SE London Zine Fest

Whoops. Looking at this blog it seems that I haven't updated since August. (This is partially because my poor elderly notepad broke and I've had to make do with stealing other people's internet machines when I can.) Anyway, I've published three more zines since the last post and will update properly soon, but today's is just a quickie.

I'm going to be at the SE London Zine Fest on Saturday. I'll have blond hair rather than pink but you should definitely still come over and say hello.

Zines For Sale

To buy any (or all!) of these zines, add up the prices and paypal that amount of cash to zisforzine at hotmail dot co dot uk, along with a note telling me which ones you're buying. Zine prices include shipping within the UK. If you're outside the UK please email me first so I can calculate shipping costs.

xyz #1: Intro to Genderqueer 24 pages inc. cover, A5, £1 The very first issue of xyz! Slightly more picture-heavy and possibly easier to read than later issues, this one includes articles about etymology, ways to talk about gender, hormone alteration, and gender identity in the 18th century. Click to read a review.

xyz #2: Kids and Babies Issue 24 pages inc. cover, A5, £1 Written just after I'd started working at a play scheme, this is all about gender in childhood. It includes articles on Mermaids, the gendering of play, -aternity leave, and Disney villains. Click to read a review.

xyz #3: Femme 28 pages inc. cover, A5, £1 As you can probably guess from the title, this issue is about femme as a presentation and a gender identity. In it I talk about the ways femme has been maligned in society, the colour pink and what it means, make up, queer politics and how the medical establishment pathologises femme.

Kidfest

Three people under the age of ten have now applied for stalls at Camden Zinefest. This is bemusing. Are their parents zinesters? Do their parents know about this? Do they know each other? How are they going to get there? It is a mystery.

Some things that have been going on

Cath reviewed xyz #2 at Spill The Zines. This is my second review ever, and I'm dancing around and grinning like a loon still two days later. Is that a normal reaction? If so, I might have to review more zines on this blog, so I can spread the love.

Right now I'm trying to figure out how to sell zines outside of zine fairs. I'm not very good at social networking, and I usually turn around and spit when someone mentions the word 'Esty', but I do now have a paypal that works. Would it be OK to just make a blog post where I list all my zines and then tell everyone where to paypal money to? I reckon if I put everything up for £1, it should cover things like stamps and paypal fees. Maybe. Just about. This sort of laissez faire attitude is why I'm going to be poor forever. Oh well.

In other news, I'm starting to think it's possible a distro is sneaking up on me. Friends keep handing me zines and asking if I'd be willing to sell/trade them for them. Which is... pretty much what a distro does, really.

Camden stall applications

July is here and I've put up stall applications for Camden Zinefest. So far, one application has been filled in, which made me gleeful; I've also got a couple of zinesters I'm fairly sure will be coming even without filling in the form. I haven't exactly decided much about applications. I've said on the website that I'll email people before the end of August, so cut off time is some time before then, I guess. I really hope enough people want to come that it's not too tricky. I laid some fliers out at the Women's Library Zine Fest and they all got taken, though I'm not sure how many were by people who were also zinesters.

In other, non-zine-related news, I went for an STI test today. It took less than a minute as was easy as cake. The blood test hurt a bit but enabled them to tell me my HIV status on the spot (negative, as expected). Results for chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhoea and hepatitis take a week or so; confident that they'll be negative as well, since I'm very cautious about both my sexy times and my needle use. The whole thing was far easier than I'd expected. If you're a sexually active adult, I'd urge you to go get checked out. It's easy, it's free, and nobody touches your junk unless you ask them to. The THT website will be able to find your nearest clinic.

Zine Fest at the Women's Library

I'm going to be at it. Lots of other brilliant people are going to be at it. You should come. That is all.

Finally!

I've finally gone and set up a website for Camden Zinefest. Well, y'know, sort of. It's a blog that I'm pretending is a website.

Things I have done:
- Designed a logo
- Designed a website
- Designed badges
- Confirmed the Pirate Castle (yarr) as the location
- Figured out how to fit everyone into the Pirate Castle's hall
- Designed a flier
- Printed and made badges (only about 30 so far, am hoping to do 100 total)
- Figured out an application form for stalls

Things I have yet to do:
- Design a flier
- Print fliers
- Design a programme
- Print programmes
- Print and make badges
- Figure out how much of everything I should print
- Figure out an application form for stalls
- Find people who'd be willing to lead workshops
- Confirm stalls and workshops once they've been finalised
- Get in touch with Anarchist Teapot and see if they'll be willing to come down to London for a potentially tiny event
- Persuade some people that they'd like to volunteer on the day
- OH SO MUCH MORE.