Odds and Ends in the Merry Ol' Land of Zines
The Zine-O-Sphere #008: Plus Free Zine Friday
So much zine stuff is happening these days. I can barely keep track of it all!
First of all, I wanted to give a s/o to two of my favorite Substackers/zinesters, Jen Mayer | Makeist and Josh Datko for mailing me copies of their zines this past week. Your packages were a welcome sight to come home to after a particularly grueling Monday.
Jen—I really loved the Brownie Mix zine! I cannot wait to adapt the recipes to be Gluten Free :D
Josh—as always, bitpunk.fm never disappoints. I’ve really been loving the direction it’s going in with the radio show and call-in submissions. Also, thanks so much for the extra tapes! I can’t wait to dive into them this weekend.
Last weekend, I visited the Black Zine Fair to score some new zines for the ZL collection. I was pleased to have the opportunity to support some truly incredible black zinesters and artists, many of whom I hope to interview in future issues of the Zine-O-Sphere :D
Here are a few of the things I picked up—
It’s that time of year again—Finals Season. Over the last two weeks, I’ve helped numerous students scan, print, and make copies of their zines for final projects, presentations, and just for the hell of it.
One student made a zine cut into the shape of a mountain range. I was speechless, barely holding back tears by the photocopier as she described to me her hometown, her childhood, and how much she missed home. I won’t divulge where for privacy reasons but felt a kinship with her as another NYC-bound dreamer from a beautiful, but complicated rural place.
Students consistently create some of the most interesting and unique zines I’ve ever seen. I am blown away by their inventiveness and style every single time. It’s why I think zines should be incorporated into all any and all fields; they lend themselves so well to expression and reflection in almost every discipline, even STEM. The result is almost always that students walk away with more confidence in their creativity and authorial agency.
This past week, I made a minizine about my mom’s favorite collectible for her Mother’s Day gift. (Mom, if you’re reading this newsletter, please wait until your card arrives to read the rest 😊)
Growing up, my family was always surrounded by Fiestaware. We ate on Fiesta plates for every meal. We drank our morning coffee from the mugs. We even decorated the entire house in vintage and rare Fiesta.
My mom has collected it for well over two decades, scouring ebay, thrift stores, and the occasional tent sale for beloved second-hand items in every shade—Lemongrass, Cobalt, Heather, Sunflower, Tangerine, Peacock, Poppy, and so on and so forth.
These days, my mom goes to annual collector’s conventions and comes home with fantastic prizes and goodies to see. I myself have been to the factory twice and basked in the colorful, American-made landscape. Even now, I can spot a single piece of it in an antique store from a mile away. I know many of the color names, designs, and molds by heart. My mom, ever the passionate collector and teacher, taught me well. I made this zine to show her my appreciation for filling our rather chaotic and stressful lives with so much vibrancy.
Print it, fold it, cut it, and share it! Send it to a distant relative who loves Fiestaware or learn more about it for yourself :D
‘Til Next Time!
Hi zine friends! I hope you all had a good week, in the midst of well—everything.
A couple of housekeeping things—
To those who signed up for the Gen X/Gen Z collaborative zine, please be patient with me! Now that the semester is over, I should have some more time to devote to collecting your submissions for the first couple of issues.
Now that my Paint Chip Poetry series is complete, I’m considering choosing ten-to-fifteen of them to rework for a small chapbook. I’ve never made a chapbook before but feel remarkably inspired to take the plunge. Admittedly, I’m not as familiar with the chapbook side of the self-publishing landscape. I know a few, based on the miniscule collection of chapbooks we have in the Zine Library but want to learn more. I’m open to any and all poetry chapbook recommendations my poetry-minded readers might have!
If anyone has any resources, thoughts, or zines to share with me, please leave ‘em in the comments below. I would love to hear from you :)
Happy Zine Making!
The Fiesta Zine is perfect
The chapbook is a good idea! But I never made one either! I want to though so I'm curious as to what you learn.