Whew! we have FINALLY finished processing the more than 100 zines we bought this year at the Wellington Zinefest. They are mainly titles from local zine authors/artists - and as usual, cover all subjects imaginable!  (Do-it-yourself, arts, political ones, funny ones, comics etc…)

They make for great summer reading, so please come into the Central Library and check them out!

If you’re looking for some whimsical ephemera to help wile away the holiday hours, we have HEAPS of new zines, including Wellington Zinefest purchases, on display in the zine collection on the first floor at WCL.  Here are some of my picks from the newbies…

Book of Poetry and Short Stories by Zora Patrick. 
This was Wellington Zinefest 2011’s ’Best of Fest’ winner, and as part of the erudite panel of judges for that award I’m possibly slightly biased, but I cannot say enough about how awesome this little zine is.  At just 11 years old, Zora has created a piece of self-published art that is funny, philosophical, original, weird, a little bit poignant, and downright lovingly crafted and beautiful.  Pretty much everything a zine should be, in my opinion. 

1984: The Year I Met Elvis – An Exhibition About Growing Up in the 80s by Sally Papps et al. 
Zine/catalogue of an exhibition by Sally Papps, Elvis is a memoir of teenage life in Nelson/Golden Bay in the 80s. A cute work of local history and a wonderful slice-of-life ethos.

Daily Secretion: Third Emission by Hannah Salmon. 
As delightfully transgressive and bad-taste pioneering as ever, the third installment of Daily Secretion answers all your questions on topics such as Paul Henry and thantophobia (fear of death or dying). The perfect Christmas present for grandma. 

Where You at, Bro? by David Merritt. 
David Merritt’s self-published travelling poetic ramblings are bite-sized but sturdily built.  While this is my favourite of his latest offerings, grab a few at a time – they are genuinely inspirational for writing, roadtrips and general Kerouac-esque badassness.

Statistical Analysis of The Things that happen but don’t make sense and everything else by Sarah McNeil
This zine is much more fun than taking a course in research methods or Statistics 101. Sarah has managed to find a very interesting use for statistics by collecting data on funny, mundane events and creating all sorts of graphs. In her zine you can find pie charts on “thoughts in thinking time”; as well as linear graphs of “uncomfortable ideas and feelings” set against “time looking at kittens behind the glass at the pet shop”. This zine is full of funny, cute and interesting diagrams and graphs.

Imaginary Lovers by Devon Smith
This zine is so romantic and funny! It is full of illustrations of people that Devon thinks are cool. All kinds of descriptions of imaginary lovers are included in this zine… but some of them are crossed out! I think I recognised one of them the other day… This zine deserves a “librarian’s choice” sticker ASAP!

Application Poems 2010-2011 by Alex Mitcalfe Wilson
This is another awesome zine from Alex Mitcalfe Wilson, a well-known multidisciplinary artist from Wellington. Alex’s anthology of poems is quite unusual and original. I really enjoyed the poems inspired by the World Press photo exhibition and one called “Empire”. These poems were originally submitted in applications for various writing programmes, and they are really good.

Cupcakemonsters 13 by Alex Mitcalfe Wilson
This is an upgraded/next-level-beats edition of the usual Cupcakemonsters. Alex has moved away from the usual dull winter-like colours to explore the contagious positivity of pastel colours. This pastel pink issue is bigger and feels nicer. This zine features three bands (Grouper, Martial Canterel & Captain Ahab) and it also comes with a really powerful poster of crystals.

Pernicious anaemia by Alex Mitcalfe Wilson
This zine is quite mysterious. The theme of the zine is black metal iconography and is full on scary logos and hilarious statements. There is a really funny list of Doom Band names. Come and check out this zine even if you are not into black metal.

Protroast5 by Ya-Wen Ho and Makyla Curtis
This zine has a lot of cool stories written by various story tellers from all around the world. Some of these stories are accompanied by illustrations. There are some beautiful poems and nice comics. I wonder how the editors manage to get artists from Russia and Japan to collaborate on this awesome zine? Quite impressive.

Red, yellow, blue repeat AND Blue bits by Anthony Zinonos
I have been following Anthony Zinonos’ art for years, and I am so happy that we have 2 of his zines. Red, yellow, blue repeat is full of beautiful abstract collages; while Blue bits is a bit more conceptual and funny. Both zines are gems, especially if you like collage-montage art and Anthony’s style.

Hi Ayano, thank you for letting us interview you. I have noticed that your zine was selected for Space Invaders (current NGA gallery exhibition), that is really impressive Ayano, congratulations! First of all, we would like to learn a little bit about you, what you like doing? What do you like learning about?

Hi Carla, and thanks. I’ve always liked drawing as a child as it’s something that I still do a bit of in my spare time. I am quite curious and like to learn about anything from why mozzie bites itch to Victorian architecture but at the moment I’m interested in Henri Matisse and plan to go the Matisse exhibition in Brisbane at the Gallery of Modern Art. I also really want to see Milford Sound and want to trek in that area too.

Most zine makers start making zines after finding zines they really like or after attending zine festivals. Was this the case for you? How did you first learn about zines? When did you become a zine maker?

My friend made his own little zine and stocked it at Sticky Institute in Melbourne. That was when I was first introduced to zines. I felt a handmade love and individual voice to the works there and naturally wondered if anybody would like my work as well.

How did you find the process of making Audrey & Audrey? Was it enjoyable? Was there anything challenging about the process? Any tips you feel like sharing with other zine makers?

I found the process engrossing and never a torture. It was pretty time consuming though and took me about a year from conception to completion. I think the hardest thing is to realise a vague daydream into an actual, finished piece of work. Perhaps it’s related but I have a funny jinx where if I talk about a zine idea, I can’t get on with it. It’s as though I’ve communicated it to someone already so there is no need to put it into a pictorial/printed form.  So I try not to talk about my zines in progress anymore.

Regarding tips I can really only say to just go for it. Don’t be worried what people will think and just have a go.

How and why did you choose the theme of Audrey & Audrey?

Audrey came to me in a spritely way, but I think it is inspired by the strange feeling when you get on a train at night. It’s a special environment – a night train – and so many people have written about it.

Let’s now find out what you think about zines in general. Why do you think zines are an important creative medium? Is there anything you sometimes dislike about zines?

I think zines are great, they really come in all shapes and sizes and feel like there is so much more freedom as compared to mainstream publishing.

Thank you very much Ayano.

Vita and Carla at the Library's Zinefest stall

 These pretty ladies were spotted at the Wellington City Libraries stall at Wellington Zinefest 2011, which happened last Saturday at Mighty Mighty.  We bought heaps of new local zines at the fest, so come down to the zine collection to check them out in the next week or so!

 Hi Sarah, how are you today? Thank you for giving us the opportunity to contact you and ask you questions about your work. I have found your zine ½ at the library and it caught my attention because of how mysterious the cover looks. I soon realised it is a really well made zine with a lot of content.

Hi Carla, thanks! I first came across zines when my housemate brought some home from Sticky Institute, a zine distro in Melbourne. I really liked them, so I started visiting Sticky a lot, and reading lots of zines, then I thought it would be fun to make my own.

Why do you think zines are important and why do people need to keep making them?

I love that zines are completely non-commercial; people just make them for the joy of it. The writing can be terrible and it doesn’t matter. So to me that’s important. Having this accessible medium where people can express whatever they want and there’s no censorship, no editor, no sponsorship or commercial stakeholders… it doesn’t need to attract advertising. A zine can never be colonised by advertising because then it would cease to be a zine. People need to keep making zines so that we can share stories and ideas that aren’t found elsewhere.

What do you like and dislike about zines in general?

I like the intimate nature of zines. I like their physical form – little handmade things. I like trading zines and sending and receiving letters in the post. I can’t really think of anything I dislike… even crap zines have their place!

½ explores controversial issues such as race, ethnicity, gender and body image. Why did you think you needed to cover these topics? Is this content by any chance related to any personal experiences?

Yes! Absolutely it’s related to personal experiences! I’m mixed race so because of my ambiguous appearance I’ve always had people enquire about what I am, exactly. When I made the first issue of ½ it was during a period when I was getting a fairly high hit rate of the ethnicity question – about once or twice a fortnight. So the first issue of ½ looked like an Australian passport and it gave a detailed explanation of my nationality (Australian) and ethnic background (Anglo Celtic and Chinese). I gave copies to anyone who asked where I was from.

I think the world is very confusing these days and sometimes it’s hard for people to tell whether or not they’re being racist or sexist, so maybe my zine can help them.

In your zine you analyse the issue of racism. You mentioned in the zine the concept of “racism against white people”. Could you explain what it means to you?

To me “racism against white people” is simply what it says, it’s any form of racism directed towards white people. For example, if I said “all white people are fat and lazy” that would be a pretty racist and incorrect generalisation!

However, it gets more complicated because racism can exist in many ways; it’s not just about making pointedly racist remarks. I’m most interested in the broader social contexts. I try to look at the power structures of our society, and in Australia, we have a social structure of white privilege. Of course many non-white people can be racist! But calling a white person names doesn’t necessarily change the overall structure.

I’ve witnessed conversations about racism in Australia, where a white person will bring up some small anecdote about this time they heard a non-white person say something racist about white people, or a time when they felt awkward because they were the only white person around, as if to say ‘well everyone’s racist! Why are you minorities complaining?’ But it’s not the same thing, because in the Australian context a white person generally has more social, political and economic power. White people aren’t always aware of this privilege.

I saw an interview with the politician Pauline Hanson, it was from the nineties when she was in her heyday, and she was complaining about how uncomfortable she felt in places where people didn’t speak English, and how wrong it was to have suburbs in Australia that were “clearly based on one ethnicity”. I remember thinking, ‘um, most of Australia is clearly based on one ethnicity Pauline! You only notice when it’s not yours!’

What other zines have you made? What are they about?

My friends and I made a zine called “Spring Chicken Old Chook” for a university project. We visited old folk in a nursing home over a few months and they told us stories about what life was like when they were in their twenties. We wrote down the stories and compiled them into a zine, then gave copies of the zine to all the oldies who’d contributed. The title came from an eighty-five year old woman who told my twenty-something friend, “you’re just a spring chicken, and I’m an old chook!” I also made a zine called “Slutz” that was a parody of Bratz dolls and tween marketing.

Do you have any favourite zines that you would like us to read?

Oh that’s a hard one, because there are so many zines! Not long ago a boy I liked sent me a copy of “Sutures” by Amanda at Tiny Paper Hearts . It was really good. I sent him a copy of “Happy Times Comics and Stories, Fifth Issue“.

At the end of 1/2 you included a TED talk, I watched it and loved it. Are there any other TED talks you would like to share with us?

Isn’t Chimamanda Adichie’s speech brilliant!? I’m glad you enjoyed it! They’re not TED talks, but these are some great videos on the topic of race…

“Kayonga Kagame Shows Us The World. Episode: Darkest Austria” – It’s a parody of those patronising old British ethnological documentaries about Africa. Pretty hilarious! Also, this clip from Australian comedy duo “Fear of A Brown Planet”.

Don’t forget to come to the zine collection and check out Sarah’s awesome zine!

Carla, Vita, Jeremy and I are excited to be taking part in another Wellington Zinefest (It’s totally the highlight of the zine librarian’s calendar!) Vita is on the organising committee and tells me that there are more stall holders than ever before – so you are practically guaranteed to find the perfect zine for you! And you know what? If your budget won’t let you buy all the glorious zines you want then you can always borrow zines from the Library stall. It’s almost the same as owning them (except that you have to bring them back to us in 4 weeks time!)  What about it? Will we see you there?   

Wellington Zinefest 2011, Saturday 19^th November, 12-5pm, Mighty Mighty, 104 Cuba Mall

Ayano Takeuchi is a really talented illustrator. She has made a cool zine about a character called Audrey and her doll . The adventures inside this zine are really beautiful and simple. What I love the most about this zine is the impressive cover illustration which is stamped in gold foil, it is so flash! Ayano has won many awards for her zine. Come to the library and check out her little zine, I am sure you will like it. Learn more about Anyano and her work here.

We found Esther’s mini zine, Overheard-drawn recently at Vic, which was a very happy surprise! Obviously we think visiting our zine collection is the best way to get your zine fix, but second to that is randomly finding free zines around the place. Anyway, Carla recently spoke to Esther about the inspiration behind Overheard-drawn, so keep reading if you want to know more…

Hi Esther! Your zine is really cool, I like the fact that it feels a bit teen like and is really amusing. How did you come up with the idea of making “overheard-drawn”? Is it your first zine?

Oh thank you. I wanted it to be a bit fun and amusing. It is my first zine and the idea came from a previous studio project which i wanted to re-do. Using the zine format seemed a lot more appropriate for the subject matter of which I was drawing things I overheard and integrating them with the text of the quotes.

How and why did you choose the theme for “overheard-drawn”?

The idea started with eavesdropping and the random parts of sentences that you hear that are a lot of the time nonsense and amusing, and I wanted to illustrate those parts. With the zine I used the Victoria University’s overheard @ vic Facebook page to get the quotes and illustrated the ones that stood out to me, and half of them appeared in the next weeks Salient ‘overheard’ section as well. Using the quotes from Vic meant that I distributed the zine there too and when I get the time the 2nd edition will be put out there too! I’m planning to have a ‘do it yourself’ section in the next one so that people can have space to illustrate what they have ‘overheard’ and then leave for others to find. 

What other interests do you have besides making zines? Do you think these interests inspired or influenced you to make the zine?

I really enjoy drawing and reading when I have time. A lot of my work involves text with poems or quotes so I think that also drew me to zines, and because there are no rules it’s great. Some other influences are scientific plant illustrations which I really enjoy the detail of, Rita Angus has a series called ‘plant life’ which I like as well. And for something completely different I have been looking at an artist called Sophie Calle from Paris who works with photography, performance and installation. Usually her work is based on a specific site or person and I like the way in which she documents, records and presents her work. I really enjoy photography as well but mostly just for fun. My favourite camera would be my fujifilm instax mini polaroid camera that I have had since I was about 15. It takes credit card sized photos and as I tend to like everything mini sized it’s great.

Let’s learn a bit about you. Where do you originally come from? When and why did you move to Wellington?

I’m from Christchurch, I grew up there with my two older brothers and parents and had never moved house until I came up to Wellington. I left after high school in 2009 to start the Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree at Massey which was both scary and exciting at the same time! But Wellington was very welcoming and it’s my second home now. I really enjoy studying and living in the city, being able to walk everywhere is great and I feel like I notice something new nearly everyday.

Now, we’d love to know about your favourite things! Would you be able to recommend your favourite:

book: Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder
blog: Studio Home - it’s great to keep up to date with new Australian and New Zealand artists
illustrator: Shaun Tan
painter: Bill Hammond
game: Jenga and Mario Cart64
destination: Abel Tasman National Park at the top of the south island. (Any holiday destination really)
magazine: Frankie (we have it at the library, come and check it out!)

And finally, can you make us a mix tape please?

Alex is the author of the zine Her Suit (see our review here). We had the chance recently to interview her about her zine and her life.

Hi Alex! Thank you so much for letting us interview you. After talking to you in person I noticed that you’ve got a very international accent, where do you come from originally?

My mum’s from Australia and my dad’s from Cyprus and I hold both passports. I don’t really feel like either place is home though. I’ve moved around a lot. I’ve lived in Sydney, Jakarta, Cairo, Singapore, Dunedin,  Melbourne and Wellington. I went to international schools and I think that gave me a bit of an American twang, too.

You mentioned you lived in Jakarta, how do you think this experience shaped you? Do you feel a special connection to Jakarta? Why?

Well, the expatriate community kept quite separate from the local community, so even though I was there for eight years I still feel like I never really got to know Jakarta. Living there made me very aware of my material privilege. There was a lot of poverty.

Where did you go after Jakarta? How old where you at this point?

We left Jakarta just after Suharto was overthrown. There was the political unrest and economic instability and many foreigners left. My dad found a job in Cairo; I was twelve when we moved.

I guess being a teenager is hard for most of us… how do you think Cairo influenced you at this stage? Was it hard to be a teen there and to fit in with the rest?

It’s always tough being the nerdy kid! I got bullied for being a hairy girl too. But I mean, we all have to go through difficult times and it made me more determined to be myself in the long run.

Where did you go after Cairo?

We moved to Singapore. It’s pretty different to New Zealand, it’s a very regulated place. For example, we had government enforced random drug testing at our school every three months. If you tested positive more than once your whole family would be deported.

You have travelled and seen so much. How does it relate to your work?

I think it’s made me aware of how constructed categories like nationality are. I mean, ever since I was little when someone asked me, “where are you from” I’ve had to give a five minute long explanation, because my nationality did not adequately answer that question. I would finish my little spiel and people would ask me, “But what is your nationality? What passport do you hold?” It was infuriating! A person’s identity is not that simple, not for anyone!

Why do you focus on gender roles and the perception of beauty?  How would you link your world experiences and observations to these themes?

Well, my recent projects have mostly been the result of my own personal frustration! I got sick of shelling out money and suffering pain to conform to a stereotype of what it is to be female. But also, when I let my facial hair grow out and it wasn’t just strangers who reacted. People to whom I thought my appearance didn’t matter, like friends, family and even my partner had very strong feelings about it – both positive and negative. It blew me away that the natural appearance of a healthy person could illicit such strong responses, whether that was disgust or enthusiastic camaraderie.

How and why did you end up studying art?

I’ve been quite a lonely person for a lot of my life and some of the most exquisite moments I’ve had are when I’ve read a zine, seen an artwork that totally sums up an idea or an emotion or experience that I’ve had. I want to try and do that. I want to feel connected to other people and to help others feel connected. I want to talk about the things which people don’t talk about, because of shame, or fear. I want to help people feel that they are not alone. I also hope that I can help people to have empathy and understanding for those who are different from them. Make the world a better place! I’m a rampant idealist.

I think you are succeeding! I find your zine very meaningful and artistic. To me it comes across as contemporary conceptual art, controversial and provocative. Would you agree? How would you describe your art?

Well, that’s what I was hoping it would be, so I’m glad you think it is! I’m only a young artist, and my practice is evolving fairly quickly. But broadly I would say that I make art about my personal experiences in relation to wider social issues and that my art often involves a performative element (even in my zines.)

Let’s now talk about zines in general, why did you chose them as a medium and what do you like about them?

I like the immediacy of it. I also like that there’s no such thing as a bad zine – nothing is too banal, too badly drawn or too poorly written. As someone whose ridiculously high expectations get in the way of their creativity, zines are an amazing way to get things done! I also like the democratic nature of the format. It not an expensive
painting hung in some fancy gallery (don’t step over the white line!) It‘s a humble, personal thing that you can hold in your hands.

Do you have any favourite zines and blogs you would like to share with us?

“Ladybeard”, by Maddy Phelan (now Bastian Fox Phelan) is an amazing perzine about what it’s like to be a hairy woman. “Sassyfrass Circus” is a great blog along the same lines. I really like “Incredibly Hot Sex With Hideous People” too. That ones not about hair. Well, on rare occasions it is, but from a man’s perspective! Things like going bald or having an amount of body hair that went out of fashion in the ‘70s. Dan Savage does a hilarious podcast on love, sex and relationships called Savage Love.

Thank you so much Alex, it has been a real pleasure meeting you and learning about you.

Remember to check out Alex’s zine Her Suit, as well as Ladybeard and Incredibly Hot Sex with Hideous People in the zine collection now!