For the love of zines
(I’m definitely happy to do more of these posts if anyone wants to use this site as a sort of messageboard to connect with other zine makers. The same goes for announcements about zine fests/workshops and other related things.)
I’m interested in doing zine trades. Anyone who wants to trade zines can send me a message on Twitter or Instagram at @calhounpress.
I feel like I’m attempting to break the internet by posting a call for submissions call for submissions.
But that’s it! I want to share your call for submissions. Your call for donations to your zine library. So on. So forth. All the things! Leave a comment here. 🙂
Big fuzzy love hearts to those of you who use graphics (and thus save me time) for their calls for submissions!
It’s super silly, but I’m working on a new mini zine of just penis art. If you’d like to draw a little something for it, the zine will be 2.5″ wide and 4.5″ tall, black and white. If you want to submit something, if you could mail the original art to me that would be ideal (I don’t have a printer and not sure I can print peens at the library). Email me for the snail mail address to send art to: gothcupcake@gmail.com
I know better than to read reviews. My mind is deliciously talented at twisting any compliment into something that needs improvement. But when a reviewer contacts you first, letting you know personally how your work affected them, then it’s hard to resist taking a peek.
The review came with the best of timing. I’ve just wrapped up finishing the latest print runs of Dear Anonymous 3 and Don’t Call Me Cupcake.
Yep, I cut out the cupcakes individually…
A lot of sewing…
I wanted to get this all finished before starting my next zines. The review? A bonus, warm fuzzy motivator.
Pictures from/of Sticky because I’m only just back from Melbourne and exhausted.
Ugh. For a few days now, it’s been hot enough to be uncomfortable and to make contemplating doing much a big effort. This ^^ isn’t too bad (about 93F), but it’s not very nice. (It’s also a bit late in the game, Australia-wise. We should have been getting this kind of weather in October.)
Anywho, best laid plans not so laid well in the face of heat and needing to move away from the aircon.
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. (Possibly a print copy depending on my financial status at the time of printing.)
*** Do you have a call for submissions for your zine? Let me know!
Pieces #5 On Change
Nichole
http://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/Nichole
https://www.etsy.com/shop/fictionandnot
I’ve reviewed Pieces 1-4, so if you’d like to check them out, you can find the links in my recently updated *cough*it’sabouttime*cough* Zine Review Index.
When I first get a zine, I have a quick scan to get a sense of the layout and what kind of zine I’m about to get into. The Pieces series never fails to be a pleasurable scan. I am a huge fan of the A5/regular page half-fold zine, but there’s something about the A6(ish for US friend paper) size that makes it feel a tiny bit more like a zine. A fun little treasure just for me. Pieces #5 is a smidge smaller than A6, and I love it.
Plus, I love how she continues to use white text on black for the change to more stream-of-consciousness type writing. The visual change to go along with the writing style change is a nice touch.
Now enough about paper, Nyx. Not everyone has teh lurve for the stationery like you do.
Pieces 5 is all about, you guessed it: Change. Looking to go back into regular work, contemplating a move and facing fears are topics that we can all identify with. As with previous issues, Nichole does so with that hint of vulnerability that makes you feel like you’re having a conversation with a close friend.
It’s strange to read something that was written in the past (2011) and yet have it apply so well to things I’m dealing with now. This zine is all about change, and Nichole’s writer-ly background along with a keen craving for the creative sits her well with what 2015 Nyx is sorting through. Maybe I have a severe case of narcissism, but even when the situations are different, her questions and thoughts ring true.
The beautiful thing about a perzine is that it’s like getting to know a person. You can read all sorts of things, but they can still surprise you. Nichole’s foray into S&M was a surprise but a pleasant one. I admire her bravery in a number of ways: admitting her wants and needs to herself, pursuing them with another person, and writing about the whole lot. As I contemplate what to write in my second perzine, I read what Nichole has shared and think deeply about what I could share with the world.
Another win for Nichole in the Pieces series. I’m very happy to see that she is continuing on with Pieces and is on Pieces #12. Looks like I’ll have to catch up.
Under the Influence: The Girly Review
Alexandra B Duguid
https://www.facebook.com/undertheinfluencezines/
Here’s a zine that (I think) came as part of a multi-zine trade. I’ve seen some current calls for submissions for this one, so I was eager to have a peek.
Music might not be one of the big things in my life, but I think that just served to give me a different kind of appreciation for this zine. I didn’t know anyone mentioned inside, but I look at it as a way to check out new bands and singers. I always love an excuse to look things up on YouTube.
I liked how Under the Influence managed to surprise me. The intro and first section set up expectations for the whole zine as far as layout and content. Then they broke out with illustrations (that reminded me of Gemma Flack’s work (compliment)) I really enjoyed and lyrics breakdowns. I enjoyed the change of pace in along with the more text-heavy pieces.
Check it out. Even if music isn’t your area, you could still find something you like.
Turns out that breathing in ocean air helps me to have better quality breathing overall, so Wanderer and I went to the beach! Of course, I wasn’t going to go on an adventure without Zine Ninja.
