Some Thoughts on Grassroots Archives

Photo scooped from the PUBLIC>ACTION Facebook page.

A couple weeks ago, I attended an open discussion about archiving printed matter at OCAD University, as part of the month-long Public Action residency at their Student Gallery organized by Professor and print-y artist Shannon Gerard and masters student Mary Tremonte.  The roundtable was facilitated by Maggie Flynn, an interdisciplinary artist.  I am happy that Maggie thought to invite me (despite the fact that we had never met!).  It is crazy how much I miss out on, in large part because I'm not on Facebook and don't get the memo about a lot of events around town.

A bluurb about the discussion presented the following questions:

Leave aside for a moment the images of dusty boxes and stacks of paper that cling to the word “archive”. For this discussion we'll think about archiving as any act that preserves accumulated knowledge and collective memory. How can the process of archiving past or present social movements give direction or even instruction for future action? Can collected information serve as a conduit for action? How do we keep track of movement and change in the communities we are a part of? How can processes of archiving reflect the values of the activity being documented?

Up until recently, I worked at a (wonderful) museum.  I also helped run a zine library for over two years, am a longtime record collector, and do some independent curating.  Recently, I served as a consultant with a historical society as to how they could best display and care for their collection of ethnic costumes, photos and printed matter-- my first post-school independent work as a curator/museum professional.  I am only now realizing how much I am 'at home' in archival processes and practices and truly enjoy and am excited by the prospect of a making a life of this kind of work.

Chucking around ideas and experiences of archiving, particularly within the context of activism and grassroots activity made me think hard about the work I've done, specifically the successes and failures of the projects I've been involved with.  I thought I'd unpack some of my thoughts on this in light of this roundtable talk, as well as some of the ideas and points made by others during the discussion.

The Virtues of Autonomy?:  This is a topic I struggle with a lot and it is something I brought up almost immediately during the discussion.  The word 'archive' immediately brings about ideas of authority and institutionalization.  What does it mean to archive independently, outside of the confines of the institution? Alternately, what sort of freedoms or advantages (ie: financial, a built-in audience) do academic and civic/municipal national archives afford archival projects, and those doing the archiving?

I have often claimed that something that makes the Toronto Zine Library (where I was a volunteer librarian/collective member for just over two formative years in their history) special and sets them apart is that, unlike many zine libraries (especially locally), it exists outside of the umbrella of an educational institution.  While this may set them apart, could this be fairly referred to as a strength?  The TZL was (is still, I think) dynamic in that all volunteers had very different backgrounds and experiences, and existed within a broader local community instead of an insular institution.  However, it was severely hindered by a profound lack of money when I was a volunteer.  At the OCAD discussion, I admitted that the TZL had $100 stolen from the library once, and the impact was pretty devastating.  To most organizations, $100 is chump change.  The fact that $100 could either be considered admirable-- that we were able to make a small amount of money stretch-- or pretty damn sad.  If we had more money or put more effort into securing funding (private or from a funding body), we could have reached more people, and likely done more with the collection and the space.

But am I being lazy/uncritical by assuming that 'autonomous' archives are more virtuous than institutional ones?  How can institutional archives be maximized in terms of their reach?  In what small ways can they be liberated?  Does it matter?  How can grassroots archives be more sustainable and perhaps more ambitious?  Again, does this matter?

Processes of Archiving as 'Emotional':  This can apply to anyone who collects or has experienced attachments to souvenirs or keepsakes.  This also makes me think of the meaning of the word curate-- it means "to care," after all.

Learning About vs. Learning From Archives:  One OCAD educator present at the discussion brought up this important point that resonated with me.  We learn about all sorts of archiving projects, but how often do we learn from archives-- the material that is archived, and other people's experiences of archiving?  (If I misinterpreted his point, someone please enlighten me...I'm sure there is much more that can be said about this...)

The Digital Black Hole vs. The Crisis of Space:  In this day and age, what is the bigger boogeyman? Personally, I can't decide...

The Pragmatics of Radical and Conventional (?) Archiving:  Facilitator Maggie expressed the desire to unpack how radical archivists can archive their own archiving processes (!).  A good point of discussion for sure. Burnout is a reality in activist circles and in DIY endevors that take up a lot of time, energy and effort.  As people float in and out of a particular project, how is important knowledge preserved?  How can past experiences be learned from?

Archiving as 'A Sort of Dreamtime':  What a beautiful idea.  This relates back to the idea of archiving being 'emotional.'  This reminds me of how laborious, meditative art processes bear fruit, providing one with a dreamtime through which to have free thoughts and make new, unexpected discoveries.  Perhaps the same can be said about the process of archiving?

I would be eager to hear anyone reading this chime in on these matters.  The exciting thing about open discussions is all the enthusiasm, ideas and experiences people have to share.  However, I tend to get hung up on the pragmatics of archiving, and the roadblocks that get between archives and accessibility, sustainability, and their ability to 'function:' a term that is up for debate, for sure.

The Lesen Lounge on T Magazine/New York Times Blog

So much to catch up on here, but I'll start with this awesome tidbit.  Talented friend and Toronto expat Leah Buckareff has started a new project in Berlin called the The Lesen Lounge-- a roving zine library cart attached to the back of her bike which she rides around to parks, letting people browse her collection of zines for reading enjoyment and inspiration purposes.  In Leah's (adorable) words:

I really just want to share the zines with Berliners. (...)  People think I’m trying to sell stuff...it’s about teaching people to make stuff rather than buying stuff – but they should buy zines. Not here, though. They’re just to read.

To learn more about The Lesen Lounge and Leah's impressive selection of zines from around the world, take a look at the project website.  Also, don't forget to take a look at this article written for the New York Times online by another Toronto expat Nadja Sayej about the project, where you can find a photo and caption for my recent zine, Goin' Down the Road: Newfoundland Stories of Leaving.

Cover Stories

Before I left to come to Baltimore exactly one month ago, I packed my life with an unbelievable amount of projects-- mostly collaborative.  Some had been in the works for a while, and I felt a real responsibility to have things finally materialize before I left town.  It was also a good way to spend some time with the people I know before I left Toronto for a while.

One such project was "curating" the exhibition Cover Stories for the Toronto Zine Library.  While I was asked by the TZL to curate an exhibition, it was largely a collaboration between myself and three of the members of the TZL Collective-- Lyndall, a talented lady who made a documentary about Who's Emma a few years ago; Chris, the creator of many zines over the last 10 or 15 years, at least one of which is considered a Canadian "classic"; and Patrick, who is one of the founding members of the TZL, and is a great all-round guy and an amazing baker.  After being asked to help create an exhibition, I spent three or four weeks going through the library's massive collection with a fine tooth comb, picking out any zines that I liked especially, or pulling out zines that shared some sort of mutual connection.  While I went into this project not having any curatorial theme in mind whatsoever, one slowly emerged. As an artist and zine-maker, I couldn't help be attracted to interesting and unique design in the zines I came across.  I eventually decided that creating a narrative about zines through their covers might be a neat way to create an exhibition that, while forming physical zine "groups," doesn't claim to draw on any real fixed history of zine-making.

I eventually chose a pile of zines and divided them into 6 loose thematic groups which eventually became "Just Text," "Print Media," Colour," "Little Zines," "Hearts and Other Body Parts," and "In the Mail."  Each collective member of those mentioned above chose two groups at random to write short didactic descriptions about to serve as wall text for the exhibition, interpreting the themes as they saw fit.  I wrote the following summary of the exhibition:

Cover Stories is an exhibition of selections from the public collection of the Toronto Zine Library.  Using thematically-grouped zine covers as a springboard, we thought it would be interesting to highlight zine art and design as a way of telling the greater story of zines– what they are, how they’ve changed over the years, and why they continue to be a valuable and relevant medium.  While some selections from the library have been refashioned as photographs for this exhibition, others appear in their original form to be handled and appreciated as intimate and tactile objects.   In creating this interactive exhibition, we hope that you will spend time with some of the titles on display while learning about zines as both an art form and a method of communication.


We were REALLY down to the wire with finishing work for this exhibition-- we ended up installing the show two days before I left for Baltimore!  I am thrilled with how the exhibition turned out-- it was a really great collaboration, and everyone played a really important part in making it happen.  Lyndall took some really fantastic pictures of the zines that were chosen for the exhibition, and Chris played a huge part in designing and assembling what ended up being a really wonderful exhibition zine/catalogue (pictured above), which will serve as a great document for after the show comes down.

Cover Stories should still be up in the Southern Cross Room of the TRANZAC Club at 292 Brunswick Avenue, in the Annex.  I'm not sure when it's coming down, but if you're interested in checking it out, do so soon!

Zines in Canada interview for Broken Pencil

I did the following interview last month with Liz Worth for an article on Zines in Canada in the 70s, 80s, 90s and today for the next issue of Broken Pencil. Only snippits of this interview will likely make it into the article, but I enjoyed doing the interview enough that I thought it would be worth posting here in its entirety. Lots of stuff is included about zine culture in the 90s and my own introduction to the world of zines. The picture above is of me when I was 17...I'm the one on the left, and it was taken in 1999 at Who's Emma, 69 1/2 Nassau Street.

It seems that a lot of people have the impression that no one makes zines anymore, that we have the internet now and blogs and websites are the new zines. But we know that's not true, because people still make zines. Why do you still make zines, and why do you think other people still do, too?
I make zines because I always have made them...I never questioned whether I should stop making them. I suspect zine-making was part of the youth culture of a certain time, or a fad for many people, but for me zines have always held a great deal of importance. I made my first zine when I was 12-- after drawing, zine-making was the first creative practice I ever engaged in, and definitely the first creative practice I took seriously enough to work at and put the product of out into the world. In some ways, I think zine-making really paved the way for my art practice as an adult. I still make zines today-- when I was a teenager, I had a zine that went on to do thirteen issues, but now I generally make one-off zines a few times a year, on a variety of topics. I make little recipe zines on Japanese paper, zines of sketchbook excerpts, and I recently made a limited-edition zine on creative practice within the context of the punk community. My zines now feel tied to my art practice, as opposed to when I was a teenager, they were more tied to punk rock and feeling my way through radical politics.

A huge reason I still make zines is my relationship to the physical act of making them. Making them can be a very long, persnickety process of cutting, pasting, measuring margins by hand, adjusting contrast until you get it just right...it's a very tactile process and the result is very personal. There's a level of intimacy and personalization in making a printed zine that you just can't achieve with blogs. This sort of thing applies to reading and the reception of zines, too....there's an intimacy and tactility in experiencing a zine physically that is not common within internet-oriented contemporary culture. I know that the tactile and tangible quality of zines and the yearning for something physical is what draws a lot of people to them.

What did you see as the zine's role in the '90s? What do you think that role has become in the '00s?
In the mid-90s, the internet wasn't nearly as widespread as it is today, so the role of print media in general was one of greater importance then than it is now. Zines were definitely an alternative voice in print at that time. I remember as a teenager, it seemed like a revelation that you could make your own little books and for twenty bucks you could make 15 of them and put them in two or three shops on consignment, or trade them with your friends, or trade ad space with another zine and sell your zines through the mail that way. The zine community was very much an in-person and through-the-mail phenomenon back then. People were actively forging relationships and community this way, and in retrospect, while it took a lot of time and effort, I never thought of that part of it. It just felt like I was part of something bigger than myself and my suburban, teenage life...it was exciting!

Of course, the internet has really changed this sort of thing. What constitutes as an alternative voice in this day and age? Everyone has a voice on the internet...the internet has made it incredibly easy for people to self-publish at the push of a button, and people do. They talk and talk...about their cute cat and their breakfast and their favourite bands and clothing labels and their night at the bar or their day at the park and it never ends. The cacophany of voices on the internet is insane...how do we navigate through it all? What does it all mean? Is it meaningless? I struggle with these questions a lot.

Perhaps the role of the zines today is exactly the same as what it used to be-- maybe zines are still an alternative voice, or more of an alternative voice than they ever were. In an incredibly fast-paced world where we are inundated with facts, pseudo-facts, images, and useless information transmitted digitally, zines are something refreshing and different.

In the past 10 years, have you noticed any key moments or changes within the zine community that show how the culture has changed compared to what was happening in the '90s?
Definitely. The one key thing that I've noticed about zine cuture in the past 10 years is that a certain amount of focus and energy has come off of the production of zines and more focus has been put on the preservation of the zines and zine "history" through archival pursuits such as zine libraries, websites, larger distros and the publication of books that are collections of particular zine titles-- some examples of this include Cometbus, Scam, Doris and Absolutely Zippo. This is not to say that there aren't still people making zines, because of course there are many. In a way, zine culture is healthier than ever because there are individuals out there working hard to ensure that zines stand the test of time and are firmly imbedded in our cultural history. In the 90's, I'm not sure that these sorts of things were thought about nearly as much...I think at that time, people really embraced the ephemeral nature of zines, to the point that many of them from that time haven't survived. The archivist in me is so happy that there are a few hardcore zine collectors in every city that have ensured that their zines from the 70s, 80s and 90s have stood the test of time, tidily sealed in boxes and Ziploc bags in cool, dark rooms!

Over the past few years, more and more zine libraries have popped up, which is really great. In the GTA, we have three, and I'm pretty sure the Toronto Zine Library at this point has the largest public collection of zines in Canada, numbering in at about 5000 pieces. The Anchor Archive Zine Library is a library in Halifax run out of a house. The house-- Roberts Street Social Centre-- is home to other fantastic programming such as a screen-printing collective, a books beyond bars program, a seasonal artists residency program and a slew of skillshares, workshops and events. On the other hand, public collections of zines and related ephemera are starting to find their way into large public and university libraries. An well-known example of this is Kathleen Hanna's zine and letter collection, which she recently donated to NYU's Fales Library for their new Riot Grrrl Collection.

In a similar vein, collections of zines in book format have allowed more people access to the work of zine makers, which is essentially a good thing. Though they are very different in feel from the more intimate zine format, they allow the work of zine makers to have a wider reach. Zines that no longer exist are often collected in book format, which is great for people who would have otherwise missed the boat.

In the '90s, I remember buying zines at Chapters and Tower Records. They never actually seemed to enter mainstream culture, but they were available through mainstream outlets, but as the '00s crept along that distribution all fell away, and zines have gone back to the underground. Do you see this as an evolution, devolution, or anything at all? I guess I'm wondering with this last question is: are zines meant to be something of a secret underground? Are they where they should be right now?
I don't know that I see that shift that you're describing as an evolution or de-evolution. I started buying zines like Cometbus, MRR and Rollerderby at Tower Records in the mid-90s too, and I feel like retailers like Tower Records carrying zines at that time was most likely a hold-over from the just-dead grunge and riot grrrl movements of the early 90s. It makes sense that Tower jumped on the bandwagon of those movements a little late, and quickly dropped the idea of stocking zines as the mainstream completely lost interest in such things. Hilariously, I used to put my zines on consignment at Tower Records in '95 or '96...in retrospect it strikes me as rather surprising that a multi-national corporation would go through the pains of keeping paper files for consignment not unlike small punk record shops and anarchist infoshops!

I am divided as to whether or not I think zines are meant to be underground. If it weren't for punk and zine-making becoming mainstream phenomena in the 90s, I probably wouldn't be a zine-maker of 15 years right now. Punk and zine culture reached kids at high schools in Scarborough in the 90s, and I'm grateful for that. In the years that zines were making the news, I think youth outside of urban centres realized that they could become media producers and form their own creative communities that encompassed not just music-making, but the production of related art and written output.

Regardless, I kind of like where zines are right now...they're not nearly as huge as they were at the apex of their fame in the 90s, the zine community that exists now (both locally and internationally) seems very healthy to me. Now (as opposed to the 90s), everyone can use the internet to it's fullest capacity as a tool to promote and distribute zines, which is really great. Zine fairs happen every year, and attendance is always incredible. I have a friend who travels across Canada and the US with her zine distro...it's amazing! It goes to show that there is still an interest and enthusiasm for zines which perhaps transcends notions of "underground" and "mainstream." Maybe this is indicative of the fact that zines have reached a point where they are imbedded in our culture for good, for the ages. I hope so!

24 Hour Zine Challenge Tomorrow at the TRANZAC

This just in from the Toronto Zine Library...a 24 Hour Zine Challenge! It's tomorrow, so throw some supplies together and get thee to the TRANZAC for 5pm! Thanks Amy Leigh for the heads up!

Happy International Zine Month!

To celebrate, the Toronto Zine Library is participating in the 24 hour zine challenge and we would love for you to join us! We are hosting a kick off event this Wednesday, July 28th starting at 5pm and going strong until the Tranzac Club closes.

What is the 24 hour zine challenge, you ask? A yearly event where one attempts to make a 24 page zine from start to finish in 24 hours. From initial idea right through to photocopying/collating/stapling your zine. More information, list of this year's participants and sign up can be found here:http://24hourzines.com/

(Please note that you dont *have* to register and/or send your zine in when its finished. We encourage you participate to whatever degree you are most comfortable with. Or, you are welcome to just come and hang out at the TZL and cheer participants on!)

Bring your ideas and if youre able a snack to share while we hang out, listen to music, and get a start on our 24 hour zines! Some supplies will be available (paper, glue, scissors, magazine clippings, a couple of typewriters, a long arm stapler) but please do bring your favourite or necessary zine making supplies. Conveniently, there is a 24 hour Kinkos a half-block away!

Also, similar to the event folks at the Independent Pubishing Resource Center (http://www.iprc.org/) in Portland Oregon held a few days ago, we will be streaming our 24 hour zine challenge event live! If you're unable to join us, bookmark http://www.ustream.tv/channel/toronto-zine-library-24hr-zine-challenege and tune in on Wednesday starting at 5pm EST and participate alongside us from wherever you may be.

Ok, to recap:

WHEN: wednesday july 28th, 5pm until close

WHERE: the toronto zine library -- 2nd floor of the tranzac club -- 292 brunswick st. just south of bloor. close to spadina subway station

COST: free!

WHAT: 24 hour zine challenge kick off BRING: yourself, your friends, snacks, creativity, zine making supplies, ideas

Holler at us if you have any additional questions or concerns. We regret that the TZL is not a wheelchair accessible space.

The Toronto Zine Library 292 Brunswick Ave, 2nd floor

torontozinelibrary@gmail.com

http://torontozinelibrary.blogspot.com

Punk Rockers on Creative Survival and the Survival of Creativity

My zine Punk Rockers on Creative Survival and the Survival of Creativity was recently listed on the website for the Artist Book of the Moment competition, held by the AGYU. Very exciting! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll make the shortlist for a $1500 cash prize!

For more on the Artist Book of the Moment, click here.

For the Art Gallery of York University's website, click here.

For PRCSSC on the ABoTM page, click here.

More on PRCSSC coming soon.

PLP at Roberts Street Social Centre

Here are some photos from the day of the Portable Library Project opening at Roberts Street Social Centre! Thanks again Sarah Evans of RSSC and Morag Schonken (and Suzy, pictured above!) for helping put on the show. Everything looks super!

The Portable Library Project is on display at Roberts Street (in the Anchor Archive Zine Library) until November 1st.  Their hours of operation are Tuesday from 6-9pm and Sunday from 2-5pm...if you're in Halifax, be sure to check out the show before the end of the month!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Photos:  Morag Schonken

Portable Library Project in Halifax

Well, it's that time again!  As if taking care of City of Craft installations, volunteering during Nuit Blanche, and schoolwork wasn't enough to deal with this week, The second Portable Library Project show opens next week, at Roberts Street Social Centre in Halifax. Thanks so much to everyone who helped put this show together, specifically Sarah Evans and everyone at Roberts Street for their help and enthusiasm, and my good friend (and PLP artist) Morag Schonken for helping co-ordinate the exhibition.  Stay tuned to the PLP blog for photos of the show and press from Halifax!

*****

The Portable Library Project is a multi-dimensional mail-art/book-making project involving the creation of small works exploring ideas surrounding archiving, journaling, libraries, ephemera, and incorporating an art practice into everyday life. The 18 participating artists span several artistic disciplines, from performance art to fibre-based art; from photo-based art to craft to sculpture and installation.  Artists involved in the project are based across Canada, the US and are from as far away as Seoul, Korea.

Invited artists were sent/delivered an empty cigar box, roughly the size of a hardcover book. Over the course of a week, participants were expected to create a 'book' a day reflective of each person's day-to-day activities and artistic process. Books were ideally made while on the go; boxes were intended to be carried with the participant, where books were to be added and collected each day for seven days.

How do working artists fit artistic production into everyday life?  Challenging oneself to make work outside of a studio setting is one way. One element of The Portable Library Project serves as a challenge to artists to adopt a portable art practice to fit the demands of the life of a working artist, which often entails a job or two in unrelated work environments. The portability of the book format is a natural basis for the project, which also encourages artists to explore and comment on the relationship between the book and the art object.

Participating artists:
Aimee Lee (Seoul, Korea)
Amber Landgraff (Toronto)
Cara Spooner (Toronto)
Daphne Gerou (Toronto)
Debbie Danelley (Winnipeg, MB)
Deborah Margo (Ottawa, ON)
Fiona Bailey (Toronto)
Jen Pilles (Oakville, ON)
Laura Calvi (Halifax, NS)
Laurie Kang (Toronto)
Margaret Flood (Guelph, ON)
Margaret Legue (Forest, ON)
Morag Schonken (Halifax, NS)
Sheila Jonah (Toronto)
Simon Rabyniuk (Toronto)
Stephanie Cormier (Toronto)
Stephanie Vegh (Hamilton, ON)
Sylvia Ziemann (Regina, SK)

October 11th-November 1st, 2009
Opens Sunday, October 11, 2-5pm
Anchor Archive Zine Library
at the Roberts Street Social Centre
5684 Roberts Street
Halifax
http://www.robertsstreet.org/n/
Poster design: Tara Bursey

The Portable Library Project

The Portable Library Project Blog is now up and running! As they are returned to me, portable libraries will be documented and posted on the blog gradually for the next few months. Check it out!

http://theportablelibraryproject.blogspot.com

The Portable Library Project is a multi-dimensional mail-art/book-making project involving the creation of small works exploring ideas surrounding archiving, journaling, libraries, ephemera, and incorporating an art practice into everyday life. The 27 participating artists span all artistic disciplines, from performance art to fibre-based art; from photo-based art to craft to sculpture and installation. Artists involved in the project are based across Canada, the US and are from as far away as Seoul, Korea.

Invited artists were sent/delivered an empty cigar box, roughly the size of a hardcover book. Over the course of a week, individuals were expected to create a 'book' a day reflective of each person's day-to-day activities and artistic process. Books were ideally made while on the go; boxes were intended to be carried with the participant, where books were to be added and collected each day for seven days.

In addition to an online archive, The Portable Library Project will take the form of a series of exhibitions (TBA), and components will be housed in a local alternative library for viewing and circulation. Keep an eye on the Portable Library Project blog for project updates, extensive photo-documentation of each portable library, and artist information.

Toronto Zine Library Upcoming Events

From the TZL Website:

Erick Lyle (aka Iggy Scam), long-time creator of seminal San Francisco zine SCAM will be reading from his new book On the Lower Frequencies: A Secret History of the City. Also reading will be Jeff Miller, creator of Montreal's Ghost Pine zine, and locals Joey Comeau and Cathy Crowe. This event will be hosted by This Ain't the Rosedale Library, and will be co-sponsored by the Toronto Zine Library. An exciting appearance by two accomplished zine-makers...don't miss this!

Tuesday, August 19th. 6pm
This Ain't the Rosedale Library
86 Nassau Street, west of Augusta Avenue
Kensington Market, Toronto

AND Please join us for Zine Dream 1, an enormous zine fair which will fill the entire TRANZAC Club! The fair will feature tablers, workshops, DJs and surprises galore! The Toronto Zine Library will be taking part, opening our doors as a lounge/reading room where collective members will be present to answer questions, sell memberships, and show you around the collection!

Sunday, August 24th. 12-6pm
at the TRANZAC Club
292 Brunswick Avenue, south of Bloor
Toronto

The Portable Library Project

The Portable Library Project is a project involving the creation of small works exploring ideas surrounding archiving, journaling, libraries, ephemera, and incorporating an art practice into everyday life.

Invited artists will be sent/delivered an empty cigar box, roughly the size of a hardcover book. Over the course of a week, individuals will be asked to create a 'book' (loose interpretations of 'book' welcome) a day reflective of each person's day-to-day activities and artistic process. Books are ideally made (mostly) while on the go; boxes are intended to be carried with the participant, where books will be added and collected each day for seven days.

This project will culminate in a web-based archive, an exhibition, as well as the inclusion of each Portable Library into a local alternative library for viewing and circulation.

Send all expressions of interest (with a bit about yourself and 1-2 jpgs of recent work) and questions to Tara at cleanteen@hotmail.com

Luke You at the Toronto Zine Library

Please join us for a talk with special guest Luke You of Melbourne, Australia, brought to you by the Toronto Zine Library Collective.

Luke You makes a free weekly paper zine called 'You'. He has published a copy every week since November 2001. The zine usually takes the form of an anonymous hand written letter sealed with staples in a paper bag. The zine is produced in the city Luke You lives in - Melbourne, Australia. Luke has been publishing zines anonymously in Melbourne since 1994.

Luke is also one of the coordinators and one of the founding members of the Melbourne zine store Sticky. Sticky is dedicated to promoting and distributing zines and artist-books and has been getting the zines to the kids since April 2001. His talk will cover his involvement in the Australian zine scene, his own zine 'You" as well as his involvement in the Melbourne zine store Sticky. This is the final gig in his zine world tour which took in Melbourne, Chicago, Bloomington and Toronto.

Sunday, July 6th, 2008.
1:30pm

Toronto Zine Library at the TRANZAC
292 Brunswick Avenue
2nd Floor Rehersal Hall
Toronto, Canada

For more information, contact:
torontozinelibrary@hotmail.com

TZL Spring Open House

Come on out for our first annual TZL Spring Open House! Learn more about our collective activities and our collection, take time to read some of our fantastic materials, and find out about becoming a member with borrowing privledges. At the Open House, TZL-ers will be present to give tours of the collection and the library's other special features as well as answer any questions about what we do. There will also be a surprise Musical Guest, we'll be screening episodes of Our Hero as well as a short film about the Anchor Archive zine library in Halifax, and there will be snacks and drinks galore! Come out and show your support!

With Love,
Suzanne, Patrick and Tara
TZL Collective

Toronto Zine Library
Spring Open House
Wednesday, April 30th, 6-9pm

TRANZAC Club
Second Floor Rehearsal Hall
292 Brunswick Avenue
South of Bloor Street

TZL at the London Indie Media Fair

The Toronto Zine Library will be tabling for a second year in a row at the 3rd Annual London Indie Media Fair. This year's festivities will include tables with indie makers and publishers from London and beyond, as well as workshops and guest talks. Last years fair was tons of fun, with really incredible tables of zines, crafts and art, as well as London organizations such as the Forest City Gallery, artists from the Community Outreach Gallery and Dave of seminal London 80s-90s garage-punk fanzine What Wave. We are beyond thrilled to be going back as guests this year. If you're in the London area, don't miss out!

The 3rd Annual London Indie Media Fair
Saturday, March 29th, 2008
At the London Public Library, Central Branch
281 Dundas Street
London, Ontario