Zine Fest 2011 @ The Women's Library - Review

An absolutely gorgeous day in London saw a lot of amazing zinesters gather in the Women's Library for Zine Fest at the weekend (June 25^th). This is the fourth Zine Fest held in the Women’s Library in London, and is an event celebrating all sorts of different aspects of zine culture, from the political to the artistic. As well as having stalls selling all sorts of different zines, there were also workshops and discussion groups going on throughout the day.

Unfortunately, due to many of the Tube lines being fully or partly closed, by the time we reached the Women’s Library, we’d missed most of the workshops. Gotta love public transport. If you attended any of the workshops on such varied subjects as stencilling and feminist media, do leave us a comment with your experiences and/or pictures!

The Women’s Library itself has an extensive zine collection, and tours were given of the library throughout the afternoon. As well as holding events like this, the Women’s Library offer access to materials on women’s history throughout the ages, and provide a reliable resource for anyone wanting to explore the work of our feminist predecessors. 

The stalls were in a small room on the top floor of the library, and a varied collection of zinesters were present, including such regulars as Marching Stars Distro and Vampire Sushi Distro, and newer publications like Girls Get Busy. Feminist collective, Storm in a Teacup, were also there, offering handprinted copies of their own zine. As well as zines being on offer, stalls ran by such groups as Pamflet and Girls Who Draw sold tote bags and pieces of art. I ended up buying a LOT of zines (all worth it!) and am hoping to review some of the highlights either on my personal blog, or on here.

The exhibition room was set in the library’s café, and provided some absolutely inspiring food for thought. A big theme with the exhibits was inspirational women, with the Feminist Disco Project, asking people to draw their female icons on paper plates, and the More Crackers Please exhibit, showing the best in feminist activism over the last 10 years. Also on show was the Shape and Situate zine’s exhibition of posters of figures from feminist history, the posters ranging from the funny to the inspiring. The zine itself is available to buy here.

Overall, Zine Fest was an immensely successful event in the atmosphere it offered. It was a zine event that was fantastically chilled out, and offered a friendly space for a more openly feminist sensibility. After all, any zine event that has a table selling copies of Reclaiming the F Word is totally okay with me. Any naysayers of feminism only have to come to an event like this to see just how much active feminist self-published media there is at the moment.

Did you go to Zine Fest? Agree or disagree with anything I’ve said? Let us know! Also, if you have any pictures or accounts of the event, do send us links!

Above - photos from the various exhibitions at Zine Fest.

News Round-Up!

Pip pip!  It’s been a great fortnight in the UK zine scene, so I’m delighted to offer you all plenty of zine news for once! Yay!

Yesterday was the Zine Fest at the Women’s Library, which was bloody awesome.  I went with Spill the Zines’ newest contributor, Caitlin Gwynn, who will be writing a review of the zine fest sometime this week, so keep your eyes open for that.  I also picked up a huge pile of zines and a gorgeous Girls Get Busy totebag, all of which made me a very happy lady:

Expect some reviews of said zines on this blog in the next couple of weeks!  Don't forget to keep sending us your British zine news, we love having lots to write about in our news round-up posts! Get in touch via email, twitter, or leave a comment somewhere on this blog! 

Cath x

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1. Zine Releases

2. Upcoming Events

3. Submission Calls

4. Zine Reviews

5. Distro News

6. AOB (Any Other Business)

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1. Zine Releases
 - “My Phone Hates Me” by Sky Nash, a zine all about how her iPhone is constantly making her look stupid!  More info here.

 - Not You Again #1, published out of Birmingham by BeauCapone, in which she recounts stories from her final year of university. Pick up your copy at her etsy shop.

 - Your Pretty Face is Going Straight to Hell #15 was released in time for yesterday’s Zine Fest @ The Women’s Library! Get in touch with Tukru for info on how to get hold of a copy.
 - Sarah-Beth has released her first zine, Ellipsis! More info on the zine and how to order here: http://safetobreathe.livejournal.com/114454.html
 - If Destroyed Still True #6: Iraqi Kurdistan edition is out now.  More info on the zine and how to get hold of a copy can be found at Nine’s blog.
 - Girls Get Busy #6 is out now!  Buy your copy at http://girlsgetbusyzine.bigcartel.com/.

2. Upcoming Events
 - Bradford Zine Fayre: 2^nd July.  A free event on from 12 – 4pm at Impressions Gallery, Centenary Square. More info at www.northern-indymedia.org.
 - Birmingham Zine Festival: 9^th July. 12 til 6pm.  12 til 6pm at ‘We Are Birmingham’.  Lots of workshops and tables (including my own table), followed by a BBQ and aftershow party! Come down and say hello!  RSVP here.
 - Camden Zine Fest: 8^th October.  1pm til 6pm  at The Pirate Castle, Oval Road. For more info on workshops, tables, and how to help organising the event, get in touch with the organiser Will at camdenzinefestATgmailDOTcom.  RSVP on We Make Zines or Facebook.

3. Submission Calls
 - The Swansea Feminist Network is in the process of making its first zine, and is looking for submissions on the topic of “feminist heroes”.  The deadline is 17^th July. More info can be found at the SFN blog here: http://swanseafeministnetwork.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/call-for-submissions-sfns-first-zine/

 - Going to any festivals this summer?  Send a one-page review to the next issue of Opinionated Geordie Monsters! The deadline is 1^st September. More info here.

 - Princesa Pirata distro has an interesting collective zine project going on called “Ten Things” – basically, you order a free booklet and make a list of 10 things under that title on a page in the booklet (each has a different title, such as 10 Things I Dream Of, or 10 Things I Don’t Want To Forget). After you’ve made your list, you give the booklet to a friend, they give it to a friend and so on. The full booklets will be put together into little zines by A-K Pirata.  Pick up the booklet and get started here!

4. Zine Reviews
 - Hannah has posted some lovely zine reviews on her blog last week – take a look!
 - Sophie at Oh My Clumsy Heart has posted some zine reviews, complete with plenty of photos, at her blog.

5. Distro News

 - There’s a new distro in town! pushpin is a new UK zine distro focusing on travel, Japan, crafts, illustration, kawaii and perzines. Buy some cool stuff at www.pushpinzines.co.uk.
 - Marching Stars is temporarily on hiatus! Boo hiss. Thankfully it’s only until 28^th June.

6. A.O.B.
 - For those of you with the time or inclination, there’s a zine survey floating around looking for responses on the topic of writing and reading zines.  Only takes about ten minutes. http://tinyurl.com/zinesurvey2011
 

Zine Reviews: June '11

Fat Quarter #3

England – www.fat-quarter.co.uk
I bloody loved this one!  I’d never read an issue of Fat Quarter until this month, but had heard plenty of good things about it.  My first issue did not disappoint! Subtitled “a countercultural ladies’ mag”, Fat Quarter aims to celebrate what women do, and discuss the issues that we really care about, with an emphasis on female creativity.  Fat Quarter is styled in a very similar way to mainstream magazines - it’s printed in full colour on glossy paper, and contains regular features including interviews, reviews, upcoming events, and advertisements (but all female-friendly, of course). The articles in this issue cover topics including virginity, female drag, alternative places in the UK to visit, and Japanese bento.  At 23 A4 pages, I would’ve liked it to be much longer, as I was enjoying reading it so much.  Apart from that, I loved it. Get hold of your copy at Marching Stars or from Fat Quarter’s website.

Tragic Boffin #1
Donna, Edinburgh – tragicboffinATgmailDOTcom

Some zinesters say that one’s first zine is always a bit shit (and I must say that this rings true for my perzine).  Others say that the first is the glorious issue crammed full of ideas that subsequent issues struggle to live up to.  While in my experience the former is almost always true, Tragic Boffin #1 was a rare case of an excellent first zine!  I loved to hear Donna proudly write about how much she likes the way her life is – spending the evening writing and sewing instead of out drinking, playing her XBOX, enjoying a bubble bath with a book, and her love for her pet rats!  There’s also a cracking comic by Billy Burg in the middle on the definition of “success”.  Other topics briefly discussed include her relationship with money, body image, how mindfulness is essential to wellbeing, and feminist book recommendations.  Mostly typical perzine fodder, but well-written and entertaining nonetheless. I must guiltily admit that I enjoyed this zine far more than I thought I would. Highly recommended!

Adventures in Menstruating #6
Edited by Chella Quint, Sheffield – www.chartyourcycle.co.uk

This is why I love the zine scene – articles about celebrating one’s period is something that I’d never find in the mainstream press, a place that’s saturated with images of women who are ashamed of menstruation, looking for ways to “outsmart” mother nature.  Adventures in Menstruating is a zine that focuses on menses with a feminist slant and a great sense of humour.  It’s reminiscent of a magazine, with its full-colour cover and neat interior layouts.  Inside, there are articles, poetry, mini-comics, product reviews, a short story, flow charts (pun not intended), and deconstructions of the advertising used for menstrual products.  It’s a zine about periods, what’s not to like, seriously? Every woman needs to read at least one issue of this zine in her life, so get your copy now!

Athemaura #2: The Library Issue

librariesforsocietyATgmailDOTcom

This is a zine written in March by a librarian campaigning against the government cuts (but annoyingly, the author didn’t include a name or location, just the email address above).  Inside, the author discusses how libraries have featured in their life, from insomnia-fuelled reading binges in childhood, to the present day, where they spent four years to secure their first library job.  We read about how they feel spending time at the library has had a positive effect on their development as a person, and how important the author feels libraries are for all members of the community.  There are also a few statistics on library closures, and some recommended reading on the topic.  Very messy, both in terms of its visuals, and the way it’s been put together.  Some may like that kind of look, but I didn’t, if I’m honest.  There are also random numbers alongside some paragraphs, and the meaning of them wasn’t clear.  However, despite some quibbles I have with the author’s approach to putting the zine together, it still features some well-written pieces that do clearly highlight the importance of libraries, so overall I have to give this zine a thumbs-up.  You can keep up to date with the author’s campaign updates here: http://savelibraryjobs.blogspot.com/.

Not Lonely #5.5 / Sometimes I’m Dreaming #4.5

Hannah, Scotland – not_lonely_zineATyahooDOTco.uk / Lisa, London – sometimesimdreamingAThotmail.co.uk

Two of my favourite British zinesters in one lovely little zine – wonderful!  Both have deemed this a “half” issue, as it was written over the course of one weekend together, with lots of tea and Spotify playlists to fuel their writing.  Although short and quickly made, it’s still a gorgeous split-zine, with both sides equally entertaining and pretty.  The content was chosen by writing random topics on slips of paper, and picking them at random out of a large hat.  Hannah’s topics include life-changing experiences, videogames, and common misconceptions about her, while Lisa writes about childhood dreams, travel, her style, trash TV, and shyness.  Lisa’s side is more text-heavy and features more of her beautiful handwriting, while Hannah’s side has more large typewritten text and cut-and-paste imagery.  A fun little read.

Zine News Round-Up!

12.06.11

Hello everyone!  I must apologise for the short length of this news post, as it’s apparently been a rather slow fortnight in the British zine scene. Last week saw Glasgow’s first zine fest, which I hear was a big success, and yesterday Ladyfest Essex was a success, managing to raise a tidy sum of money for the charity Refuge (if you didn’t get a chance to go, you can still donate to Refuge at Ladyfest’s JustGiving page).  We’ve got lots more zine fests coming up this summer, as listed below, so hopefully next fortnight we’ll have a little more news to share!  Don’t forget to email us anything and everything related to British zine culture at spillthezinesukATgmailDOTcom.

Cath x

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1. Zine Releases

2. Upcoming Events

3. Submission Calls

4. Distro News

5. AOB (Any Other Business)

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1. Zine Releases
 - Issue 106 of Bi Community News aka BCN is now out with its usual mix of writing about bi life, bisexuality in wider culture and the UK bi scene itself. Order a copy or a subscription at www.bicommunitynews.co.uk.

 - I released issue 8 of my feminist perzine, Here. In My Head., this week.  More info on how to buy a copy or ask for a trade at my blog.

2. Upcoming Events
- Zine Fest! 2011: 25^th June.  Held in the Women’s Library in London, which has its own extensive zine collection. Be there or be some sort of square!
 - Bradford Zine Fayre: 2^nd July.  Still in the planning stages.  For more info on how to get involved, visit the We Make Zines page.
 - Birmingham Zine Festival: 9^th July. 12 til 6pm.  Lots of workshops and tables (including my own table)! Come down and say hello!  RSVP here.
 - Camden Zine Fest: 8^th October.  Very far in advance, but this event is still in the planning stages, so if you want to lend a hand, get in touch with the organiser Will at camdenzinefestATgmailDOTcom.  

3. Submission Calls
 - Rotherham zine library is looking for donations! For more info, visit http://rotherhamzinelibrary.snaek.org/.

4. Distro news
- Marching Stars has been updated, with lots of new zines in stock, some of which I will be reviewing next week.
 -Vampire Sushi has gone on a brief hiatus; you can keep up to date with their activity on their tumblr.  

5. A.O.B.
 - This video has been floating around the internets recently; 3Trousers has made a film out of part of his early UK punk zine collection, featuring loads of cool covers from the early days of UK punk zining.  Worth a gander:
 

Zine News Round-Up!

Hello again!  Hope you’re all having a nice time being creative and whatnot this month. Since changing Spill the Zines’ news round-up posts from weekly to fortnightly, we’ve been finding these posts much easier to fill.  I think more and more people are finding out about this blog too, as we're getting sent plenty of news these days.  We’ve also been getting lots more requests for reviews, which is very exciting.  Please keep sending your zine-related news and stories in, no matter how small!  As long as it’s British, we’ll publish it! :)

Cath x

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1. Zine Releases

2. Upcoming Events

3. Submission Calls

4. Zine Reviews

5. AOB (Any Other Business)

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1. Zine Releases
 - Hayley Foster da Silva of Essex has released her first ever zine, Dancing Barefoot!  For your own copy, contact her at moonlight.phoenixATgmailDOTcom.
 - Fanzine Ynfytyn #15 and #16 were released last week.  You can buy them at Emma Jane Falconer’s etsy shop.
 - Being Editors #1, a children’s literature comp-zine, has been published this week by editor Emma Jane Falconer.  The first issue is dedicated to British author Diana Wynne Jones.  Also available at Emma’s etsy shop.

 - Comic zine SNOW TRAP by David Ziggy Greene is now for sale at www.samu.co.uk for £2.

 - Rum Lad: The Stories issue, contains 13 contributions from folk telling a short story about themselves. Buy it at www.stevelarder.co.uk.

2. Upcoming Events
 - Glasgow Zine Fest: 2^nd June. Held at the Free Hetherington, 3 til 7pm.  RSVP on Facebook here.

 - Ladyfest Essex: 11^th June. Hayley (feminist activist and author of Dancing Barefoot) is organising the first ever Ladyfest in Essex all by herself, and needs your support for this fantastic event!  There will be female-fronted music, stalls, and yummy vegan food available.  2 til 11pm at the Railway Pub, Southend, £3 entry. All proceeds will be donated to Refuge. RSVP here.

- Zine Fest! 2011: 25^th June.  Held in the Women’s Library in London, which has its own extensive zine collection. More info here.
 - Birmingham Zine Festival: 9^th July. 12 til 6pm.  Lots of workshops and tables (including my own table)! Come down and say hello!  RSVP here.
 - Camden Zine Fest: 8^th October.  Very far in advance, but this event is still in the planning stages, so if you want to lend a hand, get in touch with the organiser Will at camdenzinefestATgmailDOTcom.  RSVP on We Make Zines here.

3. Submission Calls
 - The Swansea Feminist Network is starting up its own feminist comp-zine and is looking for submissions for its first issue!  The theme is “feminist heroes”, and the current deadline is the end of June 2011.  For more info or to submit something, contact us at swanseafeministnetworkATgmailDOTcom.

4. Zine Reviews
 - Sophie at Oh My Clumsy Heart has reviewed lots more lovely zines. Take a look and comment here.
 - Ingrid has reviewed the zines she picked up at the London Zine Symposium at her blog Mythologising Me.  She’s also giving away a zine grab bag; take a look here.

5. A.O.B.
 - The Interactive Monster Unit have published pictures of people drawing monsters at their stall at the London Zine Symposium!  There’s a photo of me there, looking awkward, haha. Go take a look to see if your monster was featured!

 - girlVIRUS UK, run by me, is hoping to arrange a meet-up over the summer and we need ideas on what to do together!  The current idea is a big gathering and sleepover at someone’s house, but we need to find someone in a fairly central location who is willing to co-host the gathering with me. To find out more, or to volunteer help, you can get in touch with me at contactATcatherineelms.co.uk.  Make sure you join us on Facebook, and spread the virus!

 - Don’t forget the annual 24 Hour Zine Thing is coming up in July.  I’ll be participating – will you?  Book yourself a day off work in advance for a glorious day of zine-making!

Zine Reviews: May ‘11 (London Zine Symposium edition)

I picked up A LOT of zines when I went to the London Zine Symposium last month:

As I went straight back to university the following week to finish off my degree, and rant about said degree on my blog, I had no time to pick my way through this big pile of wonderful zines!  It was very frustrating.  I mean, I didn’t even have time to sleep and shower most of the time, let alone read zines.  But 3 weeks ago, I finished my degree and came home for good, to start the dreaded job search.  And so, during a particularly bad bout of procrastination, I sifted through my entire pile of LZS paraphernalia and picked most of it over the course of one glorious afternoon.  The following zine reviews are all zines that I picked up that weekend, and loved. By means of apologising for Spill the Zines’ lack of activity in the past few weeks, this is an extra-long zine review post.  Let us know in the comments what your favourite zines were from LZS!

Cath x

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Virgin #2
Anonymous, England - virginzineATgmailDOTcom
The first issue of Virgin, published in summer 2009, was written by one anonymous girl about her own experiences of being a virgin.  This issue, finally published last month, is “the submissions issue”, made up of other people’s stories instead of the author/editor’s own.  The submissions cover topics of disability, fear of intimacy, virginity as a burden rather than a blessing, asexuality, lesbianism, sexual abuse, self-worth and virginity as an exclusive heterosexual concept.  As well as these submissions, the author/editor writes about the overwhelmingly positive feedback she got about the first issue, and the way the issues of asexuality and choice were misinterpreted in her original issue.  The zine is half-sized, with clean layouts.  For a mere 75p, I highly recommend picking up a copy of this zine, as it’s a really thought-provoking read.  Available to buy from Marching Stars distro.

I’m Drawing a Blank #1

Tukru, Kent - tukrulovesyouATgmailDOTcom
Massive love for this zine.  Tukru’s drawings have featured briefly in her previous zines, but I’m Drawing a Blank is her first solo comic zine, filled with lots of hand drawings and Tukru’s beautiful handwriting.  As well as some self-portraits and accompanying text explaining the picture (e.g. kick-ass Tukru holding a rifle, informing us that she is the same height as Rambo), there are also drawings of Emma Jane Falconer, Amber Forrester, Buffy, Eric Northman, Kurt Cobain, and her partner Carl.  The writing has a very similar feel to the writing of Your Pretty Face…, very stream-of-consciousness.  Get your hands on a copy, it’s Tukru so you know it’ll be really great. And only £1! Brilliant!

Angry Violist #2
Cambridge – angry.violistATyahooDOTcom

This is described as a zine for “alternative string players who are angry at being forced to play classical music”.  Inside, we read about the author’s viola, the difference between a viola and a violin, being regarded as a failed violin player or being mistaken for a violinist, strange musical phenomena such as the “devil’s interval” and the “brown note” (google ‘em), and inspirational string players.  Angry Violist is one of the more esoteric zines I’ve read – if you’re not really into music, particularly classical music, I think you’d find this zine kinda dull.  Or you might enjoy reading something totally different and learn new things, it depends.  Having studied music at A level, and being a bit of a music geek, I really enjoyed the zine.  It’s written with good humour, and remains intelligent without slipping into territory that’s too academic or dense.  So if you’re a music-y type, I highly recommend this zine. The main criticism I have for this zine is the fact that it is very difficult to read in certain places due to the poor photocopy quality and small font size.  Some of the fonts themselves are  quite difficult to read too (a quick note: sans-serif fonts photocopy the best, so I recommend them to zinesters over serif fonts!). Other than that, great!

No Comment: The Defendant’s Guide to Arrest
London – www.ldmg.org.uk
This is being included for its sheer usefulness.  It’s a free zine on how to deal with getting arrested – what happens when you get arrested, contacting a solicitor, being interviewed, police tactics to force out a confession, and what to do if a friend or relative is arrested.  Very useful; I’m glad I picked it up.  I mean, I hope I don’t get arrested anytime soon, but you never know.  Download your free copy here.

Fanzine Ynfytyn #8
Emma, Kent - emmajanefalconerATgmailDOTcom

I met Emma for the first time at LZS and bought a few zines from her, as I hadn’t read Fanzine Ynfytyn before.  This was my favourite of the bunch – a quarter-sized, horizontal zine printed on purple paper, with pretty floral layouts.  At only 20 pages long, it’s a quick read, most of which is taken up by an article about songs that remind Emma of certain times of her life.  These include 36 Degrees by Placebo, which reminds her of being in a girls’ grammar school at 13, and Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode reminding her of her 22^nd birthday.  There’s also a short article on why she likes aquariums, and hates seagulls.  Very sweet.

Scratch that Itch #3
Kathleen, Leeds – iloveavocadoAThotmailDOTcom

I loved this zine – it’s subtitled “No poetry, angst, or trainhopping stories” so you know it’s proudly different from most perzines.  After a brief update of her life in the opening pages, Kathleen jumps straight into the story of her hectic life as a newly-qualified paramedic.  This includes the exhausting 13-hour shifts, and dealing with death in work.  There ‘s also an AMAZING rewriting of Jesus’ crucifixion story, which involves a wise-cracking troll called Smartie and 2 Unlimited’s 1994 hit “No Limit”!  Written by her nine-year-old self, it’s very sweet, and includes her original drawings of Jesus and Smartie being crucified!  Although the young Kathleen meant no harm by this story, it’s not for the easily offended!  I really love the way this zine looks too, with various mementos, maps and playing cards dotted throughout.  Alongside her writing, Kathleen includes some great hand-drawn artwork, and a pull-out poster of undercover policeman Mark Kennedy.  My fave page, however, was a hand-drawn and –written piece called “I fought the chore!”, all about getting through the shitty jobs of cleaning and cooking!  I really loved this zine, and devoured it in minutes – it’s honest, down-to-earth, and light-hearted, with cool cut-and-paste layouts and great stories.

Out of the City and Into the Trees #1
Natalie, Edinburgh - out-of-the-city-and-into-the-treesATriseupDOTnet

This is why going to zine fests is such a great experience – I would’ve never heard of this zine otherwise.  It’s a half-sized perzine, featuring journal entries about a young activist’s decision to move out of her parents’ house at 16 to live in a treehouse on a protest site.  The entries track the author’s adventures with protesting and getting into trouble with the law,  forming new friendships, and finally feeling like an animal instead of a machine.  Also includes some lovely poetry written among the trees.  The poetry pages are laid out in a really cool way, but the rest of the zine is plain black text on white paper.  This was probably my favourite zine of the whole bunch – I found Natalie’s stories really inspiring and excitng.  Plus it’s only £1, which is a fantastic price for the amount of goodness you get inside.  Available from Scale Trees distro.

Other things I picked up that were enjoyable:

Gorilla Film Magazine – a free half-sized zine I picked up in Rough Trade, all about filmmaking.  Very entertaining.

The Stool Pigeon – a free bi-monthly newspaper featuring lots of written pieces and cartoons.

The Secret Anarchist History of Newcastle – an entertaining and informative zine on anarchism in Newcastle.

Pistachio Magazine –a tongue-in-cheek “pastiche to what ‘lad-culture’ is all about”. Articles available online here.
Profiting from Occupation: UK and International Companies Complicit in Israeli War Crimes against Palestinians – distributed by Corporate Watch. Scary stuff.

News Round-Up!

Hello all!
It's my turn to do an update, and I'm not as organised as Cath so please bear with me... I'll get the ball rolling with a few pieces of news - enjoy :)
Hannah x


P.S. Please keep sending us your zine-related news to spillthezinesukATgmail.com so that we can spread the word of your creativity and fun events!


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1. Zine Releases
2. Upcoming Events
3. Zine Reviews
4. AOB (Any Other Business)


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1. Zine Releases
* Issue #4 of Angry Violist has been published, all about experimental and alternative string playing. This issue includes a Krautrock Krautmap and an interview with The Raincoats violinist Vicki Aspinall. Find out more at http://angryviolist.wordpress.com


2. Upcoming Events
* Nottingham Zine Fair: 28^th May
* Alternative Press Fair (London): 28^th - 29^th May
* Ladyfest Essex: 11^th June
* Zine Fest @ The Women’s Library (London): 25^th June
* Birmingham Zine Festival: 9^th July


3. Zine Reviews
* I updated my zine blog with reviews last week and early today; you can read the posts here and here.
* It's a couple of months ago now, but Fliss posted some zine reviews at her blog in March and I feel they deserve a mention. Please go here to read them.
* Sophie has written a new zine review post over at her blog, Oh My Clumsy Heart, here.


4. AOB
* Camden Zinefest now has its very own website! Will also have a confirmed date and location, so all that's needed now is volunteers. A couple of generous people have stepped forward already and offered their time on the day, but any others who are willing to step forward will be very, very much appreciated, especially if they're willing to help with planning things in advance. For more info, check out the website or get in touch with Will.


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(post originally written by Hannah, edited by Cath)

News Round-Up!

Happy easter everyone!  I hope you’re all enjoying the rest of the lovely long weekend with plenty of chocolate eggs!  This fortnight has been a fairly busy one in the UK zine scene, notably for the massive success of the London Zine Symposium last weekend, which plenty of people have written about on their blogs (see below)!  Spill the Zines has now made a flyer, some of which were distributed at the London Zine Symposium - if you want to print and distribute your own, here it is: http://bit.ly/idQQOa.  We’ve also been syndicated on http://syndicatedzinereviews.blogspot.com, which is rather exciting.  Take a look at our re-blogged posts here.

Anyway, enjoy our zine news of the fortnight, and do remember to send us any news of your own for us to feature on the next blog update!

Cath x

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1. Zine Releases

2. Upcoming Events

3. Zine Reviews

4. AOB (Any Other Business)

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1. Zine Releases
Lots of awesome zines were released just in time for the London Zine Symposium last weekend, including:
 - I’m Drawing a Blank, Miss Tukru’s first comic-style zine. Pick up your copy at Vampire Sushi distro!
 - Scratch that Itch #3. I’ve got this feminist perzine, and can’t wait to read it. 
 - Out of the City and Into the Trees #2, written by Jake of Scale Trees Distro.  A zine about a boy that leaves home to live in a treehouse.
 - Adventures in Menstruating #6, a comp-zine themed around periods. Highly recommended!  Get a copy at http://www.chartyourcycle.co.uk/zines.
 - Virgin #2. This issue is a compilation zine featuring 6 submissions on the topic of virginity.  To buy a copy, paypal £1.50 to virginzineATgmailDOTcom.

2. Upcoming Events
 - EGAKU 2 – Draw for Japan (London): 1^st May

 - Victoria Baths Fanzine Convention (Manchester): 14^th May
 - Nottingham Zine Fair: 28^th May
 - Alternative Press Fair (London): 28^th - 29^th May
 - Ladyfest Essex: 11^th June
 - Zine Fest @ The Women’s Library (London): 25^th June
 - Birmingham Zine Festival: 9^th July

3. Zine Reviews

Sophie has written a great zine review post at her blog Oh My Clumsy Heart this week, featuring reviews of Lost Boy #1, Mythologising Me #2, and Oh My Oh No.

4. A.O.B.

 - Vampire Sushi distro has been updated, with lots of new zines in stock.

 - A few people have written reviews of the London Zine Symposium last weekend, including me, Caitlin Gwynn, Amelia’s magazine, Pamflet, and Sophie (Oh My Clumsy Heart).  Any more? Let us know!

 - Will of xyz zine is looking to set up a zinefest in Camden, London, in October!  Zinefests require a great deal of planning and helping hands, so if you want to help Will out with organising this event, get in touch at zisforzineAThotmail.co.uk.  There’s more info about the event and the help needed at Will's blog Z is for Zine.

Weekly News Round-Up!

Hello again!  I hope you’ve all been having a lovely crafty time since we last met.  Don’t forget to let us know what you’ve been up to, and send along anything and everything zine-related.  No matter how small, we’ll be happy to reply and promote! UK news only, of course.

We’ve listed all the lovely upcoming zine events here too, so you can put the dates in your diary if you haven’t done so already.  I’ll be attending most of them, so if you see me, come say hello!  I’ll have purple hair and biker boots. :)

Cath x

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1. Zine Releases

2. Upcoming Events

3. Submission Calls

4. Zine Reviews

5. AOB (Any Other Business)

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1. Zine Releases
- Issue 5 of perzine Sometimes I’m Dreaming was published this week.  To get hold of a copy, check out Lisa’s Etsy store: http://sometimesimdreaming.etsy.com 
- Not a zine but still a cool crafty thing worth sharing: Girls Get Busy zine have released their first ever Chixtape featuring girl bands Slutever, Wett Nurse, Sparkleshit, Chemical Peel and more. Hand-made with love. Only 50 available, so grab ‘em while you can. http://girlsgetbusyzine.bigcartel.com

2. Upcoming Events
 - London Zine Symposium: 17^th April
 - Victoria Baths Fanzine Convention (Manchester): 14^th May
 - Nottingham Zine Fair: 28^th May
 - Ladyfest Essex: 11^th June
 - Birmingham Zine Festival: 9^th July

3. Submission Calls
- Charlotte Lee is looking for submissions for issue #4 of her comp-zine, Bitch Theme!  The theme is girl hate/girl love.  If you want to submit something, please email charlotteleeukATyahooDOTcom. More info can be found on Charlotte’s tumblr here.

4. Zine Reviews
- Did you read my zine reviews I posted last week?  No? Go take a look then! Don’t forget that if you want your zine to be reviewed on this blog, you can email us a request.  There’s more info on our review policy page.

5. A.O.B.
- The Dylan Thomas Prize for young writers is currently looking for submissions for its 2011 competition. There’s a whopping £30,000 cash prize and an excellent launch-pad into a literary career available for the lucky winner.  To find out more about how to enter, take a look at their website: http://www.thedylanthomasprize.com/
- Remember we mentioned EGAKU in our last news post?  Well, the event went ahead last weekend, and they raised a cracking £1700 for Red Cross Japan!  How great is that?  Due to the success of the event, another zine sale will be taking place soon. For more info on how to get involved, visit www.egaku.org.uk
- Marching Stars distro was updated yesterday. Lizzy will be tabling at London Zine Symposium; if anyone wants to reserve zines to pick up at LZS, you can email her at distroATmarchingstars.co.uk by Friday 15^th April.

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We also wanted to remind you that we’re still looking to trade links.  This process is underway, as you can see from our lovely new sidebar.  If you’re interested, drop us a line.

Zine Reviews: April '11

Peach, Plum, Pear #1
Jenny Hughes, Lincs-Notts/Glasgow - jenneh.hughesATgmailDOTcom
Awww, Jenny.  She sent me Peach, Plum, Pear #1 AND #2 completely unsolicited, along with a lovely letter (and considering both are half-sized and 38 pages long, that was a very kind gesture!).  I figured the least I could do was to review one here.  Sadly, this zine has been made in what you might call the old-fashioned way - single-sided printing glued together.   This gave me the impression that the zine was much longer than it turned out to be, and made it unnecessarily costly for Jenny to post due to the weight... but that's a small complaint, because the actual content was really interesting.  It feels strange to say that I enjoyed reading this zine, as Jenny writes about harrowing topics of attempted suicide, self-harm, medication, and feeling that her days are consistently dull and monotonous.  Of course, it was very sad and thought-provoking to read about Jenny’s difficulties with depression, but due to her good-natured take on her experiences and her sense of optimism, it was surprisingly uplifting.  Everything is very well-written, and you really get a clear understanding of how Jenny feels and the difficulties she has encountered in her life. 

She also tries to lighten the general mood of the zine with some less-than-serious content, including a list of 80s goth music she enjoys listening to and reasons to get out of the bed in the morning, as well as pretty artistic layouts and drawings throughout.  Half-handwritten (such beautiful handwriting!) and half typewritten, this zine is just as lovely to look at as it is to read.  Highly recommended.

Sugar paper #3: 20 Things to Make and Do
Various – sugarpaperzineAThotmailDOTcom
A comp-zine from the UK, Sugar Paper is a fantastic half-sized zine published twice a year.  Issue 3 lists 20 fun creative activities to try, including various recipes, how to make a skirt, quizzes ("how twee are you?"), mazes, dinosaur origami, knitting a snake scarf, how to make a thermo trope, 3D pictures, starting a craft club, how to make a crochet pin cushion, how to get off the internet, and lots more!  There's also a kit included with instructions on how to make friendship bracelets - I haven't tried doing it yet, I'm scared that I'll be terrible at it!  This was a very fun zine, with lots of nice drawings, diagrams, and pretty layouts.  Highly recommended for those of you looking for some new ways to be crafty!

Tempest in a Tea Cup #4
Louise, Lincoln – thiswaltzAThotmail.co.uk
Yay, another Tempest in a Tea Cup!  This issue is a little more cheery than previous issues, with Louise writing about grrrlVIRUS, her favourite music, zine fests, attending Reclaim the Night, and her current obsessions.  There are also some darker pieces, including dropping out of university, and losing her job.  Louise states that so far, 2011 has been pretty crappy, but she hopes it will get better soon.  There’s a general theme of feminism running through the zine, which is reflected in Louise’s writing and her choice of visuals used.  The only thing I’d suggest Louise could do to improve Tempest in a Tea Cup is to write a few long pieces rather than lots of long pieces, as 2-3 pages per piece is never enough – I always find myself longing to read more!  Other than that, this is a very nice zine that’s always refreshingly honest and frank.  The layouts are lovely as ever, with lots of fun images that Louise found on tumblr scattered throughout.

Change the World in 7 Days
Pippa, Sheffield – incurable.hippieATgmailDOTcom
I really enjoyed reading this short and sweet zine.  Inside, Pippa lists one positive thing we should do for every day of the week that can change the world, including subvertising, planting a tree, ditching the car, buy local food, and reuse our stuff.  Each task comes with a few different ideas on how to carry it out, and some reasons why doing it can change the world.  With pretty, floral layouts throughout, this is a cracking little zine that left me feeling very inspired to be more green!

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The next zine news round-up will be posted a week Sunday.  If you have anything you'd like included, please get in touch at spillthezinesukATgmailDOTcom! :)