SFZF 2015: a fun time was had by all!

So: SF Zine Fest has come and gone for another year. Always a whirlwind extravaganza, always an amazing visual feast. There’s something for everyone, and this year was no different. I present for you: a small wrap up of delicious items!

But first: LOOK AT THAT CROWD! It was like that all. darn. day. There was never an ebb and flow, just a steady stream of attendees who were revved up and ready to look at zines, small press books, and a variety of DIY goodies…

…which I was more than happy to have at my little slice of table! As you can see from the photo above, I had a selection of Red Handed Rubber, as well as issues of Red Letter Day 1-4. I had also put together copies of “Posted”, “Hello! My Name Is Mail Art!”, and “Penmanship” — y’know: the usual postal and letter writing bling.

I was sharing a table with Miz Happenstance, who had created two new AMAZING stamp sheets for her “Herstorical Women of Oakland” artistamp series (shown above)…

…as well as these “Cat Superpowers” badges, which were like CATNIP (see what I did there?) for zinesters of all ages (and a BARGAIN at five bucks!)

You may remember my write up of The Grand Newsstand from last week’s post; well, lucky me! Courtney was just to my right, vending lovely zines from locals.

And how clever is this?!?! The Newsstand crew had designed a SFZF 2015 bingo card! I can’t think of a better way to run around and meet people — a prize is always a good motivator.

Clint Marsh of Wonderella Publishing is putting out a wonderful new item: Fiddler’s Green. The masthead proclaims that this beauty is a “peculiar parish magazine” and I’d definitely agree — if you define peculiar as a beautiful, high production value publication with wonderfully written articles. (Take a look at that copper foil stamping on issue #2!)

Clint’s tablemate Andrew Reichart (Argawarga Press) had these little gems (above), which were irresistible. I brought home three and promptly devoured them before bedtime. (Which maybe wasn’t the best idea, as I had strangely tinged dreams all night long.)

And of course I took a moment to check in with Hope of Gutwrench Press. Her blank journals with postcard covers were literally flying off the table; she had fantastic examples of her “Keep Writing” project for people to look at. I was reminded of how much I love her aesthetic and her lovely self.

It was a crazy-busy day and the time seemed to run away. In a jiffy, Miz Happenstance and I had called it a day and were off to our favorite Japanese restaurant in the neighborhood! Believe me: there are very few things better than Japanese comfort food and an ice cold Sapporo at the end of a long work day. We’d definitely earned it!

More news to come — I’ll be participating in another fun event at the end of the month, here in San Francisco! Details following soon and RLD readers will be the first to know — I promise!

–JH

PS: I was interviewed by San Francisco’s online local mag Hoodline about SF Zine Fest, mail art, and what zines in general have to do with sending wacky stuff through the mail — take a look!

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whatta GREAT weekend!

Well, SF Zine Fest has wrapped up for another year, believe it or not! It was an amazing weekend filled with constant inspiration and delightful surprises.

(above: the view from behind the table!)

One of my favorite things about doing events like SFZF is the fact that I get to see so many friends and supporters together in one place. The amount of creativity, enthusiasm, and community support is incredible. Often, when I get home from a day of vending, it’s hard to sleep at night because of the action-packed, DIY movie that keeps looping through my head.

Many people made the trip to the County Fair Building to say hello: Andrea G. of SFPL’s Book Arts and Special Collections, RLD readers Tammy McK. (thanks so much for your thoughtful words) and JU13 (you are my fairy godmother!), local postal blogger Pamela G. (thanks for the shout out on the C&AJ blog!), calligrapher Nick Y. (king of puns and bringer of coffee) and so many others. Tablemate Maureen Forys of Happenstance Type-O-Rama kept the good times rolling with stories and snacks.

By incredible coincidence, Jessica M. and Mr. Michael were in town from far away (Pittsburgh!); they stopped at the table and regaled me with tales of their SF vacation wanderings. My day (no, wait — MY WEEK!) was made when Jessica graciously gifted me with one of the Mr. Zip postcards you see above. It was a swoon-worthy moment, to be sure.

I’ve been spending the last couple days resting up, as my teaching semester kicks into high gear on Friday! If you’re interested in taking a class at SFCB (or are one of my students at the Academy), get ready for a high octane autumn — there’s books to be bound and rubber to be stamped. I’ll keep you posted on any and all RLD activities; the fall line up is lookin’ FANTASTIC!

In all things postal, I remain —

–JH

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SF Zine Fest 2014: this weekend!

This weekend I’m excited to be part of SF’s annual Zine Fest! It’s an event I’ve participated in for many years, and I always have a great time, meet fantastic people, and hear some wonderful stories.

Two exciting pieces of news: 1) I’ll be sharing a table with Maureen Forys of Happenstance Type-O-Rama (OMG, you have to see the “Herstory of Oakland” artistamp sheets she’s putting together…they’re AMAZING!) And 2) I’ll be debuting my new rubber stamp project called Red Handed Rubber Stamps.

For a RLD post-in-the-near-future, I’ll be writing in-depth about how Red Handed came into existence; I’ve been hard at work on this project for over a year! I know that many of you share my love for deep etched, red rubber, so of course you’ll understand that creating a line of rubber stamps seemed like a natural transition. At this moment in time, RHR is a wholesale only business. However, you can “get caught Red Handed” in the following places: The Ink Pad (NYC), Stampa Fe/Guadalupe’s Fun Rubber Stamps (Santa Fe), and Flax Art and Design (SF).

But back to this weekend, and SF Zine Fest! For those who are interested, I will have rubber stamps for sale at my table. RHR designs not currently stocked by Flax will be available. This is a special “one weekend only” opportunity to purchase directly from the source! Supplies are limited, so be sure to stop by early. I’ll be vending under the moniker of Red Letter Day at table #137.

I look forward to hearing what you think about the new rubber stamps and seeing what the mail art, rubber stamping, and paper crafting communities create using Red Handed Rubber. If you stamp up something using RHR stamps, send me a photo (or send to my mailbox!) I’ll be sure to post it on the Red Handed blog as a “Red Handed Gallery” post.

That being said, I’ll sign off for now! I hope to see some of you this weekend at the Fest; if we don’t cross paths in person, I’ll see you in the mail!

–JH

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coming right up: SF Zine Fest!

it seems like my desk is always a MESS these days…

It’s a brand new week and I’m looking at a cavalcade of looming deadline — most notably, the SF Zine Fest! Are you a fan of DIY publishing? Indie culture? Free events? Then SF Zine Fest is for YOU!

which of these items will make it onto the table at SFZF?

This week I’m rushing to finish up a couple new projects that have been in the works for weeks. I can also promise a few “burmuda triangle” projects that will make an appearance on the RLD table (issue #4 or RLD, anyone?) And guess what else? I’m sharing a table space with Happenstance Type-O-Rama, who has a GORGEOUS artist book featuring Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”. (I can say no more…)

beauty-in-progress, from this past weekend’s Co-op meeting…

The SF Correspondence Co-op is hosting the Perennial Postcard Project for one day only, on Saturday, August 31st from 11am to 2pm.

it’s the mail art “creation station”!…

Wouldn’t it be great fun to come by and collage some artwork on a GIANT piece of paper, in order to receive a piece of that collage in the mail?

squee!!!

I think so too!

more mail art happening…

I hope you’ll be able to stop by table #96 and say howdy! And here’s a PSA for y’all: the Oakland Bay Bridge will be closing on Wednesday, August 28th thru September 3rd. If you’re travelling to SFZF from the east bay, be sure to plan accordingly!

In all things postal —

–JH

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consider this an invitation!

join me!

August has turned into quite a month of event planning and organization! It seems like only a week or so ago, I was leisurely drinking iced beverages while matching up postage and postcards (or maybe I just dreamed that part…) These days, I have lists upon lists upon lists of things to do – that certainly happened FAST.

yep — these are for reals…

(I have so many lists, I need separate journals to keep track of them all – imagine!)

As some RLD readers know, I am one of the lead organizers of the San Francisco Zine Fest, which is a yearly event. Now in our 12^th year,  SFZF 2013 is a weekend long celebration of the DIY arts, small press publishing, and culture. Free and open to the public, SFZF consists of a vendor expo, lectures, and workshops.

even though this is a snap from last year, all the same rules still apply…

That’s pretty exciting, right? But wait: it gets EVEN MORE exciting! What are you up to on the evening of August 16^th? Between the hours of 5pm  and 10pm? Nothing? Something? Well, here’s a groovy get-together you won’t want to miss (especially if you’re looking to wrap up loose ends on a project-in-progress).

meanwhile, back at the studio…

San Francisco Center for the Book: Open Print Studio evening for Zine Folks and Friends!

Local zinesters and paper people are invited to spend the evening at the SFCB bindery putting finishing touches on all of those last minute SF Zine Fest projects! Jennie Hinchcliff/Red Letter Day will be on hand to assist with tasks such as trimming, sewing, stapling – and maybe show a demo on rounding corners! No reservations are necessary, all are welcome. Bring projects in progress or stop by to get inspired. (“Socializing” counts as “work”!)

Where: SF Center for the Book, 375 Rhode Island (btwn 16^th & 17^th, in Potrero Hill)

Time: 5:00pm – 10:00pm

Also: Open Print Studio for letterpress is going on the same evening. SFCB’s bindery space is to the left of the gallery; once you’re past the reception area, look left and head through the doorway.

I’ll be doing a bit more showing-and-telling in future posts about the new tidbits I’ll have on the table for SFZF. But for now, I hope to see everyone on August 16th – with stories to tell and glue sticks in hand!

–JH

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monday =’s funday…

for you, and you, and YOU!

…even though it’s grey and foggy outside my studio window!

Today has been spent putting together/packaging all of the orders from the RLD store; thanks for stopping and shopping! Secretly, I love the “boxing and bundling” aspect of online orders: the special labels, the packing tape, selecting the perfectly sized box. Shall we discuss bubble wrap? (I know, I know: I hate packing peanuts too…)

Once everything was good to go, I sauntered off to the PO.

one of two bags, dont’cha know?

I’ll be listing more vintage and Japanese goodies this coming Friday; here’s a little tidbit for loyal readers: airmail stripes will be involved!

I’m just sayin’.

Last week was an exceptional week as far as postal yum-yums were concerned. I put together a video for RLD readers, so you can get an eyeful of all the awesome! I swear: I’m the luckiest girl on the planet when it comes to mailbox love. I can’t even begin to describe how I feel, each time I stop by the PO…awe struck? amazed? impressed beyond belief?

Yep — all of that. And incredibly fortunate.

 

(many of you mentioned in the “RLD Reader Poll” that you enjoyed watching videos and tutorials, so I’m going to be better about posting those items!)

Back at the studio: I’m putting together some blank journals — with any luck I’ll have these guys for sale at SF Zine Fest  (August 31/Sept. 1st), along with some other zine items which are currently in progress…

 

 

And there are a handful of projects that I am SO FREAKIN’ EXCITED to write about, but I’m not allowed to mention them yet. However, in the upcoming weeks, you can bet your favorite rubber stamp that RLD readers will be among the first correspondents on the block to hear all of the big news. Believe me: it’s B-I-G!

this little sign is going somewhere important!

That being said (written?), I’ll sign off for now. How are you guys doing? Are remarkable and inspiring mail received lately? Let us know!

–JH

 

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Might I suggest SF Zine Fest this weekend?…

this year’s poster, designed by Squillo Studios…

 

This has been a summer in which I devote my life to zines. Mind you, I’ve always been a believer – but over the last few months I’ve become a true believer. How does the conversion happen? Lots of hard work, enthusiasm, and a pretty near full-time volunteer gig as one of the SF Zine Fest organizers.

 

new work-in-progress…

 

And now, I’m in the home stretch! This weekend (September 1st and 2nd) the SF County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park will play to host to the largest zine extravaganza yet! Free and open to the public, SFZF will showcase small press and DIY vendors, informative workshops, and a roster of exciting lectures. I mentioned that it’s all FREE, right?

 

typing up labels with my cursive typewriter!

 

Here and there, I’ve been squeezing in time at the studio and putting together a few bits for the SF Correspondence Co-op table at the Fest. You heard that right – the SF Correspondence Co-op will have a table at Zine Fest, and it will be filled with postal delights from Co-op members near and far. If you love postal-ish papery things, you won’t want to miss this!

 

a smattering of ephemera, to be used…

 

The Co-op will also host the Perennial Postcard Project on Day 1 of Zine Fest from 11:00am – 1:00pm. We will have tables set up on the Main Stage in Room B for SFZF attendees to stop by, make some mail art, and have some fun. We did a similar project at our Co-op birthday party in May, and it was a HUGE success.

 

the Perennial Postcard Project, in action!

 

It’s hard to believe that by this time next week, SFZF will be wrapped up for another year – it seems impossible, after working so intensely throughout the summer. But my eyes are already looking forward to the end of September, when I will be vending once again at the NY Art Book Fair as well as teaching a series of classes at The Ink Pad. This fall is going to be non-stop, I can tell already!

 

a story with a happy ending…

 

Will you be able to stop by the Co-op table at Zine Fest? We’d love to see you there! Let me know in the comments if you’ll be saying hello in person…
In all things postal, I remain –
–JH

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