Zine Crush
Confessions of Like
Zine Crush Vol. 3 Contributor Deadline!
Wednesday, July 31, 2013!
I am officially starting work on the next issue of Zine Crush, to release at this summer’s Portland Zine Symposium (where I will be tabling). You have two months, so start working now! I want this issue to be bigger than the past two, so there is no limit on page count or number of submissions. The only guideline is that you write and/or draw about a crush in the zine world. And if you want to contribute anonymously, let me know. Send me your stories, letters, comics, and confessions.
My email address is zinecrush@gmail.com. Text files can be any format. For images, please scan at least 600 dpi in black & white. Page size is 5.5″x8.5″. TIFF files are preferred. You can also submit via snail mail: Zine Crush, PO Box 936, Portland, OR 97207, USA. All contributors receive a free copy of the zine, and a flat if you’d like to make and sell your own.
Contact me with any questions. Thank you!
Zine Fests 2013
I renewed my PO Box and web hosting for another year, so Zine Crush continues. I will start working on a third volume next month, to finish this summer and release at the Portland Zine Symposium. In the meantime, excuse my inactivity. Real life has gotten in the way of my zine crushes. Or, it’s preoccupied me at least from writing about my zine crushes. They always happen. I do have plans to meet up with a very crush-worthy someone, who is going to be in town for Stumptown Comics Fest next weekend. I’ll let you know how that plays out.
I am bummed that I missed Chicago Zine Fest last month. I wanted to introduce myself to a couple contributors, and CZF is where Zine Crush was born. It just didn’t work out for me financially to attend. I also wish I could be at Brooklyn Zine Fest, right now as I type this. Fortunately, I have generous contributors who made Zine Crush copies for both events. Thank you, Alex Wrekk and Dre Grigoropol!
I want to visit some other zine events this year, in addition to Portland Zine Symposium. Maybe San Francisco? Richmond Zine Fest was very supportive last year, I would like to go there. Where else do you recommend?
Zine Crush Volume 2
The new issue is finished! Portland Button Works was so nice to Risograph print 100 copies that I am pointing all orders to them for a few weeks, initially. Two dollars for an issue, available online and in the shop: 1322 N. Killingsworth St., Portland, OR 97217. (Alex also has copies of Volume 1 if you missed it.)
I am proud of this issue. The full list of contributors is: Teresa Ferreiro, Anonymous in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Dre Grigoropol, Jonas, (Another) Anonymous in Illinois, Richmond Zine Fest attendees, Octavia Guerra, Rachel Lee-Carman, Alex Wrekk, Papa Grizzle, Kelli Callis, and Amber Dearest. Most of the material hasn’t appeared on this website. And, similar to Volume 1, there are a couple clues to my identity.
On being Zine Crush
In August I went into the main Powell’s Books downtown with copies of Zine Crush. I showed them to Kevin, who manages the small press and zines sections, and expected I’d have to explain the premise. Instead, he saw the title and immediately said, “I’ve heard about this! You’re the one behind it?”
I said I was. “But don’t list my name. I’m keeping it anonymous for now.”
Kevin agreed, and then requested twice the number he’d bought, in the past, of my personal zine. Over the next couple weeks, they all sold. My feelings toward this were ambivalent.
Shortly after I started this website, I created Twitter and Facebook accounts for Zine Crush. The friends and followers soon came to surpass my own in number. I joked with my friend S. that, in the beginning, I decided to publish Zine Crush anonymously because it’s fitting to the theme. Others would be encouraged to submit their own anonymous confessions, if they so chose. But my intention was to keep the intrigue light. If someone were to learn that _____ is the person behind Zine Crush, the expected response, in the beginning, was, “Of course, that makes sense.” As I joked to S., now I think the most common reply would be, “Who is _____?”
I’ve let on to a dozen folks my identity. Two contributors to Vol. 1 guessed it correctly via email. I revealed my authorship to a few zine friends in asking for submissions. All of my own zine crushes that I’ve written about could surely figure it out, but to my knowledge, only K.J. has noticed. I’ve even used Zine Crush as a means to impress new crushes (L.P. and A.L.G.), because isn’t that the point. I’m not certain, but my goal in creating Zine Crush might have been to receive a letter about me, _____. Unless there is a note waiting in my PO Box, it hasn’t hapened yet.
So what about the rest of you? Would it change Zine Crush to know who edits it? Is my anonymity an unnecessary affectation, or does it add likable mystery? I’d appreciate your input.
Zine crush. More like zine love.
By Danielle Warhola
Yeah, have i got a zine crush. His name is J. I don’t know if he’s got a pen name. I met him a few years ago when I was a Lesbian, and I thought he was a nice gay man (turns out he’s a nice queer man, not a nice gay man. Turns out i’m not a lesbian anymore.) who wore cute little 70s slacks and had a distinctly nasally voice, moppy brown hair and cute glasses. I met him a few years back while my future band letters played without me in a Portland, Oregon collective cafe, an after party to the zine symposium. I gave him my zine, but i’m pretty sure he lost it without reading it.
Fast forward a few years, i’m living in a fairy-light lit attic in Portland during the winter. Most of my time is spent watching my primitivist roommates skin skunks and crush acorns or crying watching ingmar bergman movies. I lived with a really magical person named Bartle. Whip smart, with soft dreads, full of dance and craft with their hands, reminding me to stretch and drink water when i needed to. So anyway Bartle and J came stumbling up my stairs one day, to show J the attic. I quickly jumped in front of a small jar of my own urine that i was planning to sell on craigslist’s Adult ads to an adorably kinky old man, but on realizing there was nowhere to hide it blurted “I don’t usually just pee up here, i’m selling this!” Bartle laughed and J didn’t seem to really care. I was really embarrassed. I showed J my zine collection downstairs after we abandoned the vessel that outed me as either a sex worker or someone too lazy to even empty a pee jar.
In spite of the bodily fluids, we hung out at a party in his house, where one of his friends was having a birthday party that they abandoned. We made popcorn and danced to soul music, and he invited me to sleep…in his guest room.
I had a dream about him last summer, where he was building a nest in the woods to accommodate himself to sleep in. I told him and a few weeks later we took a ridiculously indecent post-party summertime walk straight to my bedroom, and to my surprise he ended up sticking around. I figured out at this point that he was not a nice gay man.
We share a love for zines, and that’s one way i know he gets me…such tender moments shared reading Avow to me when i’m sure i’ve got pink eye and can’t see, opening the window in the morning and discussing Breakfast for Dinner before breakfast, laughing our drunk asses off reading SKAM zine because we’re degenerates and stories about drugs, college, and family trips still make us laugh. That’s more than a zine crush – that’s zine love to me.
There was no moment more nerdily thrilling than when he disappeared into my basement for an hour and had produced the intro to a really good zine about lifestylism…
Hey zine crush – if you put out your zine, I’ll Put out.
I hated myself for two years because I never kissed you.
From Anonymous in Oregon.
A million stupid songs played on the radio all that year, the year after Desert Storm. On the rock station and the oldies station and that cable channel in those days when it still played videos. I don’t know why I liked you so much and let you write poems on my arms and color in my toenails with black sharpie.
There were times when I looked into your eyes, twin green free-falls into the depths of high school, and saw in the periphery a cloud of moths and butterflies where normal girls have hair. This was how you got me to sneak out of sixth period so we could walk slow, close circles around each other in the hall.
God Save the Zine
By Liz Mason and the Sex Pistols. Performed as part of the Chicago Zine Fest opening ceremony at Quimby’ s Bookstore, on March 12th, 2010. Sung along with the karaoke version music.
God save the zine
Haven’t heard of this thing? What are you, a moron? Independent publishing.
God save the zine
Page count multiples of four There’s no publishing schedule I print it when I feel like it
Don’t be told what you write Don’t be told what you read There’s no future, no future, No future for my last distro
God save the zine
We mean it wo-man
We love our long-arm stapler
God saves (each issue of Cometbus)
God save the zine
‘Cause it makes no money It’s a dollar or free with trade Or just send me some stamps
Oh God save history
God save your cut and paste I use Media Mail
It’s way cheaper
I’m sorry it’s been so long
since my last issue
I had a lot of stuff going on
I made a mix tape to express how I feel Here’s comics and a poem.
Here’s my per-zine
Stick it to the Man
I write about biking to work In the winter
(instrumental break)
God save the zine
Here’s a recipe
For doing an abortion
With herbs picked by the side of the road
Check out these bands, that you’ve never heard of I interviewed them in here
If you really want to know me, you should read my zine You’ll think that I’m really awesome
Submit your work, to me and I might publish it in my zine
No future, no future For mainstream media
Zine Crush at the Richmond Zine Fest
Back in October, the organizers of the Richmond Zine Fest — Celina, Mo, Liz, Becca, and Mara — had the fantastic idea to set up a Zine Crush table at the event. I mailed them a flat of Vol. 1, so they could make and sell copies. And they made an attractive box to provide attendees a place to submit. I hope this catches on, because I really enjoyed the results! Los Angeles and Chicago Zine Fest organizers, let’s talk!
What follows is a sample of the (mostly) anonymous notes from RZF 2012:
I just want to cuddle with you and your dogs and draw silly things and talk about how art school is lame but I secretly think it’s important. Remember that time our friend tried to set us up? I knit you a hat and you gave me your zines, I swooned so fucking hard. Then your girlfriend moved back to Virginia.
—
Your ass is killer with your jeans with the bright red flowers embroidered on. Beyond that you write too, which is more important more appealing than your fantastic ass. Also important is your pretty face and your friendliness. HTH
—
I love that Muslim girl. She’s beautiful.
—
The way you fold paper astounds me. Exact with speed. Sharper than paper ready to cut. Will you fold zines with me?
☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ Maybe
—
Safiya Bridgewater is so passionate, funny, creative and all around sass-tacular. I just love her.
—
I can’t tell if I’m still hung up on you, but thanks for ending things, I guess. We were doomed to rip each other’s hearts out.
—
One wears a fedora, the other a crown, but what I like best is they rarely frown. Always with a smile and laugh at a zine fest, they are easy to chat with, and I forget all the stress.
To: Rusty & Joe
—
I heart Aijung Kim. She’s super talented! All her stuff is great!
—
Richmond Zine Fest Crush 2012 Deafula!! The warmest smile and awesomest lady!
—
My zine crush is new, because I’ve had so many over the last 20 years, so maybe I will write about my latest one, right here at Richmond Zine Fest. This person has put out a zine called “hawt dayum booty jam” and it’s the most positive and sexy queer/erotic/consent zine I’ve seen in a really long time. It’s very body-positive and it doesn’t erase people’s identities — there is loving (& hawt) attention paid to all kinds of folks. I feel like the writer of this zine is probably a bad ass, outspoken, resourceful, hilarious, and creative person. I wish this person would teach sex ed to all middle school P.E. classes. Maybe then folks wouldn’t feel scared and alone like I did (when I was younger). I <3 this zine for that. L.D.
—
I have a crush on the international proletariat.
—
What’s a “rerun?”
It’s tempting to post the recent submissions I’m most excited about: Alex Wrekk or Kelli Callis, to name a couple. But I’m going to hold off on those, and entice you to buy the zine. For today I give you one of the zine-only exclusives from Vol. 1, by Anonymous in Massachusetts. This one is great, too. Only ten days remain to submit for the next issue!
Zine Crush
So I saw my zine crush on TV not too long ago and all those feelings came rushing back to me. Let’s make no mistake here – when I say this was a “crush” it was more of a puppy dog style crush than anything I ever took seriously or thought anything seriously could ever happen. About 10 years ago I read a zine called Cartography for Beginners by April Richardson and as I read I thought to myself “God damn, this girl is funny.” Then she published a picture of herself and I was in love. She was abso-fucking-lutely adorable. I couldn’t even take it. How could somebody this funny and this cute exist? And how could she have the gall to get married before I even had a chance to make a move? Not that I would have really made a move. Not that I could have made a move. Not that I would have even known how to make a move if there was a move to be made. But the idea that somebody like that was taken before I even was made aware of her existence bugged me, man. I never even had a chance to fail.
April made the move from zines to stand up comedy and as a comedy nerd in addition to a zine geek this did nothing to squash my crush. I saw her recently on Chelsea Lately and she was just as funny and adorable as ever. As I watched I realized that there were plenty of comedy nerds out there watching who had the exact same reaction to April that I had all those years ago when I first read her zine. And you know what? This kind of comforted me because their crushes are just as unlikely to bear fruit as mine was, but I had my crush first and mine was not based on a mass medium, it was based on zines which to me makes it more pure.