2010 OCAD Zine Fair: A Roaring Success!

Thanks so much to everyone who made it out to this year’s Zine Fair…this might be a bit of a late review, but better late than never! The fair attracted quite the crowd in the front lobby of OCAD as students came in and out of school, many of them walking away with some great zines! We had a pile of great vendors, who are talented OCAD students or alumni. The Zine Library also ran a popular button-making booth than churned out button after button all day long. The Fair wrapped up earlier than anticipated, but there was a great movie-screening afterwards of the film “D.I.Y. or Die,” complete with yummy popcorn in the Learning Zone. Look for future zine-related events to be held in the Learning Zone in the near future.

Another great thing that happened at the Zine Fair was the formation of the OCAD Zine Collective, a student group for those interested in making zines and distributing their work through this clever and cheap format. If you’re interested in joining, please email us and we’ll let you know when the next meeting is.

I also wanted to take a minute to spotlight a few of the great vendors who were represented at the Zine Fair, and point you in the direction of their websites so that you can see what they're doing, even if you didn't make it to the Fair...

Andrew Remington Bailey: hehasantlers.blogspot.com
Alexandra Mackenzie: newphenomena.blogspot.com
The Allisplural team: allisplural.ca
Jesjit Gill: jesjit.blogspot.com
Eunice Luk: euniceluk.com
Andrea Manica: cerealwithasmile.blogspot.com
Jasmine Allen: jasmineruthallen.wordpress.com
Sarah Friend: annaomega.blogspot.com
Laura McCoy: lauramccoy.blogspot.com

If you were a vendor at the Fair and would like to share your site with our readers, please email me at ocadzinelibrary@gmail.com and I'll get you up here!

Thanks again to all the great vendors who came out to the Fair,

The Zine Team

Zine Workshop this Thursday!

Members of the Toronto Zine Library are stopping by this coming Thursday February 11th from 4-5pm to lead a workshop on making zines and zine distribution! It'll be fun and zine-y so you should come out if you can make it! It's being held in the Learning Zone in 113 McCaul.

Check out this awesome piece written about Canzine and more, by OCAD Zine Library Correspondent Shannon Kirwin. Also, be sure to come out to the OCAD Zine Fair on Feb. 18th to thumb through her zines and many more!

FRANK

Written by, Shannon Kirwan

Do you remember the time your mother dragged you to that hair show in Ottawa? All the shallow venders were so crammed into that makeshift seminar room at the horse track; it looked more like a can of smashed assholes. (Give or take a few balloon knots.)

Well, Canzine (Hosted by Broken Pencil) 2009 was not like that.

For beginners, it was held last year on Sunday, November 1, 2009 1pm - 7pm at the Gladstone Hotel (I know this article comes a little late) and instead of awkwardly walking into gum-snapping coiffurettes and goggling over an innovative all in one hairspray brush, you would have been granted the experience not unlike the dream you had in eleventh grade while napping in physics class. (You know, the one were you were floating upwards and into fluorescent clouds that smelled like Limoncello while pleasantly conversing with shiny marionettes that cut their strings long ago.)

Let me be frank.

Canzine 09 was the first zine fair I have ever attended and I was a little nervous. Although I’ve been writing ‘fabrications’ and ‘honesty’ since I was in grade school - I kept 99.999% of it to myself. It’s where my innards were safe from comments and ridicule. Have I been living a little white lie?

“Those who think it is permissible to tell white lies soon grow color-blind.” ~Austin O'Malley.

In the spirit of not going colour blind I attended the church of truth (Canzine). The truth is, people feel and experience life differently-we are diverse and for the most part as curious as we are tolerant. I wonder, how can we evolve as a society if we just accept the turtle as a shell? Are you really that entertained by the turtles shell or are you dying to see that little wrinkly fucker pulled out and laid on the table? (Excuse my language but I’m making a point here about editing…or there lack of…heh-hemn.)

In my opinion, ‘ZINSTERS’ can be seen as a literary/book art group of people who fight the ‘mediocracy’ movement in our country one pencil at a time.

I mean, where else are you going to learn about straight/gay/lesbian relationships, high school hang ups, poetry and paper crafts all under the same roof? Where else will you find free screen printing workshops that boost your D.I.Y. confidence and a chance to pitch your book in front of credible publishers who guide and help the writer towards prosperous pursuits? (F.Y.I. There was a lot of building up; No body was torn down so to speak. There were just a few facial twitches as far as I could tell – comparable to someone burned by a hot glue gun.)

At Canzine guests had access ($5 admission comes with a free copy of the Fall issue of Broken Pencil Magazine - issue 45 - "Olympics") into people’s minds/guts from all across the country. There was no editing, emotions were raw and all borders were open and lines crossed.

Okay, so the Gladstone was packed. But this time, I had way more in common with the gropers and table humpers. And, instead of breaking my ankle bracelet while tripping in my mother’s purple suede and leather snake skin shoes, I sashayed ‘bay watch style’ (it was really packed) through the crowd in patent pleather ballet flats. And instead of buying a banana clip I bought an ‘OCAD Zine Library’ button; which I’ll be wearing during this year’s OCAD Zine Fair [Thursday February 18th, 12-6 @ OCAD lobby!].

Listen to this and get motivated to become involved in zine culture.

A Silver Mt. Zion

The Triumph Of Our Tired Eyes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JRvTDAZ5Go

Freedownload-http://www.mediafire.com/?ijxgfjg1txo

*Oh ya, and while your at the fair look out for ‘allisplural’ a zine I will be publishing and creating with other ocad students.

Submit your zines!

The OCAD zine Library is always looking for kind, generous zinesters (and zine collectors) to donate their magical zines to our collection. We collect zines of any size, shape or subject.

You can bring donated zines straight to the Learning Zone at 113 McCaul Street or you can mail submissions to:
Dorothy H. Hoover Library Zine Collection
Ontario College of Art & Design
100 McCaul Street
Toronto, ON
M5T 1W1

SAVE THE DATE!

It's been decided!

The 2010 OCAD Zine Fair will be happening on February 18th 2010 from 11am-6pm in the lobby of 100 McCaul and in the Learning Zone in 113 McCaul.

All we need now to make our day perfect is piles and piles of zinesters and their wares! If you are an OCAD student or alum and make zines and would like to have a table at the Fair, please email us as soon as possible!

Our email is ocadzinelibrary@gmail.com!

See you there....

OTHER ZINE LIBRARIES... Vancouver, BC

the lowercase reading room in the Regional Assembly of Text

New Home

Here's some snapshots of the OCAD Zine Library's new spot in the Learning Zone, on the 1st floor of 113 McCaul. Come and check us out!