Camden Zinefest 2011

Thanks

2011-10-10T18:32:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to everyone who tabled, led a workshop, or attended this Saturday.

Special thanks go to: Felix and Beatrice, for being behind the info desk; Lizzy for her workshop on working with distros; Tukru, Cath and Emma for their zine readings; Anna for leading a zine making 101; Zeph and Hannah for making cupcakes; Emma (again!) for donating pink glittery creations; Tali for her moral support.

From badge sales, cake sales and donations, we managed to raise £63.20 to pay for the hall. Thanks to everyone who bought a badge, a cake, or made a donation.

We hope that all of you who turned up had a great time. And who knows? Maybe we'll see you again next year.

Getting ready

2011-10-05T04:04:00.000-07:00

Only three days to go until October 8th. The stalls arrangements are pretty much set at this point, although a couple of people have dropped out and a couple of other people have moved in. We've got badges - very exciting - and I'm currently in the middle of writing a little programme/zinetypething.

We're still looking for people willing to put on a workshop. If you would be, or know anyone who might, tell us! This is quite late in the week so we're not expecting anything expert or all of that. If you'd be willing, but don't know what to do, here are some ideas:

Share a zine skill. Do you know the perfect folding pattern for a minizine? The best way to unjam a stapler? How best to get your zines to countries without reliable distros? Or maybe you don't have anything that specific in mind - don't worry! There will be people attending who've never made a zine of their own, and would appreciate a Zine Making 101.

Share a non-zine skill. Whether it's crochet, origami or making puppets out of paper plates, so long as it's DIY it's welcome. (We have some crafty type materials if you need them.)

Hold a discussion. Everyone loves a bit of a natter. If you've got a zine topic you're interested in, you might be just the person to facilitate a discussion on it.

Give a presentation. OK, so there aren't many days left to plan one, but maybe you've got one you've given before, or maybe you just want to do ten minutes of talking followed by a Q&A.

Host a compzine session. We've got the glue and the pens so long as you've got the time. You could give people a deadline or just hold a drop-in session over a longer period. On the day, people draw, write and collage on the topic. We'll then put a zine together and send it to everyone who's put their name and address down. You don't have to do anything with it past Saturday if you don't want to; we can get the post-Saturday printing covered.

These are just a few ideas. I know there are lots of you arts and crafts bods out there, and lots of people who are keen to lend a hand. This is a thing that would be really helpful, so send an email if you can.

Almost full!

2011-09-05T07:04:00.000-07:00

Stall applications will be coming to a close over the next week. If you know anyone who might want one but hasn't got round to applying yet, you'd better give them a poke and tell them to get a move on.

I've also updated the About page so it now includes the date and time after someone emailed me pointing out that we don't have the time anywhere on this website. Camden Zinefest will be running 1:00pm-6:00pm on Saturday 8th October 2011.

Stall applications

2011-06-30T10:11:00.000-07:00

After a few days of mucking about with Google Docs, stall applications are now go.

Thanks to Princesa Pirata Distro who filled in the first form and made me realise that there wasn't anywhere to put your email address on that version.

Want to put something on?

2011-06-07T04:56:00.000-07:00

I'm ridiculously busy this coming week, but I realised this morning that I'd said workshop applications would open in June, and we're now a week into it. Whoops! I've now changed the 'Workshops' tab to tell people to email in if they'd like to put something on.

Do you have some knowledge you'd like to share? Something in the zine community you feel particularly strongly about? Maybe you'd like to talk to everyone about the importance of zines in the majority world, or you know a lot about riot grrrl zines from the 90s. Maybe you make your own stamps for your front covers and you'd like to show everyone else how to do it too, or you want to explore how other zinesters feel about political extremism in zines. Send us an email and we'll discuss whether your idea would rock as a workshop! Since the zinefest starts at 1:00pm and ends at 6:00pm, we have roughly five hour long slots to fill.

The next update should be about stall applications opening, so hold on to your hats.

Workshops

2011-05-06T02:55:00.000-07:00

I've decided to open workshop applications earlier than stall applications. Workshop applications will now open next month in June, while stall applications will still open in July.

Part of this is that I feel bad about the prospect of people applying - anyone who wants to share their knowledge with others should be lauded, not made to jump through hoops. At the same time, I do want there to be some vetting of the workshops taught, as there are certain workshops either I wouldn't be comfortable holding (anything hate-based, for instance) or the venue we're at wouldn't be comfortable with (a practical demonstration of nihilist Anarchism, perhaps?).

Having said that, anyone who wants to teach a workshop shouldn't feel like they have to wait until June. You can get in touch earlier and I'll be very impressed at your organisational skills. Since I haven't heard from anyone at all yet, I'm hoping it's because I've said applications start in July, rather than because nobody is going to come and I'm going to be at my zinefest all alone.

...Right?

WMZ

2011-05-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

Camden Zinefest is now an event on WMZ; follow this link to RSVP!

Contact

2011-05-04T10:04:00.001-07:00

To contact Camden Zinefest, email:

Location

2011-05-04T07:58:00.002-07:00

View Larger Map

The Pirate Castle
Oval Road
Camden
London
NW1 7EA

The Pirate Castle is a short distance away from Camden Town tube station (on the Northern line) and is also close to several bus stops (too many to name, but check the tfl website to plan your route).

Both floors of the Pirate Castle are fully wheelchair accessible via a lift. There is a wheelchair accessible toilet on both floors. Signs are marked in Braille as well as in large type. There is an induction loop on both floors.

Stalls

2011-05-04T07:58:00.001-07:00

Stall applications have now closed.

Confirmed attendees: Catherine Elms • Vampire Sushi Distro • Emma Viola • Fat Quarter • Emma Jane Falconer • Marching Stars Distro • Walrus Collective • Hoojemaflap Distro • Princesa Pirata Distro • Jon Horner • Felix B Lane • Sarah Tea-Rex • Decadence Comics • Steve Larder • Chloe Bunny • Whirlygig Collective • Gareth Brookes • Vapid Kitten • Girls Get Busy • Vicky Stevenson • Tom Casson • Martyn Warren • Dan Rhatigan • Misha Maltsev

Workshops

2011-05-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

2:30pm - 3:30pm: Working With Distros
Hosted by Lizzy from Marching Stars
Lizzy from Marching Stars Distro explains how to get the best from your interactions with distros and their owners.

3:30pm - 4:30pm: Zine Readings
Hosted by Miss Tukru
Cath from Here. In My Head, Lisa from Sometimes I'm Dreaming, Emma from Fanzine Ynfytyn and Tukru from Your Pretty Face Is Going Straight To Hell will be reading out loud from their zines.

If you'd like to put on a workshop, shoot us an email! Please include your name, what your workshop will be about, how long it will be and anything else you think we should know (if you need a projector screen, etc).

About

2011-05-03T16:56:00.000-07:00

Camden Zinefest is a tiny festival to tide us all over until summer. It's a celebration of zine culture, autonomous publishing, DIY and community (with some good food thrown in to boot). It's taking place at The Pirate Castle from 1:00pm-6:00pm on Saturday 8th October.

The potential success or failure of Camden Zinefest depends on the London zine community. If you can help out in any way, no matter how small, we would love to hear from you. As well as the planning and organising of everything that goes into a zinefest, there will be lots of things to do on the day, so no matter if you're coming from further afield! We can still find you something to do even if that's just welcoming people for a couple of hours.

To get in touch, email: