in the current issue
subscribe!
bp updates
indie artist in residence
Tyler Brett & Serena McCarroll
Former Vancouver residents, artist/ musicians and collaborative team, Tyler Brett & Serena McCarroll founded All Citizens in April 2007. All Citizens currently exists as a consignment shop, music venue, exhibition and community market space in the town of Bruno Saskatchewan (population 600). The name "All Citizens" is a play on the name of the building next door, Senior Citizens, and is a proclamation signifying the shop's function as an all-inclusive art work in progress. All Citizens is a space for artistmade zines, books, music, videos, films, prints, buttons and more sent in from all across Canada, and is a home base for tatting, embroidery, cowboy poetry, pottery and wood carvings made locally in Bruno. All Citizens embraces the unexpected, uncanny and surprising possibilities inherent in juxtaposing the contemporary with the traditional and the periphery with the centre.
featured story
Vanity Treasures
If you look up the term "vanity pressing" you might find a definition akin to "a press that publishes at the creators expense, without much regard to standards." While there is a lot of crap out there, Robert Dayton believes many of these artists have their own specific set of standards that may...
by Robert Dayton - read more
also in this issue
Mapping the small town underground
Zine-lympics
Twitter fiction
Notable failures in Buffalo's history
advertisements
featured excerpt
We Should Make Things
There was a time when I wore the same pair of pants every day. They were navy blue and corduroy and they fit perfectly. The bum disintegrated from too many days of sitting on uncomfortable school chairs or cross-legged on asphalt and cement curbs. When the material thinned out to an obscene level, I...
from SheÕs Shameless: Women write about growing up, rocking out and fighting back - read more
featured zine review
Manager
Manager is a great little quarter-page punk rock zine by a guy who manages a grocery store in Washington. ItÕs cut-and-paste to the core, complete with tilty text and varying fonts, and reads exactly the way a zine like this should. ItÕs super sincer...
July zine of the month - read more
Join the BP Facebook group!
announcement
Broken Pencil accepts internship applications
Six-month, unpaid editorial internships available. Smart and indie-minded upstarts needed for: content scouting, writing for pencil sharpener section, copy editing, correspondence, and general office duties. Send CV and writing sample to editor@brokenpencil.com. For more information, check our internship page.
- the sharpener
- zine of the month
- indie artist in residence
- the archive
- bp by issue
- all excerpts
- all features
- all zines
- search reviews
- resources
- topics
latest additions
Wrong Bar launch tonight
Come celebrate the launch of BP assistant editor Nathaniel G. Moore's novel, Wrong Bar (Tightrope Books) at... where else?...Wrongbar! Wrongbar (the bar) is located at 1279 Queen Street West. Wrong Bar (the book) is available through Tightrope (http://tightropebooks.com). Doors are at 8 p.m, reading begins at 8:30 p.m. and a DJ follows at 10 p.m.
Lindsay Gibb
november 25, 2009
From the archives of "Going Rural"
I maintained a diaristic blog during our transition from big city to rural life. I called it Going Rural. Here's a look back: October 26, 2006 Tyler and I went to another auction yesterday. We didn't enjoy it as much as last time. First of all, we left late and neglected to eat a proper breakfast which would haunt us later. Then we got a flat tire on the way there. By the time we finally arrived we were pretty punchy. We became grumpier as we realized we were in the middle of nowhere and all there was to eat were burgers and junkfood (neither of us eat meat). We filled up on chips, chocolate and pie and drank coffee to keep warm as we waited for the items we were interested in to come up. It took forever. It was very cold. We were standing in mud. Thankfully we didn't leave empty handed. We purchased a coffee table and bookshelf for $2. However, we spent $12 on junkfood. Next tim...
nov. 25th, 2009 by serena mccarroll
Toronto Poetry Slam anniversary party
The Toronto Poetry Slam is celebrating four years of poetry slamming with a battle-concert-poetry-party. Tonight at the Drake Hotel there will be slew of performances, open-mic opportunities (sign up starts at 7pm) and a special performance by Electric Jon. Broken Pencil's editor, Lindsay Gibb, will be one of the judges for the night's performances, which will be hosted by TPS creator - and sometimes-Broken-Pencil-contributor - David Silverberg. The event starts at 7:30 and there is a $5 cover.
Broken Pencil
november 21, 2009
Movies & Makers
This Saturday (tomorrow) the Fox Theatre and GirlCanCreate are putting on the first art and craft show at the Fox (2236 Queen St. East) in Toronto's Beaches neighbourhood. The event runs from 10am to 4pm, featuring 30 local vendors, and will be followed by a screening of Handmade Nation. It's a good opportunity to get some early and unique Christmas shopping done. Visit the Movies and Makers' blog (http://movies-and-makers.blogspot.com/) for interviews with the vendors and more information on the event.
Lindsay Gibb
november 20, 2009
Main Street Bruno
My apologies for not blogging sooner but things have been a little busy here in Bruno lately. Last week I started a new job right across the street from All Citizens at Prefontaine's Custom furniture and cabinetry. On my first day, Ron, my boss almost cut his thumb off! I had to race him (no fear of speeding fines as there are no police in Bruno) to the nearest hospital in Humboldt about 35 KMS east of town. I'm happy to say that Ron and his thumb will be fine. In other news around town, the weather has extended the harvest!!! I've been told by people in the know that its extremely late for farmers to be combining this late in the year. Last night the local church held its annual Bazaar so almost every living soul in Bruno was at the town hall eating turkey and mashed potatoes. This might explain why last evening's All Citizens concert featuring Vancouver's Language Arts and Emily Grist + Toronto's Gravity Wave & Peter Project was poorly attended. Actually, we h...
All Citizens
november 17
An Explanation of Sorts
Whenever I tell people that I co-own a shop in rural Saskatchewan they assume that I'm from there. I'm not. Neither is Tyler. In fact, neither of us knew a goddamn soul there when we decided to make it our home. As a child I had driven through the peculiarly symmetrical province en route from Alberta to Manitoba and vice versa (let's explain this by saying I'm the child of divorce). Tyler, on the other hand, had actually visited. He visited twice: the first time was in 1991 while on tour with the hair-metal cover band Neverland. The second trip was to attend his cousin's wedding. The latter visit made a significant and lasting impression. So much so that it directly led to us moving there 7 years later. Tyler had a dream. His dream became mine. We had been living together in Vancouver. We were both graduates of the Emily Carr Institute of Art. We lived hand to mouth in a city steadfastly aligning itself with the rich. We were poor. We were resentful. We were ti...
Serena McCarroll
november 16, 2009
Expozine Report!
Broken Pencil’s Montreal contingent spent this weekend at Expozine Montreal, in a sweaty church basement surrounded by indie creators and consumers. Here we got the chance to observe Canada’s hipsters in their natural environment, and to scout out some new hipster trends to go along with the old staples. Here, then, are two lists we compiled – one of “old-school” hipster mainstays we observed, and the another of new indie styles and accessories we thought you might want to know about. Start growing your sidebeard now, before they go mainstream! Obvious/Traditional: -Overlarge thick-framed glasses -Piercings (nose esp.) -Plaid or collared shirts -Sleeve tattoos -Leather jackets -Toques -Excessive facial hair/extremely patchy facial hair caused by possible drunk shaving (corollary: sideburns) -Converse -For The Ladies: almost knee-high boots (vintage or vintage-looking) -Canvas tote bags with the names of libraries or bands on them -Silly hats (bowler,...
Emma Healey
november 15, 2009
BP at Expozine Montreal!
Planning on coming to Montreal's Expozine zine fair this weekend? Visit us at the Broken Pencil table! We'll be selling copies of BP and Can'tLit, as well as being generally charming and fun to talk to. Come say hello! 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. at the Eglise Saint-Enfant Jesus (5035 St-Dominique).
Emma Healey
november 13, 2009
Hello.
Hello Broken Pencil readers! Please allow us to introduce ourselves. We are Tyler Brett and Serena McCarroll, co-founders of All Citizens Shop. We will be your indie artist in residence throughout the upcoming winter months. You can read more about us on your computer screen if you look a little to your right (that's if you're reading this on the indie artist in residence blog page: http://www.brokenpencil.com/indieartist). We can also be found at these online locations: We will be back soon with more bloggery! Warmest Regards, All Citizens
All Citizens Shop
nov. 7, 2009
Canzine is Today
The Canzine festival of zines and underground culture is today. Come by the Gladstone Hotel from 1-7pm and immerse yourself in the wonderful, weird, and wacky. For complete schedule, go to http://www.brokenpencil.com/canzine. See you there.
Hal Niedzviecki
november 1, 2009
Canzine Special Guest Judges
Team Canzine (a.k.a. Broken Pencil) has just been informed of two special judges at this year's games: Alicia Grant and Norah Franklin! As far as sports go, Norah Franklin and Alicia Grant like biking, badminton, softball, speed walking, shot put, books, and performance art. Look for them to help crown the gold medalist at this year's Olympic games going down on Sunday afternoon.
Broken Pencil
october 29, 2009
Our final Olympian steps up
Zack King Frankenstein Atomic Slam Kotzer is a monster monster man. Assistant editor and representative of Steel Bananas, he is widely known to be able to beat, best, outrun and eat any video game. New to Canzine olympianship, King promises a medal for every pizza, both pre and post events. His dazzling showmanship and antics promises to outdo that time you got Comix Zone for the Sega Genesis and was all like, "Woah look at all the kicks you can do" and after shacking the box for the manual, the bonus Danzig CD you didn't notice the package said included slips out and now you're all, "Oh dude that is just too much. Seerus now."
Broken Pencil
october 28, 2009
1-2 Punch Book Pitch @ Canzine: Do You Have What it Takes?
As fiction editor of Broken Pencil, it's my honour and privilege to introduce you to one of Canzine's most popular events! It's the 1-2 Punch Book Pitch! This year, underground lit icon turned literary agent Sam Hiyate and novelist-editor Alana Wilcox will join me on stage to hear authorial hopefuls pitch their novels, collections, nonfiction ideas and comic books. It all happens at 2pm this Sunday at the Gladstone Hotel as part of our annual Canzine Festival of zines and underground culture. It's an event that oozes hilarity, weirdness, desperation and even the occasional great idea. Don't miss the spectacle! Wanna get in on the action? We have a few spaces left for would-be participants. Email editor@brokenpencil.com and say you want in and what you want to pitch and we'll get back to you asap! The winner gets a Broken Pencil underground lit prize pack including all of our previous literary-themed issues, the new Can'tLit BP fiction anthology, and signed copies of ...
Hal Niedzviecki
october 27, 2009
Hal Brings the Peep to Guelph
Hey BP Publisher and fiction editor Hal Niedzviecki will be speaking and signing copies of The Peep Diaries in Guelph, Ontario Thursday night! The event is free and open to all. Come on by if you can! Why We Like to Watch: Privacy in the Age of Peep Culture Thursday, October 29, 2009 7:00pm - 9:00pm Holiday Inn Guelph 601 SCOTTSDALE DR., Guelph, ON Citing phenomena as disparate yet connected as reality TV, Facebook, surveillance cameras, and Twitter, writer and culture commentator Hal Niedzviecki suggests that a well-established fascination with celebrities is gradually shifting toward a growing obsession with watching ourselves and our neighbors. As pop culture morphs into peep culture, what are the implications for individuals and communities? Niedzviecki will also address and take questions on how the rise of Peep Culture is effecting the business sector. This is a free event open to all. For advance admission, you can reserve your ticket online at http://guestlis...
Hal Niedzviecki
october 27, 2009
Countdown to Canzine: screen printing workshop
In the last issue of Broken Pencil (our summer DIY special) I tried my hand at building a screen printing apparatus. In the end it worked well and was a pretty cheap endeavour. But at the end of that article I also promised that I would deliver a video of screen printer Michael Morton, from Crime League, teaching me to screen print sometime between the release of that issue and the delivery of our Canzine issue. With Canzine, and the Canzine issue, quickly approaching the video finally exists! Anyone in the Toronto area can see the real-live Michael Morton in person as he teaches his screen printing techniques to an audience of eager Canzine attendees at 4pm on November 1 at the Gladstone Hotel. The full video will be available post-Canzine.
Lindsay Gibb
october 26, 2009
Another gladiator answers the call
Andrew Faulkner managed the LA Dodgers to 2 World Series titles (1981, 88) in 4 appearances. He retired as manager during the 1996 season with 1,599 regular-season wins in 21 years and was named interim GM of the Dodgers in 1998. He is a member of Baseball Hall of Fame and most recently managed the gold-medal winning U.S. Olympic team in 2000 at Sydney. Andrew currently lives in Toronto.
Broken Pencil
october 26, 2009
The Peep Show - tonight live and online
Hi everyone. The interactive party "Peep Show" BP publisher/fiction editor Hal Niedzviecki is hosting as part of the Toronto International Festival of Authors is happening tonight. Weird and wacky and, with your help, wonderful. Doors open at 9:30 at the Brigantine Room, Habourfront Centre, Toronto. If you don't already have a ticket, you can get one at the door. But if for some sad sad reason you can't make it out, it will also be broadcast live at http://www.livestream.com/IFOAPEEP/beta starting at 10pm est. If you want to watch and participate from a cyber-distance, you can also tweet about what you are seeing and have those tweets be shown live as they come in on a big screen display at the show. Just make sure you hashtag your tweet by typing #IFOAPEEP
Hal Niedzviecki
october 23, 2009
Halifax Zine Fair
Tomorrow the Anchor Archive Zine Library and Strange Adventures are presenting a zine fair at St. David's Church Hall as part of the Halifax Pop Explosion. Admission is free and this year the organizers have received more registrations than ever. The event will include workshops such as 'So I made a zine... Now what?' with Alex Wrekk, where she will teach attendees how to get their zines out to the public, including tips for using the postal system and finding distribution. Colleen MacIsaac will be running a mini comic jam where attendees will contribute to a collaborative mini-comic. For more information about the day's events and the zines and small presses that will be in attendance, visit the Roberts Street Social Centre's website: http://www.robertsstreet.org/n/. Saturday October 24, noon-5pm St. David's Church Hall, 1537 Brunswhick St., Halifax Free admission!
Lindsay Gibb
october 23, 2009
Can'tLit launch party tonight
Join us for the official launch of Can'tLit on October 22 at 6 PM at the Dakota Tavern in Toronto, where we'll smash the dull and safe face of what Canadian literature thinks it's supposed to be, and expose the gory reality below. Contributors to the book will not only read their own work, they will each be choosing a piece of the CanLit canon to publicly denounce. Readers include Emma Healey, Ian Rogers, Janette Platana and Tor Lukasik-Foss; Broken Pencil founder Hal Niedzviecki and Can'tLit editor Richard Rosenbaum will also be on hand to get in a few well-placed jabs. Stick around after for a musical performance.
Broken Pencil
october 22, 2009
Olympian # 3 revealed
Drafted earlier in the season, Toronto-based writer and micropress publisher (Emergency Response Unit) has signed on to compete in this year's Olympic Games. What does Leigh Nash bring to the table? Based on her bio, (which was submitted via email by the competitor herself) she is also a captain of lies. How will she fair in the difficult and repetitive zine lift? The frenzy of speed zining? The pressure cooker that is competitive talking, and the scrambled word relay? Time will tell. Let's take you to the bio now. Leigh Nash captained the Detroit Red Wings to Stanley Cup wins in 1997, 98 and 2002; won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP in 1998; one of only 14 NHL players to score 600 goals; 7th in career scoring (1,670 points).
Broken Pencil
october 22, 2009
Countdown to Canzine: Readers from Can'tLit!
To celebrate the release of our brand new short story anthology, "Can'tLit: Fearless Fiction from Broken Pencil Magazine," this year's Canzine readers will all be drawn from the many BP contributors represented in the book. We've got Joey Comeau (author of Overqualified), Zoe Whittall (author of Holding Still for as Long as Possible), Greg Kearney (author of Mommy Daddy Baby) and Jessica Faulds (of the band Blind Tiger, Tiger). Readings will be from 5-6, and of course the book will be available alongside plenty of other goodies. And don't forget that the official launch party for Can'tLit is TOMORROW - Thursday, October 22 at the Dakota Tavern in Toronto (249 Ossington Avenue) starting at 6 PM. Featured readers: Emma Healey, Janette Platana, Ian Rogers and Tor Lukasik-Foss. Be there!
Richard Rosenbaum
october 21, 2009
Countdown to Canzine: art rooms
In keeping with what has become a tradition at Canzine, artists will be taking over the rooms on the second floor of the Gladstone Hotel and inhabiting them with found art, video games, a mysterious cave, people drawing comics and a new spin on the old-timey general store. Last year the "Artcade" was launched in a dark room full of arcade game consoles made of styrofoam and computer monitors. This year the Artcade returns to showcase games pitched at last year's Canzine along with hands-on videogame-making events and circuit-bending, all made possible by the Hand Eye Society. Among our brand new rooms is City of Craft's "General Store," which will resemble its namesake by exhibiting the work of local artists in a general store motif. Down the hall a display of found mannequin catalogue photos will be displayed. In tribute to outsider artists once forgotten, such as Henry Darger an...
Lindsay Gibb
october 20, 2009
Countdown to Canzine: Family Contact
Just one of hundreds of indie like-minded types you'll find at Canzine this year, Family Contact will be selling their latest shorts on DVD. What follows this short blurb is a link to a preview of their latest accomplishment: My Awesome Movie. The film is a anti-narrative. It's a story that wants to get told but just doesn't know how. Like life, lots of things happen in a day and most fall by the way-side. This movie glorifies those moments but still shows them for what they are: unimportant. The story revolves around Aaron and Zak, two twenty-something year old roommates. They have a friendship and closeness that is hard to classify, it is special and unique. It's a bond few have and few want. The film was shot on HD cameras in Toronto, Ontario, for less then CAD$40.
Nathaniel G. Moore
A New Challenger Rises!
Broken Pencil has been informed that a new challenger awaits her fate and will be at the Canzine Olympics this coming November 1st. We have exclusive information about the competitor, plus a rather unusual training photo taken within the last six hours. Lindsay Tipping marks her return to the Olympics with the vow to leave the shame of her failed sporting past behind her. Once banned from international competition after her Beijing-based educational sitcom was held responsible for an alarming spike in the usage of the phrase 'Get yer groove on!' across China, Lindsay has now shaken off the scandal and has 'her eyes on the prize!' - a saying she also is barred from using in Asia. Her recent training includes slapping corporate logos on everything at Harbourfront Centre and writing prose-poetry with a pen (because her computer is broken.)
Nathaniel G. Moore
october 10, 2009
Canzine is packed - registration now closed
We've just closed registrations for Canzine as it has hit capacity. While there is no tabling space left at the event, we are still looking for volunteers to help as well as participants for our Canzine Olympics - multiple events that will test the staying power of indie creators. If you're interested in either position please email canzine@brokenpencil.com (to volunteer) or assisteditor@brokenpencil.com (to become an Olympian). Check the Canzine website for up-to-date information.
Lindsay Gibb
october 7, 2009
The Road to the Canzine Olympics Begins Today...
The slickening road to the biggest and most amazingly awesome competition in Canadian zine history is just weeks away. What is it? Come on! It's Canzine: Olympic style! Who will rise to the challenge of Broken Pencil as we take you to task with our zaniest Canzine gimmick to date? If you think you gots what it takes to uh, you know, win da games, then ah, BRING IT! Email Mr. Moore for details at assisteditor@brokenpencil.com and tell him why you think you are a gladiator of the indie spirit. For more information on the games, click the link below, in the mean time, meet our first booked competitor. Evan Munday first rose to national attention on the varsity dithering teams at the University of Waterloo and Centennial College. Today, he can be found jumping hurdles as the publicist for Coach House Books. He also an amateur-level illustrator whose work has appeared in books and magazines, including that Stanley Cup of contemporary fiction, Stripmalling, written by Jon Paul Fiorentin...
Nathaniel G. Moore
october 5, 2009
BP Zine Corner at Pop Montreal!
If you're headed to Pop Montreal's Puces Pop record fair, be sure to check out the BP reading corner. Read awesome zines! Mingle with like-minded indie types! Talk about how hung over you are after last night's Chain and The Gang show! It should be a good time. Saturday and Sunday 11 am-6 pm at the Ukranian Federation, 5213 rue Hutchison.
Emma Healey
october 2, 2009
BP at WOTS
Today is Word on the Street and Broken Pencil will be there with great deals on subscriptions, back issues and our new book, Can'tLit. You can come find us in the Magazine Mews section in Queens Park.
Lindsay Gibb
september 27, 2009
John Goldbach's Selected Blackouts
I hope John Goldbach is nothing like his characters. I'm saying this in the most positive way imaginable; I'm saying this because I can imagine his characters as real people, coach surfing while snogging with their buddy's girlfriend, chain smoking cigarettes and chugging back countless pints of water and aspirin to rid themselves of massive, crippling hangovers.
Spencer Gordon
september 27, 2009
Indyish How To Guides
I've been aware of the fun-loving work of the Indyish collective for a few years now, and at one point I even performed at their Monthly Mess event--a kind of mash-up of artistic genres, open to all independent artists. Lately their website has been really shaping up as a hub for all things indie (and Indyish!), where they've recently posted a link to all their Indyish How-To Guides, which are completely amazing. They cover everything from finding (and keeping!) an intern, getting people to your event without sounding like an annoying PR hack, how to
Laura Roberts
september 25, 2009
Crawling through Queen West (Toronto)
Come join BP and a parking lot full of crafters and small presses today and tomorrow (Saturday, Sept 19 & Sunday Sept 20) at the Queen West Art Crawl. The Art Crawl mostly takes place in Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto, where artisans show off their work and sell their wares all weekend, but this year the Crawl has added a Crafters Market and Independent Press component. We will be located in a transformed Green P parking lot at Queen and Cowan (1325 Queen St. W) from 11am to 6pm both days.
Lindsay Gibb
september 19, 2009
Joyland in Montreal
Joyland the great online literary magazine is going on tour. First stop is Montreal this coming Monday. Don't miss it. Readings by Montreal’s Jon Paul Fiorentino, Sina Queyras, Arjun Basu, and others. Monday, September 21, 2009 Time: 8:00pm - 11:00pm Location: The Green Room/Salon Vert Street: 5386 St Laurent City/Town: Montreal, QC http://www.joyland.ca
Hal Niedzviecki
august 17, 2009
Team Macho in NYC
Team Macho is having our first ever solo show in New York this weekend at Giant Robot NY. We are really excited for it. Tell your friends to come and say hi to us because we have no friends there. The show will be a mixture of new works and our recently produced, limited run, giclee prints of some of our favorites. Hope to see you all there! Long Time Listener, First Time Caller: The Art of Team Macho September 19 - October 14, 2009 Reception: Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. Giant Robot is proud to host Long Time Listener, First Time Caller, an art show featuring new work by Team Macho. Team Macho is a collaborative illustration and fine art effort composed of Lauchie Reid, Chris Buchan, Nicholas Aoki, Jacob Whibley, and Stephen Appleby-Barr. The Toronto-based group uses all media (excepting digital), and its work crosses a multitude of boundaries in terms of conception and application. Pieces are rarely pre-planned, and only take form through the artists seeing each ...
Team Macho
This Ain't the Rosedale Library 30th birthday tribute
The closing of Pages Books has been getting a lot of the attention from those who follow the rise and fall of bookstores in Toronto. But when one chapter is done (to go with the cheesy book metaphor) another starts! There are still great bookstore that deserve our support. One of Toronto's great independent bookstores is celebrating their 30th anniversary tomorrow night. This Ain't the Rosedale Library has been a presence and a force in the city for three decades! Come out and show your support. Plus the event features readings by bill bissett, Lee Ann Brown, Eileen Myles, and Stuart Ross, which is a freakin' great lineup. There's an after party in the store's new home neighbourhood of Kensington Market at Supermarket 268 Augusta Avenue. This event is part of Readings at Harbourfront and happens Wednesday, September 16, 7:30pm at the Brigantine Room. $8 admission, no cover for the after party.
Hal Niedzviecki
september 15, 2009
Joy Toyz Workshops (Montreal)
As mentioned over at Black Heart Magazine, I'll be teaching two sexy workshops this fall at Montreal's Joy Toyz loft. The first of these workshops is the Intro to Online Dating course, on September 25, which will help you to harness the awesome power of the Internet to find Mr. or Ms. Right. Whether you've been meaning to take the plunge, or want to know how to attract more hits for your dating profile, I'll help cover the bases of online dating for those looking for love. The second class takes place on October 9, and will be in my area of special expertise: writing dirty stories! In Saucy Smut--An Introduction to Writing Erotica, I'll share with you some tips on how to get your readers hot and bothered, avoid the usual clichés, and get your story out on paper, no matter what your experience level. Guaranteed to be hot, hot, HOT! All Joy Toyz workshops cost $35 p...
Laura Roberts
september 11, 2009
Long Time Listener, First Time Caller
Just an update to let everyone know a bit more about a fantastic opportunity we have gotten! Giant Robot has given us our first NYC solo show entitled "Long Time Listener, First Time Caller"! YES. We have long been avid GR readers (hence the show's title) and respect the hell out of their diligence and hard work. They basically turned a zine into an empire and are super cool, down-to-earth dudes about it. The show opens on the 19th of September (Saturday) and most of us dudes are flying down to be there, so if you or anyone you know are interested in popping by to see us and a collection of new works and old favorites, we would love to see you. The address is 437 e. Ninth St. Hope to see you there! love Team Macho
Team Macho
09-07-09
The World's Most Notorious (and Crazy) Literary Marathon
Dubbed "The World's Most Notorious Literary Marathon," the 3-Day Novel Contest is the deadliest writing contest of its kind. Sure, there's NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and the Twitter Writing Contest and even the Bad Jewish Poetry Contest, but this challenge, taking place September 5-7th this year, is a horse of a different colour. Since 1977, incredibly ambitious (perhaps to the point of insanity) writers have embarked on this self-proclaimed "trial-by-deadline," which has claimed thousands of lives. Well, not really. What it has done is spark countless ideas, drafts, and – yes – even the odd published novel here and there. The lucky winner gets coveted publication and distribution, and the runners-up get some sweet cash prizes. And even if you don't win or finish, the madness of such a tight deadline will surely get the ink flowing (or more likely, the keys a-typing). Perhaps best of all, the rules are pretty relaxed: you can develop ideas ahead of time if you ...
Clara Lavery
august 31, 2009
Zine Dream
Zine Dream is a small press art fair with over 50 vendors of hand made arts and crafts, zines, prints, and more! It will also feature: Toronto Zine Library Open House/Collaborative Zine Making Workshop! A Bake Sale!! performances by: Nick Flanagan, Anna May Henry, Zeesy Powers Music by: Carl Didur, Andre Charles Theriault, James Anderson, Brain Trust & DJs: Wes Allen, Adrienne Kammerer, and DJ Body Beautiful aka Robert Dayton 12 - 6 PM, PWYC Please come for the fun.
Michelle K
august 26, 2009
Back in the City
Hi Everyone! I have just returned from a harrowing month at a lakeside cottage in the hinterlands of Northwestern Ontario. Let me tell you it was rough. Nothing but swimming and painting wilderness scenes and bacon at every meal. I managed to survive to make it back to smog-laden heat of Toronto in one piece and as a bonus, I brought some news of a culturally significant effort being made by some great people all the way up in Thunder Bay! There is a really hard-working artist run center called Definitely Superior Art Gallery there and they have been running these great workshops all summer long. They are aimed at the youth of the city with an eye towards producing a number of awesome things like: A zine, a music compilation, stickers, buttons, patches, etc... Probably thing that you all reading this are familiar with, but most certainly not things that are readily accessible outlets in Thunder Bay. I certainly wish things like this had been going on when I was growing up there. An...
Lauchie
08-24-09
Combatting CanCon
The next in BP's online exclusive content: Katie Addleman investigates indie radio's answer to CanCon regulations... It’s Monday night—any Monday night. It’s one in the morning. The radio is on; James Brown is singing about being a man and I’m nodding off on the couch. A voice, distinctly Canadian, tells me that I’m listening to CKUT, a community radio station supported by McGill University in Montreal. “We put the looseness in your gooseness,” it continues over the track. In the background, the music changes: “It’s Wilson Pickett. Watch out.” If I were more invested in this country’s broadcasting policy, it might upset me that I haven’t heard anything Canadian yet.
Katie Addleman
august 18, 2009
The flies are sticking
There is a Portuguese bakery I frequent. It is full of very friendly very talkative not so hard working women. During one of my last visits I was asked how the mosquito's are in the kitchen I work in. I said that there is not a mosquito problem at all. Which she replies "we have a terrible mosquito problem here, its just horrible." This is where my face looks both scared and disgusted. I ask "where is this problem?" The nice lady points to the baked goods display and I see hundreds of fruit flies. I breath a sigh if relief and laugh a little. I tell her that they are not mosquito's and I give them a quick and very effective remedy for trapping the pests. When I return a few hours later they have set up a few traps and the problem is mostly solved. They are very thankful and I am just glad that there wasn't a swarm of mosquito's at my local bakery. Later I find out that the Portuguese call most flying insects mosquitos. Oh yeah Nick has a solo show at Narwhal Art Projects. ...
Team Macho
august 10, 2009
Canzine registration open now
Table registration for Canzine 2009 is open now. Click the link below, click the "canzine" tab to the left or go to http://www.brokenpencil.com/canzine to register. You can also snail mail us your registration at PO Box 203, STN P, Toronto ON, M5S 2S7, attn. Canzine registration. Canzine 2009 will feature the Canzine Olympics and takes place at the Gladstone Hotel on Sunday, November 1 from 1pm to 7pm.
Lindsay Gibb
august 8, 2009
1234V Issue 3 Launch Party
1234V is about to be unleashed for the first time in Toronto. The three-year-old zine started as a vulgar conversation between two bosom buddies in the cold, cold city of Winnipeg, and has since materialized into the mass production of all those stories you wanted to share with your buddies, but could only do so when you were hammered. Now you can read about them in 1234V. So please, Toronto, welcome 1234V to your fair city with open legs and show up for the launch of Issue 3 on Friday, August 28, 2009 at 8pm at the new Tightrope Books home office located at 602 Markham Street Toronto, Ontario. There's going to be a film screening, reading from the new issue and a DJ set by Mama Cutsworth.
broken pencil
august 5, 2009
Something small in Toronto, something medium in New York
Today is delivery day for our work to Edward Day Gallery, 952 Queen Street West Toronto, ON M6J 1G8 (416) 921-6540. We are going to be part of the Foreign Legionnaires group show curated by Kelly McCray. For the past week we have been busy wrapping and framing the work that is to be shown. Our land lord has offered to drive me to the gallery, in exchange I will have to beat someone up for him at a later date. About one week ago we were invited to have a solo show at Giant Robot in New York. There was one giant catch. It will be in September 2009. Luckily for us the space is very small. Unluckily for us Lauchie is on vacation for the month of August and Stephen only has a few months left to finish his second solo show. But even more luckily for us we are very hard workers most of the time. As long as Capcom doesn't release Street Fighter 5 any time soon we will be fine. On another note. Our studio cat has fleas again. Last time he got fleas we tried those drops you're supposed to p...
Buchan-Team Macho
august 4, 2009
Vanity Treasures
Issue 44, The DIY issue, is out now. Here is the first in exclusive web content... Robert Dayton's piece on vanity pressings: If you look up the term "vanity pressing" you might find a definition akin to "a press that publishes at the creators expense, without much regard to standards." While there is a lot of crap out there, Robert Dayton believes many of these artists have their own specific set of standards that may not be in line with industry standards. Here he shares a collection of self-funded gems with mysterious origins.
Robert Dayton
august 1, 2009
Hello Brooklyn, goodbye BP!
I went traveling through the archipelago, and then to Haystack in Maine to speak at their annual conference. Both places were remote with little-to-no internet access. The archipelago was beautiful, especially Faro, the small island where Bergman lived for 40 years. I saw a movie theater (converted from an old barn) where Bergman used to watch his dailies. The guy who now runs the theater told me that Bergman hired a projectionist to screen a film for him every day at 3pm- Bergman used to have fifty 35 mm prints sent to him at a time. Pre-Netflix. Maine was reminiscent of the Swedish archipelago- lots of tiny islands, cold water, same weather, gorgeous moss. I was in Maine for Haystack's annual conference, where Neil Gershenfeld, Director of the Center for Bits and Atoms at MIT, rocked everyone with stories about his fab labs. http://ng.cba.mit.edu/ Now I'm home in Brooklyn. On Saturday I went to an Evernyl exhibition opening, had a heated bocce match, and watched people swim in...
Sabrina Gschwandtner
july 20, 2009
SappyFest zine fair
Sackville New Brunswick's music festival, SappyFest, is coming up again on July 31 and will run until August 2. In the middle of all the music the fest will be holding a small press, zine and craft fair on August 1 from noon until 4pm. If you would like to exhibit, today is the last day to request a table. The table fee is $15 and you can feel free to share a table with friends. The zine fair will feature special guests such as Andy Brown, Dusty Press and Elisabeth Belliveau, and is presented by Conundrum Press and the Anchor Archive Zine Library. To reserve a table contact zinecrafter@sappyrecords.com and go to www.sappyrecords.com for more information about the event.
Lindsay Gibb
july 17, 2009