zines

zines section editor:
Lindsay Gibb

Lindsay Gibb started making zines in 1994. Though she ceased production in 1999, she is now the editor of Broken Pencil and continues to read zines all the time. In addition to reading and writing, Lindsay enjoys knitting, singing and longing, sometimes all at once.

current short list:
Ax Wound - Hannah Forman
Ojingogo - Matthew Forsythe
Stolen Sharpie Revolution - Alex Wrekk
& a non-zine-related pick: Sew U (Guide to Making Your Own Wardrobe) - Wendy Mullin

Sleeveface
You may have seen this site before, but it's new to me and I think it's one of the best things I've seen lately. I love what people do with their spare time. Please enjoy. http://www.sleeveface.com
may 2, 2008 Read more.

covering the suburbs - or - how suburbanites must fend for themselves
Growing up in the suburbs I felt pretty constrained to shopping malls and movie theatres for entertainment. That's all there was in my city--Brampton, for the record--and that continues to be all there is on a mainstream level. Escaping to Toronto was the only reprieve once I was old enough to go there on my own. Growing up I felt that my city sucked. Once I hit high school, however, I discovered (and became a part of) a local music scene that was very active and, if nothing else, alleviated the suburban boredom. By university I was a big defender of the suburbs and Brampton in particular. In 2003 I became a part of the Brampton Indie Arts Festival because it's purpose was synonymous with my belief that people didn't need to leave the suburbs to find things to do, all they needed was an awareness of what's going on in their backyard. A new magazine devoted to the suburbs was just announced by Metroland West Media Group and for a moment I was excited to...
april 11, 2008 Read more.

Indie Writers' Deathmatch - Emergency Sudden Death Overtime
Due to the suspicious poisoning of our database, we're going to try this again. The Emergency Sudden Death Overtime, for the last leg of the Indie Writers' Deathmatch, starts now. Please, try not to break anything. The deathmatch officially ends at midnight on Wednesday, March 19, 2008. We do actually want this thing to end, so only real people voting please. No robots allowed. Thanks.
march 17, 2008 Read more.

Independent Book Stores - Edmonton
Edmonton's See Magazine recently ran an article about how independent Canadian book stores are dealing with the competition from big box retailers. To read the article go here: http://www.seemagazine.com/article/city-life/lifestyle/bookstore/
march 15, 2008 Read more.

Feature article on zines in Windsor campus mag The Lance
The University of Windsor's campus paper The Lance just ran a cover story on the future of zines in their recent issue. It's more of an introduction to zines for those who've never heard of them, and an analysis of the future of zines from creators. For the full story visit http://pastthepages.ca/080305/feature.html.
march 6, 2008 Read more.

Parkdale Street Writers - a bootcamp for young dreamers
The upcoming issue of Broken Pencil is our literary issue, featuring the winners of the Indie Writers' Deathmatch, profiles on new authors and more. Fitting into this theme is a project for young writers, held at the Parkdale Public Library and sponsored by the Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Public Library and Parkdale Community Health Centre. Do you keep a blog? Constantly update your Facebook page? Write super-long e-mails? Make up stories and poems in your head? Why not join the… Parkdale Street Writers a boot camp for young dreamers http://www.parkdalewriters.ca Ten weeks of free writing workshops led by kick-ass local authors, cartoonists, hip hop poets, and street artists! You don't have to be a great writer. Just be prepared to have fun! * Write about real life * Produce song lyrics and poems * Create your own comics * Interview people * Find and make art * Publish your work * Get advice from professionals * Select other kinds of writing fo...
march 6, 2008 Read more.

Brampton Indie Arts Festival
The Brampton Indie Arts Festival is back for its 9th year. Starting Wednesday, February 13 and taking place for the second year in a row at the Rose Theatre, Brampton (1 Theatre Lane), this eclectic festival will once again feature performances in three space simultaneously. The main stage will feature artists such as INSIDEaMIND, Faceless Lazers, Spiral Beach and Dr. Steve Mann’s States-of-Matter Quintet; films such as I Met the Walrus, Madame Tulti-Putli and A Day or More in the Life of a Russian Furniture Maker; and comedians Becky Johnson and The Remainders. The side stage will feature the likes of Brian Random’s Answering Machine Cassette Symphony, The Bicycles, Nadja, Woodhands and The Houseplants and the Rotundus Maximus (basically the lobby) will also hold a variety of performances each night. For ticket information and a full schedule visit biaf.ca.
february 13, 2008 Read more.

Shameless Anthology call for submissions
Our friends at Shameless, editors Megan Griffith-Greene and Stacey May Fowles, are putting together an anthology for teen girls and they are currently looking for submissions. To be published in the spring of 2009, the anthology will include creative non-fiction essays by women and trans-identified adults about their formative experiences as teens. It is aimed at a young audience and is intended to focus on how both positive and negative experiences from the writers' teen years shaped their lives. Themes catagories to tackle include: Body image, sex and puberty; authority, power, rebellion and community; race, ethnicity, language and culture; and art and voice. Anyone who has read Shameless should already have an idea of what they're looking for, but in case you need more detail visit shamelessmag.com or query anthology@shamelessmag.com for more information. To submit, follow these guidelines: Submissions should range from 500 to 2500 words, and should be double spaced on 8 1...
february 11, 2008 Read more.

City of Craft - Saturday Dec 1st, Toronto
City of Craft has finally arrived. It feels like I've been thinking about its arrival for a long time... and it's hard to believe it's already December... but it's already time for the first City of Craft craft fair. Brought to us by Church of Craft, Toronto Craft Alert and The Sweetie Pie Press, the fair is free to attend and includes tons of vendors, workshops and prizes. It takes place at the Theatre Centre, 1087 Queen St W, Toronto, and the order of scheduled events is as follows: 1-2pm: crochet a dink! with shannon gerard 2:30-4: craft materials swap 4:30-7: make your own gift wrap The Toronto Zine Library will have a reading room at the event and there will be raffle draws at 1, 4 and 7. Visit it yourself and check the next issue of BP for a pencil sharpener about the fair.
nov 30th, 2007 Read more.

Zombie Walk in Cornwall
In honour of International Buy Nothing Day (which is actually today) there will be a zombie walk held in Cornwall, ON starting at 2pm Saturday, Nov 24th. The walk will start at the cemetery near The Cornwall Community Hospital (at the corner of Marleau and McConnell Ave near 9th Street) and will continue along 9th Street passing Canadian Tire, Tim Horton’s, Blockbuster, and will make its way toward Walmart and the Brookdale Shopping Centre. It's expected to attract over fifty people and should finish around 4pm. Buy Nothing Day is a day of protest that is held after American Thanksgiving on the first official xmas shopping day each year. People often hold zombie walks in honour of Buy Nothing Day to symbolize "mindless consumerism". Though I prefer Reverand Billy's Church of Stop Shopping's (http://www.revbilly.com/) approach to fighting against consumer culture, Buy Nothing Day and zombie walks have their place in the fight. This will be the first annual Cornwall Zombie Walk a...
november 23rd, 2007 Read more.

Invisible Publishing's call for submissions
Invisible Publishing, an independent publisher out of Montreal, is looking for submissions for their upcoming anthology of short fiction on the theme of how the existing systems around us effect our lives and our place in the world. Here are the details to submit: THE LAND AND HOW IT LAY Networks, neighbourhoods, relationships, language. How do existing structures — material, social, psychological, imagined — shape, influence and affect us? What happens when the labels, tools and ideas native to these systems are poorly suited to our needs? What does it mean to live within systems; with, on and around structures foreign to us? We are looking for short fiction and creative nonfiction that works with these ideas of built systems — telephones, plumbing, gossip, suburbs — and the practices that take place within their grasp. Pieces that experiment with language/text as infrastructure are encouraged, though “traditional” fiction is warmly welcomed. Up to 5,000 words. Inv...
november 22nd, 2007 Read more.

The Undead Go Underground
Zombies are the underdog of the horror genre. Lindsay Gibb walks with the living dead to see how they are the epitome of independent culture. When we think of zombies, we think of mindless conformity. We think: flesh-eating cadavers roaming endlessly in pursuit of a way to quench their hunger. We don’t think: zombie – darling of indie culture, unearthed from underground to save the underground. Zombies mindlessly follow the crowd consuming for the sake of consumption. But they’ve also become ubiquitous figures in zine/DIY culture. You can have your portrait painted in the form of a zombie, join a zombie walk through a major city, purchase a guide on how to survive a zombie attack, and be bitten electronically by a zombie on Facebook. So how did an underground community of fringe artists come to adopt the ultimate drone as their symbol? In some ways, it makes sense: zombies are underdogs, perpetually dragging their decaying flesh around a blighted world in search of much faster, ...
november142007 Read more.

Tightrope Books, Launch for Stacey May Fowles
Tonight Tightrope Books is holding a launch party for Stacey May Fowles' book Be Good and Fraser Sutherland's Manual for Emigrants. Held at Revival at 783 College ST W, both authors will be reading starting at 8pm. There will also be live music, a DJ, door prizes, hors d'oeuvres and a guest reading by Dayle Furlong. Doors @ 7:30.
nov 14, 2007 Read more.

Canzine East, Saturday Oct 20th
Come join us at Canzine East in Halifax this weekend. $5 at the door gets you the new HORROR issue of Broken Pencil Magazine and access to hundreds of zines, all-day horror screenings, DIY Gore workshops, readings, and all sorts of other madness. Saturday, Oct 20th, 12-6pm Saint David's Church, Brunswick St To register, or to sign up as a volunteer, go to www.brokenpencil.com/canzine
october 18th, 2007 Read more.

open studios in artists' homes - Toronto
This weekend (Sept 15th & 16th) you can walk through artists homes in the west-end of Toronto to check out their work (and snoop around their pads). Broken Pencil's designer stef lenk and artists Kari Minchin, Julie Campagna, and Matina Theodosiou are opening their homes to the public for the weekend to show off their work and maybe sell a few things, to help with the fall-cleaning. lenk is calling her home installation a Salon de refus. She has dug up drawings from as far back as 1998 and has hung them around her home in gallery style. All the locales are between Roncesvalles and Triller on Queen West (though they request you use the back enterance). Check out the map and go home-hoping with these local artists. Opening night party is tonight, Saturday Sept 15th, with music by Barbara Lynch, Beverly Taft and others.
september 15, 2007 Read more.

Vtape gets around
Vtape, a resource centre and distributor of contemporary media art, is calling their next project a Movable Feast of Video Art. While their salon program Curatorial Incubator is showing at home (401 Richmond, Toronto) from Sept 21st to Oct 13th, they are bringing video art to other necks of the woods. Vtape in Mexico City, Sampling Recent Canadian Video Art works by Daniel Cockburn, John Greyson, Emily Vey Duke & Cooper Battersby Guest Curator Irmgard Emmelhainz @ EL MUCA Roma and Taller Publico, Mexico City August 25-September 22, 2007 Vtape @ imagineNATIVE October 17-21, 2007 an illustrated lecture Guest Curator Gerald McMaster October 20, 3pm Vtape @ MOCCA (952 Queen St. West, Toronto) ANALOGUE Pioneering Video from the UK, Canada and Poland (1968-1988) November 2-3, 2007 for more information visit Vtape at www.vtape.org
september 3rd, 2007 Read more.

Comix & Stories, Vancouver
On Sunday, August 26th, from 11am to 5pm, join artists and comic creators for a day of alternative and small press comics, zines, artwork & culture. It all takes place at Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street, Vancouver. Entrance fee is only $3. Special Guests include: * Farel Dalrymple (Pop Gun War, Meathaus, Caper) * Brandon Graham (King City, Multiple Warheads, Meathaus) * Corey Lewis (Sharknife, Peng) * Steve Rolston (One Bad Day, the Escapists) * Camilla D'Errico (Avril Lavigne's Make 5 Wishes, Nightmares & Fairytales) * James Lloyd (OtherThings, Futurama Comics) * Josue Menjivar (Everyday Things, Way Off Main) * Robin Bougie (Cinema Sewer) ... and many more for more information contact Leonard S Wong at lswong@uniserve.com
august 25, 2007 Read more.

Call for 90s Halifax Music Zines
Sarah from Anchor Archive in Halifax is looking for Halifax music fanzines from the 1990s in time to create a collection for Canzine East. The following is Sarah's plea: I know at one point there were so many Sloan-loving fanzines out there, and the Anchor Archive Zine Library is looking to compile a special collection documenting local indie zines and music from that era. Maybe it's been long enough that we can unearth, without too much embarrassment, all these zines filled with embarrassing interviews, badly photocopied band photos, incoherent scene and show reports, and unabashed love of band members? Zines made in Halifax or the Maritimes, as well as those made in Ontario or further West, will be included, as long as they focus on the scene out here (that there were catchy names for, that I won't unearth. Yet.) The Anchor Archive accepts whole collections of beloved (but rarely regarded) zines, but please be aware - we might not keep every zine, and will o...
august 18, 2007 Read more.

Independent Art in Back Alleys - Toronto
"Toronto's alternative urban community arts event" is back with another weekend to explore what lies behind the main streets in our city. Saturday August 11th and Sunday August 12th the garages in the back alleys near Trinity Bellwoods Park will be turned into art exhibits by 40 local artists. The event gives exposure to local artists and encourages the community to interact with the artists and their work. To celebrate the fifth year of this event, five curated works/events will be featured throughout the weekend. Entitled Five Special Projects, the works are all interactive and include Scott Thomson's wandering musical improvisation performance, League of Tangents' video sculptures, Park-In: parked cars turned into screening rooms, and Mammalian Diving Reflex and Parkdale Public School's The Children's Choice Awards. For more information, and a map of the event, visit http://www.alleyjaunt.com
august 10, 2007 Read more.

7th Annual Portland Zine Symposium
Starting at 11am Saturday, Aug 11th zinesters from all over will be convening in Portland, Oregon. The Portland Zine Symposium runs Saturday, August 11th and Sunday August 12th and features a zine fair, workshops, panel discussions, community meals and raffles. It's also FREE to attend! Workshop subjects include Mental Health in the Zine Community, Etiquette in Zine Culture, Personal Zines for the Pensive, How to Make a Zine for Free, Comic Journaling, Queer Zines and much more... The conference will be held at the Portland State University Campus. For more information and a full schedule of workshops visit http://www.pdxzines.com
august 10, 2007 Read more.

Call for artists to take over artist rooms at Canzine, Toronto
Broken Pencil is currently looking for artists who would like to haunt the rooms in the Gladstone Hotel. On Sunday, Oct 28th, 2007 a horror-themed Canzine will move in to the Gladstone and each year we look for artists and creators who would like to program a room for the day. Artist rooms are usually installations that are more than just something to gaze at. Participating artists should interact with Canzine attendees, or allow for attendees to interact with the room. It is a very open concept. Since the theme of this year's Canzine is horror, we're hoping that some artists will work that into their installation. Room rental is only $75 and there are only seven rooms up for grabs, so jump on it. To get involved please send room proposals to Broken Pencil at editor@brokenpencil.com
august 8, 2007 Read more.

Youth for International Development DIY training program - Saskatchewan
The Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation (SCIC)would like to invite youth interested in several forms of popular media (comics, zines and blogs) to participate in a three day summer camp. This camp is for young people interested in global issues, and is intended to help youth use their voice and raise global awareness about the issues that effect young people, Canadians and people living in developing countries - all through creative media. The SCIC is currently accepting applications up until Aug 1st. At the camp 40 young people will meet for a three-day training session to learn from professional artists, writers, and activists about international issues and how to communicate messages on these issues creatively. For more information on the program and to download an application form visit www.youthbeat.org. The camp is open to youth between the ages of 13 & 25.
july 27, 2007 Read more.

Black Heart Magazine - call for submissions
Black Heart Magazine (which we exerpted from in issue #35) is looking for submissions for their Chastity Issue, due out October 2007. If you have true (or fictional) stories about virginity, asexuality, chastity until marriage, born-again virginity, unrequited lust or anything that goes off on a wild tangent from this basic idea, send it to Black Heart at submit@blackheartmagazine.com on or before our submission deadline of August 31, midnight! Artwork is always welcome, as are books and CDs for reviews
july 27, 2007 Read more.

bedtime, sleepyhead play at Clintons... TONIGHT - Toronto
Hello all, it's me, Lindsay, editor. This is a little self-plug for my indie band that is playing tonight (July 26th) at Clintons. I sing in the band. Hopefully some of you can make it out. Here are the details. bedtime, sleepyhead The Thurstons The Februarys (from Vancouver) Lights Clintons is located at 693 Bloor Street West doors at 8pm, bands start at 9pm (we're first) $7 check us out at www.myspace.com/bedtimesleepyhead
july 26, 2007 Read more.

Style Issue party - Wednesday July 25th, Toronto
Come help us celebrate the release of our Indie Style Issue at the Cadillac Lounge. The party will feature our first-ever Indie Style Fashion Contest, where participants can strut their personalized buttons, screenprinted T's, vintage duds, and eclectic concoctions for our panel of judges (RM Vaughan, Bonnie De Kuyper (Worn), and Trevor Coleman). Look good! Win prizes! When: Wednesday, July 25th. 8:30pm Where: the Cadillac Lounge (downtown Toronto) 1296 Queen St. W. Admission is $5, and includes a copy of the new issue of BP What's inside the style issue? *DIY clothing design roundup *Indie style through the ages: an illustrated timeline *A history of fonts and printing presses *Our super summer quiz: How indie is your style? and much more... Don't forget to check out our new coloured buttons and T-shirts. Available online at www.brokenpencil.com/store
july 24, 2007 Read more.

Anchor Archive 2nd Anniversary and 24-hour Zine Challenge--Halifax
In honour of the Anchor Archive's second anniversary the Halifax-based group are creating an amazing opportunity for anyone whose never made a zine and have always wanted to. It's The 24 hour Zine Challenge. Dubbed a "open invitation, all night zine marathon" the title explains the event pretty fully. The goal is for each participant to produce a completed zine in 24 hours, starting at 5:00 on Saturday and ending at 5:00 on Sunday. The Archive will also be making a collaborative 24 hr zine using drop-in contributions. In order to recoupe the cost of supplies they will be asking for a 3-10 dollar donation from participants. Below is the schedule for this crafty 24-hour party: 5:00 potluck drop-in bbq (24 hr zine challenge begins!) 5pm-3am on-going collaborative and individual zine making 10pm back yard camp fire, readings from favorite zines 9 am-12 noon coffee and toast for zine challengers 11 am Zine Photocopying workshop c/o the People's Photocopier 12-5 pm (Sunday)...
july 13, 2007 Read more.

July Zine of the Month
Sometimes I wish raptors still existed so I could get disemboweled and finally spill my guts to someone zine, Spencer Butt, $5, spencer.butt@gmail.com Long titles, longer poems. Lots of poems. Lots of rants. This is Spencer Butt--a 25-year-old poet and the singer of the Secret Handsnakes--who if given the opportunity to design his own welcome mat, would probably have so much to say it would become an area rug. There are many mouthfuls here. Mr. Butt’s poems poke fun at everything except his own last name. And his long-winded, wit-ridden poems are more often than not the subject of his adventures around the city. One poem reveals his outing to a concert where “everyone was 40plus,” another shows that he likes to treat women like “24 hour buffets.” While he’s self-admittedly immature at points, this is an admirable character worth exploring (please see “I wish I was a poet” where he talks about a twirling dance major girlfriend with great pirouettes, and insists “I want to spread your ...
july 11, 2007 Read more.

Summer Ink Launch - Toronto
Summer Ink is the result of long-time friends, Golda Fried and Vesna Mostovac, collaborating through letter writing. The two friends wrote letters to each other about their love lives and day-to-day goings on, Vesna illustrated each correspondence, and the resulting book is launching at The Cameron House(408 Queen St W, Toronto) on Wednesday July 4th, from 8-10pm.
july 3, 2007 Read more.

Poetry Toga Party - Montreal
Do as the romans do at the best damn Summer Poetry Toga Party In ALL of Canada! The Official Montreal Book Launch Party for Nathaniel G. Moore's LET'S PRETEND WE NEVER MET published by Pedlar Press (Toronto) will take place Tuesday July 3rd, 2007 6pm at casa del popolo (4873 boul. St-Laurent)http://www.casadelpopolo.com/ Featuring readings by Nathaniel G. Moore, Angela Hibbs and J.R. Carpenter.
june 25, 2007 Read more.

One Inch Punch - Toronto
Fitting in with the upcoming Style issue of Broken Pencil, Toronto's Lennox Contemporary Gallery is hosting One Inch Punch, a button exhibit and sale. Les Robots and Tonia Addison curated One Inch Punch by selecting 50 button designs from submissions they received from across the country. At the show buttons will be for sale in bags of a random selection of five. For more information on One Inch Punch visit www.lesrobots.ca/ oneinchpunch And check out the Style issue of Broken Pencil for an article on the rise of one-inch buttons as a form of self expression. The Style issue is due out on July 16th.
june 20, 2007 Read more.

International 3-Day Novel Contest
The 30th Annual 3-Day Novel Contest is coming up in September and registration has begun. Every year more than 500 writers from around the world enter to write their brains out over the long weekend, and for a chance to be published by 3-Day Books and distributed by Arsenal Pulp Press. Here's how it works: entrants begin writing after 12:01am on Sept 1st, and must stop by 11:59pm, Sept 3rd. Participants can write in any location, anywhere in the world. The organizers of the contest say they would know if people were cheating, so no cheating. Writers may write on any subject and in any genre, and finished novels must be submitted by mail in the week following the contest. For more information about the contest and on how to register visit www.3daynovel.com.
june 3, 2007 Read more.

Lit Mag Marathon Weekend - New York
It's a Lit Mag fan's heaven. For those who want culture at a low price, and also like to be read to, visit the Magathon on Saturday June 9th at the New York Public Library. Throughout the day there will be readings by editors of various literary magazines. For those who like to purchase culture in order to take it home with them, check out the Literary Magazine Fair at Housing Works Used Book Café (126 Crosby Street). Great deals guaranteed (apparently $2 a mag!). Broken Pencil magazine will be there. For more information visit the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses website http://www.clmp.org
june 1st, 2007 Read more.

Indyish at Fringe art market - Montreal
Indyish (a group that promotes independent wares and produces indie events) is putting on a zine and craft fair at this year's Montreal Fringe Festival. Saturday June 9th, find zinesters and crafty types manning their tables and selling their stuff outside at the Fringe Tent, Parc Des Ameriques,St.Laurent and Rachel. In case of rain the venue will be the Fringe Club (ie. Club Lambi) at St. Laurent and Mount Royal. To see a list of the vendors who will participating in fairs throughout the festival (which runs from June 8th to the 17th) visit the website. Click here to register.
may 25, 2007 Read more.

Calling those with weird homes....
BP is finishing up summer issue on Style, and we are looking for oddball homes to profile. If you have a creatively decorated or bizarrely constructed living space, or know of someone who does, we want to know about it. Email me at editor@brokenpencil.com.
may 22nd, 2007 Read more.

Toronto Small Press Bookfair--Saturday May 26th
The Toronto Small Press Bookfair has crept up on us again. It's happening this Saturday (May 26th) at Trinity St Paul's Centre at 427 Bloor St W. Starting at 11am and running until 5pm, the book fair will feature readings starting at 1pm, tables and tables of indie publishers, and the return of the Instant Anthology. Apparently, if you bring a one-sided page of your work (art, fiction, poetry, etc) to the fair in the morning a jury of editors will select work makes the cut and they will be compiled into an anthology by the end of the day. For more information, check out the Toronto Small Press Bookfair's website: http:// www.torontosmallpressbookfair.org/
may 22nd, 2007 Read more.