Tag: zines
We wish we could get to Auckland for this! The High Seas, a record/book/zine gallery in Auckland, is currently exhibiting the work of Susan Te Kahurangi King, who we blogged about earlier.
The exhibition runs until the 24th of July, so you’ll need to be quick!
Tavi, the coolest thirteen year old in the entire world ever, has a sweet round-up of the latest and greatest zines right here.
We especially love the idea behind First Kiss, where people (including Tavi!) recount their very first kisses.
Look out for it in the zine collection soon!
Harvey Pekar, legendary comic book writer, has died.
He received mainstream attention through his appearances on Letterman, and more recently via the excellent film made about his life, American Splendor (named after his comics). But it’s his funny, intelligent and deeply human comics that we’ll miss most of all.
The brr has definitely descended on Wellington, but never fear! Your friendly zine library has two adorable solutions!
We now have both of knit blog megastar Ysolda’s collections of Whimsical Little Knits, chock full of gloves, scarves, hats, and yes, hedgehogs.
Take them out and knit yourself warm again.
A few weeks ago, Miss Stephanie and I were interviewed by the Dom Post for an article on the thriving local zine scene, which was published in Saturday’s Indulgence section. The article focuses on superstar zine makers Bryce Galloway and Matt Whitwell, as well as up and comers Arlo Heynes and Wendy Allardice, all of whose work is now conveniently on display here at your friendly zine library.
If you missed the article, you can check it out on Press Display or come on in; we’ve put a copy on our zine display area on the first floor of Central Library.
This weekend is the New Zealand Independent Comics Festival! It’s being held 
at The Basement Gallery (39 Dixon St) from this Friday April 2nd until Sunday April 4th.
Events include wonders such as exhibitions of NZ Comix in 70’s and The Work of H.W. Bennett plus the Wellington launch of Hicksville!
It all culminates with The Black River Digital New Zealand Comics Awards on Sunday Saturday night. We have a display up on the first floor of Central Library (next to the Zines collection) of some of the glittery nominees right now, so come in and have a look!
Found Magazine was, er, founded one night after Davy Rothbart, Found’s point guard, discovered a note on his windscreen intended for someone else entirely. Inspired by the note’s ‘amazing mixture of anger and hopefulness’, he started up a magazine chock full of found items, notes, photographs and drawings.
The library has six shiny new editions, some of which are replacing the well-thumbed copies we already hold, some we’ve never had.
The first issue contains gems like a hand-written pledge to find David Cross tickets, a stick-figure interpretation of Jesus and a heart-breakingly hopeful short story written on prison stationery. Issue Six has a finder’s spotlights on everyone’s favourite heroes Dan Clowes and Miranda July.
They are incredibly dense wee things, perfect for reading in your tea-break or on the bus. Come down to the WCL and take one home today!
My absolute favourite zine we got at Wellington Zinefest is this limited edition book of drawings by New Zealand artist Susan King. It’s bloomin’ gorgeous.
Arranged in a thoughtful and transparent way by Smallminingtown, the variety and quality of Susan’s work is really on display here. Oddball cartoon ducks and cats sprouting astonished sweat compete for space with melancholic, geometric landscapes. Her drawings are fanciful and wonder-filled, often surreal, nimble and intricate.
Susan’s personal story is also intriguing. At four-years-old she stopped speaking, but begun to draw; creating a huge body of work before she turned 26, when suddenly, she stopped. Encouraged by those just discovering her work, she began to draw again in 2008. Her extraordinary talent and story have been quickly recognised this time around. A documentary is in the works and she has exhibited both here and in Australia.
Currently on our new zines display, this is one to savour.
Here’s our team showing off the collection and their current favourite zines:
If you didn’t catch them, here are the zines mentioned:
We hope you enjoy our first video reviews!
We got a number of super fancy zines at Wellington Zinefest. No staples or sticky tape lines for this trio of beautifully bound cuties. Best enjoyed next to a diamond shaped pool with a shatteringly dry martini in hand.
We’ve got Chew Gum Bitches aka the Zine of the Fest, each edition of which is completely unique (check out ours above). Nick Boyd of Cross St Studios has compiled a sequence of sweet and gruesome illustrations including a timely pencil drawing of an all-grown-up Max (from Where the Wild Things Are), and a warning on the perils of hopping freight trains.
The prolific and pseudonymic Sid Skull has created a zine no librarian could resist. Issues is a slyly humorous arrangement of library cards. The one we bought spans Dewey numbers and years, and are all an attractive shade of apricot.
The Common Sense Nihilist Manifesto by David Cauchi is an elegant wee thing. Slender and minimal, it contains a meditation on the nature of existence (!) and a series of beautifully coloured, often macabre illustrations. Check it out!
WCL has over 600,000 books, 450,000 magazines, and 85,000 CDs, DVDs, videos and other items at our central library and 11 branches. We are located in New Zealand's capital city, Wellington. Looking for your local branch? Have a look at our Library Locations page.