Our final MYZM segment!  We wrap up our exhibitor Q&A series with:} The Worst is a compilation zine on grief and loss curated by Kathleen McIntyre. "This awesome compilation about the not so awesome stuff in life — grief and loss — gives an honest take on the death of loved ones in a world that attempts to capitalize on our sorrow. Each writer discusses his/her own personal loss and the idea that they must get over it, and quickly. The stories help to open a dialogue about death, recovery, and the need for community support." -Stranger Danger Distro

How does writing or voicing one's emotions help with the healing process?

Trauma research tells us that painful experiences are mostly stored in the non-verbal parts of our brains.  Writing or speaking one's emotions helps to literally move the storage of the memory to the verbal parts of our brains.  This helps us literally feel better because in the act of assigning words to experiences, we come to better understand their meaning.  We feel more in control and less overpowered by confusing body sensations and waves of strong emotion, because we are able to identify and describe them to ourselves and to others

On a more social level, grief can sometimes feel like a taboo subject to discuss, as with other painful life experiences that our society can tend to silence or stigmatize.  Within such a climate, the act of speaking in a semi-public forum such as a zine can be a very powerful antidote to the isolation we often feel, and can open up new opportunities for us to receive validation and support from others. 

Do you generally reach out to contributors, or do people come to you looking to tell their stories?

It's really a mix of both reaching out and being approached.  I do send out thousands of flyers to infoshops, cafes, punk houses and other activist hubs across the country, but I have also been known to nudge friends and members of my immediate community to use the zine as a chance to explore their gr

ief processes through writing.  I know it's hard to send a piece of writing that pretty much amounts to spilling your deepest guts on paper to a complete stranger, not to mention the fact that it will be published in a zine (!)--not everyone is ready for that or would find it helpful as they grieve.  So I look to collect and elicit submissions wherever I can, from those who would find it helpful. 

What advice would you give to someone who is going through a tough loss right now?

SELF CARE, SELF CARE, SELF CARE!!! Grief is exhausting, confusing, and takes a toll on us physically, mentally and emotionally.  This might be part of why our culture is sometimes very quick to avoid or contain the feelings that come up when someone dies.  The catch is, the only way out of grief is through it--by noticing, describing, labeling and accepting all the feelings that can come up.  I'd encourage all grievers to make time for yourself, even if the people around you "don't get it" or are urging you to "move on." 

Make time for eating good food, sleeping, watching movies, being alone, catching some sun, saying No to things you feel too drained to do--whatever it is that feeds you and sustains you so that you can continue to do the necessary emotional work of healing after a loss.  If you feel alone, reach out to friends, therapists and counselors, or find a grief group in your neighborhood (most Hospice centers or other mental health clinics have them if you search online).  You deserve the space and time that this adjustment requires!

You've mentioned that the world "attempts to capitalize on our sorrow."  How so, and how do we fight against that?

Many have heard my rant about "Hallmark sympathy cards" that don't really say anything authentic--so I won't recapitulate that here, except to say that there are many rituals we perform around grief in mainstream American culture that involve buying things instead of simply bearing witness and providing real emotional support.  We're told to "say it with flowers", but don't always learn good ways to actually talk about loss.  Fighting against that is accomplished by digging a little deeper and getting more creative in the ways that we support grievers; asking more questions, sitting with strong feelings, and rallying long-term community support.

To be sure, most people have tremendous difficulty figuring out what to say to a griever, which is probably why its very easy for the bereaved end up with so many casseroles in the fridge but not as many people to call in the middle of the night when the feelings come.  My intention is for the zine to be a way for us to dip our toes into the real feelings and experiences of grief that people can go through, at our own pace and without platitudes or trite idioms, so that we can begin exploring how we each relate to loss and use this self knowledge to create a more authentic grief praxis in our communities. 

On the other side of the spectrum: what place or activity makes you feel the best/happiest?

I'd say I'm happiest when I'm walking around Queens alone listening to my headphones and reflecting on my own life and imagining the lives of the other people around me.  Because that probably sounds a little creepy, I'll also add that cooking and eating dinner with friends or cuddling with my sweetie gives me a lot of the strength I need to continue delving into such "uplifting" subjects as grief and depression.  My friends are constant reminders of how we really can and do heal from this stuff. 

Are you working on any other zines or writing projects?

I'm really excited about a new book coming out, in which me and my co-author and fellow zinester, Cynthia Schemmer, have contributed a chapter on parental caregiving and loss.  Its the anthology version of the zine Don't Leave Your Friends Behind: Concrete Ways to Support Families in Social Justice Movements and Communities coming out in September 2012 on PM press, edited by the fabulous China Martens and Victoria Law.

Otherwise, I'm currently gearing up financially and emotionally to start collecting submissions for The Worst Issue 3 this summer.  I've been using writing to document and explore the ways the mainstream mental health industry classifies and pathologizes grief and mourning, as well as the connections between neoliberal capitalism and depression--these themes will definitely find their way into the 3rd Issue, hopefully along with many more stories of how people are making meaning out of the losses they have endured.  If you have a submission, you can send it to theworstzine@gmail.com.

The Carbon Based Mistake (a.k.a. Marc Calvary) has been publishing since 1991. The time before that was spent considering whether or not to be an astronaut or an artist... or maybe a part-time billionaire... but in the end photo-copies won out.  TCBM currently takes the form of zines, photography, writing, blasphemy, design, and the joys of printing.

You've been making zines since the early '90s.  How has your own work evolved?

I started by taking the Sunday Funnies and using white out to cover up selected word balloons to make icons from my childhood tell filthy stories. I’d photocopy them and send them to my older sister. That led to being a part of an underground school newspaper that existed really only to infuriate the administrative body. And that led me to more traditional zines. We threw them together badly, and the content was hodge-podge… try to avoid bad poetry in a contributor-based high school zine and it will sneak its way in there somewhere while you sleep.

After that I stopped doing contributor-based zines and tried to focus on what I ended up considering a type of printed gallery show using design to tell stories. I should have been born a cartoonist, but I wasn’t, so I compensate for it in any way I can to get my point across.

How does your work stand out?

I like using different types of binding. I like adding lots of extras. I use photography and manipulated drawings. Each project is a stand-alone piece. I don’t really have any association with a self-publishing world, but I do notice more people caring about it than ever before. I work on projects first and foremost for myself and then secretly hope someone else might like them… hopefully inspiring them to make something better.

Let's talk about carbon based delights.  What are some of your favorite places to eat/drink, in Woodside or elsewhere?

My girlfriend and I lucked out and moved practically next door to our favorite restaurant in Queens, “La Flor”. Great tacos and the mole enchiladas are amazing. I’m half Mexican, and although I speak no Spanish, I am fluent in Mexican food. They sell gift certificates if you are feeling generous towards me. 

Your latest zine "Paltry Pamphlets" is a series of self-help guides, one of which is about “how to stop making art so you can save yourself from a life of misery”.  Do you really think your days would be rosier without your creative impulses?

Two Answers:
1) Yes, of course it would be. To quote from the zine you mentioned: “Be normal for once in your pathetic life: There should be a warning at the entrance of every museum in the world: “ART CAUSES DOUBT AND MENTAL DISORDERS, AND MAY COMPLICATE EVERYTHING.” Just think how happy you’d be to just walk away from this obsession. You could fit in with everyone again. Your parents wouldn’t be ashamed. You could stop making those awful zines that nobody reads. Imagine getting a decent night’s sleep. Everything has already been done, what are you trying to prove?”
 
2) No, of course not. The only truly depressing times in my life are always accompanied by a lack of production. As soon as I get back to work I begin to feel good again. Art is an addiction and it is what I believe to be the only true accomplishment in life. I just don’t think making zines with that theme is funny.

The packaging of your zine The Noise Between Stations mimics the design of a library loaner copy.  Do you have a favorite library in the city, or a library story of elsewhere?

My favorite library will always be the library in my first home town (I have 3 home towns, long story) where I met a librarian who encouraged my reading habits and was the first constant reader I was influenced by. It’s where I hid out during lunch to avoid having to socialize or get into fights. Libraries have always been there to save me in one way or another.
 
What are you excited to see or find at the Brooklyn Zine Fest 2012 on April 15th?

I haven't been able to find that mythological artist collective of like minded people I keep hearing exists. I’m thinking we keep a separate sleep schedule or something, because I get close, but never catch anything. I'm hoping to meet others who think about art in the same way I do, and although I tend to stay away from collaborative projects I'd like to try it again in New York. I’m looking forward to sharing ideas and stealing lots of new techniques. So, you know, I’m looking forward to selfish things...

Pegacorn Press is a small queer, feminist, "total-art-freaker" publishing house that specializes in small-run art books, comics, and zines. Based out of Brooklyn, it's run by visual artist/musican Caroline Paquita.

You own a couple Risograph duplicators. Has this changed the way you create art?

Yes! Having your own printing equipment is what I call, "a total game-changer." Half the issues I had before were centered around how I was going to get something printed- but now? All I have to do is walk downstairs and start up my own print-storm.

Worst part though is machine maintenance- particularly when you have antiquated 1980's technology that no one works on anymore. The last two publications I was trying to print (this week), were printed forcefully with me using sticks to pry drums out, etc. Total mess, until a tech from Yonkers came down and informed me that I was indeed a tech myself (I countered, "You're the tech, I'm the amateur tech!") and he helped me fix the problem. Half of my art now is repairing machines to make my art. Classic DIY night moves over here.

Another facet on the crystal of my life, you know? I don't look at it as anything particularly special- maybe because most people I surround myself with are extremely talented, multi-spectacular folks who can do just about anything.

The real problem is managing TIME. How are you going to keep bees, go on tour/travel, make your own art, eat food, sleep, have a lover, have friends, work to pay the bills, etc, etc, etc? Time can be your best friend, or that wild beast that you end up wrestling with everyday.

What do you like about attending or tabling at zine events?

The usual- talking with strangers, making new acquaintances. I tend to table with other folks that I know, to break up the monotony of just talking about yourself and what you do, over and over again. Share snacks and flasks of whiskey- typical delinquency.

This year, I'll have Al Burian (of Burn Collector) tabling with me, and we'll have his new issue, hot off the press, available at the fest. In addition, I also just wrapped up Brontez's (of The Younger Lovers and Gravy Train!!!) new issue of Fag School. Woo-woo! Come by the table and hangout!

 
You would obviously like to meet a Pegacorn (Pegasus + unicorn).  Are there any other mythological creatures you'd like to play badminton with?

A MERMI-CORN. We'd play it in a tidal pool though, and only on a full moon.

The Borough is My Library is an exploration of the bibliographic undergrowth of New York City through the eyes of those at work in independent libraries, academic institutions, and in the streets.  Alycia Sellie, creator of BIML, will also be tabling for the Brooklyn College Library Zine Collection.

The motivation for creating The Borough is My Library was to share information about library-related projects that I had been hearing about throughout the metro area. Not necessarily related to institutional collections, but projects that incorporated the spirit of sharing and intellectual freedom that libraries can represent. For example, one of the most amazing projects I’ve had the chance to include in my zine was Branch, a temporary library that was set up in Clinton Hill in response to shortened hours at the Brooklyn Public Library. The project invited people to not only create an alternative library on the streets of Brooklyn, but for everyone to imagine together what their ideal library would look like--in terms of space as well as collections. It was a really inspiring project.

Each issue of BIML has been a bit different--in the first, I invited local folks with library projects to contribute a short piece. In the second issue, I interviewed a few library heroes and information activists who had really inspired me professionally, and this year I tried to talk a bit more about what motivates me to publish outside of commercial, mainstream library literature. Most of the people who have been a part of the zine so far are folks that I knew through library worlds, but some I met at the recommendation of fellow librarians and a few I met through creating the zine--which has been really great.

I don’t think that NYC is unique in terms of library projects--I read about really amazing work being done in libraries and on the streets of many other places between the coasts--but I do think that NYC is amazing in that we just have so many simultaneous happenings within the boroughs. From the Reanimation Library to Interference Archive, Literacy for Incarcerated Teens, the People’s Library, The Desk Set and Urban Librarians Unite, the landscape here is so fertile for library projects, activism and action.

You also work as a librarian with the recently launched Zine Collection at the Brooklyn College Library. Tell us why preserving zines is important. 

I was trained at the Wisconsin Historical Society by James Danky, a library activist who advocates for collecting everything--not just what someone (a librarian) deems important at the time, but everything published. Danky reinforced the idea for me that if libraries and archives are truly supposed to be the places we turn to to find out about history, then as librarians and collectors we’ve got to strive to turn over every rock and to collect everything that’s produced, not just what was selected by mainstream publishers or available in every large bookstore.

As the Newspapers and Periodicals librarian, Danky’s goal was to collect every serial publication produced in Wisconsin. That’s why my collection at Brooklyn College focuses on Brooklyn zines--so that instead of subjectively collecting what I think is important, I’m trying to collect a thorough slice of materials and allow anyone--future historians or whomever, to sort out what’s important. I wish I could collect more than zines as Danky did, but as this project is a labor of love on top of all of my other duties at work, I had to be selective!

What have been some of the best/strangest/most niche zines you've come across?

I really like zines that include unusual materials or incorporate things that are hard for libraries to catalog--we have a mini-comic zine called Circus Peanut that has a circus peanut glued to the cover. We’ve got a zine that comes in its own (fake) blood bag. I really enjoy taking these zines into classes when talking with Brooklyn College students about the medium--and emphasizing to them that the sky’s the limit not only in terms of content but also what these objects could physically be made of.

What are your favorite bookstores or places to read in New York?

I am a bit of a bibliophile, and I really like browsing and thinking about books as much as I like reading them. I tend to use bookstores as meeting points and discovery tools--to figure out what to check out from the library next. And with long daily commute out to Midwood, the place I end up reading the most is on the train and the platform, although I prefer reading outdoors.

FOUND Magazine was founded by native Michiganites (Michigonians?) Davy Rothbart and Jason Bitner when Davy discovered an angry note on the windshield of his car in 2001.  The note was intended for a philanderer named Mario, but it had ended up in Davy's hands, and for the last decade the FOUND team has been collecting and publishing lost and tossed notes, photos, and letters.  Andrew Cohn, the magazine's PR & Marketing Manager, answered a few of our questions.

FOUND started out as a cut-and-paste zine, and has grown into a series of magazines & books.  What kinds of things have changed over the years, and what's stayed the same?

We have a real DIY attitude at FOUND. While we've been fortunate to grow our circulation, expand into publishing books and other merchandise, we still consider FOUND a 'zine at heart. We still operate independently and have the same office since the start. We still make the magazine ourselves, and the goal of FOUND has never changed. We get a lot more submissions now, which makes our job a lot more fun.

Davy and I have also tried to expand what we do outside the magazine -- whether in writing, filmmaking or anything else we do. But it all comes from the same curiousity about the people we share the world with. And wanting to explore what other people's experience of being human is like.
 
How does the FOUND team go about putting together each issue?

Usually we set certain finds to the side as they come in... If it's a really good find, we will put it in a pile that we will save for the next issue. Often an issue will have a theme, so we'll look for finds that fit that theme. But it's a pretty organic process and there's no real strategy. We just try to have fun with it and put the issues together on a individual basis. Davy and Sarah [Locke, Senior Editor] are still the real masterminds behind putting each issue together, and we talk throughout the year about our favorite finds that we've been receiving.

For a lot of people, the best thing about FOUND is imagining the stories behind each letter, photograph, and list.  Have you ever found out the actual tale behind a found item, and how did it compare to the story you imagined?

The story about Willis Earl Beal, the dude whose personal ad is on the cover on FOUND #7 is crazy... After a show in New Mexico someone came and gave us a flier that had been posted around Albuquerque -- an odd flier that had been seen plastered around town. It's pretty common after our shows for people to come and give us their finds, and it's one of the best parts about touring.

But this had never happened before: just as this woman was giving us this strange and hilarious flier a voice piped up from the back: "Hey, that's me," someone said. And there he was! The dude on the flier! He was at the theater for a midnight showing of some horror movie that was playing after us... never had that happened. Someone who presented us with a found item and the person who lost it randomly in the same spot.

In an ever stranger plot twist... Willis, who is a musician, was interviewed by Davy for FOUND #7. Slowly, his music began to make its way around the country -- and he just signed a huge record deal with XL records. He's been written about on Pitchfork.com and is headed to europe to tour with MIA.

Tell us about your favorite thing that you've personally found.

The best thing I've found were a series of letters from my little brother to my mom from band camp. He must have been 8 or 9. The letters are hilarious and heartbreaking as he gets more and more desperate for my mother to come and rescue him from this horrible experience he was having. I'm sure a lot of people will be able to relate. They should be in the new issue coming out in the fall.

Have you had any memorable interactions with fans at FOUND events?

Too many to recall... I've been on five national book tours and one European tour and our fans are incredible. We've taken a break from touring to concentrate on some other projects lately -- a documentary Davy and I co-directed called Medora, about the dying of small-town America and a winless high school basketball team in rural Medora, Indiana. Plus Davy has a new book of short stories coming out Sept 4th. But we're heading back on the road this fall for a 75 city tour. So we're excited about that.

From L to R: Andrew Cohn, Davy Rothbart, actor Jamie Hector (Marlo Stanfield on The Wire).

Lyra Hill is a comix and film artist living in Chicago. She writes about dreams, gross things, sex, gross sex dreams, and science fiction. Her comics are painstakingly crafted to be as beautiful and bizarre as possible.

You are fond of using color separation in your artwork. What about the technique appeals to you?

Color separation means a couple different things. In my films, I use it to create a lot of optically printed psychedelia; in my comics and posters, it's more about the printing process and how I want the ink to sit on the page. I do a lot of what I call 'fake offset,' which is a way of using a standard color copier to print each color, separately, on the same copy paper. The thing that really appeals to me about all of these processes is the finicky detail work and technical finesse. I've always loved getting OCD over my creations, and spending hours in a dark room with film strips and color filters all over the place, sweating over ledgers, or making five tracing paper overlays for five different kinds of drop shadows, feeds that hunger.

Are you looking forward to anything in particular while you’re in New York? Have you already started researching the best NY-based deep-dish style pizza to mockingly tell your friends back home in Chicago about?

I'm excited about seeing all my friends who live in New York! I'm also super pumped to be part of a show, and to bring my comic performances to a city other than Chicago. I actually can't eat pizza because I'm gluten-intolerant, but if I did I would most certainly NOT brag about New York pizza to my friends in Chicago. I would spit on your pizza and tell you all about some Chicago pie. (I'm joking. Truthfully, I couldn't care less.)

It's really great to work in both mediums. My ideas usually come to me through one of two routes: either the story comes to me first, or I get some grand idea about a new technique or difficult composition, and the narrative emerges from there. When it's the story that's first, I get to picture it as either a comic or a film, and beta-test in my brain how it would work in each form. Things like storyboards and panel layouts may seem really similar, but the pacing of a movie and the pacing of a comic feel completely different and are structured with different concerns in mind. Still, elements of each find their way into the other. I often think about intertitles as word balloons, and shifting perspective in comic panels would be so much more difficult if I didn't know how to frame a shot and edit a sequence.

What can people expect to discover at your table at the Brooklyn Zine Fest on April 15th?

I'll have my most recent comic, which is a compilation of a lot of work I made between 2008 and 2010. There are five comics and a short story in it, and it has an awesome offset cover with this big organic spaceship on it. I'll have a poster titled 'Motion Sickness' which is a drawing of the moon barfing on the Earth, and I'll also have the newest Brain Frame poster, which has this gross muscle-mass eyeball monster chasing five different characters in a sweet hell-scape I drew with Jeremy Tinder. There will also be some finely crafted mini-zines available.

Last summer, a friend of mine from out of town asked me to set up a comic reading. I gathered a few local friends to read as well, choosing people based on their work, but also the fact that they're weirdos who I expected would be fun to watch. That was the first Brain Frame. And that first show was such a success! There was an hour long black out in the middle of the third performance, but people stuck around anyway - the vibe was really intense, and you could tell people were excited and just so happy to be there. It was so hot, everyone was sweating, sitting on the floor. It felt like we were nomads watching shamans cast magical light shows. There was no question in my mind after that that Brain Frame had to continue as a series.

The thing that makes Brain Frame so exciting is that it's something I've never seen before. There's something to the mix of giant visuals (usually readers project the panels of their comics as a slideshow) in combination with artists finding a unique way to bring their work to life - whether it be with soundtracks, costumes, audience participation, giant props or whatever - that's challenging and unexpected in the most thrilling way. The main thing I tell the readers is to be as ambitious and weird as possible. I make sure that I can provide all the equipment needed, so they can dream big and don't have to worry about the more petty logistical concerns.

Running Brain Frame is a huge amount of work, but the reward is worth ten times the buckets of sweat I shed for this gig. Recently, I've taken a break from reading my own work, at least until Brain Frame 7, which will be the first anniversary of Brain Frame. I have started performing at other events around Chicago, and I'm actually going to be doing a Brain Frame performance in New York the weekend of the Zine Fest! The details are still being ironed out, but everybody should keep an eye out. You're all invited.

Lyra Hill reads Go Down from Lyra Hill on Vimeo.

Aijung Kim lives in Richmond, Virginia where she teaches art workshops and makes art, illustrations, and zines. She is inspired by the minutiae of everyday life, nature, her garden, toys, children's books, and comics. Aijung self-publishes lovingly illustrated zines of poetry and personal ramblings through Firefly Blind Press, and she will tell your fortune with a handmade deck of symbolic cards.

Do you have a ritual for when you're getting ready to work? What keeps you focused and happy while you're drawing or making prints?

I made a decision to become a morning person this year, which I've never been before. Getting up earlier helps me get more out of the day. Having a clean desk really helps. I'm working on organization a LOT this year, even reading books about it.

Just recently I've been listening to a lot of podcasts about indie comics. Indie Spinner Rack is my favorite, though most of their audio archive is inaccessible now. I just discovered Comix Claptrap which is good, too. It has been very inspiring. I feel very nerdy and specialized when I listen to comix podcasts. I'm also now on the lookout for podcasts about illustrators and children's books, like Escape from Illustration Island.

You teach classes on bookbinding, relief printing, and printmaking at Virginia Museum of Fine Arts  and Visual Arts Center of Richmond. How has teaching affected you or your art?

I was surprised at how different it is to teach children. They are fresh and surprising, but can only focus for short periods of time. I am still figuring out how to make appealing lesson plans for children, but it's fun to show them something new and observe how they think and create. I just love the way children draw. Their lines are so unique. Somehow, most adults lose that when they get older and draw so rigidly.

I enjoy working with adults because most of them are people who are creative but have strayed away due to jobs or time constraints. I think that everyone needs to practice creativity, especially people who are artists at heart but have convinced themselves otherwise. Teaching has really illuminated the way I think of process. There are so many steps involved in creating something that I just don't think about anymore because I've done it for so long, but teaching makes me very conscious about it all. It has also inspired me because I have to make examples of whatever I'm teaching, so I remember how enjoyable it is to make and gives me inspiration for other ideas.

You've lived in New York, Portland, and now Richmond, VA. What can you tell us about your experience living in each of those places from the perspective of a zine-maker and artist?

I purchased my first zines at the MoCCA Fest in NYC from Mark Todd. I don't think I quite understood exactly what zines were (comics? writing? total randomness?), though I loved them. But I wasn't really interested in making my own zines until I moved back to Rochester, NY after college. I formed a Comix Club and one of the members let me borrow Invincible Summer by Nicole Georges (published by Brooklyn Zine Fest exhibitors Tugboat Press). It was interesting to see something that could be sloppy and polished in the same volume.

In Portland, Oregon, I was inspired to start a perzine called Minutiae. I was new to the city and I though it'd be cool to write/illustrate all the things I noticed. In Portland I was a bit depressed because of being poor all the time, and I hardly made art at the time. But the city has the best library system and hundreds of comic book artists. I read a LOT of comics from the library.

Richmond has been the best in terms of living and making art. The community is very supportive and I have opportunities to sell my work at craft shows and on consignment quite frequently. They have a great zine fest here. I have been extremely productive here, though I don't make zines as much as I'd like to because of the other projects I work on. But I think that having so much support and interest from others has immensely raised my confidence to keep creating and sharing.

You're primarily a visual artist, but you released your first chapbook-length collection of poems, Non Sense, last November. What advice would you give to other artists who are contemplating a new form?

I've always written poetry. It's hard for me to tell people I'm a poet or writer, though sometimes I write that in descriptions of myself. I haven't felt validated as a writer yet - I'm much more comfortable with visual art. I had a big break-up last summer, and I had this desire to be totally honest and exposed. I went through a bunch of poems that I'd written in the last couple of years to make this chapbook. My ultimate goal was to share it with friends and family, but I haven't gotten around to sending it to many friends yet. The books take a lot of work to hand-bind.

I would encourage others to experiment in a new form because I think it's good for the soul. Even if you don't feel 100% confident, I think it's important to be genuine in your interests and know that not everyone may dig your new work. But being an artist is more than just a career, it's part of your personality/lifestyle. Just jump in and don't be ashamed! Plus, you don't have to share the end-product if you don't want to.

In addition to producing a hit series of monthly screening events for 92YTribeca (with notable guests including Louise Lasser, Nellie McKay, and Beth Grant), the Meet The Lady collective has also amassed a large archive of found photos.  At the Brooklyn Zine Fest on April 15th, host/curator Tom Blunt will debut the first Meet The Lady zine, reclaiming images that have been relegated to the scrapheap and restoring these "lost" women to their rightful place in the pantheon of notable persons.

Please don't expect anything from it! Expectations terrify me. Alright, perhaps you may expect one thing: creative inspiration. The salvaged photos we're presenting each tell their own story -- whether sad, or funny, or transcendent. By spinning stories around them, you get to take something disposable and turn it into something oddly durable, or even sacred. We've got almost 300 "lost" women in our main gallery, and we're sharing some of the best ones with you guys in our zine scrapbooks. What happens to them beyond there is up to you...

Meet The Lady, your monthly variety show, celebrates under-celebrated women in film and TV roles using clips, burlesque, interviews, and food.  How did your curatorial/development process differ when making the zine?

It hasn't been so different. First you imagine the final effect you'd like to accomplish, then you spend lots of time gathering all the elements that will help you achieve that final product -- and then you ditch most of it when you discover new ideas along the way. I'm a very process-based worker, so typically the final product looks nothing like what I envisioned, but usually still expresses exactly what I hoped it would. I guess there are fewer snacks and naked breasts in our zine than in the show; that's about it.

Fascinating niche ideas seem to swirl around you, like your Doom Cakes tumblr or Huxtable Hotness, a Cosby Show fashion blog run by Meet The Lady collaborator Chris Kelly.  Are you percolating any new gems?

"Swirl" is a good word for this. When you have a lot of ideas, maybe a few of them stick around for a while, but others flutter around just long enough to delight you before flying away or simply dying at your feet. It's always good to have a few bonus projects that are purely for your own pleasure, to console you when other stuff goes bust -- that's how MTL started.

Meanwhile, my Death and the Maiden tumblr isn't terribly new, but I've been adding a lot to it lately -- it's simply a repository of images that play on the classical art motif of the same name. I've also been teaching a series of classes for the Public School about traditional folk magic rituals. And I'm on the production team of Never Sleep Alone, which has been igniting hormones over at Joe's Pub for months now. And yes, we're always percolating more...

Much of your writing is for online magazines like xoJane.  At a time when so much content goes online without ever touching paper, why did you choose to make a zine?

Most of us would welcome opportunities to touch paper with our content more often, but we have to go where the money is if we want to make a living. Writing ephemera for the internet and committing stuff to physical pages each have their perks. I'm lucky to have had so many chances to do both.

What future Meet The Lady themes do you have planned?

On April 27th we're doing an entire show about the phenomenon of women turning into cats (and vice versa), which is a surprisingly common theme in film and literature. I've got a huge list of shows I hope to get around to eventually, plus film actresses we'd like to have as our guests. People come to me all the time with suggestions for show ideas, but usually I find that I'm rarely swayed by outside influences -- I guess it means that Meet The Lady is still mainly driven by my own tastes and interests, though I am excited when people begin to see elaborate possibilities in their trivial obsessions. That's sort of the entire point.

Is there anything you're especially excited to see at the Brooklyn Zine Fest?

I'm just very excited for the Fest itself, when I first heard about it I couldn't believe that we didn't already have one -- it's definitely the right thing at the right time. I remember working on a zine with friends several years ago, and it sort of died off because once I had it, I didn't really know what to do with it. A recurring festival gives people an incentive to try new things, and that's always a win in my book.

For the Birds is a New York City-based feminist collective promoting creative interests of women-identified community members. Zine distro covers such topics as DIY feminist organizing, sexual health, sexual assault support/prevention, issues of privilege, & punk/riotgrrl.

Member Lauren Denitzio is a Brooklyn-based artist and illustrator.  Get it Together is her illustration zine based on interviews and submitted phrases from friends and colleagues regarding self-motivation, mantras, creative identity and self-employment.  Lauren regularly collaborates with non-profits and social justice organizations on various visual art and design projects.

Get it Together started as a series of drawings I wanted to work on and be able to collect in a smaller, photocopy-able format.  It was a way to give myself certain parameters and a deadline based on the kinds of drawings I was doing on my own.  A lot of my work at that point included text within the drawing, mostly of mantra-like phrases that I'd have stuck in my head.  I thought it would be interesting to collaborate with friends who would contribute phrases and I would make images to go along with them.  While that issue didn't necessarily have a theme outside of mantras and motivational phrases, the other issues have been thematic, which I've really enjoyed and I think connects people to it more.

(Photo by Konstantin Sergeyev)

What are some of your favorite phrases that have appeared in Get it Together, and what kinds of situations have they helped you through?

Some of my favorites are "today is the day I get it together," "can't do it, fuck it," "procrastination is a waste of time," and "your ability to choose whether or not this is important to you IS your privilege." I think some of these phrases are ways to put things in perspective when I start to lose motivation or am frustrated at being so busy all the time.

I'm pretty focused on staying productive, so sometimes these phrases, or just thinking in this way in general, helps me slow down and pace myself more.  I've had a lot of discussion with friends surrounding self-care and setting boundaries. I think it's really important to check in with yourself and know when you're spreading yourself too thin or not taking care of yourself when busy with work and other activities.

 
Get it Together is about getting yourself to a better and/or happier place.  What actual places always make you happy or fulfilled?

When I think about needing a breather I mostly think about going to Providence, RI where I lived for a few years, Gainsville, FL where I have a bunch of friends (and it's so warm!) or other cities, for similar reasons, that are slower paced than New York. I wish there were neighborhoods in New York where I felt that way but I haven't found one yet.  I think it's about being able to feel really calm and able to work at your own pace without feeling like you have to be that busy just to get by.    

I think it's a really critical way of disseminating information, resources, and stories that have the ability to tie people together and connect things.  Zines are definitely one way a lot of people I know have met or collaborated and can have a more personal feel than a blog post or website on similar topics.  Making zines has been a big part of feminist community building for quite a while and has been an incredibly valuable way of spreading resources on things like women's health, reproductive rights, sexual assault survivor support, consent, addressing male-privilege, community organizing, and a lot more.  Independent publishing is exercising personal agency in a way that I think can be really key to a DIY spirit and an easy way to work outside of mainstream systems of information sharing.

You're a visual artist, but you also play guitar, sing, and write with The Worriers.  What do you get from each of your myriad creative pursuits / how do they complement or balance each other?

I kind of wonder that all the time too. It just tends to tie itself together, but I think I write songs about the same types of things I make artwork about, or make zines about.  Most of the things I make in any capacity have something to do with relationships between people (platonic, romantic, and otherwise), personal politics, intimacy and community.

They're each modes of working that I really enjoy separately both because I enjoy things like image-making, writing, playing guitar, and singing, and because I like being able to share those things with my friends or whoever else might be interested.  It's not only cathartic for me but also a way to feel like I'm putting something back into the communities that have given me so much emotional as well as professional support over the years.

Horror Boobs is a group of perverts (both ladies and gentlemen) who like to publicly show their love of nude scenes from all walks of genre cinema.  For this Q&A, we spoke with co-founder Matt Desiderio.

Tell us about Horror Boobs' monthly VHS Vault event at Nitehawk Cinema, which you co-host with the multi-talented Amanda Chapin.

We are the hosts of the one and only monthly VHS event in all of NY, creating a unique experience for your hardcore analog aficionados and your average VHS voyeur by curating each night with trailers, clip shows, guests, a game show and a feature all screened from the all-mighty VCR! Along with Wild Eye Releasing and Nitehawk Cinema, the HB crew creates an environment where film freaks can feel welcome to talk about, view and even trade forgotten films of the VHS era.
 
The Horror Boobs blog collects interesting, nudity-filled stills from horror movies.  Have you thought about a companion blog for the other half of the population?  Comedy Penises, perhaps?  Western Butts?

Well... we have always tossed the name LaserDicks around. 

I get to turn people on to things they didn't come in for which always gives me a rush.  I seriously believe you can change someones life by putting them on to the right book/comic/movie. That and the fact that Forbidden Planet really levels the playing field, in the sense that everyone walks through our doors from the Union Square Vampire Freaks and Yu-Gi-Oh obsessed highschoolers to famous celebrities and accomplished artists. I've had to kick a vagrant out of the store and say hi to Robin Williams in the same breath.