The Auckland Zinefest is coming up (applications close next week so get in quick!) I got excited and decided I wanted to make a science-themed zine, but then realised I didn't actually know what a zine was. In fact, my experience of zines can be reduced to a single encounter one winter's night when I was seventeen and my friend Holly was distributing zines at an EP release. But then she ran out and I never got to lay my hands on a physical copy. So ah, yeah, my experience of zines was never really an experience at all.
Google and Wikipedia can only take you so far on occasions such as these, so I tried this crazy idea of asking "people", namely the lovely Aimee and Jono, about zines. His reply still makes me snicker:
Primarily a form of self-indulgence, zines have become a popular method of letting the world know when you have too much time on your hands. They often deal with the real issues: '5 Great Bands I Saw At The Kings Arms in 2003', and ask the hard questions: 'Is Dumpster Diving Vegan?' It is also a great way for fantastic writers whose work is not 'accepted' by the big 'mainstream' writing journals to get their alternative poetry 'out there'.
Not only is it important to choose content anyone could have written, it's imperative that the materials used be equally uninspired. An A4 printer, a biro pen, a pair of scissors, a glue stick and a selection of crayons is all you need. When you're sure you have created all the content you'll need, just photocopy it 20 times and staple it together.
You can give your zines away or sell them for between $2 and $3. Your target market is other people who have also made a zine for this event.
I think he should make a zine about it.
In other news, Lazy Soosan is a neat little zine celebrating a different letter of the alphabet in each issue:
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