Dec. 23, 2012 at 2:46pm with 1 note
queer zine fest londonwasted zinewhy can't you draw something nicemichelle mendonca artqueer zines
WASTED

The plan was to allow myself a good, healthy fortnight to process ALL THE FEELINGS before I blogged about Queer Zine Fest London’s hugely successful inaugural bash. But now that the aforementioned measure of time has passed, I find I’m still deep in the throes of emotional recalibration, and I’m not sure I’m able/inclined to articulate how very much the event meant to me just yet. Expect a belated blog post re this at some point in the new year. 

I managed to put together two zines in time for QZFL. The first, WASTED, is a fanzine for the vanished London haunts of my queer youth, featuring illustrations by Michelle Mendonça. The cover photo features M and me in drunken slumber on the night bus. It’s one of my favourite photos of us, and was taken during the very early, inebriated days of our courtship. Here’s the blurb:

This is a fanzine about the queer haunts of our youth. It’s a love letter to the lost heart of queer London, one that’s been obliterated by Cross Rail expansion, ConDem-led recession and the exodus of queer culture from central to east London. This is a map of the places were we fell in love, the clubs in which we found community, friends and home. This is for all the places that existed before Facebook was a thing, before the smoking ban came into force, for beloved dives in and around Soho, Tottenham Court Road and Leicester Square, a paean to once-thriving queer venues that are no more. 
Paypal £1 and yr addy to charlotte.richardson.andrews@gmail.com and a copy can be yrs!

The second, Why Can’t You Draw Something Nice? is a queer art zine by Michelle Mendonça. She’s tech challenged, so I handled the grunt work (margin twiddling, layout fiddling, pagination wizardry) and whipped up an intro. M is mega talented, and I think her work will take off in a mighty big way come 2013. WCYDSN? is also £1. Send yr details to raisingrrl81@hotmail.com for the goodies.   

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