Pink, Green & Blue

I received three poetry zines from Malorie after seeing a review of them by fiveoclockzine. Each zine has it’s own colour theme which is based off what colour her hair was at the time. The first two were made while in Maine and the third was done while she was in London.

All three feature 5 poems that are accompanied by a watercolour. The watercolours reflect the colour of the issue and her hair. The poems are little snippets of her life in Maine and London, and reflections of her life and thoughts.

Check out her Instagram page or Twitter page to see about grabbing a copy of these zines. 

stainperfect

This is another zinester I discovered through fiveoclockzine, thank goodness Craig exists. Where would I find zines otherwise?!

I received a lot of beautiful zines from stainperfect. Beautiful. Printed with Risograph. The amount of love and effort put into creating these zines is very noticeable. Finding the perfect colour combinations, and creating all the illustrations. I love their style.

It’s Okay

An 8-page mini zine based on a phone conversation about using mindfulness to help when you’re going through rough times.

Dance With Me

A 20-page mini zine filled with illustrations. Tells a story without saying a single word. I felt like it was about getting closer as time passes. I’d love to know what you thought of it.

I Am A Tree

A 40-page mini zine containing the story of a tree written by Yasuko Kobayashi featuring artwork by stainperfect. It is in Japanese but comes with a little English translation booklet, translated by stainperfect. A lot of love and effort went into the making of this zine.

Up Above

An 8-page zine telling the story of how they thought the crescent moon was created when they were a child.

The Day The Mountains Move

The copy I have of this zine is 10 pages and is an English translation of a poem by Akiko Yosano. Featuring artwork by stainperfect. However, if you check out her Etsy page you will see the copy of this zine for sale looks different. It is 20 pages and includes two other poems and even more artwork. So don’t hesitate to grab it.

Fuckboys And Where To Find Them

A 12-page zine written by Molly Arnthal illustrated and layout by stainperfect. It describes the two types of fuckboys and goes on to explain why exactly you should avoid them. A great comical read, and a unique way of explaining why they suck so horribly. Regardless of if you know what a fuckboy is or not, you should read this.

You can find all these amazing zines on her Etsy page.

You can also keep up to date with her zines and art on Instagram or Twitter.

Negative Scissors & Strawberry Leaflet

Zippity Zinedra was the first Canadian zinester I ever made contact with. They were recommended to me by someone else, which I am thankful for. In the first envelope I received from them I got a copy of Negative Scissors and Strawberry Leaflet #1-3.

Negative Scissors

This is a 24-page zine in black and white, made in a cut and paste design. It features stories about their life; random events, random thoughts. Told in a unique and sincere voice. The stories are typed on a typewriter and pasted onto a collage\cut-and-paste background. Most of the stories they include showcase what it’s like to live with a mental illness and features a lot of thoughts which are very relatable.

Strawberry Leaflet

These leaflets are a single paper folder brochure style. Each one is just an update about their life; current thoughts, things that had happened during the month. And reading these really made me crave to do something similar (I haven’t yet). Everything I have read by them leaves me feeling inspired to create. They have such a unique voice in which they talk about their experiences that leaves me intrigued every time. You can’t tell in my photo, but they are all done on pastel purple paper. Love the purple.

If you want to support Zippity Zinedra you can buy their zines on their Etsy shop.

You can get in contact with them through Facebook, Instagram or by emailing them at xyendrarocks44@hotmail.com

Landing

“Landing, a poem by a Vancouver poet Angela Caravan, is a frank and lyrical meditation on the moon landing and what it means – to the moon, to the feet that touched it, and those stuck here on earth.“ This was the synopsis which caught my eye and made me decide I needed a copy of this in my life. Needed.

It is a mini zine featuring the poem in a cut and paste design over top of a beautiful moon watercolour painting that was done by Post Ghost Press. There’s not a whole lot I can say without spoiling the experience of reading this poem for yourself. It is a beautiful poem that inspires deeper thought. It’s all the good stuff you want in a poem, and it’s assembled so wonderfully as a zine. This zine is printed in a limited run of 50, so get it before it’s too late!

To get a copy of this zine check out their Etsy shop. 

If you are interested in subscribing and having them mail you new zines they make as they make them or postcards written to you, then check out their Patreon page.

For more information about Post Ghost Press check out their website.

Null Point - Happy

I discovered Graham on Reddit. He was one of the first zinesters I was ever brave enough to ask to trade zines with. He was super awesome at making it not seem like a big deal to ask to trade [which it isn’t, but I felt that way at the time and still do sometimes if it’s an Etsy account that has hundreds of sales or an Instagram page with thousands of followers. Eeep!]. He was part of my introduction to the zine community, and he definitely left a positive impression. Made me really feel like a part of the community. So thank you dearly for that!

Null Point is a zine series created and assembled by Graham. It’s a zine about expressing yourself anonymously. He prints it and mails it out for free, however, if you would like to support the zine he has previous issues available on Etsy for the cost of production and shipping. No profit.

Each issue, which comes out bi-monthly, has a theme. The theme for the issue I received was “Happy.” It is a 24 page black and white zine with drawings, stories, poetry, mini-comics and photos. A lot of what is in this zine is a sincere account of what people think of when they think of the word “happy” in today’s society. There are a few entries that I loved so much and related to. The feeling like we were told that we have to be happy, but no one really knows what it is. It’s poignant.

It is an amazing collection of work from an amazing anonymous group of people. I think the fact that it is anonymous adds to how open and raw people will allow themselves to be. It can be very difficult to express yourself and put it out into the world, so I am very happy [no pun intended] that this project exists. Although, as it states in the Null Point Manifesto, “This is not about you, this is about your idea.” 

If you are interested in getting a copy then check out the Null Point Instagram page. And if you want to help support the project then check out the Etsy page or BigCartel page.

If you are interested in supporting the project by submitting some art then check out the official website. http://nullpoint.org/

Pocket Thoughts

In my first batch of zines from fellow Canadian zinester Ryan I received Silly Stanzas, Pocket Thoughts 1 & Pocket Thoughts 2. A lot of my review will be what I also said in my review on his Etsy shop, mainly because it’s still an accurate summary of my thoughts. I ended up finding Ryan on Etsy and had his zines waiting in my cart until I had money. As I was waiting I saw a video from fiveoclockzine on Instagram. He said Pocket Thoughts was humorous and entertaining and just thinking about the zine brought a smile and a chuckle to him, so I knew I had to have it.

Silly Stanzas

This is a great collection of poetry and art. You really get to see a unique voice given to common topics such as Full House, Super Mario Bros, and clouds. I believe my favourite poem was “Girls Will Be Girls,” such a different take on the thought. And as it turns out some of the poems featured in this zine are actually songs he made. Click here to listen to Girls Will Be Girls on Youtube. [It’s too late Ryan. You already told me about the song. You can never take it back!]

Side note: I have very poor and rusty French, in fact, I never really knew French despite having been forced to take it in school for years… But I am fairly certain it says, “I am a great bicycle yes yes, no no” in French. And that made my day.

Pocket Thoughts 1

What a great assortment of random thoughts. This definitely had me laughing out loud at some points, and a moment later it had me questioning if I am using soap to it’s fullest potential (and other deep thoughts). He has such a unique sense of humour. Loved reading this!

Pocket Thoughts 2

Not only is this an amazing assortment of thoughts, but it was a lot of relatable of thoughts. Just like with Pocket Thoughts #1 this issue continues to be a perfect combination of laugh-out-loud funny thoughts and ponderings of depth. So glad I have a copy.

Check Pocket Thoughts out:

On Etsy – On Instagram – On Twitter – On Tumblr

PS - This video exists and you need to see it.

Fairy Tales For Cynical Girls

These little guys are short stories. Volume One is Little Mermaid and Volume Two is Sleeping Beauty. Modern, angsty versions of the classic tales though. Even though they are short stories they didn’t feel cut short. The author knew what story she wanted to put down, and did a great job writing it. They were just as fun to read the second time as they were the first time. I loved the endings as well!

Check her out on Twitter or Instagram to see about grabbing your own copy.

Zines!

As you can see I have a lot of zines to review. I will also look into getting a PO Box so I can post my mailing address online without worrying about having my house address posted online, y'know? Better safe than sorry. The rental fee where I live is $200 CAD/year. If you’d like to help support this project by donating funds to help rent a PO Box you can check out www.ko-fi.com/crashreynolds or www.patreon.com/utopiabycrash

Thanks a bunch for your time. Stay posted for more reviews coming soon.