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International Zine Month 2017 Day 15: Not-Quite-Lost & Found

Leave a zine in public for someone else to find

I decided to leave a few copies of ‘What’s This Then?’ – my mini-zine about what zines are – in one of my favourite places…

Okay, so you can’t tell where this is by the picture, but I left some zines at the post office. More specifically, where all the post boxes are adjoining the post office shop.

I felt weirdly nervous doing this, and I don’t really know why. Nervous and happy at the same time. I do wonder if anyone who finds them will take the extra step to check out zines.

I’ll probably never know.

That’s me for today. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Other Zinesters Joining In (Let me know if you are, and I’ll add you to the list!):

*@eintervital
*@dre
*@queerarcana

Play along with 31 Days of International Zine Month Activities here!

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Call for Submissions: In Praise Zine

Fandom zine now accepting submissions!

What is fandom?

There are many different ideas about what fandom ‘is’, but according to my own experience, fandom is a group or community of fans who engage in discourse about a subject of common interest. The fan experience is what comprises a fandom, and what drives fan work and celebration.

What are you looking for?

Articles on any subject related to fandom, including fandom meta discussions. (e.g. the ‘right’ way to tag on AO3, your opinion on how creators and fans interact, an analysis of racism in a certain fandom)

Narrative Stories! I want to know how fandom has impacted you, personally. Did you meet your SO through fandom? Your best friend? Did you meet a creator at a con that changed your life? Why do you write fanfiction?

Interviews, reviews, and critiques. Have you spoken with an author about fandom? Or a fanfiction author about fandom? Do you have something to say about the way that a piece of media has treated its fans? Maybe you’ve reviewed all the cons in your area and have an opinion on the best ones?

Art and Comics: While we are not accepting fanart, we are accepting and encouraging fandom artists to write comics about the fan experience, fanfiction, fanart, talking to your fandom friends vs. non-fandom friends, how reviews make you feel, how characters make you feel, etc.

I want to contribute! What do I do?

You can contact In Praise through ask, or through email, inpraise.zine@gmail.com. Submissions will only be accepted through email. If you have a question or a pitch, you can contact me to chat about it. We’re looking for about 20-30 submissions, but if we receive more we will consider two volumes or a very large book. I cannot offer any payment, but all participants will receive a free digital copy of the zine. If this changes either through the success of a kickstarter or the patronage of a larger organization, we will let you know!

Specifics:

All written pieces should be 200-2000 words long. If you are submitting a larger piece, with references or a deep critical analysis, I will consider pieces up to 4500 words. If this is the case, I would recommend you send a pitch or abstract before spending a significant amount of time on the piece.

The zine will be published in trade size, 6”x9”, so please make sure any art submissions include a .125” bleed around the edges. You can submit up to five pages of comics. This will be a color run, but please use minimal or spot color.

You will be able to determine how you will be credited, by username, full name, alias, etc.

Will this zine be available to purchase?

Yes! We plan on creating a kickstarter to back the publication and gauge interest in additional installments. There will be both digital and physical copies available to purchase.

When’s the deadline?

The deadline for submissions is July 31st!

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Zine Review: Portraits Issue 1

Portraits Issue 1
Chloe Henderson
www.chloehenderson.co.uk
@ChloeHenderson9

I hate to admit it, but I do feel a touch of envy when I see such talented artists – especially those who can draw people well. Chloe Henderson is definitely no exception to this.

Portraits Issue 1 is a collection of portraits – mostly in black and white but some with colour elements – printed on glossy paper. Most of the portraits are of celebrities, but some are more personal – and all contain fantastical elements.

Reading this zine is like going to an art show. Each portrait on the right hand page is paired with a title and text – a brief description of how the piece came to be. I liked taking it at my own pace – taking in the portrait, letting my thoughts wander in regard to it, and then bringing myself back over to the text so I could learn more from the artist’s perspective.

The higher quality paper really served Chloe well in this zine. So much of her art style can draw you in to the tiniest details, and shadowing through from other pages would have ruined that effect. I think it also helped the limited use of colour pop all the more.

Usually with these sorts of zines, I pick a page or a picture that sticks out as a favourite to me, but it’s so hard in this one. I think ‘definitely Jennifer Lawrence’ but then I look at Neil Gaiman again. And there is something very different about the last of the collection that sets it apart on its own amongst the other portraits.

So I’ll have to say sorry because a favourite is not jumping out at me. I like them all.

Holy contact details, Batman! Talk about a contact page. The back cover has pics of Chloe, a bio, links, and even Chloe’s logo. If you’re going to be clear about who you are and where you’re at, then check out the back cover of this zine.

If you like zines with art and drawings, then this zine should be a part of your collection.

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International Zine Month 2017 Day 14: ValenZINE’s Day

Write to ZineCrush.com or your zine crush

Luuuurve is in the air – zine love! (Remember – love is not contained just to romantic love and neither are crushes!)

Okay, so as far as I can see, the URL mentioned isn’t operating, and the Twitter (https://twitter.com/zinecrush) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/zine.crush) haven’t been going to a while.

So I reckon I’ll confess my zine crush here!

I really admire Nichole (@corridorgirl) who writes the Pieces perzine series – the first perzine series that I really got into and identified with on many levels. I think they were the zines that made me feel like I could really make friends through zines.

So that’s me. Do you have a zine crush?

Other Zinesters Joining In (Let me know if you are, and I’ll add you to the list!):

*@eintervital
*@dre
*@queerarcana

Play along with 31 Days of International Zine Month Activities here!

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Zine Review: Growing to Become Myself 2017

Growing to Become Myself 2017
Queer Marshmallow
https://www.facebook.com/merfemmedistro/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/MerfemmeDistro

Today when I’m not feeling well on a dreary winter afternoon, I was in the mood to read a zine that would make me feel good. Growing to Become Myself 2017 delivered that.

The first thing that really strikes me when I look at this mini-zine is the colour. With the title in pinks on top of a picture of green grass and purple and white flowers, it’s a very inviting zine. (Especially as I snuggle in my electric blanket and sigh about winter.) I feel like I can’t help but look inside.

This use of colour is carried on inside with photos of flowers used at the backdrop for words and thoughts written on snippets of pastel coloured paper. It is handwritten rather than type, and I thank the zine maker for clear and readable handwriting.

Growing to Become Myself 2017 is like a goals list combined with reminders on how to be more self-caring, gentle, and more positive about your life.

The Focus on Healing page hit home the most with me with words about slow progress still being progress and not pushing oneself into doing more than one can. This is what I struggle with the most in my life (hello, my name is Nyx, and I’m a workaholic).

The one niggle here is no contact details whatsoever. As always, I say this with a grain of salt because you never know if people leave off the details on purpose. However, I’m someone who always wants to know more and thus always notices when they’re not there.

Growing to Become Myself 2017 is a very pretty zine that uses the title and theme of growth along with images of flowers to create a beautiful, gentle mini-zine. I quite enjoyed it and hope you will, too.

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International Zine Month 2017 Day 13: Zine Trade Day!

Ask someone to trade zines with you

Hello, zine friends! It’s an especially happy day in our happy zine month: Zine Trade Day!

A huge part of zines and zine community is the practice of trading zines. Connecting in person and through the mail by trading zines is an absolutely gorgeous tradition that should be embraced!

It’s with that in mind that I offer this:

I have a single zine in each envelope. As you can see, they are stamped and ready to go – for trade! I’m looking for two people to trade with who are willing to go for a ‘lucky dip’ chance in a zine trade. (I am, of course, willing to go for a lucky dip as well.)

If you’re interested in trading with me, leave a comment below. 🙂 I’m absolutely serious. No matter where in the world you are, I have a zine waiting for you if you want to send one in return.

First come, first serve.

Happy traiding!

Other Zinesters Joining In (Let me know if you are, and I’ll add you to the list!):

*@eintervital
*@dre
*@queerarcana

Play along with 31 Days of International Zine Month Activities here!

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International Zine Month 2017 Day 12: Zine Reviewer Appreciation Day

Send your zine out to be reviewed

Okay so I decided on the post title and only later realised how self-serving it is. Oops. I was going to change it, but… I’m in the mood to be a little cheeky. After all, what zine reviewer wouldn’t feel appreciated receiving zines to review?

Funnily enough I sent out my zine – Don’t Call Me Cupcake 3 – to Zine Nation, and they actually reviewed it as part of their International Zine Month celebrations! You can check out the review of Don’t Call Me Cupcake 3 here.

Even reviewers get reviewed. 😉

Are you sending your zine off to get reviewed? Where are you sending it? Let me know in the comments.

Other Zinesters Joining In (Let me know if you are, and I’ll add you to the list!):

*@eintervital
*@dre
*@queerarcana

Play along with 31 Days of International Zine Month Activities here!

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International Zine Month 2017 Day 11: Mail Art

Make some mail art!

Happy International Zine Month, zine friends! It is day 11 already(!), and that means it’s time to make some mail art.

As with most of my best laid plans… things have gone awry. I had, for lack of a better phrase, a flare up last night which has left me with quite a bit of pain and not a lot of use of my right arm. (Bursitis is part of the mix, if you’re curious.) So instead, what I’m going to do today is give a big hat tip to the king of mail art in my mail world: Fishspit.

Check out these beauties, and please comment below if you’re showing of your mail art on your blog/site/account!

Until tomorrow!

Other Zinesters Joining In (Let me know if you are, and I’ll add you to the list!):

*@eintervital
*@dre
*@queerarcana

Play along with 31 Days of International Zine Month Activities here!

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International Zine Month 2017 Day 10: Care Packages!

Send a care package to a zine friend

Oh, my gosh. Who doesn’t love a care package? Little bits and bobs someone puts together just for you to surprise you and make you feel good. Lovely.

Funnily enough, I’m putting together a little somethin’ somethin’ for a zine friend, but I can’t really give the details because he reads the blog! Hehe. So what I thought I would do is put together a little list of fun option if you want to make a ziney care package for a ziney friend.

*Zines (of course)
*Blank one-page zines (an invitation to create, yes?)
*Pens, pencils, and other fun things to write with
*Sharpies (because they warrant they’re own line in this list)
*Washi/paper/patterned tapes
*Glue sticks/double-sided tape (I have a sweet love for the double-sided tape, but I know some love glue sticks)
*Stickers
*Clippings of words/images from magazines/newspapers
*Treats/snacks (this can be tricky, so you may only want to do it if you’re familiar enough to know about any allergies or preferences) Snacks are good for a big zine session

If you have any more ideas for what you like to send or what you’d like to receive in your ideal zine care package, let me know!

Other Zinesters Joining In (Let me know if you are, and I’ll add you to the list!):

*@eintervital
*@dre
*@queerarcana

Play along with 31 Days of International Zine Month Activities here!

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Happy Mail Monday: Zine Petting Edition

It’s Happy Mail Monday! Who said Mondays can’t be your favourite day of the week? 😉

The first envelope of zine awesomeness is from Bloomurder! She decided to celebrate International Zine Month by getting in touch and sending some zine happiness my way.

If you’re not familiar with Bloomurder/Laura, she is the zinemaker who created the Shakespeare’s Lovers zines. She is also the person I have to thank for encouraging me to go to Festival of the Photocopier 2016 aka my first ever zine fest!

And yes, my friends, that is a Strictly Ballroom fanzine! I’m so excited about that. If you don’t know the movie, check it out. It’s an Aussie classic.

Thank you Laura!

The next envelope of zine goodness we have here is from a new friend of a friend, Charlene from Canada! I love finding a little note tucked in with zines that say ‘so-and-so mentioned you’. I love the internet as much as anyone, but good ol’ word of mouth still lives and breathes – especially in the zine community.

I must admit I’m having a pretty hard time not skipping out on the rest of my work so I can dig into these. ^_^

Thank you!

Thank you to Laura and Charlene for sharing their wonderful zines and to everyone who takes the time and energy to make my world bubble a happier place.

So what’s up with the ‘Zine Petting Edition’? Well, you’ll have to check out my Instagram for that…

I’ll be back soon with International Zine Month Day 10.