May 2015 – Page 2

May 12, 2015

Happy Mail! Oh, Sweet Happy Mail

Just when I thought I would have no happy mail to share for the week, These little lovelies come in last minute.

Zines, glorious zines!

Zine Ninja had a glorious swim through the creative pages of this wonderful envelope stuffed full of ziiiiiiines. Love it. These were put together by Nat from Sticky. Apparently I opted to be paid in zines this round for stocking my zines there. Never would have guessed. Haha. There are heaps of new reading materials. BUT there is one that I already have a copy of. I smell a giveaway coming up!

On another note, I received this lovely (despite my less-than-stellar photography) pocket letter from the US. It had all kinds of little goodies, including a super adorable fox stamp set.

(Want to know what pocket letters are? Click this link.)

So yes, I’m a very happy bunny with all these goodies. I’ll be sending more out into the world in the hopes more nice things visit my post box. Keep in mind that my post box is open to all friendly happy mail. My focus is on zines, but I loooooove any positive mail. 🙂

May 10, 2015

Happy & Not-So-Happy: Surviving Mother’s Day

First up: To those of you who are celebrating, congrats on being/having/being and having an awesome Mom. Me posting this up? It doesn’t mean that I don’t think that there are awesome Moms out there. It only means that I no longer have a relationship with the woman who gave birth to me, and today is not an easy day for that reason. But for anyone else feeling that way, I want you to know that you’re not alone.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w6jD7UHg4g&w=425&h=315]

May 7, 2015

Zine Review: YOU

YOU
Anonymous
This one? A page in a greaseproof bag. Next one? Who knows?
http://zinewiki.com/YOU

Writing a review of an edition of YOU is like reviewing a limited edition Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavour; it’s iconic for some parts of the world, and you never quite know what you’re going to get until you dig in.

Good analogy? I’m not sure, but I don’t think I can think of anything better.

According to its Zine Wiki:

YOU (November 2001-) zine takes the form of a free anonymous letter addressed to you from various writers, usually handwritten, often sealed in a paper bag, published by Luke You.

YOU ties into the curiosity that is so intrinsic to most of us. Something sealed in a paper bag? For free? I must know what’s inside. This curiosity is followed closely by an urge in much of the population – voyeurism. While it grants the writer the bliss of anonymity, it also gives the reader a glimpse into a life that the reader would very likely never know.

For me, YOU is like a present. Someone has given me something special: a moment of their life. I’ll never know the writer, and the writer will never know me, but I will still be able to hold onto this moment. This little piece of life that someone threw out into the universe.

This particular letter is about a beautiful moment. I smiled even though I didn’t know some of the names referenced. I dwelled on the handwriting, curious about the hand and the person that would write with those particular words and curves of the letters. Even before all that, I got to open the bag – getting the same kind of enjoyment I get from opening happy mail.

I love it, through and through.

May 7, 2015

Hello!

No happy mail this week, hence the lack of a happy mail post. Well, not really, but I’m getting to the lack of posting.

As it just so happens, Wanderer and I had a little celebration of managing not to kill each other for the past however many years. Spectacular, no? I thought so.

My present from Wanderer? A computer and phone-free day.

Let me be clear: I love my technology like I love reading in a hot bath after a long, difficult day. BUT it is nice to unplug – and we definitely unplugged. We got lost. Literally, but not in a panic-laden sense. We more drifted around until we decided to look for something remotely familiar so we could start wandering back home. Even Zine Ninja had a good time.

The next day, we trekked to Melbourne for some Daiso goodness for me (my preeeciousss shoppingses) and some market-fresh meats for Wanderer.

This is probably the longest I’ve been away from the computer for a long while. It was pretty cool.

Anywho, I will be back soon with a zine review.

May 2, 2015

Call for Submissions: Dear Anonymous 4

Dear Anonymous has a rolling, open submission, so you can submit your letters at any time!

DA4 is on its way, and you still have time to get your letters in. These letters can be confessionals, but they can also be whatever you like them to be. Write to your life, write to your cat, write to your past or your future… Dear Anonymous is about writing the letters of the things you can’t say for whatever reason.

Basically, you’re right in the 1 – 500 words range, but shorter is better. BUT, this zine is about expression, and I don’t want to force anyone to clamp down on their passion just for me. I’m flexible.

Send letters to theauthor at inkyblots.com If I don’t respond to you within a few days, comment here.

All contributors will receive a PDF copy.

*** Do you have a call for submissions for your zine? Let me know!

May 1, 2015

Zine Review: Winged Snail Mail 1

Winged Snail Mail 1
Sarah Hoffman
US Half-Fold
http://wingedsnailmail.tumblr.com/

I’m sure I’ve prattled on about how much I love happy/snail/postal mail, so I’ll keep myself in check in that department and get right to the zine review.

From the get go, this is a well-organised zine. There’s a clear table of contents right in the beginning (yup, ‘in the beginning’ is a talking point – I’ve seen them placed elsewhere in zines), and the table itself is separated into sections. There are zine reviews, articles, an interview and more. I haven’t seen a lot of first zines with so much variety and content. An excellent start for a zine that, I hope, will have many editions.

Winged Snail Mail 1 is tripped up (ever so slightly) by two things. The first is forgetting about the margins. A couple of things were cut off. I think I worked out what they all are, but I don’t like having to work for it. I’m a lazy zine reader. 😛

The second is dark copying. It really only messed with this one page:

It was impossible to read in my usual reading lamplight. (I’ve brightened this picture up on the computer.)

But she makes up so, so much for that by making a move that is one of my personal favourites:

Clear, easy-to-read details. Love it.

It might sound like I’m being harsh on this zine, but I’m one of those really annoying people who nitpicks the things they like. If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t bother.

With such a great start, I am looking forward to seeing what’s included in issue two. This is part of my ‘for keeps’ zine collection.