Stolen Sharpie Revolution
By Alex Wrekk
Genre: Art, Graphic Design, How-To
Since 2002, Stolen Sharpie Revolution: a DIY Resource for
Zines and Zine Culture has been the go-to guide for all things zine-related.
This little red book is stuffed with information about zines. Things you may
know, stuff you don't know and even stuff you didn’t know you didn’t know!
Stolen Sharpie Revolution contains a cornucopia of
information about zines and zine culture for everyone from the zine newbie to
the experienced zinester to the academic researcher. Stolen Sharpie Revolution
consists of thoughtful lists and step-by-step how-to guides on everything from
definitions of a “zine,” where to find zines, why they are important, how to
make them and how to participate in zine culture.
This book has everything you need to get started creating
your own zine, or to figure out what to do with the zine you just made. Stolen
Sharpie Revolution serves as both an introduction into the wide world of zine
culture and as a guide to taking the next step to become a part of it.
My Review
Stolen Sharpie Revolution is the holy & sacred book for
zinesters. Seriously, it is. This zine resource is perfect for both novice
zinesters and old school zine kids. Actually, any creative person could benefit
from this book. It’s 4.25" x 5.5" size is very appealing because it’s
easy to travel with and realistic to carry around in a bag or coat pocket.
I appreciate that Alex Wrekk continues to update Stolen
Sharpie Revolution so that it contains the most up-to-date information about
the postal system and internet & in-person resources. SSR is chock full of
the basic information to get you started in the zine world – from making zines,
to selling/trading to attending zine fests to zine libraries. It’s a how-to
guide yet it’s a wonderful inspiration for those who want to be more involved
in the zine community but may not know where to begin or need a refresher on
ideas.
I don’t think readers should approach this as just a
beginner’s guide though. I’ve been making zines for 11 years and I still use my
copy of SSR to help me layout out quarter-sized zines. It’s true. AND I am one
of the organizers of the Olympia Zine Fest, so I am excited to use some of the
tips in SSR to help plan our first zine event this fall.
Promoting your zine,
getting a post office box, using a pen name, writing to prisoners, block
printing, mail crafts … it’s all in this small book of awesome.
Bio
Alex Wrekk’s life revolves around making things; primarily
zines, custom pinback buttons (badges), vegan food, travel plans, and space for
a cat in her bed.
Alex Wrekk has lived in Portland, Oregon since 1999 and has
been creating the zine Brainscan since 1997. Brainscan zine has grown and
changed with Alex over the years with stories ranging from travel, reproductive
health, love and loss, emotional abuse recovery, zine culture, and even fiction
all wrapped up in text and photocopier art. She also wrote the book Stolen
Sharpie Revolution: A DIY guide for zines and zine culture that is now entering
its 5th edition.
When Alex isn't doing zine things she is doing other zine
things like organizing the Portland Zine Symposium, establishing July as
International Zine Month, commiserating with Zine Event Organizers around the
world, updating the zine event listings on StolenSharpieRevolution.org, hosting
the podcast Nobody Cares About Your Stupid Zine Podcast, fidgeting with her
Risograph printer, reading from her zines out loud on zine tours or singing in
a zine themed pop-punk band called The Copy Scams.
Alex has been making custom pinback buttons since 2000 under
various business names. In 2012 Alex opened Portland Button Works and zine
distro, an online and brick and mortar shop in Portland, Oregon selling zines
and books and making custom buttons, bottle openers, and magnets in 4 different
sizes. She also maintains an Etsy shop with the same name.
Alex Wrekk twitter http://twitter.com/alexwrekk
Stolen Sharpie Revolution Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/stolensharpierevolution
Stolen Sharpie Revolution.org
http://www.stolensharpierevolution.org
Portland Button Works Website www.portlandbuttonworks.com
GIVEAWAY INFO:
Alex is giving away 5 print copies of Stolen Sharpie
Revolution + a Custom Stolen Sharpie with each one. This is an international
giveaway!
1 comment:
Thanks for the lovely review!
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