I’m putting together something new. It’s a mini magazine (a Zine) which will have a plant and nature theme. It’s going to be a mix of garden memoirs, nature writing, a sliver of fiction, some illustrations and gardening ideas with a few makes. It’s 16 pages of pretty newsprint. I’ve lined up some lovely contributors, and I’m hoping it will be printed within a month.
When I posted about this on Instagram, it was enthusiastically received – although some people didn’t know what a Zine is. It’s just another term for a self published, independent magazine. If you are of a certain vintage, you may remember the fanzines of the 1970s and early 1980s, before desktop publishing, before personal computers and laser printers. The zines that I can remember sprang up to promote and celebrate bands. They were an eccentric mix of letraset lettering, type writer typing, handwriting, basic graphics – and fuzzy photocopying, usually stapled together in a rough and ready form and sold for pence.
Mine will, I hope, be a little more slick than those music zines, but not too much. I wanted it to have a homespun feel, and to deliver a pop of spring spirit, and some hope as we battle through these depressing winter months with Covid looming over everything we do. I will be editing, doing some writing and a bit of painting too. I am only aiming to cover costs, and each Zine will cost around £4.50, including postage to the UK. If you are interested, please email me fionacumberpatch0@gmail.com and I will add your name to a growing list. I will only have a limited number of Zines, so please contact me asap if you might like one.
