#bczf

Janelle Monáe Dirty Computer Fanzine Call for submissions

Deadline: Friday 31st August 2018 Saturday 8th September 2018 Sunday 16th September 2018 (no further extensions)

Launch: Saturday 6th October 2018 @ Bristol Comic & Zine Fair

Please send art work inspired by the music of Janelle Monáe. For example illustrations, comics, cosplay photos, articles and gig reviews. You are welcome to feature collaborators such as Grimes and Zoë Kravitz. 

How to submit Email [email protected] with the header ‘JANELLE MONAE SUBMISSION’, attach your final pages ready for printing and include the following information Name you wish to be credited as: Website (optional): Address (for posting your copy):

Contributors will receive a physical copy of the fanzine through the post. Initial print run will be sold at a price calculated to cover the cost of print and postage (international submissions are welcome). There will be an opportunity to order more units to sell from your own table at events.

Technical guidelines   If files aren’t a high enough quality I won’t be able to include them, so please do check this list carefully before making your submission and then again when you send files. I am planning to have the zine printed using a risograph machine - it works a lot like a photocopier - try to make sure photographs or grey scale artwork have enough contrast. Text heavy articles are welcome but please format and decorate your own pages for print and make sure it fits a maximum of 2 pages.

A5 + 2mm bleed (152 x 214mm) Portrait Black & white 300dpi JPEG or flattened TIFF/PSD file 2 pages maximum

Template coming soon

If you have any questions feel free to contact me at [email protected]

www.thatmusiczine.tumblr.com/janellemonae

FAQ

Here’s the front and back cover of the printed version of my dissertation that I’ll be selling at BCZF!

Me and Jade Innes will be sharing (half) a table at BCZF (Bristol Comic & Zine Fair) 2017!

It will be taking place in Bristol at The Station, on Saturday 7th October. You can find out more info on BCZF here, and nearer the time there’ll be flyers around Bristol. I’ll be sure to scan and post one on this blog when they come to be!

I’ll be selling zines, badges, and some prints, so it’d be great to see you if you’re in the area come October! 

Jade’s website

Sitting in the studio looking at books and prints that I bought/traded at BCZF, I still cannot believe it’d happened after a long travel back and forth from Norwich to Bristol. 

(right: Nicolas Stevenson, left: Mari Campistron)

(print that I traded with Sofia from Rabbits Road Press) 

I think one of the benefits of doing a tour is that you get to see people whose work inspire you. I’m working on my dissertation on Independent publishing with three points - 1. why, 2. how (any limitation of digital commons) 3. where (how riso helps). It is heavily referencing Rabbits road press and their work at manor part as well as their side projects including their trip to Malaysia to look at indie zine scenes in Malay. During the conversation with Sofia, I brought up my mini-trip to New malden which was prompted by a documentary about North Korean refugee living in New malden area. I was first so intrigued by the stats - UK is the second largest country for North Korean refugee’s population after South Korea. 

Just as a side note before going into the main, the trip was impressive. They had signs in Korean as well as English and H mart that we went to had North Korean words for the decryption of food which even to me was slightly foreign. 

Even the cafes we went to were decorated with Korean’s taste. e.g. Tea shops with small scones with loads of whipped cream just as how we like in South Korea. 

Going back to the main bit, Sofia found it so curious and encouraged me to research more about indie publishing scenes in Seoul and what the unique character is. That was something that I’ve always interested in - last summer when I was in Seoul, Yonhee and I went to indie bookshops and discussed how fast things are created and changed in the scene eating olives and bread. 

I also met Hamja, the author of Shy Radicals. Conversation was so valuable and he gave a talk about D.I.Y culture; zine history and making zines as sub-cultures and remapping zine worlds in Asia and Africa. He even mentioned how he’d like to visit Norwich to give a talk if invited! It really made me think about possibility of hosting a zine fair in Norwich so I can invite incredible people to Norwich. 

It was also good to see people being interested in my work. This time, I had more reasonable goods like £1 riso postcards, £2 pamphlet zines and cheap prints. They drew more younger audiences who seem to be drawn by the covers of those zines. My feeding zine also seemed to communicate well this time. I am thinking of making a 2nd version of Feeding which would be about looking at food in the cinematic setting through the angle of queerness.

From this trip, I feel more energised and purposed. For Brighton fair, I’d love to make more greeting cards and at least a book that can also accommodate my illustrations well.