Call for Submissions: All In Your Head Issue 8: To The Bone

[Image Description: drawing of a skeleton arching their back and tilting head backward. Text reads: call for submissions. Issue #8: To The Bone”]

Call for Submissions!

All in Your Head is a queer/feminist traditional cut-and-paste style zine with a focus on LGBTQIA neurodivergent and disabled activists, zinesters, artists, and authors, sponsored by GlitterWurst Zine Distro. Our zine operates on the following *principles:

1.) social inequality and injustice exists [racism, classism, ableism, heterosexism, cissexism to name a few];
2.) disability, neurodiversity can be understood as a viable form of human difference that intersects with/is shaped by systems of dominance;
3.) claims that there is a “normal” bodymind can have damaging and harmful effects (physically/emotionally/spiritually) and are partly shaped by current social/cultural values and white western colonial histories;
4.) neuroqueer and disabled people must navigate cultural taboos, move among complex institutions and systems of care and negotiate conflicting ideas of “wellness/illness,“ “silence/disclosure,” “visibility/invisibility;” “dis/ability” and more
5.) most importantly, our stories matter. (*this list is by no means exhaustive)

We are seeking submissions for issue #8 of All in Your Head: TO THE BONE: OUR QUEER CRIP BODIES, OURSELVES. We accept many kinds of submissions including but not limited to: essays, short stories, poems, personal narratives, manifestos, rants, drawings, doodles, illustrations, photography, collage, book or movie reviews (related to the theme), song lyrics, playlists, short plays/monologues and more! We resist the notion that there is such as thing as a “good writer/good artist” and seek to dismantle, critique, and challenge that “good writing/good art” means from a queer, disabled, neurodivergent perspective.

Some possible topics for TO THE BONE may include:
-Reclaiming and living in our bodies which exist at the intersections of gender, sexuality, race, class, disability, size, and a multitude of other differences.
-Visceral knowing, alternative modes of thinking, perceiving, feeling via a queer crip, neuroqueer bodymind.
-Queer disabled engagements with artistic or spiritual bodily movement and practice such as: dance, yoga, theater, slam poetry, film, singing (and others!).
-Critiques of and engagements with the notion of “transcending disability.”
-Explorations of the mindbody split trough the lens of disability.
-Analyses of disability, passing, and embodiment.
-The rhetoric of “loss” and disabled embodiment (i.e.: “sight loss,” “loss of limbs”).
-Queer disability, pleasure, body erotics.

*Deadline: February 28th, 2018
*Send submission and bio to: allinyourheadzine@gmail.com
*Please limit your submissions to approximately 1500 words and/or send high quality images of your artwork/photography. *We enthusiastically welcome and prioritize submissions by queer, trans, and disabled IPOC.

All contributors will receive a free copy in the mail!

Call for Calls for Submissions: Spread the Word About Your Zine/Distro/Library!

Zine Calls for Submissions

Share your call for submissions, let people know about your distro or zine library, announce your newest zine, let people know you are crowdfunding a zine project…

If you have an announcement to make that has to do with zines, do it here! Sea Green Zines wants to be your megaphone. Even better? It’s an automatic shout out on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr when your call is posted here.

Big fuzzy love hearts to those who have a .jpg call for subs, but all are welcome. Get in touch by emailing theauthor[at]inkyblots.com or comment below.

Zine Review: Lost Projects 3

Lost Projects 3
Editor: Amy Louise Bogen
lostprojectszine@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/LostProjectsZine
IG: @lostprojectszine

Lost Projects 3 is a black and white ½ fold zine about lost projects and plans that ‘scream at you across time and space’. (I just love that image, by the way. Mine would be less screaming and more passive aggressive commentary on current projects, though.)

The thing to understand about Lost Project that I didn’t until I read it is that this is not only a collection of pieces from people writing about lost projects; this zine is also a place for lost projects to live.

It’s like a haven for art, poetry, writing and more to live. Even a dead app got a mention. The whole idea of this is really beautiful to me – a space that values what may have been rejected or abandoned elsewhere.

As such, Lost Projects is a treasure trove of bits and pieces; you’re not sure what you’re going to get – and you won’t get the same thing twice. More often than not, you won’t even get an introduction, but that only lends itself to feeling like you’ve found a box of forgotten treasures in someone’s attic.

I’ll resist the urge to write more similes, but I think the urge itself just goes to show how much I enjoyed the whole concept of Lost Projects.

While I hesitate to name a favourite as such, I have to say that the very last piece that pondered what could be done with the time lost to hair removal really got me thinking.

Lost Projects 3 is an interesting collection of bits and pieces and a zine that I think many would enjoy reading as well as participating in future issues.

Zine Review: Small Potatoes #2

Small Potatoes 2
Keira
IG: @k.huolohan
zinesbykeira.etsy.com

Have I mentioned lately that I love layered meanings in zine titles?

Small Potatoes Issue 2 is a black and white A6-sized perzine continuation from Small Potatoes Issue 1. Inside, Keira shares thoughts on zines and writing, turning 28, fiction, poetry, death, and more. (And a couple random drawings as well.)

As with Small Potatoes 1, I liked all the variety in this zine. With most pieces being one to two pages, I bopped right along, taking it all in and enjoying the illustrations to go with each piece. I enjoy long pieces as well, of course, but I appreciate being able to pick up/put down a zine as needed. (In reality, I sat down and read this straight through. It’s the thought that counts.)

It’s lovely to ‘be there’ with a zinester as they write about their own little discoveries about how therapeutic and important writing can be. In the first one, I was so happy to discover that Keira was coming back to zines after a break. In this, when Keira rights that they are ‘glad to be writing the second one’, I’m here cheering and happy to be reading the second one.

I did have a bit of a giggle at Keira’s – albeit fleeting – though about turning 28 and wondering if they were too old to make zines. I certainly hope not! Haha.

In the aesthetics department, I immediately had the impression that this zine had more cut and paste going on than the first one – to the point that I grabbed the first issue to compare. As it turns out, it’s not so much more cut and paste as it includes more handdrawn bits and pieces from Keira. I love it. Not only does it add even more personality to the mix, I see it as a step forward in confidence that Keira’s ready and willing to share more of themself with the audience.

(I could be off. I never did finish that psychology degree.)

I feel like I’m cheating on my zine love for not saying the piece about the importance of zines was my favourite, but The Chip Problem… Oh, my gosh. Two little pages of short story, but I think it’s fantastic. Everything turned on a single sentence. Absolutely fantastic.

It’s still a little different to find poetry and fiction alongside the more “traditional” perzine parts, but I think it’s a good thing to shake things up and keep shaking them up. I’m actually understanding the poetry, too, which is a big plus for me.

I think Small Potatoes 2 is a great follow up to the first one, and the series is a great place to start if you want to read some perzines before diving in yourself.

New Zine Podcast: Poor Lass Zine!

Hello, zine friends!

I am very excited to let you know that there is a new zine podcast on the block:

The Poor Lass Zine podcast!

I’ve just listened to their first episode, and I think it’s so fun. The whole thing was very warm and inviting – two friends chatting about their zine series and such. I wanted to pour a cup of tea myself just listening. (C’mon Yorkshire Tea!)

It’s available on Soundcloud as well as on iTunes. (Sorry for not having the iTunes link – I’m not an iTunes user and don’t know how to get to it if I don’t want to sign up.)

Definitely check it out.

2018 Plans & Little Announcement

Hello, zine friends!

I hope this post finds you well and adjusting to the year. January 2nd is always a little weirder than the 1st because the glow is dying down, and the real work of the year begins. Small adjustments are already being made to keep those resolutions and whatnot.

For instance, I’ve come to see that I loaded a lot more on my plate than I realised, so it’s time to reevaluate things now before being burned out later.

It’s all a process, but enough of my prattling.

2018

It’s the time of year for plans, intentions, changes, so on and so forth. It’s also the time of year for creators – no matter what you create – to announce on various platforms what’s happening. While I don’t have a heap to report, I figured I’d join in and let you know what’s happening in my head.

*ZINES
– Don’t Call Me Cupcake: I’m taking a little break from Don’t Call Me Cupcake. Writing 9 and 9.5 was really intense for me, and I need to work on ‘lighter’ projects just for a little while.

– Dear Anonymous: Dear Anonymous 7 will be finished and sent out very soon. I apologise for the delay. I set dates back when moving dates were really flexible, and I forgot to adjust dates for the zine. At the moment, I just have to put everything together and then save the money to send the contributor copies.

– Paper Currency: I really want to focus a lot more on this zine this year. I’m still really excited about the idea and want it to be a great resource for zine people around the world.

– Missives From Murray Bridge: If you know what this is, no worries; it’s sticking around. If you don’t know what it is, that’s okay. It’s a silly little something I put together every now and then.

– Other zines: There are still a stack of zine ideas I’d love to make. I think by shuffling around a few priorities, I will be making a lot more one-off zines in 2018.

THE BLOG – I always want to be moving forward with things, but I feel like the blog is going well right now in the current way of doing things. Happy Mail Monday, reviews Thursdays and Fridays, calls for submissions and event announcements on the weekends. I like the rhythm of it, and it’s a workload I keep up with for the most part.

Ideally, I’d like to review three zines a week, but I’m really not seeing that happen. Not with what I’m announcing below. I also feel like that would be stacking things too heavily in that area. If I do anything else, I want it to be something fresh and different.

*OTHER PROJECTS – I haven’t forgotten what I was saying last year about starting an APA. I do still really love the idea of it, but there are a lot of logistics I need to work out before I can go forward with it. But yes, it is still on the cards.

I know. Not very exciting, but now you know where my head is at.

Now, for the little announcement…

Finally! Finally, finally, finally, I am starting my own podcast about zines!

I probably shouldn’t even be announcing this because I don’t have a firm start date (still waiting on some things to arrive in the mail and such), but I’ve been finding myself hiding behind note-taking and perfectionism due to the anxiety involved. I am absolutely terrified, but if I announce it, then it’s out in the world, eh?

I will have links for you as soon as I can get everything set up. (I had some hiccups trying to set things up online, but I’m slowly getting them sorted.) As much as I am scared, I am also really excited. Many people weighed in to vote about whether I should do this, and some of you even messaged me about your thoughts on the matter. I value your feedback, and it was lovely to know I’d have support going into this.

Anyway, that’s me for today and my plans for the year so far.

If you have any questions (perhaps questions for the FAQ section of the podcast?), thoughts, or requests for this blog, The Zine Collector, or anything else, please let me know. I’m always happy to hear from you.

Until next time.