit in nicely with the overarching DIY theme.  Anyone interested in the wider zine scene should find these Athemaura #6 a fascinating glimpse into everything that’s great about zines and the people involved with them!

Shrimp #1

Written by Laura, Midlands – shrimpzine @ gmail.com
Although very short, this “feminist punk craft” zine is a nice peek into the creator Laura’s brain, with writings on punk and academia, why she is a feminist, things she secretly likes, and doodles of her favourite things.  There’s also an interesting guide on making string art, which is something I had never heard of before but seems like such a neat idea!  Grab hold of a copy at Marching Stars distro, or by contacting Laura directly.

Zine Reviews: September '13

Oddments #4 and #5
Written by Marceline Smith, Scotland – www.pushpinzines.co.uk

‘Oddments’ is a cute perzine written by Marceline, ownder of UK travel and kawaii distro Pushpin Publishing.  Each issue is themed around a certain thing that Marceline loves - #4 is all about books, and #5 food.  In #4, we read about her favourite old book shops, online distros and book shops she loves, her best secondhand book finds, and independent publications to love.  The centre of the zine features a pull-out mini magazine titled “A Day in the Life: What I Got Up to on Friday 20 April”, which includes details and doodles about what Marceline wore, ate, and did (I love hearing about the details of people’s day-to-day lives!).  In #5, we read about Marceline’s favourite and least-favourite “weird sweets” (including Orangina Haribo, which sound amazing!), favourite things to eat and drink in Japan, favourite food websites, and recent foody reading.  The layouts are clean and plain, entirely black type on white background, with some cute kawaii-style drawings and good use of fonts throughout.  This zine series is always a lovely cheery read!

The Best Friend I Never Met: Notes from an 8-year correspondence
Written by Emma, Exeter – softskeletons.etsy.com

This zine consists of short extracts from 8 years’ worth of emails, letters, phone calls and stories from Emma’s unnamed long-distance best friend.   The content is contemplative and prosaic, touching upon themes of loneliness, friendship, love, distance, heartache, hurt and memories.  Emma’s best friend writes in a beautiful way; I feel this zine will be kept close to hand whenever I want to drift off somewhere for inspiration.  You can find more of Emma’s work at her etsy shop Soft Skeletons.

Animated Review #1
UK – www.animatedreview.com

This 24-page art zine was created to complement www.animatedreview.com, a blog of “inspirational animation” where they feature artwork by selected animators, illustrators and artists.  The zine includes work by their favourite artists featured online, and in their inaugural issue, the editors asked the artists to reinterpret, in their own style, their favourite cartoon character.  The format is very structured, to the point of looking rather professional – each double-page spread features an illustration on one side, and an artist bio on the other.  This format appeals to my systematic mind, and it’s a good way of contextualising the artwork, but it’s not very ‘ziney’ so may not appeal to everyone.  Some of the cartoon characters featured include SuperTed, Sharky and George, He-Man and Jessica Rabbit.  The cover looks like an old school workbook, which I liked, plus this zine was sent to me in a cello bag - I love little touches like that.  Read/see more here: http://bit.ly/137uCnQ

Gravity: Learning to Balance Through Recovery
Written by Vicky Ann Smith, London - http://www.etsy.com/shop/shapeofourhearts

This thoughtful mental health perzine deals with one woman’s recovery from an eating disorder, self-harm and sexual assault.  Vicky writes about her journey through life living with these issues, her feelings of guilt and low self-worth, recovery, therapy, and her coping mechanisms.  The zine ends with words of encouragement to anyone who is struggling – “we all have our own pace and never be ashamed to cry” and a list of resources.  With the handwritten passages and worksheets from her therapy, this zine feels incredibly intimate.  Vicky also uses a lot of cutesy stickers and images throughout the text which also conveys a sense of vulnerability.  I loved reading this zine – it’s an important topic to talk about, and Vicky writes about her recovery with honesty and wisdom.  ‘Gravity’ can be purchased for £2, and 50% of all sales are donated to ‘Running Without ED’, a charity group raising funds for eating disorder treatments. 

Necronomicon #26
Edited by Neil, Yorkshire

I adore this zine!  Lifelong horror fan Neil writes all about recent horror films and programmes he’s watched; this includes well-known titles such as Walking Dead, Silent Hill and Hannibal Rising, to low-budget British horror.  The zine is mostly made up of Neil’s own reviews, but includes some guest reviews from friends too.  Bonus points from me for the article on his love of Monster High (which, if you haven’t heard of it, is a tween TV show and toy range; the characters are sort of like Bratz, but they’re the daughters of famous monsters, with names such as “Draculaura” and “Frankie Stein”)!  Neil’s enthusiasm for the subject jumps off the page with every paragraph, and it’s totally infectious – his reviews are such fun to read, as he writes about what made him laugh, what frightened him, and what was going on in his life when he watched the film.  It’s also really good value for money at £1.  Fan of horror? You need this zine in your life!

Phaff & Potter #5 and #6
Edited by Rod and Tristrum, Bedfordshire – phaffandpotter.wordpress.com

Phaff and Potter is a bi-monthly irreverent music fanzine, which features single, album and live reviews, but lots of other silly content including bad jokes, fake local music news, local legends, and light-hearted ribbing of pub culture.  Issue 4 features an interview with Jerry Only, founding member of the Misfits, and a funny story titled “The legend of Barry Scott”; issue 5 is the “pub special”, and features a list of their favourite pubs, favourite local ales, and a description of their ideal pub.  I love the scruffy mix-and-match layouts, and the unusual variety of the content – unlike some music fanzines, P&P feels very lovingly made and doesn’t ever take itself seriously!

Zine Reviews: August '13

Death Is When The Monsters Get You #1

Edited by Kat Williams, Swansea – stephenkingfanzineATgmail.com
I love this zine so much, and not just because it was created by one of my close friends!  DIWTMGY is a Stephen King fanzine, and features a selection of opinion pieces discussing aspects of King’s work, including mental illness, female archetypes, grief, mythology, and the success of the movie adaptations of King’s novels.  I love the layouts – Kat uses photocopied sections from relevant King books as backgrounds, and uses a mixture of different typewritten fonts and handwritten sections.  If you’re a King fan, I can’t recommend this zine enough!  Kat is also looking for people to contribute to issue 2, so if you have something to say, get in touch at the email address above.

Make It Work #1 and #2

Edited by Kirsty Fife, London -http://www.etsy.com/shop/kirstywinters
Make It Work is a compzine dedicated to DIY fashion and style for plus-sized women (“fatshion”), with a focus on body-positivity, self-care, and resisting the mainstream.  Both issues are very densely-packed, which at £1.50 a pop makes this zine great value for money!  #1 includes advice articles on topics including how to shop on the high street, buying and repurposing second-hand clothes, crafting tutorials, advice on DIY event organising, as well as introspective pieces by the authors on life as a fat woman, and the struggles and prejudice faced on a daily basis.  #2 has more great craft tutorials and resources, along with more political articles on radical vanity, the subjectivity and hierarchies of taste, gender play, fat-shaming, and mental health.  I adore this zine series so much, and wish it could be mass-distributed, as everyone deserves to be told that they don’t need to fit into the limited body aesthetics that mainstream media offers us.  Favourite quote, from the introductory page of #1: “Making it work is about more than just clothes – it’s about finding ways to live and love a body that you are brought up to hate. It’s about choosing to survive and fight, to be visible”.

Feeling Alone #2
Human Bean Zines, Surrey – www.etsy.com/shop/humanbeanzines
Feeling Alone #1 was published in July 2012, and detailed the author’s struggle with Borderline Personality Disorder and their stay at a psychiatric hospital.  Feeling Alone #2 takes place exactly a year later, and we read about the author’s progress with their mental health over the 12 months following their hospitalisation.  Some topics covered include counselling, coping with Atos and DWP assessments, mentalisation-based treatment, the benefits of occupational therapy, and taking on more activities in their life, including volunteer work and roller derby.  With mostly hand-written with some sweet hand drawings, it feels incredibly intimate, and the author documents their journey with honesty and clarity.

Ghost Fuck #2
Edited by Lizzy, Bournemouth – http://ghostfuckzine.tumblr.com
This is one of my favourite EVER zines in terms of layout style!  The style is arty and chaotic - lots of typewritten words and phrases cut and pasted all over the place, bits pasted in upside down, lopsided columns of text, striking black crosses and triangles used throughout.  It’s difficult to describe, but it looks amazing, one of my fave zines to look at!  Having said that, there are 2 things that bother me – 1, the zine is just titled “Ghost Fuck”, without an issue number (I had to search through the website archive to find out which issue was which), and 2, there’s no intro or outro outlining what the zine is and what it’s about, which I always think is a useful addition to a zine.  The content is mostly DIY feminism, with pieces on girl-hate, pornography, queer club nights, the Bechdel Test, and riot grrrl.

untitled and Negative Land
Elodie, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne - applejackAThotmail.fr
Elodie's untitled zine is mostly an artzine, but feels very personal – it reminds me a lot of an art journal, with mixed media layouts, handwritten notes, disjointed poetic prose, hand drawings, cut and paste typewritten lines of text, and photographs.  All bound together within a white tracing paper cover, it feels very delicate and intimate, a lovely thing to get lost in for a few minutes.  Negative Land is a photozine created by Elodie in collaboration with 3 other friends, and features colour photographs of different scenes from England and Paris, including beaches, parks, cozy living spaces, woodland, and city streets.  Both are free, so if you want a copy, drop Elodie a line at the email address above.

Zine Reviews: June 2013

Your Pretty Face is Going Straight To Hell #17

Tukru, Kent – www.vampiresushi.co.uk

Created in 24 hours for 24 Hour Zine Thing, issue #17 of Tukru’s feminist perzine feels even more personal and quirky than others.  Tukru’s writing is often very stream-of-consciousness, breezing from one topic to another, and in this issue particularly so.  It feels like a peek into Tukru’s diary, complete with scribbled-out words, glued-in pictures, and drawings.  We read about the process of creating the 24-hour zine – trying to plan what she was going to write about, her plans in between zine-making, being stuck on what to write to fill spare pages, and procrastination.  There’s also a long piece on being a writer, her half-finished novel, and recent writing projects.  She closes the zine with a very short piece of fiction.  Another awesome issue of Your Pretty Face…, highly recommended for perzine lovers and/or anyone thinking of writing their own 24-hour zine!

Shape and Situate #4: Posters of Inspirational European Women

Edited by Melanie Maddison, Leeds – http://remember-who-u-are.blogspot.com

As I’ve mentioned before, Shape and Situate is one of my favourite UK publications, and I’m always excited when a new issue is released.  Each issue profiles a number of female European artists, activists, thinkers and political figures; #4 features, among many others, political activists Pussy Riot, athlete Kathleen Thomas (the first person to swim across the Bristol channel), painter Sadie Lee, and writer/historical figure Anne Frank.  With a striking cover and filled with handmade artwork, it’s a visual treat.  Shape and Situate is exactly the kind of zine I wish was for sale on shelves in newsagents, instead of the vacuous glossies on offer!

Tragic Boffin #4 and #5

Donna, Edinburgh – tragicboffin @ gmail.com

A consistently engaging perzine, Tragic Boffin remains one of my favourite regular British perzines!  #4 is a 24-hour zine, and apart from the odd scribbled-out word you’d never tell it was written and assembled in only 24 hours, as the content is just as thoughtful and well-assembled as in previous issues.  The zine opens with a piece about Donna’s changing relationship with make-up, and its relation to her mental health and feminist politics, ultimately coming to the conclusion that no one needs make up, but should be free to choose it.  We also read a number of 1-2 page articles on various topics including working to deadlines, OCD, avoiding creative burn-out, and fear of flying.  #5 is much more dense than #4, with longer articles interspersed with single pages of artwork.  Inside, we read about Donna’s least-favourite past jobs, feeling like she’s getting old, the joy of finding lost treasures in car boot sales, the pros and cons of using a Kindle, and thoughts about dieting.  Cute, neat layouts with lots of kawaii throughout, Donna’s zines are such lovely things to read.

Young Explorer #3

Edited by Liz and Steve, England - www.youngexplorerzine.blogspot.co.uk

Young Explorer is a compzine with an overarching theme for each issue.  #3 is themed ‘food’, and features an awesome colour cover with different types of cheeses illustrated!  Om.  Some of the articles that made the (pork) chop include a piece on regional foods, complete with an annotated food map of Britain, ultimate ice-creams, and a comic about using oranges for self-defence.  Quite a short read, but varied, interesting, and witty.  I found myself reaching the end of the zine and longing for more!

Mythologising Me #3
Ingrid, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne - mythologisingme @ gmail.com 

This is one of my favourite issues of Mythologising Me, especially in terms of the visuals – with a beautiful teal front cover and messy typewritten/cut and paste layouts, I love the way this zine looks!  This issue explores Ingrid’s feelings of disconnectedness and insecurities - longer pieces exploring her future and her identity are interspersed with short handwritten sentences including “when am I going to do that magnificent thing I always planned I would achieve (whatever it was going to be)?”.  Arguably one of Ingrid’s most personal zines, I found a lot to relate to in here.