Estee Sarsfield, who started the Mtns Zine Club in 2022
Visiting the Blue Mountains Zine Fair was exhilarating! On Saturday 29th March it was a grey wet day in Katoomba, but from the moment we stepped out of the lift at the Cultural Centre, we felt as though we’d been hit by an explosion of creativity, warmth, joy and proof that ‘the resistance’ to the destructive forces at play in our world is alive, well and spreading infectiously.
Key Points:
- Zines are small, handmade independent ‘magazines’ that are not-for-profit and made for love.
- The zine community is creative, inclusive and welcoming.
- The Mtns Zine Club meets on the third Sunday of each month from 1.30-3.30pm at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre (27th April this month because of the holidays)
Like our hyperlocal news sites in every neighbourhood, zines offer an alternative to mainstream publishing and news, that’s not-for-profit and made for love!
They are generally small hand-made magazines, but what the Zine Fair demonstrated was that diversity is celebrated in every way in the zine community and that there are many ways to communicate complex ideas and emotions, to express your creativity, and to have fun!
At the Fair there was even an opportunity to participate in creating a collaborative Megazine:
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the Zine Fair, which we got our first glimpse of as we stepped out of the crowded lift, was the wide age range of those attracted to zines.
The Fair included 72 tables of zine makers of all ages, and the Cultural Centre was buzzing with young people attracted to the event.
Elka Hay and Marnie Tomczyk
Elka Hay, one of the younger members of the Zine Club, who was demonstrating how she makes her zines at the Fair, is attracted to zine making because “you can do whatever you want. It is really creative.”
As well as very young and first-time zine makers, the Fair also included pioneers of zine culture in Australia like Vanessa Berry, author of Calendar, and the long-running zine series I Am a Camera (2000-present). Her works are held are held in the collections of many zine libraries in Australia and around the world.
The Mtns Zine Club, which organized the event, meets on the third Sunday of each month (but 27 April this month), and attracts between 25 and 40 participants of all ages.
These social meetings are an opportunity to both make and swap zines at the Cultural Centre, with materials and tea and coffee provided, and an opportunity to become part of this welcoming and inclusive creative community.
If you missed the Fair you can always pop in to the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre to pick up a zine from the Zine Dispensary:
Take Action:
- Support zine makers by purchasing a zine from the Zine Dispensary at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre
- Drop in to a meeting of the Mtns Zine Club at the Cultural Centre on the third Sunday of the month to learn more.
- Learn more about zines and take part in a zine-making tutorial here: https://www.mca.com.au/learn/adults/some-possible-zine-futures/
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More from around the region
Our Bushcare Group meets this Saturday 3 May from 1.30 to 4.30 pm. Join us! We`re restoring habitat for wildlife and `dreaming of a time when the land might give thanks for its people`. Our Bushcare group is part of the Planetary Health Centre`s Skill Share Saturday which starts at 8am with T`ai-chi and Qigong and is followed by different workshops each month, then Bushcare and a delicious afternoon tea in the bush!
No experience is required. You`ll receive training on identifying native species, and invasive weeds, and training on how to treat/remove those weeds. All tools, gloves and training will be provided by Blue Mountains City Council’s Bushcare Officer.
If you have any enquiries or are interested to attend, please contact Karen Hising (Bushcare Officer) via email at [email protected] or call the Bushcare Office on 4780 5623.
Full information as to what to wear and bring, where to meet and what to expect during the work session will then be provided.
If you`d like to learn more about other Planetary Health Centre activities email [email protected] or ring 0407 437 553
#bushcare #planetaryhealth #wildlife #habitat #katoomba #bluemountains #biodiversity #robinwallkimmerer
We`re looking forward to our next Saturday morning T`ai-chi and Qigong at 8am this coming Saturday 3 May. It`s the most beautiful gentle exercise to start the day (and the month!), and Virginia Field is a fabulous trainer with over 30 years` experience. Numbers are limited so book in here (link in profile):
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/saturday-morning-tai-chi-and-qigong-at-the-planetary-health-centre-tickets-1325749836449
#taichi #qigong #skillsharesaturday #skillshare #planetaryhealth
Over 80 people gathered in Peace Park Katoomba today to reflect on all victims of war: those who died in battle; those who were maimed physically and/or psychologically; the suffering of loved ones and relatives on the homefront; and those who opposed conscription and war. It was an opportunity to reflect on the causes of war and call for a future of peace and reconciliation. @bm_peace_collective
#peace #anzacday #peacenetwork #planetaryhealth #katoomba #bluemountains
‘The resistance’ to the destructive forces at play in our world is alive, well and spreading infectiously in the welcoming and inclusive zine community. Zines are small, handmade independent `magazines` that are not-for-profit and made for love. Read about the recent inspiring Blue Mountains Zine Fair in our Katoomba Area Local News here: https://www.katoombalocalnews.com/blue-mountains-zine-fair/ (link in profile)
and go along to the Mtns Zine Club`s monthly meet-up for making, swapping and sharing zines this Sunday 27 April at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre from 1.30 to 3.30pm (usually on third Sunday of each month)
@mtnszineclub
#zines #independentpublishing #resistance #planetaryhealth #club #bluemountains #katoomba #artmaking #creative
Do you have food growing in your garden over winter? At our next Skill Share on Saturday 3 May you can find out which edible foods grow well over winter in a cold climate, and get hands-on experience building and planting out a no-dig garden bed with a winter crop at the Planetary Health Centre.
Through this process you will be given an introduction to permaculture and learn more about seed saving, seed germination, composting and cold climate gardening strategies.
Seeds and seedlings will be shared to help you get started at home! Places are limited so bookings essential here:
http://bit.ly/4jqRerw (link in profile)
#coldclimategardening #wintergardens #ediblegardens #bluemountains #katoomba #planetaryhealth #permaculture #skillshare
At the Blue Mountains Interfaith Gathering on the 30 March, 97-year old Sister Jacinta Shailer from the Sisters of the Good Samaritan urged us to respond to the increasing challenges facing us by `joining heroic communities’. Read more about what she said and all the other inspiring contributions on the day in our Katoomba Area Local News here:
https://www.katoombalocalnews.com/create-heroic-communities/ (link in profile)
#interfaith #heroiccommunities #bahai #brahamkumaris #quakers #unitingchurch #catholic #bluemountains #planetaryhealth #katoomba @planetaryhealthalliance
Our Planetary Health newsletter is now out! Read about the Trainee Administration Position available with the Planetary Health Centre, our upcoming workshops, and the Heroic Communities of the Blue Mountains who are finding housing for older women; creating inclusive and creative alternative media with zines; sharing their faith in the value of compassion, love, kindness, gratitude and joy; and sharing skills for improving physical and mental health and restoring habitat for wildlife, reducing textile waste and growing seeds and edible gardens.
Follow the link here:
https://bit.ly/42l8W9O (link in profile)
#jobs #planetaryhealth #housing #housingforolderwomen #skillshare #bushcare #ediblegardens #heroiccommunities #zines #seedsaving #interfaith
It was gloriously sunny and we had a fabulous day of sharing at the Planetary Health Centre yesterday, from T`ai-chi to workshops on the Frogs of the Blue Mountains, Fashion Upcycling and How to Build a Survival Garden in the Blue Mountains. We finished with a Bushcare session in which we enjoyed the beautiful bushland on the site and removed invasive weeds to expand the habitat for wildlife around our swamp. We were joined by frogs in our pond and the little echidna who returned for a swim! Thank you to everyone who shared so generously. We tasted Yacon and shared rhizomes, Purple Congo Potatoes, Oca, Turmeric, and seeds for Salsify, Egyptian Spinach, Red Mustard, Echinacea, Parsley, Chard, Radish, and Red Noodle Beans. Our next Skillshare Saturday will be on the first Saturday of May. If you`d like to be notified of all our workshops, and the meetings of our Seed Saving and Gardening Groups, subscribe to receive the fortnightly Planetary Health newsletter at any of our Local News sites like www.katoombalocalnews.com (links in profile) #skillshare #planetaryhealth #taichi #qigong #frogs #bluemountains #katoomba #fashionupcycling #upcyclingfashion #survivalgardens #seedsaving #loofah #community
Our Skillshare Saturdays are on the 1st Saturday of every month and we`re looking forward to a beautiful sunny day tomorrow for our first Morning T`ai-chi & Qigong. Fashion Upcycling is booked out this month, but we still have a few places for Frogs of the Blue Mountains, Building a Survival Garden and Planetary Health Bushcare. Bookings via Eventbrite (links in profile). For more information ph. 0407 437 553
#skillshare #planetaryhealth #sunnyday #katoomba #bluemountains #taichi #qigong #frogs #seedsaving #survivalgardens #bushcare
