Interview with IZM Founder Alex Wrekk

An interview with me for International Zine Month. wheee!

Zine Nation

In commemoration of International Zine Month 2015, we did a quick email interview with founder Alex Wrekk. Besides being the original force behind IZM, Alex is a well-known and well regarded zinester who publishes Stolen Sharpie Revolution: A DIY Zine Resource, and Brainscan Zine. Alex also organizes the Portland Zine Symposium, and runs Portland Button Works & Zine Distro.

How did the idea of International Zine Month come about in the first place?
It was kind of a joke. There are all these celebrations like May 4 (Star Wars May the 4th be with you) or World Goth Day or Donut day. Why not a zine month? I looked into how to do and you could actually petition the government of the US to declare a day, go the DIY route and just say it and hope everyone else gets excited and follows along! That’s what I did and…

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The 2015 LA zine fest was a blast, our DIY Buffy the Vampire Slayer tour was pretty rad, and pdxcarpet is a thing

Did you know the Portland airport carpet is a thing? It’s totally a thing. It’s a thing on Instagram so it must be a thing! I may not have been born in Oregon but my mother swears that the raised me to be an Oregon girl and I’ve been coming to the Portland airport since I was an infant to visit family right up to my 21st birthday trip (it was all about the craft beer!) I moved here in 1999 when I was 22. The Portland airport carpet has been a staple since 1987 when I was 10 years old. I was an angsty teen dressed in a Vision Street Wear or oversized Cure shirt and attempting to drown out the word with my headphones while being dragged away from a Utah summer with friends to hang out at my grandparents or cousin’s houses. I walked on that ugly obnoxiously bright carpet saturated in late 80s jewel tones. I think it was one of the first airports that had carpet and they didn’t allow chewing gum so that the carpet wouldn’t get ruined. That always reminded me of the Shonen Knife songs about no chewing gum in Singapore.

Anyway, since they have decided to update the ugly carpet people have been taking photos of their feet at the airport and tagging it on instagram with #pdxcarlet Let’s make no mistakes, the carpet is old and gross but I can’t help join in the celebration of my favorite city and my favorite airport, and my home. So, here’s my feet on the way to L.A.

L.A. Where it was going to be 85+ degrees and I left Portland in a heavy coat and leggings under everything where it was probably in the high 40s.

I got in pretty early in the morning and my lovely host, Amber, was working but my buddy Jonas was in town so I went to go hang out with him. The house he was staying at had a tangerine tree in the front yard. I utilized his tall-ness to grab one for my shortness. It was perfect. I don’t know why I’m always mesmerized by the fact that you can just grow citrus and avocados in California, but I am.

What’s a trip to the California coast without a photo of the sun setting into the ocean?

On Saturday Jonas, Amber and I had planned a DIY tour of Buffy the Vampire Slayer filming locations!

Our first stop was the house used as Spike, Drusilla, and Spike’s house. It’s a Frank Lloyd House called the Ennis House:

The next stop was an apartment building that served as the Hyperion Hotel in Angel. We could only get into the courtyard.

Next up! A cemetery that some of the scenes were filmed at. Most cemetery scenes were filmed on set, but this was a pretty cool cemetery.

Amber and Did a silly most crypt scene

After that we headed to Torrance to Buffy’s house! 1630 Revello Drive is not actually on Revello drive. The yard had more foliage than expected. There were bushes of lavender lining the walk and we loitered around outside like Spike.

And also took a selfie with the Summer’s residence.

After that we found Sunnydale High, which was actually Torrance High. We were excited and when we walked up there was a guy there who asked me “Are you also here to take a photo of Sunnydale High?”

It was a very “California” high school with lots of separate buildings and court yards to wander around in, not contained at all.

The famous court yard!

those damn stairs

It was super fun! I suggest you make your own tour if you get a chance.

The next day was the L.A. Zine fest Here’s the Portland Button Works table

Here is a portion of ONE of the TWO rooms

Here’s me with the rad shirt my friend Jonas gave me

Prepanel photo with Kelli (That Girl) Aurora Lady, me, and our moderator Joshua James of Antiquated Future distro

here’s me on a panel with some awesome zine friends  talking about perzines and what and how you choose to tell personal stories.

What’s a zine fest without some games of Mystery Sharpie Knuckle Tattoo games! This one was my favorite with Adam Gnade from Pioneers Press.

Photobooths with friends is another staples of zine fests!

And then I headed back to Portland where the weather was unseasonably nice! I didn’t even have to wear the leggings I brought as part of my carry on!

Two more zine things!

I just supported the Olympia Zine Fest’s Indiegogo campaign! You should do that too. You can get a table at a discount!

Also, The Chicago Zine Fest will be in May this year and we just signed up! Tables went quickly but we made the cut!

Hello February!

There’s only a few days left of the Stolen Sharpie Revolution blog tour! Go here and read along or register to win a free copy!

This month I hope to get review copies of SSR out as well as out to libraries and also to distros for consideration. I’m also excited about going to the L.A. Zine Fest! I’ll be on a panel about per-zines with some awesome folks.

Personally, I’m excited about garden planning! I’ve already bought some seeds and some new gloves.  I also bought tickets to see Dead Milkmen in March Jesus and Mary Chain in May in Seattle. It’s like two side of my punk/goth jr. high coin. This spring will be magical!

There are HOURS left to support the Stolen Sharpie Revolution Kickstater!

The Stolen Sharpie Revolution Kickstarter ends today, September 30, at about 8PM! That means that as of now you have about 10 hours to back the kickstarter. If you do not back the kickstarter and pre-order a copy of Stolen Sharpie Revolution they will not be available for purchase until late November or early December, so act now!

Yesterday I got the final files to the printer, ordered the custom Sharpie markers  (they will look like the image above printed on the barrel minus the red) got the t-shirt design off to the printer, and finished the survey that will go out to the backers. I’M SO EXCITED!

Thank you everyone that has backed this project and made it a success. It has been a rough 30 days and I’m glad it is over, but I’m stoked that we made it happen!

If you have not backed the Stolen Sharpie Revolution Kickstarter, here’s you last chance!

Stolen Sharpie Revolution Kickstarter has less than 60 hours left!

Stolen Sharpie Revolution: a DIY Resource for zines and zine culture (5th Edition) Kickstarter is less than 60 hours to completion! 

We have made our $6,000 goal with 4 days to spare! I’m not feeling completely proactive about setting a stretch goal, but here’s the thing. As of now There is enough for all the rewards and to print 4,000 copies of the 5th Edition of Stolen Sharpie Revolution.

If we can hit $7,000 we can print 5,000 copies! Can we do it? I’ve added 10 more 10 packs for schools, distros, stores, or for you to give away as gifts! There are still some t-shirts and Sharpie rewards. Also, if you would like to add to a level you have already committed to, you can change it and when I sent the survey at the end of the campaign you can just note that you’d like to add a Little Free Library patron reward for $25 or an extra copy of the book for $15.

So, we have less than 60 hours! Can we make it happen?

in zines we trust,

Alex Wrekk

There are mere days left for you to support the Stolen Sharpie Revolution Kickstarter!

Happy Autumnal Equinox!

 

This is just a quick note to remind you of the Stolen Sharpie Revolution: a DIY Resource for Zines and Zine Culture (5th edition) Kickstarter that is going on now!

 

Since 2002 Stolen Sharpie Revolution has been the go-to resource for zines and zine culture. With over 21,000 copies in print, this book is poised to break the quarter-hundred-thousand copy barrier at least BUT I NEED YOUR HELP!

 

Depending on when you are reading this there is either 9 or 8 days left to go and we are still short over $2,000 out of the $6,000 we need. So, if you were considering backing this project, THE TIME IS NOW! You can get yourself some fun rewards including an actual Sharpie Marker with “Stolen Sharpie Revolution” printed on it, a Stolen Sharpie Revolution T-shirt, all 5 editions of Stolen Sharpie Revolution, or get a pack of 10 for your store, distro, class or gift for friends, or have me do the layout for your zine! Maybe you already backed the kickstarter and are getting a copy of the book. Why not raise your donation level by $25 and donate a copy of Stolen Sharpie Revolution in your name to one of the many Little Free Libraries in Portland.

 

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the updates I suggest you do so. You can see some of progress and some photos of page layout, some early milestones and backers of the projects will see exactly how many gluesticks and rolls of double sided tape the layout took!

 

If you were thinking that you would just buy a copy of SSR later you might want to reconsider that as these will not be available to buy until AFTER the kickstarter rewards have been sent out. We are estimating that copies will not be available until late November. So, if you want to get a copy of the new edition of Stolen Sharpie Revolution you MUST act now and support the Kickstarter!

 

One more big announcement: The iconic covers of Stolen Sharpie Revolution will be receiving a bit of an update! My buddy Steve Larder, illustrator and author of Rum Lad zine has agreed to drawn me a new spiffy looking Sharpie marker for the cover! I’m so excited because I just I love Steve’s artwork. You should check it out as well.

 

Ok, that’s about it for now. Thanks for sticking with me and let’s get the Stolen Sharpie Revolution kickstarter to it’s close!

 

in zines we trust,

Alex Wrekk

Working on the 5th edition of Stolen Sharpie Revolution and I need your photos!

With 21,000 copies of the book in print through 4 editions, Stolen Sharpie Revolution has been the go-to resource for zines and zine culture since 2002. However, Stolen Sharpie Revolution is currently out of print. I’m about to launch a Kickstarter campaign to fund a 5th edition and I need your help!
I’d like to make a Kickstarter promo video with photos of Stolen Sharpie Revolution, including your photos! Show me photos of SSR on your bookshelf, in a shop window, on a table at a zine fest. Show me SSR with with you cats, dogs, or hedgehogs! I’d love to see a copy in the middle of you floor scattered with zine making scraps, tucked out of your backpack, or being read in public. All submissions that are included in the video will receive a free copy of the book when it is printed.
All submissions must be received by 2 February 2014 Submissions should be sent to: StolenSharpieRevolution@live.com

STOLENSHARPIEREVOLUTION.ORG

Did you know that the zine resource listings that have always appeared in the back of Stolen Sharpie Revolution are now collected and updated on the StolenSharpieRevolution.org website? The resources were always the most difficult part of upkeep and a website makes this so much easier. Check it out for zine distros, stores that sell zines, a calendar of zine events and more!  As always SSR is only as good as the information I have. If you see that I’m missing something, a new zine event, a shop in your town that sells zines, a zine distro that hasn’t been included, please send a message through the contact form on the site and I’ll get it added.

Please reblog and spread the word!

In zines we trust,

Alex Wrekk

*Multiple copies received from a single person will result on only one free book. Owner of submitted photo reserves all rights to submitted images but may be asked for it to be included in promotional materials.

International Zine Mon Day 3, 4, and 5

Alright! For the Activity of IZM Day 3 I ordered a zine from Doris Press.

Yesterday the task was to re-read your favorite zines. It seem easy enough, right? I spent the day at the shop pressing buttons and came home and made some food. The Paul and I started going through boxes of old zines. I just kept thinking about a line I wrote for a Copy Scams song:

“My favorite zines are by my friends

and I’ve got room for more of them”

My favorite zines have always been by my friends, or people who became my friends through penpals and travels. So many connections as I dug through boxes stopping to think about the connections to each person. Some I haven’t seen in year, but the feeling was visceral. I could recall exactly how I felt when I retrieved a zine from my mail box of cracked the cover while sitting on the bus.

I’m missing a lot of the “popular” zines. I lost my zine collection in my divorce, but I complained about it publicly enough so that a version of my zine collection was sent back to me.  It was missing old issues of Cometbus, Doris, Burn Collector, etc. But that’s ok. I still had Lunchroom, Paul’s zine that I got from him at a show in 1997, and Maybrick’s Diary and all sorts of mid-90s zines from Salt lake City. Plus, I got back a lot of the zines from my personal penpals. Some of them I lost touch with like nicole from Voice of One from Hamilton, Ontario and Tim from Hello Nothing from Winter Springs, Florida who had the same birthday as me. I wonder where they are?

I took this photo on my table this morning after we sat around reading zines and listening to records last night. I love zines and rereading my favorites reminds me why!

International Zine Month Day 5: teach yourself a new skill

So, I feel pretty confident in a lot of the zine skills I have. However, I did buy a table top photocopier that arrived last week. I’m finishing up a huge button order and I haven’t let myself play with my new toy yet. I hope to get that order wrapped up today so I can see what it’s got in the way of making some fun photocopier art!

International Zine Month Day 1 &2 Top 10 reasons why I love zines

Ok, I really wanna try to keep up with the blog again and what better way than to also keep up with International Zine Month?

Day 1: I posted in this thread on Wemakezines.

Day 2: Top 10 reasons I love zines

1. When I was a teenager growing up in Utah in the 90s zines showed me a different world outside the oppressive one I was living in and opened my eyes to new experiences and ways of living.

2. From that first moment of realizing “I can do this too!” Zines have given me an exhilarating sense of self expression on my own terms.

3. I could do something and be a part of a culture that wasn’t just forming bands and I didn’t need to find other people to work on a project.

4. Zines gave me a new name. True story! You didn’t really think my actual name was “Alex Wrekk” did you?

5. Zines fueled the love I already had for mail and postal goodness. When I was 19 my post box key was a prized possession that gave me access to a whole world.

6. Zines gave me something to do with my paper hoarding and office supply obsession.

7. Zines helped me get out of Utah. I moved to Portland in 1999 and most of the people I knew here knew me from zines. Zines automatically gave me friends in a new city.

8. Zines opened my eyes to new experiences from politics to the fascinating lives of people who were very different than me.

9. Zines give me more than just “tourism” as a reason to travel and they give me a place to stay when I get somewhere with the invaluable local eye view of a city. I have been to zines events in dozens of cities in 4 different countries sleeping on the floors of people that I only knew from paper. When I was 19 I wrote in a zine that I wanted to be able to know enough people through zines than I would always be able to find a place to stay across the country if I needed it. I think I’m pretty close to that. Conversely, I invite those people back to my city to share when they are in my town, The Portland Zine Symposium is a great reason to get people to visit me!

10. Zines have given me some of my very best friends. I even met my partner, Paul, through zines in a way when we traded zines at a show in 1997.  I feel like these connections through zines are some of the strongest and most lasting over the years. It’s good to see my friends grow up and grow more into themselves.

 

International Zine Month 2013!

Play along at home with Events and  31 Activities for 31 Days of International Zine Month!

When posting online about International Zine Month use the #IZM2013

31 Days of International Zine Month July 2013

I LOVE ZINES WEEK!

1 – Sign up or sign in to WeMakeZines.ning.com and write about IZM and what you plans are to celebrate zines this month! Feel free to write about it on your personal site as well!

2 – Make a Top 10 list of reasons why your love zines, post them online if you would like.

3 – Zine Distro Appreciation Day! Order from a zine distro.

4 – Reread your favorite zines and remind yourself why you love them so much.

5 – Teach yourself a  new zine skill: learn how to book bind, make a 1 page zine, photocopier art, etc.

6 – Check out ZineWiki.org and add your zine or update existing entries.

 

ZINE EVENT 6 JULY – Kuala Lampur Zine Fest (Kuala Lampur, Malaysia)

ZINE EVENT 6 JULY –  Canberra Zine Emporium (Canberra, Australia)

POSTAL APPRECIATION WEEK!

7 – Make or decorate some envelopes or postcards to get ready for the week.

8- Make a little flyer for your zine to send out with orders and see if other people will trade for stacks of them so you can all promote each other.

(beginning of Ramadan, Muslim zine friends can pick back up on August 8th)

9 – Write a letter to a zine maker that you don’t know.

10 – Send a care package to a zine creator that you do know.

11 – Make some mail art!

12 – Send your zine out to be reviewed.

13 – Zine Trade Day! Ask someone if they would like to trade zines with you.

14 – ValenZINE’s Day! Write to your zine crush, or write to ZineCrush.com

 

ZINE EVENT 13-14 JULY – Zine Librarian (Un)Conferencehttp://iczluc.wikispaces.com/ (Iowa City, Iowa, USA)

 

ZINE DISTRIBUTION WEEK

15 – Leave a zine in public for someone else to find.

15 – Promote a zine that you really like that is not your own.

16 – Send your zine to a distro for distro consideration.

17 – Review a zine online or write a review of a zine to add to your zine.

18 – Order from a zine distro that you have never ordered from before.

19 – Zine Shop appreciation day! Stop by a shop that sells zines and buy some zines or consign your zines.

20 – Free Zine Day! Give your zine away to someone!

 

ZINE EVENT 20 JULY –  DC Zine Fest (Washington, DC, USA)

 

ZINE LIBRARY AND ZINE EDUCATION WEEK

21 – International Zine Library Day! Visit your local zine library!

22 – Send your zine to a zine library.

23 – Make a 1 page zine. Here are some instructions.

24 – Organize your zine collection.

25 – Teach a friend or family member about zines.

26- Submit something to a compilation zine.

27 – Organize a zine event! A zine reading or a zine fair or fest or even just for friends to get together and work on their zines.

 ZINE EVENTS 27 JULY:

27 – Tampa Zine Fest (Tampa, Florida, USA)

27 – Self Publishing Fair (Derby, UK)

JUST FOR FUN WEEK

28 – Cook with a recipe from a zine or cook zine!

29- Post a photo online of you with your zine or your zine collection.

30 – Read some zines! Lay in bed and read zines all day if you can!

31 – Log into WeMakeZine and write about your experience or write about it on your own blog.

 

ZINE FEST 31 JULY – 1 August San Francisco Zine Fest (San Francisco, California, USA)

EXTRA CREDIT

-Read a zine everyday

-do a 24 hour zine (sign up here http://24hourzines.com)

-post your progress online on your blog or on We Make Zines

-Attend a zine event

-Draw a comic each day and release them at the end of the month

Here’s the activity poster for 2013 International Zine Month! Print off your own copy here, get one free with orders from Portland Button Works, or send a stamp or IRC to:

International Zine Month

c/o Portland Button Works

1322 North Killingsworth

Portland, Oregon USA