For the love of zines
Earlier today, the amazing Billy did a livestream in which he went through his series ‘Proof I Exist’. I was lucky to be able to catch it live and have a bit of a chat.
It’s very awesome to see zine creators doing things like this, and there may even be some SGZ livestreams in the future.
Hello, hello, hello. Today we have another checking in vlog about life in general, keeping on, and not ever feeling ashamed about talking about mental illness.
As always, thank you for watching.
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My PO Box:
Jaime Nyx
PO Box 378
Murray Bridge, SA 5253
Australia
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You Can Find Me At:
seagreenzines@gmail.com
Sea Green Zines: https://seagreenzines.com
Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/seagreenzines
Hello, zine friends! Some long-awaited mail goodness has arrived from a dear friend in France! Check it out!
Thank you so much for watching.
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Awesome People/Places/Spaces Mentioned:
*Shei – https://linktr.ee/_godsavethequeer__
*Rachel Schwartz Fagan – https://linktr.ee/word.tonic.press
*Kara DJ
*Androcles Press – https://www.instagram.com/cavedweller71/
*Liminal Spaces – https://linktr.ee/LiminalSpaces
*Badquilla – https://www.instagram.com/badquilla/
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My PO Box:
Nyx
PO Box 378
Murray Bridge, SA 5253
Australia
***
You Can Find Me At:
seagreenzines@gmail.com
Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/seagreenzines
CALLING ALL LGBT+ FOLKS! Zine call-out for poetry.
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN for Coin-Operated Press’s We’re Here zine!
Send us your words!
We want to create a zine that spreads awareness of invisible illness, chronic pain, and disability within the queer community. It has been reported that around one-third of people who identify as LGBTQ+ also state that they are disabled. What does that look like for you?
Share your confusion, your anxiety, your anger, and your activism. Share your passions, your goals, your achievements.
Here are some prompts if you need them: Lock-down, Accessibility at Pride, Diagnosis and management, Mental health, Family, friends, work, Embracing your mobility aids, Medication, etc.
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.
*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 Wednesday 23rd September 2020.
Please send submissions to coinoperatedpress@gmail.com
Please visit our FAQs for more information https://coinoperatedpress.com/call-for-submissions/
Things That Are Not Face Masks
Zappix Art
https://www.instagram.com/zappixart/
https://linktr.ee/zappixart
Things That Are Not Face Masks is an A7 black-on-green-paper mini art zine about, well, things that are not face masks.
Oh, dear zine friends. I wanted a short and sweet zine that would make me smile after a very long week, and this mini really hit the spot.
Each page features two different drawings of people wearing things that are definitely not face masks along with a description of what said ‘not a mask’ is. These made me smile so much not only because I’ve seen the memes of people wearing things like thongs as masks but so much more so because of Zappix’s sense of humour. Things I would never think of – including “This zine” – gave me a chuckle when one is very much needed and appreciated.
There’s even a rather, ahem, adult item that made me laugh out loud because it’s definitely not a face mask! I’ll leave that one for you to discover, though, and just grin cheekily when I think about it.
Things That Are Not Face Masks is a mini to pick up. Things are incredibly rough, and we need all the smiles and laughs we can get. This is definitely a zine for that.
State of Mind: An Exploration of Emotions
Mary
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/ReflectiveZines
https://www.instagram.com/reflectivezines/
State of Mind is a full colour, US-sized half-fold zine with art and collage exploring five different emotions.
In State of Mind, Mary takes us on a journey of hand drawn art and cut out words and phrases exploring five different states of mind: mania, anxiety, dissociation, psychosis, and hyperfocus. Each state is given its own full page filled with (but not cluttered) colour and different expressions for that state.
Collage can be a little bit like poetry for me – I know what I like, but I don’t always know how to explain why I like it. However, in State of Mind, I found it quite easy. Each page features a hand drawn person who is Mary’s physical representation central to all the words around it. I quite liked that element not just visually but almost as a visual metaphor as well in that we can often be surrounded by labels, questions, and so forth when it comes to being in certain states.
I was also struck by what a great way this is for helping people who might otherwise feel overwhelmed at the prospect of trying to express how they feel about being in certain states. I love the idea of sitting at a table with markers, pens, and a bunch of magazines to cut up for the pure enjoyment of not only making art but exploring things in an artistic way.
One little nitpick is that this came with no socials whatsoever. There is always the part of this nitpick of mine in that some people prefer it that way – to be anonymous in their zine creations. But, as it’s on Etsy, and there are no notes about keeping it out of reviews/sharing, I think it’s okay to mention.
I quite enjoyed this zine and am glad to have it as part of my collection. I think it’s a good one to check out to not only help you in exploring your own emotions/states of mind but perhaps in also inspiring you to find creative ways to help others explore theirs. I very much hope to see Mary make more of these zines exploring other states as well.
Hello, zine friends!
Wow has it been a case of the Mondays today. Precisely nothing went to plan. And even the spontaneous corrections to the original things that didn’t go right ended up going wrong as well!
About five minutes ago, the internet came back online, so there’s a silver lining amongst the clouds.
No mail arrived over the past week, so Happy Mail Monday hasn’t technically been effected. Crossing fingers, knocking on wood, and all of that good stuff that things go smoothly tomorrow.
Until next time, spread a little sunshine.
Hearts.
Shivani Anora N.
https://www.instagram.com/shivaniandwords/
https://www.facebook.com/shivaniandthings
Hearts. is a full-colour A5 zine of short poetry in combination with collage based around the suit of hearts in a deck of cards.
“Love. The season of spring… Home… The hearts suit of a deck of cards has been said to represent all those things & more…”
I’ve been reviewing zines for quite a while now, and while I love zines through and through, I still can’t help but have a little extra smile when I see someone do something that I haven’t seen before. In the case of Hearts. I quite like how Shivani has paired short poems to one suit of a deck of cards. It seems like a perfect match with both poetry and cards having a lot more meaning below the surface if you care to look.
Each two-page spread features a single playing card (in order from ace to king) on alternating backgrounds on the left and a poem on a minimalistic background on the right. The colour is vibrant but not overwhelming, never taking away from the card and the poem.
Shivani’s style of poetry is what I’m seeing more and more of – no rhyme or structure as such but plenty of meaning depending on how far you want to dig and how long you’d like to contemplate it. As I’ve mentioned here plenty of times, poetry is definitely not my strong suit. Some of the poems in here went a bit over my head. That said, what I enjoyed touched me with the intensity and heartbreak that surrounds love.
As a side note, I’m also not all that familiar with card meanings, but I wouldn’t be surprised (and am actually curious to find out) if there is an even deeper connection between the words and the card they have been paired with.
Hearts. is a poetry zine that left me feeling contemplative and curious about what the next three zines (with the next three card suits) will bring. If you like the more ‘modern’ style of poetry, then this is a zine to check out.