I discovered zines in 1996, quite by accident, when I found a copy of A Girl's Guide to Taking Over the World: Writings from the Girl Zine Revolution (edited by Tristan Taormino and Karen Green) in the local library. I had never read anything like the articles in this book. They were subversive, irreverent, wicked, and they spoke to me. There were addresses to contact zine publishers and order zines in the back of the book and I immediately began sending away for zines like Hip Mama, Pills-A-GoGo, and RollerDerby. In January 1999, I began putting together a print zine titled jelly jar.
I have had articles published in local and national magazines, but the experience of publishing my own work without having an editor looking over my shoulder was quite different. I felt a sense of power: I was the one making decisions about what my work would look like, the layout, the word count, the words used.
The first issue was completed in January of 1999. I decided that each issue would have a theme: Issue #1 is "The Breakup Issue," a mishmash of articles (such as "How To End a Relationship"), book reviews, and a 3-page, real-life breakup letter (to Marie from her ex Sam, it included her one line response to him!). Issue #2, which will be out in June 1999, is subtitled "Workin for the Man." Articles include "Workplace Voodoo" and "Sacred (Work)space, Holy Paycheck: Creative Life as an Office Artist." jelly jar, for the most part, is put together using Microsoft Word. Some of the artwork is downloaded clip art and some is cut and pasted right on paper. Submissions were received via email, either in a Word attachment or as a scanned image. Once the photo-ready copy was complete, I was able to borrow a copier. I collated and stapled the zine in my living room with the help of some friends (thanks Ashley and Jennifer!). Since the first issue was free, I decided to distribute jelly jar independently, rather than fork over my dough to a distribution company. I set up an email address and rented a post office box for jelly jar. I posted announcements to newsgroups and forums on the Net. I mailed copies to a friend in San Francisco and another friend in Boston to distribute. I sent copies to publications that review zines. I distributed more than two hundred copies locally through coffee shops, bookstores, restaurants, and bars. I even handed copies out on the street (and enjoyed watching people stop in the middle of the sidewalk to read my zine!).
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