Hello postal people!
In my daily life of paper, ephemera, and correspondence I find that there’s alot of crossover. This is how it breaks down: bookbinding led to artists’ books, which morphed into zinemaking. Penpal-ing as a kid transitioned into decorated envelopes in college, which then moved into the realm of full-blown mail art escapades once I arrived in San Francisco. (surprising? Not really, when you think about it…) When asked the eternal, killing question “Yes, but what do you do?”, I find myself at a loss, unable to bring all of these varied elements together into a single niche-based sentence.
Readers and friends of the RLD blog know that I do a range of different things (artists’ books, zines, prints), but my true love is mail art. Putting together something special for a far-away Networker or designing the month’s new postal “Cadeux” puts a smile on my face and charges my creative batteries.
I like to be involved-with-a-capital-i, in a very Aries-centric kind of way. I love organizing, putting things together, helping people meet other people — that kind of thing. Each person I meet these days has a story which is so uniquely them that I find myself constantly recalibrating my ideas of art/creating art, based on the discussions I have with somebody. That seems to be another part of the process.
artistamps created for the "Revenge of Print 2011" project...
Participating in events and meeting people go hand in hand. One of my favorite aspects of “doing what I do” (that hard-to-identify thing mentioned above) is vending at shows — Alternative Press Expo, the Printer’s Fair, SF’s Open Studios — each event is an opportunity to meet people, introduce them to the idea of mail art, put on a puppet show (well, not really…) A special fave in my “pantheon of vending” is the SF Zinefest.
SF Zinefest 2011 poster, designed by Lark Pien!
This year is a banner year for the SF Zinefest; they’re celebrating 10 big years! That’s a whole decade of promoting zines, zinesters, and DIY culture. As one of the largest zine events on the west coast, the SFZF continually has a stellar line up of panelists, workshops, and vendors year after year.
a quiet moment at 2010's SFZF, by Green Lantern Press...
In a world where print books are racing to flip the digital switch, zines are experiencing a contemporary renaissance. Hands-on zine projects abound throughout the web; all one needs to do is search “zine projects 2011” or stop by the “We Make Zines” forum to see that zine culture is alive and well. People want (need?) to share their stories via the printed word; turning thru the pages of someone’s real-time zine is an introduction to their thought process, their aesthetic, the things that they are passionate about. Is there a better way to be introduced to someone? I can’t think of one.
zines for reading, at the Tokyo Art Book Fair, 2010...
So what does all this talk of zines mean for RLD readers? Two things: if you make artists’ books, zines, or any sort of DIY (think Renegade Craft Fair or Bizarre Bazaar) product, you might be interested in vending at the SF Zinefest. Tables are still open, but they’re going quickly — take a look at the application page over here. (the .pdf takes a minute to load in…)
a stack of zines, from Sweetie Pie Press' flickr...
If the idea of small-press-with-big-ideas is intriguing, but you’re not ready to commit to vending your wares, never fear! Instead, why don’t you stop by the Zinefest and see what it’s all about? Admission is free, and RLD will be there (with some new surprises on the table!), along with the likes of Two Fine Chaps (beautiful letterpress artists’ books), Monkey + Seal (printmakers and silkscreeners), as well as a galaxy of other talented vendors.
"The Chase", by Two Fine Chaps...
I’ll be sure to show you guys the works-in-progress as we get closer to the Zinefest. But for now, a question: have any of you made zines? And if so, did you like the process? What was your zine about? (and can we still get a copy?…)
Postally speaking (of course) —
–JH
* the word “zine” is pronounced “zeen”
** did you notice those “Revenge of Print” artistamps in the photo above? They’re pretty fancy, right? If you’d like to receive a sheet, send a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope) to the following address:
Jennie Hinchcliff/Red Letter Day
ATTN: revenge of print 2011
PO Box 170271
San Francisco, CA. 94117
(international requests are welcome, but you must include $1.00 USD to cover the cost of postage)
07.23.11 edit: RLD reader Angry Violist kindly emailed an inquiry as to whether international readers could Paypal money for postage — so clever! Of course you can — let’s use this technology for good, instead of evil! International readers should Paypal $1.50 USD ($1.00 to cover international postage, .50¢ to cover all of Paypal’s fees) to: redletterdayzine@gmail.com
Everyday should be a Red Letter Day... 
You are an Aries too? No wonder we get along so well….and the zine fest is great. I encourage everyone to go check it out….
We’re organizers, you and I! And our mutual love of the colors red/black, coffee, and mail art means that we were destined to be postal pals… 🙂
–JH
What a fun post to read! …and I’m an Aries too!! I feel sure that’s why I enjoy you (and Pamela, as well) as postal pals :> But unfortunately I live on the other coast and can’t attend all of the neat artsy gatherings SF seems to have :< The next best thing for me to do though, is to send you my SASE for your goodies! Thanks bunches and bunches!!!
Miss Happy Day —
I always love sending mail to you! 🙂 So it’s a treat to know that there will soon be a SASE in my PO box from you; I be on the lookout, with my eagle postal eye…
–JH
this might be a stupid question, but is applying for a sellers permit pretty easy? i’ve never done it, (i know, i know!) and i am considering selling at the zine fest…
all this zine talk reminds me of making my own. usually it takes me awhile to make one. i would write most of it in my journal over several months to a year and some of it would feel outdated or i would revise until i felt it was done. making zines was always fun, though they take longer than i think it will. my favorite part about zine making is figuring out the format/size, cutting and pasting the text and images and making it fun and colorful on a tiny/non-existent budget.
Miss Annie —
Getting a temporary seller’s permit is pretty easy; you fill out the paperwork (here’s a link to the .pdf and guide) and mail it in. Usually takes about two weeks for the BOE (Board of Equalization) to process it and send your permit to you. If you’re running late or close to the deadline of the event, you can go down and file for a permit in person, however, I always felt that mailing in the paperwork was easier — such a hassle to apply for the permit in person and dealing with the grumpy BOE staff (although the bonus was going down to Rincon Center and stopping by the post office!)
I also have plenty of half started or half written zines that I look at months after the fact and think “that doesn’t even make sense any more” or “what was I thinking?!?” — I file all those bits and pieces away, hoping that someday I’ll be able to fit in a sentence here or there. I’m with you though — one of my favorite parts of the process is figuring out materials and what the zine will look like as a whole: big? small? rubber stamping? hand lettering? I love all of the possibilities that zines present. And I can make as few or as many as I want! 🙂
–JH
Since joining the mail world, I’ve come across zine talk in blogs, and admittedly I knew not of what they spoke. So thanks for the explanation.
Year of Letters —
No problem! I’m glad that all of this talk of zines helped to make sense of earlier things that you’d seen and heard in your inter-web navigations. Let me know if you have any other questions — I’m always happy to talk zines with folks… 🙂
–JH
[…] also in the midst of getting ready for the SF Zinefest, which I talked about in the “What’s This Thing Called A Zine?” post a couple weeks ago. I’m putting together some new goodies — including the long […]
My goodness! I do need to get into “zines” next (^^), another hobby oh no. Looks addicting! I need to learn about how to make my own zine ASAP. So glad to have come across your blog thanks to Good Mail Day! Yay!
Miss Merissa —
I’m telling you: after you make your first zine, there’s no going back! 🙂 It’s addictively fun, and you’ll suddenly find yourself thinking (about everything) “Oh that’d make a great zine”! There are a couple of great books about zinemaking that you can add to your home library: “What’cha Mean, What’s a Zine?” and “Stolen Sharpie Revolution” — both have great tips on getting started, simple bookbinding methods for putting together zines, and a little bit of zine history/information about what’s going on in the scene today.
There are also a couple of online resources that I think are pretty useful: the “We Make Zines” network (which is like a FB for zinesters) and the Zine Wiki project (a beautiful landslide of info about zinesters and history). Magazines like Broken Pencil and Zine World
review zines and give contact info for zinesters, if you don’t have access to a local store that sells zines. There is actually a bit of crossover in the mail art/zine community; since so much of the communication between zinesters and their readers happens via the postal service, it seems like a natural fit…
Anyway, there’s some homework for you! 🙂 When you finish up your first zine, let me know — I’d love to see it!
–JH
Are the Revenge of Print 2011 artist stamps still available? I just found your blog, or maybe I re-found your blog. I’m not going to lose it again. 😉
Sharon
Miss Sharon —
Well this is a fine co-incidence! Funnily enough, I just came across YOUR blog, when trolling for articles about postage stamps and letters (imagine that!). So it seems that we were meant to correspond…
I do have a couple sheets of the RofP stamps left; go ahead and send along a SASE and I’ll gladly mail some back to you. 🙂
–JH