Zine Culture in Montreal

A lot of people ask me how they can make a zine. Getting started can seem like a big project, but it`s something made completely on your terms

Recently I`ve been facilitating workshops on zines and small-scale self-publishing with different organizations in Montreal. I always tell people that  zines are like small accomplish-able projects that we give to ourselves. We can make these little books on any subject.

I just started a new facebook group called Montreal Zinesters which you can enjoy here: 
Montreal Zinesters
The last groupthat existed for Montreal had become very inactive, so I`m hoping that the new community will be eager to share zine resources.

ZINE CULTURE
Since the invention of the printing press dissidents and marginalized citizens have published their own opinions in leaflet and pamphlet form.Thomas Paine published an exceptionally popular pamphlet titled "Common Sense" that led to insurrectionary revolution. Paine is considered to be a significant early independent publisher and a zinester in his own right

In the 18th century, Benjamin Franklin also started a literary magazine for psychiatric patients at a Pennsylvania hospital, which was distributed amongst the patients and hospital staff. This could be considered the first zine, since it captures the essence of the philosophy and meaning of zines.
The concept of zines clearly had an ancestor in the amateur press movement  and science fiction fanzines in the 1930s–1960s.

Punk zines emerged in the late 1970s. These started in the UK and the U.S.A. and spread to other countries such as Ireland. Cheap photocopying had made it easier than ever for anyone who could make a band flyer to make a zine. Then in the early 1990s riot grrrl zine culture emerged, which gave rise to a feminist edge for zine culture.

Since the turn of the millennium zine culture has really erupted with the access to the internet becoming mainstream. It is so easy to find zines now on almost any subject thru the internet`s resources.

Distribution and circulation

Zines are sold, traded or given as gifts through many different outlets, from zine symposiums and publishing fairs to record stores, book stores, zine stores, at concerts, independent media outlets, zine 'distros', via mail order or through direct correspondence with the author. They are also sold online either via websites or social networking profiles. Zines distributed for free are either traded directly between zinesters, given away at the outlets mentioned or are available to download and print online.
Webzines are electronic versions of zine that can be found in many places on the Internet.

MAKING A ZINE
The best way to get started with zines is to start going to zine events, and checking out a variety of titles for some inspiration. Submitting articles or pages is a great way to get started creating and submitting content without the pressure of creating an entire zine yourself.

Another great way is to join up with other folks to co-create collaborative zines on a certain theme (ie. poetry, cookbooks, DIY ect.)
The next step is to make a perzine (short for personal zine) which is a project all your own on any subject or format you desire!

The process to make a zine involves: Brainstorming an idea > Creating content > Formatting > Editing and then Printing! Afterwards the photocopying and assembly are another process. Some things to consider are the size and style, fonts, graphics and layout. Zine making can seem like a large process, but goes quickly when working with others. Plus, it feels super satisfying to produce your own books!

PHOTOCOPYING

• Don`t pay more than $.7 for black and white copies
• Students often get good photocopying deals
• Experiment with settings, sizing and functions of a copier, then stick to it if the price is right
• Buy coloured paper to load
• Coloured copies are more expensive, so quest for good deals. Or colour in yourself!

BINDING
For binding, you have a few options. Stapling, with regular or extended heavy duty staplers is the most common option. It`s easy to do and cheap. Some photocopiers offer automatic stapling.

Another option is Stitching or binding. You can make holes (often 3 or 5 holes is good) down the spine of the page and use ordinary needle and thread to bind the pages together. For example, if you make three holes, you would create a kind of tight figure-of-eight loop through the holes. This can bind things very nicely.You can use a hole-punch to make one, or two, holes through the pages, and then tie a loop of string through to connect the pages.

And of course, if you're printing onto a single page you can use clever folding and/or cutting to make a nice zine layout without needing to bind things, such as Almost-cutting-through.
If you take a piece of paper and fold it in half, then fold it in half again, you have 8 sides. You'd need to make a cut (along the line of the first fold) to make them into a booklet-like codex, but this gives you two separate pieces. One nice trick you can manage is to not make the cut all the way through - leave a small amount of un-cut paper in the middle, and this lets people turn the pages without completely separating the pieces.


ZINE RESOURCESin MONTREAL

Places to Buy Zines
Le Milieu
Concordia Greenhouse
Ste. Emilie Skillshare
Concordia Book Co-op 
Bikurious

Zine Libraries
Cafes: Cafe Le Depanneur, Le Cagibi, Touski
QPIRG

Zine Fairs
EXPOZINE
Queer Between the Covers
Anarchist Book fair
Ravenswing (Ottawa)
CanZine (Toronto)

Zine Websites
WeMakeZines.com

Montreal Distros
In St - Henri, there is a group who organizes a Walking Distance Distro. Each month, community members submit zines and other delights, which are photocopied and assembled into packages. The group then hand delivers each package to the doorsteps of participants, free of charge!

Another is the newly formed GUANO distro, which will be tabling at the Chicago Zine Fair next week! Their focus is on distributing zines pertaining to mental health struggles, on an individual and a societal scale. You can contact them at guano.distro@gmail.com or check them out on facebook.