Tuesday 7 July 2015

Happy International Zine Month!

That's right it's July (already) and so it is International Zine Month!
Even though I know every year it happens at the same time, I always seem to think 'shit, International Zine month and I don't have time to do anything!'
I am currently working on, I think 4 zines, hopefully at least half of them will materialise, it would be great if all 4 did.
We are tabling at Leeds zine fest the first week of August, so July may just be spent getting ready for that.

In the meantime, here are my favourite zine things!

Favourite Zine:
I always bang on about this zine but I think it is because it is soo good, the zine is Colouring Outside The Lines.
Edited by the ever lovely Melanie Maddison, it is a zine that features interviews (conducted by Melanie) with female artists.
Melanie has made 6 issues (with number 6 appearing, much to my joy, after a brief hiatus) and has featured some of my favourite artists (Tara McPherson, Elizabeth McGrath, Dame Darcy, Sarah Utter and Lisa Petrucci, Christy Road, Nicole J Georges, Marion Peck and a shit load more!) and introduced me to many artists I may never heard of!
I don't think old issues are in print, but if you're ever round mine I will let you have a read!
Get issue 6 HERE!


Favourite Zinester:This one goes to my old friend Holly. We became penpals via Teletext in like 1999 when we were just 15. Holly was the first person I knew in real life who made zines, we used to make zines together, we are currently trying to make zines together again. She makes zines about the things she loves (mostly all the Bru's, Bruse Springsteen, Bruce Wayne and Irn Bru!) about queerness and class and being a fan of stuff, all the best things in life really!
See her stuff HERE!

Favourite Zine fair:I think this goes to Sheffield zine fest. The one I have tabled at the most. I have done other cities, London, Leeds and my own fair city, Manchester. But I really like the Sheff one, it could have something to do with the fact I see all my favourite Yorkshire faces there and the venue has a giant slide in it!

Favourite type of Zine:I make a craft zine, I love a good skill sharing or recipe zine, I also edit Poor Lass which is the stories of working class folk, told by working class folk, so I guess that could be called perzine (personal zine), I guess my zine Brown Girl has a perzine touch to it, but my one true love, the first zines I ever got sent in the post as a teenager were Fanzines, zines about the stuff people love.
These are my favourite zines, I feel they don't get made as much anymore, but maybe now I don't have ten penpals and friendship books and zines covered in glitter dropping through my door anymore all the time, I am just out of the loop!


Favourite Zine place:Whenever I go on holiday I seek out the zine shops and zine libraries, but my favourite place is at home.
It's Salford zine library (that is no longer in Salford but in Manchester City Centre).
It's housed in Nexus Art Café off Oldham st, next door to my favourite comic shop, Travelling Man.
I reckon the fact it's just a 10-15mins bus ride from my house makes it my favourite place to peruse zines, but it also has a great collection!
Check their new website HERE!


Favourite way to make a Zine:
I am a cut 'n' paste kinda gal! For many reasons; my favourite zines growing up were made this way, it's how I learnt to make zines, it's the only way I know and it's accessible for lot's of people to make zines this way.
I have gotten a little modern from when I first made zines, I used to hand write or type on my typewriter, but I then eventually got a computer so typed all my writing out and sourced backgrounds and drew pictures and cut and pasted it all together. I don't understand computer programmes or have photoshop, I do have scissors and a glue stick and a long armed stapler so this is what I use!
I like to show people how to make a zine with one piece of paper, a pen, a pair of scissors and access to a photocopier.


Favourite Zine I have made:I have made a lot of zine about a lot of things (being brown, My-So Called Life, EMO music, teenage crushes, Gerard Way's jackets to name a few) and Sugar Paper is the longest running zine I have made (14 issues, I reckon in like 7 years!) and had the pleasure of making with one of my best friends, But I think I am most proud of Poor Lass Zine.
A zine I edit with my friend Em about being working class, it's a contributions based zine and the fact people keep wanting to share their stories and people keep reading them is s heart warming. We have received such a great response from this project I think it's the most important zine I have put my name too and therefore my favourite.
Check Poor Lass out HERE.