In amongst the IZM goodness, I’d like to pause and make a small announcement:
I’m going to close my Patreon.
I’ve been on Patreon for quite a while now, and it has made a huge difference in getting the podcast onto a great host as well as helping the costs we zinemakers know all too well. Patron support has meant the world to me on many different levels.
That said, I’m not doing enough with Patreon. I’m not rewarding patrons in a way that I would like to, at levels I want to, and it doesn’t feel right to me to keep the page going with things as they are. I held onto the hope that I would get back to a place where I could have the time and energy to make a truly great page to show my appreciation for patron support… but it’s time I accept my limitations and accept that things will be as they are for a while in that regard.
With all of my heart, I thank patrons for all their support. I will be paying the kindness forward in every way I can.
Hello, wonderful zine friends! It’s so lovely to be back once again for that lovely month of the year with a zine focus of all sorts of zine goodness happening in the universe. As I mentioned yesterday, the awesome and amazing Alex Wrekk has posted 2020’s list of daily activities!
Day One: What is a zine? Come up with a definition in your own words.
I’m going to be a little cheeky with this one, dear zine friends. I’m going to borrow my definition of what a zine is from my mini-zine on that very topic! It’s a very flexible definition, which gives me a giggle, but what are zines if not a myriad of things! So here we go:
A zine is a creation that is DIY, (often) self-published, (often) copied on a photocopier featuring any topic and/or art, and/or photography, and/or any number of combinations often made into some booklet type form.
Hahaha. That’s about as clear as soup and could include so many more things, that’s for sure. Trying to define zines as fun because I think anyone who really understands zines knows that we can try but we’ll never truly cover a full definition. And that’s absolutely okay.
That’s going to be it for me today, zine friends. I’ll be back tomorrow with the next activity!
***Note: I’m running behind as per usual but should have the full set of Instagram-friendly daily activity prompts ready by the weekend, if not before!***
Applications are now open for Coin-Operated Press’s LGBT BLACK LIVES MATTER Zine!
We are a white-owned and operated company. We are here to listen and hold space for Black voices. We need to speak out while not silencing black voices.
This month’s theme is for our Black LGBTQ+ community.
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!
100% OF THE PROFITS GENERATED FROM THIS ZINE WILL GO TO BLACK VISIONS COLLECTIVE.
Black Visions Collective is a Black, trans, and queer-led organisation that is committed to dismantling systems of oppression & violence and shifting the public narrative to create transformative, long-term change.
We are looking for: articles, illustrations, short stories, photography, poetry, artwork of any medium, short essays, comic-strips, collage, and anything else you can put your imagination to.
As we want to hold space for minority voices, this call out is for Black LGBTQ+ folks only – please do not submit if you fall outside of this community.
Please only submit work that will fit on 1-2 A4 pages. If you have work that is longer than this, please send us an inquiry email, as we would like to be open to including longer formats.
Be sure to send us the following details along with your submission:
The name/credit you would like printed in the zine.
Your pronouns.
The city and/or country that you live in.
Any contact details that you would like printed in the zine.
A short one-sentence bio.
A profile photo or image for your bio.
Title of your work.
A short description of your work and how it fits with the theme.
If you wish to remain anonymous, that is absolutely fine – just be sure to let us know when you submit your piece.
The deadline is midnight BST on Tuesday 30th June 2020.
Message in a bottle, memory on a cloud is a full-colour A5 zine featuring a gorgeous thought exploration of communication, memory, and relationships in digital and physical forms.
My heart, zine friends. My heart.
Message in a bottle, memory on a cloud opens with an acknowledgement of the traditional peoples of the land the zine was made on before gently guiding the reader into a journey of communication, distance, and the strange existence between the worlds of the physical and digital. Each page features a thought snippet, one to a few sentences, along these themes. Each snippet is accompanied by a sketch, both places on lovely and colourful hand-drawn backgrounds. For me, these really added to the almost ethereal feel of the journey of this zine.
This zine is… beautiful. It really is to me. I’m not sure if it’s a matter of having grown up as the internet and computers were becoming more standard in schools. (To the point I can remember when I was a child wondering why I would want to look something up on a computer when the encyclopaedias were right there in the library as well.) Or it could be the mix of memories as well as gentle wondering about letters, messages in bottles, and more.
I feel like I’m not explaining things well at all, but perhaps that’s because I’m still in such a contemplative space after reading it. Perhaps, my favourite quote… As someone who has had and has many online and long-distance relationships of different kinds, I do want to share this:
“I have lived, and I have loved on a piece of paper.”
I must admit I had to sit with that one for a while because it brought me back to so many different memories.
I think what really got to me about this zine is that there wasn’t any pure right or wrong in it. No pure condemnation of the digital or loathing of the physical. Things are as they are, and these contemplations are simply that – contemplations that you can take into your own mind and use as a means by which to start exploring your own feelings about life.
Message in a bottle, memory on a cloud was a truly unexpected zine that has left me with so many more thoughts and feelings than I could have expected to encounter. I feel like Kassi’s gentle wanderings are something everyone should consider reading.
Hello friends and fellow mail enthusiasts! Welcome back to Happy Mail Monday. This week we have a test of the current international mail delays, a photography zine from a new zine friend, and an awesome comic-making activity pack!
Applications are now open for Coin-Operated Press’s LGBT BLACK LIVES MATTER Zine!
We are a white-owned and operated company. We are here to listen and hold space for Black voices. We need to speak out while not silencing black voices.
This month’s theme is for our Black LGBTQ+ community.
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!
100% OF THE PROFITS GENERATED FROM THIS ZINE WILL GO TO BLACK VISIONS COLLECTIVE.
Black Visions Collective is a Black, trans, and queer-led organisation that is committed to dismantling systems of oppression & violence and shifting the public narrative to create transformative, long-term change.
We are looking for: articles, illustrations, short stories, photography, poetry, artwork of any medium, short essays, comic-strips, collage, and anything else you can put your imagination to.
As we want to hold space for minority voices, this call out is for Black LGBTQ+ folks only – please do not submit if you fall outside of this community.
Please only submit work that will fit on 1-2 A4 pages. If you have work that is longer than this, please send us an inquiry email, as we would like to be open to including longer formats.
Be sure to send us the following details along with your submission:
The name/credit you would like printed in the zine.
Your pronouns.
The city and/or country that you live in.
Any contact details that you would like printed in the zine.
A short one-sentence bio.
A profile photo or image for your bio.
Title of your work.
A short description of your work and how it fits with the theme.
If you wish to remain anonymous, that is absolutely fine – just be sure to let us know when you submit your piece.
The deadline is midnight BST on Tuesday 30th June 2020.
Hello, hello, and hello once more, dear zine friends!
As you probably well know by now, it has been quite the adventure bringing Sea Green Zines over to new hosting. Admittedly it was a somewhat hasty decisions with bills looming that involved rather steep price jumps. There were bound to be a few hiccups along the way!
As far as I know at this point, the only things I’m missing are some of the pictures and…
THE DISTRO
Hahaha. Yes, alas, the distro has gone missing. Rest assured, I will be working getting it back up and running as the priority this week. Until then, if you’re interested in checking out *my* zine stuffs, it’s on Etsy at: www.etsy.com/seagreenzines
Zine reviews will get back to the regular schedule next week!
Until then… Spread a little sunshine, my amazing friends.
It’s a bit of a mess around here with all the mess and the construction equipment, but it’s getting there. There have been many long hours spend with lovely helpdesk people as well as wading through what I know of various bits and bobs that have to do with website wrangling.
Things haven’t exactly been consistent or normal around here for… pretty much all of 2020, but I’m feeling good about this. It’ll look more or less like the same blog all said and done, but I’ll take a fresh start in whatever forms I can get them. This feels like a fresh start, and I’m hoping that the universe will be kind enough to help me make it a good one.
