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I’m not giving up on this blog. Stay tuned for more!

New Zine: Brainscan #30 – 30 issues in 15 years!

Brainscan Zine #30!

Growing (literally and figuratively) taking on adventurous tasks year by year from travel to zine tours to event organizing, teaching (or not teaching), and opening and transitioning Portland Button Works zine distro and button shop in Portland, Oregon.

40 pages, 1/4 sized, 5 color Risograph printed on recycled paper

available in my Etsy shop and Portland Button Works distro and brick and mortar shop in Portland, Oregon

Or stick $4 US ($5 rest of the world) postage paid and send it to:

Alex Wrekk

c/o Portland Button Works

1322 North Killingsworth

Portland, Oregon 97217 USA

Or PayPal $4 to brainscanzineATgmailDOTcom

My Year in zines: 2012

I don’t really use thins space anymore but I thought I would round out the year with this post.

2012 was a ridiculously active zine year for me. It started with creating the StolenSharpieRevolution.org site to be a companion to my book. The site includes a Zine Event listing calendar. In February I attended the first L.A. Zine fest and it was great! In March I attended the Chicago Zine Fest and it was really fun. We even had a Zine Organizer’s Event where we met with other zine event organizers to talk shop and I released my very first fiction zines (Brainscan #29) as a split with No More Coffee #4. In April I helped the fine folks at Zine Works run zine workshops at Coachella. I made some really great friends and got to see some great bands for free.

In May I opened a brick and mortar storefront and online shop in Portland, Oregon called Portland Button Works and zine distro. July was International Zine Month and I created a poster of events to do for each day of the month.and participated in the 24 hour zine thing. August had the Portland Zine Symposium that I helped organize and I hosted a bunch of guest at my house. In September I quit volunteering at the Independent Publishing Resource Centerafter over a decade of volunteering because I just didn’t have any more time for it after opening the Portland Button Works shop.

October and November were big months. I had been saving for a UK trip for a few years and somehow we had also planned for The Copy Scams, our zine themed pop-punk band, to record and tour. We wrote 3 new songs that we hope to release next year. I got to hang out with a lot of my awesome Uk friends and attend the Leeds Zine Fair and the SE London Zine Fest. I kept a bit of a travelogue on tumblr and put out issue #7 ofNobody Cares About You Stupid Zine Podcast, it’s all about trading zine.

So, now it is December and I did a bit of updating to the Etsy Team Zine and my own Etsy shop and changing it over to a Portland Button Works shop. I’m also offering free shipping Sunday and Monday  in my Etsy shop when you use the discount code: POSTMAN. I also hope to work on my new zine this week. It’s all typed up and I just need to do layout. I also just signed up for the 2013 Chicago Zine Fest! Hope to see you there.

blog graveyard

I sometimes feel like I’m leaving a trail of dead blogs in a blog graveyard. I think my first entry here discussed this a bit. First it was Diaryland, then it was livejournal,then it was here. But, I think the life of this blog may be over. I’m moving on to tumblr. It has the built in scrolling ability of things I choose to look at like like livejournal and the reblogable aspect of facebook. It has some problems but I’m finding it fun, and it has lots of prett and funny things to look at.

So, if you would like to folloe me, here is where I have gone:

alexwrekk.tumblr.com

I also have another tumblr, but you can find that yourself.

So, until we meet again,

Alex Wrekk

Please help the Portland Zine Symposium andsponsor me in the 24 Hour Zine Challenge!

The Portland Zine Symposium is hosting their 4th annual 24 Hour Zine challenge. This awesome event is a fundraiser for PZS and works like a charity walk. You sponsor a participant (or participants!) and you only have to pay-up if the participant/s finish the challenge! If you sponsor someone for at least $10 you will even receive the zine the participant makes!

I have taken part in this event for the past two years and have finished both times.  I will be participating again in the 24 Hour Zine Challenge that  will be held at the new spacious Independent Publishing Resource Center in Portland, Oregon on 21 July. I would love love love it if you could help out the Portland Zine Symposium and sponsor me, Alex Wrekk, in the 24 hour zine challenge. There will also be live cams to watch our sleep deprived scribbling….and also so that you can laugh at us.

So, go here and send and e-mail pledging to sponsor me for this year!

Happy International Zine Month! Day 4

Are you playing along at home with the 31 activities? Here’s what I’ve been up to:

Day 1 – I posted on the We Make Zines post about IZM.

Day 2 – I sent twitter message to a couple distro.

Day 3 – I organized zines in the Portland Button Works shop. My own zines are a disaster!

Day 4 – I’m not sure what zine skill I’m going to teach myself! Maybe I should see it as ‘teach yourself a new skill from a zine” So it could be a bit of a DIY challege? If that’s the case then I’m going to curl up with my copy of Advanced Brains and teach myself the rules to this role playing game that puts punks vs. Zombies! We are going to have a test play of the game in the shop in a few weeks and I’m stoked! I think I’m going to play a skate punk.

This afternoon I’m leaving for the Riverhouse to see my mom and enjoy the sun that seems to be crawling out from behind the Oregon clouds. I’ll be bringing some new zines for the challenge tomorrow: Day 5 – Check out a different type of zine than you normally read. I’ll also be bringing some of my favorite zines to re-read for the Day 6 activity. I’ll be away from the PBW shop for 2 days.  TWO DAYS! I haven’t had two days off since we have opened the shop. I’m stoked!

I’m hoping to get away from the 4th of July fireworks and being able to sit in the woods, stare at the river, maybe doing some swimming and craft beer drinking.

Open letter to Microcosm Publishing

I was contacted a few weeks ago by someone from Berlin sending me a copy of this letter asking me how I felt about it. I was told that it was going to be sent out to collectives, infoshops, etc. Well, once the e-mail went out to more American groups I got e-mails asking if I was ok with it. I wrote back to the person in Berlin and requested to be added to the list of signers to avoid more of those e-mails.

You can read the Open Letter To Microcosm here and, if you agree, you can sign it at the bottom. I think it is reasonable to request for Microcosm to do, you know, what they said they were going to do. I would appreciate people signing it if they believe in the intent of the letter. However, I really don’t expect anything to come of this situation. It is already way too far gone for repair.

How to get your own 31 Days of International Zine Month poster!

Oh, if you would like a a copy of the 31 activities for International Zine Month poster along with a Portland Button Works Quarterly here’s how you get them. send a self addrssed stamped envelope (SASE) to:

Portland Button Works

1322 N Killingsworth

Portland, Oregon 97217

Also, the Portland Zine Symposium is hosting their 4th annual 24 Hour Zine challenge. This awesome event is a fundraiser for PZS and works like a charity walk. You sponsor a participant (or participants!) and you only have to pay-up if the participant/s finish the challenge! If you sponsor someone for at least $10 you will even receive the zine the participant makes! I have taken part in this event for the past two years and have finished both times.  I will be participating again this year at this event that will be held at the new spacious Independent Publishing Resource Center in Portland, Oregon on 21 July. I would love love love it if you could help out the Portland Zine Symposium and sponsor me, Alex Wrekk, in the 24 hour zine challenge. There will also be live cams to watch our sleep deprived scribbling….and also so that you can laugh at us.

31 Days of International Zine Month – The poster!

Want to download a PDF page with two of these so you can make some yourself? Go here.

31 Activities for 31 Days of International Zine Month in July!

Play along at home with 31 Days of International Zine Month in July!

Last year I took a photo of myself in a different zine related shirt every day of International Zine Month. this year I made a calendar of events! You don’t have to do them all, or even do them in order. I just thought it would be fun to have some pointers!

1 – If you have an account on We Make Zines (A social networking site just for zines)  login to talk about International Zine Month. if you don’t have an account yet, start one!
I love zines week
2 – Zine Distro appreciation day.  Order something from a zine distro, or write them a letter or an e-mail telling them you appreciate what they do.
3 – Organize your zine collection. We all know you have stacks of zines by your bed, maybe you should look into doing something about that.
4 – Teach yourself a new skill: how to make a one page zine, a new binding technique, photocopier art, etc.
5 – Check out a different type of zine than you normally read. Why stay stuck in the same box, try something new. It might just surprise you!
6 – Re-read your favorite zines! We all have our favorites, why not sit down and read them again.

7 – Zine reading day! Host, attend, or participate in a zine reading. No zine readings around you? Read outloud to your pet!
8 – Try something new day.  If you draw comics, try writing a personal story.  If you write fiction, try non-fiction.  If you write poetry, try drawing comics.

Postal appreciation week!
9 – Buy some stamps, envelopes or postcards or make your own (envelopes and postcards, that is, not stamps.)
10 – Write a letter to a zine person that you have never written before to let them know you liked what they made.
11 – Create a care package to send to a zine friend filled with neat zine stuff (rub on letters, glue sticks, clip art, etc)
12 – make some mail art, decorate some envelopes, or make an Artist Trading Card.
13 – Send your zine out to be reviewed.

14-  ValenZine’s Day Write your zine crush (we know you have one!), or write to Zine Crush about your zine crush.
15 – make plans to make a split zine with someone.

Zine Library and Education week
16 – Leave a zine in a public place: tacked to a message board, on a bus, in a coffee shop
17 – Teach a friend or family member about zines.
18 – Send your zine to a zine library.
19 – make a zine flyer to send out with your orders and to trade with other zines.
20 – Host a zine workshop or zine party at a local library or community center.

21 – International Zine Library Day! Visit your local zine library! Start a zine library.
22 – Check out Zine Wiki! Add your zine or edit an entry.
Zine Distribution week
23 – Zine Trade Day! ask someone if they would like to trade zines with you.
24 –  Send your zine to a distro for consideration.
25 – Order from a different zine distro than your normally do.
26 – Review a zine in your zine, on your blog, or on your facebook page
27 – Look into consigning your zine at a shop that sells zines.

28 – Free Zine Day! Give the unexpected gift of a zine!
29 – organize a zine event, even if it is a small one

30 – Zine shop appreciation day.  Support your local zine friendly shop today!
31- Take a photo of you with your zine (extra credit if you post it online)

Extra Credit!
-Read a zine everyday
-take part in the 24 hour zine thing
-draw a comic everyday and release a diary comic at the end!