how did you get involved in zines/d.i.y. publishing?
i picked up my first zine at a punk show when i was 16. i had never seen or heard of zines before, & i remember being totally immersed in it for months. i was an awkward teenager struggling with a huge desire to simultaneously separate myself from & relate to everyone around me. i was going through a long phase of feeling very unnoticed & unheard. reading that zine [i dont even remember the name of it now] was so amazing to me, because this person was putting everything s/he felt onto paper, & printing it & giving it to whoever, & creating their own venue for their voice to be heard. my best friend & i played around with the idea of making a zine for the next couple of years, but nothing ever came of it. when i was 18 i finally made one on my own.

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?
i make paper zines because they feel more personal. when i read zines i like to take them with me for a couple days, running errands, or taking walks, or hanging out in the park. i like to think that my zines are hanging out in back pockets or at the bottoms of messy back packs, or tucked away in books--waiting to be read like personal letters.

the internet seems to be degrading everything that was once sincere. people send emails instead of letters, know the weather a week before it rains, & flea markets suck because of ebay. however, it is pretty nice to have zines so accessible through distro & personal websites.

what is your writing/editing/layout process like?
it's a long tedious process. first i write a basic idea of what i want the zine to include--pretty much anything that goes through my head about whatever topic or story. i type it up on the computer then print out a draft. then i work it to death--change anything that needs changing, expand on important things, add details. then when i can't possibly do anything else with that draft i take everything that was changed on paper & change it on the computer version...then i print out another draft & do the same thing. i do this until i can print a draft &n ot want to change a single thing. THEN i email the draft that i am completely satisflied with to a list of friends who have agreed to read it & pick it apart in exchange for a future zine or cookies. i get the feedback & either change things or keep it the same. THEN when i am totally satisfied with the writing i type the entire thing on a real typewriter. my layout is really basic, mostly just text...so i spend some time getting it copy-ready..then make a cover...& usually finish up last minute details at the copy shop.

how do you think the zine community or the process of making zines has changed since you've been involved?
it's hard to tell how the zine community as a whole has changed because i have lived in so many different places since i have been involved in zines, & each place has had a drastically different take on zines.

as for process, i have been seeing many more zines with really nice clean layouts. it seems like a lot of zinesters are taking themselves more seriously, which is great!

are you "out" to people in your life as a zinester? how do you explain it to people who don't understand?
i'm open to anyone knowing that i write zines, but i am pretty picky about which family members actually get to read them. i used to be excited about explaining to people what zines are, hoping that they would touch other people the way they have touched me. but, i have become very tired of it, & i try to avoid that conversation at all costs these days.

what do you like best about the zine world? what do you like least?
my complaint about the zine world is that it often feels very clique-y. & because of that [& because of my tendency to be somewhat anti-social] i sometimes feel outcasted in it, even though i have been writing zines for a really long time.

the best part, though, is reading a zine that i have never read before, written by someone i have never met, & feeling SO CONNECTED to them through their words. & actually being able to write to them & establish a friendship from it.

do zines play a political role in your life? are you involved in other d.i.y. projects? do they play a political role?
i think zines play a political role in my life in the way that the personal can be very political. my zines & the zines i love most are based around stuff like trauma, healing, learning to communicate in a healthy way, self exploration/growth & living in a way that's sustainable--which is all so interwoven in everything political.

my other d.i.y. projects [existing and/or in the developing process] include being involved in an artists' collective; i'm writing a book; slowly trying to start up a Free Child Care Collective; organizing skillshares; etc etc.

what advice might you have for someone who is new to the zine community
take your time. with zines, quality is so much more important than quantity. read a lot of zines to get inspired but try to come up with your own ideas & a way to really make your zine your own. & if you have questions there are a million resources & zinesters willing to help you out.

what role do you think distros can/should play in the zine community?
i have no expectations from zine distros beyond the basics of making zines more accessible [for both the zine reader & the zine writer].

are there changes you'd like to see in the zine community or your own zine creation?
i just want to see more people getting excited about zines. i'd love to see more people writing zines & actively searching for zines. as for my own zine, i hope it is always changing & growing to represent the way that i am always changing & growing.

i'd love to talk to people about so many other things related to & not related to zines. let's be pen pals. let's trade letters & art & secrets & stories & mix tapes. damn, let's just be friends.

andee grrr
p.o. box 1824
brattleboro, vt 05302.