Monday 30 December 2013

Classification Party

It has been scientifically proven that adding the word 'party' to anything automatically makes it sound more fun. So here we are attempting to make sorting things into a vaguely logical order sound exciting. On January 18th we have hired the little room at Nexus Art Cafe and we'd like people to come and help us organise the collection into a handful of very broad categories. We think this will help people to browse the shelves a little bit easier.

All the information is available on the Facebook event page. Please feel free to share the event with your pals! You don't have to commit or anything, you can just pop in for a few minutes if you happen to be in the area. There's sure to be some nice people to talk to about zines and whatever else you like talking about. And you can have a cup of tea and a slice of cake while you're at it. Check out the super cool poster below, as designed by the extremely talented Stef Bradley of Today Zine fame.

Whether you can come or not, we'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support since we took over the library in the summer. Hopefully 2014 will bring lots of exciting new developments for the library! Happy New Year!



Sunday 1 December 2013

New in: Big Donation #2






Another big pile of zines! This time, from Anne who lives in Japan. Thanks!

New in: Big Donation #1



Look at all these! The lovely Ben Catt has kindly donated a fair chunk of his zine collection to the library. All of these are now in the library for you to read. Includes stuff like Be Honourable by Josie Long, Twigs and Apples and Your Pretty Face is Going Straight to Hell. Plus loads of other neat stuff. Thanks Ben!

New in: 13 issue one


Azra Page says that her zine, '13' "is focused on art based around the fantasy world in my head. This world is made up of thirteen universes. I draw abstract pictures in sharpie, make collages and paint these universes".

New in: Node Pajomo XIV


Mail art project in zine form! 


New in: Lost Possessions


"Lost Possessions by Kevin Harris and Martin Dudley explores how, through a series of vignettes, we experience a kind of community through loss of things – gloves, scarves, hats, a bootee, a tie. Things which soon become a common feature of railings, benches and other street furniture, inviting us to speculate on how they became lost. They are temporary moments of connection to unseen and unknown others, drawing us into a consideration of other people’s lives that can never be resolved."

New in: Projects Not Programs



"Projects not Programs by the Institute of Cultural Inquiry is a manifesto by the Los Angeles creative group, the Institute of Cultural Inquiry that caught my eye both for its playful aesthetic and its message of open-ended creative exploration."






New in: The New Wizard of the West


The New Wizard of the West, published by The Periodical, is "An interview with Tesla, the Modern Miracle-Worker, who is Harnessing the Rays of the Sun; has Discovered Ways of Transmitting Power without Wires and of Seeing by Telephone; has Invented a Means of Employing Electricity as a Fertiliser; and, Finally, is Able to Manufacture Artificial Daylight" originally printed in Pearson's Magazine in May 1899.


New in: Today IV by Stef Bradley


The latest issue of Stef Bradley's very funny mini comic 'Today' features drawings of embarrassing childhood events, revenge, terrifying insects and loads more. Find it in the mini zines section at the back of the library.



New in: Mythologising Me: Seven is for Kitty Heaven



The seventh issue of Mythologising Me is a really great perzine that talks about things like "going back to study again, a trip to Norway and family deaths as well as mid-twenties angst". Come and have a look! You'll be able to find it in the mini zine section at the back of the library.


New in: Found by Jamie Martin


"Found is a 16 page photo zine created as a personal project for myself. This publication features 35mm black and white photography of locations and situations around Manchester."

You can buy a copy from here and have a sneak peek at the inside here.


New in: Up North 1



"up north is about getting photographs off the screen and sharing them in print. Future issues will depend on how often I get out and about with the camera. It would be great to hear from anyone interested in collaborating or contributing work, either in the UK or elsewhere. Any style or subject. Film or digital."

New in: The Chapess issue one


Re-issue of the first issue of the Chapess (2011) - a collective zine edited by Zara Gardner

Text and illustrations by

Ruby Ratafia
Misty Pane
Anna Anon
Betsy Hatter
Beth Morrison
Lucy Abel
Hels Belles
Cherry Styles
A. Stone
Deb O'Nair
Loretta De La Coeur
Zara Gardner

Buy it from here!

New in: Indie Kids


Indie Kids is a comic that "follows the annoying day to day lives of the 3 friends through love, heartbreak and rare out of print 7 inch records", made by Mat Adams. These have come all the way from Australia!

New in: Sloucher


We were given a copy of Sloucher, a zine about music and short stories, to add to the collection at the mini zine fair we exhibited at in Sheffield the other week.