how did you get involved with zines/d.i.y. publishing?
I don’t think I had ever read a zine when I made my first zine. I had a friend named eleanor whitney, (who was like, the hippest hip that ever hipped). she started writing a zine called “indulgence” and I guess I thought, “that’s awesome, I can do that.” My ass of a high school boyfriend said something like, “you only want to write a zine because you want to be like eleanor.” Which infuriated me internally, (probably because it was true) and only made me want to write a zine more. My first zine was called “maisonette.” it was all prose and goopy syrupy juvenile bullshit. I had no politics, no beliefs and no struggle in my life. I was not informed or experienced in any way. Maybe a zine by a very naïve person could turn out inspiring and endearing, but “maisonette” was not the one. If you have a copy: do me a favor and destroy it. (this seems like it could be a common sentiment for people’s feeling about their early zine-making efforts.)

I toyed with the idea of making another zine for years, but didn’t know what to say. I knew that if I made a zine again I wanted it to actually offer something tangible, to speak about experiences that could impact people, to celebrate relevant aspects of being an anarchist lady, and to do it with beautiful layout.

why do you continue making paper zines in the age of the internet? how do you think the internet has affected the world of paper zines?
As far as the internet goes, I might as well be a luddite. I didn’t know zines had ever taken a computer double-life until a couple months ago. I don’t know why but it breaks my heart. There’s just something about paper. The smell of toner and the romance of ripping my hair out trying to get my pages photocopied squarely are forgivable by the end result of having a paper artifact. Zines are just like typewriters, rub-on letters, hand sewing, ancient books from the library, mason jars, cast iron skillets, patching your jeans instead of getting new ones, riding your bike when you could drive. I love things that live without being plugged in, that can be exchanged from hand to hand, and that can get weathered and rough around the edges. Reading a well-made zine is like finding a good letter from a friend, crammed in the back of a notebook that you forgot about years ago. An email could never be the same. (I see you rolling your eyes at me.)

what is your writing/editing/layout process like?
It took seeing a disaster area and having a friend ripped from my life to realize that what I needed to write about was going to come from a place of grief, confusion and a need for well-being. Getting knocked up and having amina inspired me to write more, and I felt like the two aspects of the death of a friend and the birth of a new one might just work well together. I can't write by hand. My handwriting can’t keep up with my ideas. I have a very damaged brain from drugs, I have pretty difficult dyslexia and it is hard for me to focus. I will come up with an idea I feel proud of, and then a minute later only remember that I was happy with the idea, the idea itself floating merrily away. Typing allows me to write fast, even if it is only with my two pointer fingers. Every line of my zine is pasted individually, which is actually how I edit. If I messed up a sentence, I will paste the corrections right in, one tiny word at atime. I edit things to death, needing to know that sentences make logical and literal sense, and that the whole story is concise, mildly comic, and correctly spelled. Side note: my pet peeves are as follows: 1.) phonies 2.) finding typos after I have already made photocopies.

how do you think the zine community or the process of making zines has changed since you've been involved?
I am not sure. I have never been involved in any community in relation to zines, other than a penpal here and there. I think more people feel entitled to make zines these days, and while they have every right to make a zine, it is too bad that they make a crappy, self-indulgent waste of time that might as well be a photocopied printout of their myspace page. Ouch. Burn. Conversely: there are fucking amazing zines out there that offer wisdom, insight, support and talk wisely about delicate issues. It seems that a lot of zines are really maturing, and I love that.

are you "out" to people in your life as a zinester? how do you explain it to people who don't understand?
My family knows that I self-publish, but I have never offered them a copy and they have never asked. This is ultimately emblematic of our entire family relationship. They aren’t interested in or proud of me, so I avoid every means of putting myself out there to gain approval. I figure if they haven’t expressed interest in me for nearly 26 years, why start now?

what do you like best about the zine world? what do you like least?
I love getting letters from people who have read my zine. I love getting new pen pals. However, it seems that zines have somehow lost that personal nature and people don’t see them as a means of communication anymore. Now they are something that you buy, and read for entertainment. I think it is important to remember that zines are for contact and sharing.

do zines play a political role in your life? are you involved in other d.i.y. projects? do they play a political role?
Sure, zines are a great means of political networking. I do prefer zines that are more personal aspects of being a politically-minded anarchist, though. The biggest d.i.y. project I am involved in right now is being a mama, building a house, and starting a small farm. I suppose this is political, because we intend to grow the bulk of our own food, be able to care for ourselves and our friends, and be able to avoid dealing with the bastards. Maybe I should write a zine about that.

what advice might you have for someone who is new to the zine community?
Be honest, use your own voice, and don’t name-drop.

what role do you think distros can/should play in the zine community?
I don’t really know much about distros, but I think it is a good way to get my zines out there without me having to think about it. For young kids who know that shit is fucked with the world, but are still figuring out where they stand, distros can be a great way to find allies and inspiration. Also, it is a good way for me to discover zines I may have never seen otherwise.

are there changes you'd like to see in the zine community or your own zine creation?
Fewer dead friends, more recipes.

you can get eva's zine, "what i saw from where i stood", through the distro.