At last, a new zine!

New zine: how to do a book swap with friends!

Very delayed reaction, but a couple weekends ago I went with a friend to Local Economy in Oakland to a zine-making workshop run by Rena Tom. There were humans of all ages there, making stuff and talking about how to be present and active in this tense moment. It was magical to be in this community space -- as a guest, since this wasn't in my neighborhood -- but also to see how much creativity was happening. To see kids learn about the political and social context of zines. To see people trading their creations with each other. Yes to the analog, the sharing, the hyperlocal, the care. More of this, please.

On a much smaller, more individual level, it was very satisfying to finally finish my book swap zine. I started this last fall but then got too busy with work to finish it quickly. So far people seem to be loving it! I brought it to a book club and it was well-received.

I gotta say, Rena Tom’s printer made a badass black and white version of this zine. It has a totally different vibe than the color original. Below are both versions side by side; which one do you prefer?

Unfortunately, I do not have a printer collection like she does, and my printer made a really shitty B&W version. I’m going to see if getting a different variety of ink will fix it, or if the library photocopier can do better. If you would like a B&W copy, please reply to this email! Otherwise, color versions are available here.

Another cool thing about this workshop was getting a worksheet with different folding patterns for mini-zines. I have lots of zine ideas I need to get started on, so I hope sooner than later I can express those ideas while experimenting with new folding patterns!

Latest inspo

• Erin in the Morning published a Black trans history article that was super fascinating: Black trans trailblazers that you may not learn about in history class. Essential reading this month!

• I just read a bunch of zines by zines4queers and found them helpful to put me in a good headspace for this moment. Plus they post lots of hilarious memes on Instagram!

• Mirk Work’s notes on zines at protests is exactly what you think it is: thoughts on where and why zines keep showing up at protests in the USA these days. It’s a chunky newsletter post, but it’s full of excellent zine work and resources.

• Speaking of Erin in the Morning, check out her annual list of trans kids selling Girl Scout cookies. We just bought a bunch!