We will be displaying some of our favorite queer and trans zines at PCZL until April 1st! Come check out what we have in store, and don’t forget to visit our friends over at the Queer Zine Archive Project.

We’d like to give a HUGE thank you to Gil and the rest of the Free Spirit dudes for organizing a great kickoff show for them and Disengage. Kids attending the show brought lots of rad one-page zines (and a few full zines as well) to share — and we raised $350 for Papercut! Other bands that played: Our Side, Bloodkrow Butcher, Pegasus and Step Forward — thanks guys for playing some awesome sets and bringing everyone out!

Come to the library today to see a few of the zines I picked up Friday, and be sure to check out photos at Future-Breed.com ( http://ow.ly/8DkCh )

Gil from Free Spirit put this awesome gig together, and is putting some of the proceeds towards the zine library! Go and bring a stack of zines (that you made) and you get $2 off the door price.

So, I mentioned these fancy new cards briefly in my last post, but I want to show off mine! This is the front; on the back there is room for our contact info and yours.

Again, this does not change anybody’s current membership and we will continue to accept one-time-donations for memberships. If you’d like to switch over, though, it is greatly appreciated! We are asking just $12/year ~ basically, a dollar each month for access to nearly 15,000 zines!

Special thanks to Chelsea Dirck for drawing this year’s cards! :)

A little late, but we just wanted to thank everyone for coming out o the opening! We had a great crowd come out to see the new space, as well as some amazing performers including our friends The Low Tide, Hi-5 Magazine, The Inman Review, and new friends We Avalanche and Adrian Emberley. We already feel so welcome here in our new space in Inman Square!

Zine-Making Space

Our new space now features a zine-making area, where folks can utilize our typewriter, old magazines and other craft supplies to create their own DIY publications!

Hours

The hours that we are open have stayed the same. Although the bookstore will have their own hours, we do ask hat patrons do not take zines outside of the library without a librarian formally checking it out for you.

Membership

New to the library? We are now offering yearly memberships for folks who would like to help us become more sustainable in the long-term. We will also allow folks to sign up as members using the old, one-time-donation system — and this does not affect  the membership that you have now.

We hope to see ya’ll at our new space soon! Be sure to sign up for our listserve to be alerted bout upcoming events and workshops.

Ever wanted to get involved at the zine library, but weren’t sure how?
Have some free time and want to just drop in and work on a few projects?

On Sunday, 6/26, we’re inviting anyone to drop in throughout the day to volunteer and learn about what it takes to be a collective member and/or volunteer!

Some projects we may be working on include:
-Re-shelving zines
-Cataloging
-Painting/decorating
-Cleaning/re-organizing
-Designing a new flyer

We will be going over our collective process and signing folks up for training shifts as well if they are interested.

Lunch provided!
(Facebook event here)

That’s right, folks. In case you missed that minor detail, this fundraiser was meant to be just ONE MONTH long. Unfortunately, in spite of the immense support we have witnessed over the last three weeks, we are still not quite on track.

Now, we hate asking for money. More than that, the Social Networking, blogging, and constant listserve updates are tearing us away from our beloved librarianing! We gotta keep those zines shelved, those workshops worked, and release parties…err, released! So help Papercut Zine Library continue to function at its highest capacity, and allow us to get a year’s worth of fundraising out of the way: Donate just $5 TODAY!

Not convinced? Well, here’s one more incentive to lift that donation out of your wallet/paypal/checkbook:

Christy Road, an activist, illustrator and zinester (known for her awesome zines Greenzine, Indestructible, among others) is donating a few prints of hers to the cause! That’s right. Donate in the next 48 hours (by 2pm WEDNESDAY) and you will be entered in a drawing to win one of her very own gorgeous full color posters. It will even be framed!

So what are ya waiting for? Let’s push this fundraiser into full gear! Donate now!

Last week, Anna and I were psyched to host a workshop at Teen Empowerment, an after-school center for youth in Somerville. We talked about the differences between zines and magazines, and why independent media is important! In the end, we worked on creating a zine together with poetry, art, perspectives on high school, and a guide to getting to prom on the cheap! Thanks for having us, TE!

In the next couple weeks, we will hosting the last three workshops in this series! Here is some information on those:

5/22: Zines in the Classroom: A Workshop for Educators
This workshop will focus on zines as resources for educators. We will explore zines made about teaching and learning, both in mainstream and alternative contexts, as well as the many exciting uses of zines in the classroom.
Creation of DIY media is a powerful (as well as cheap and accessible!) way to empower students to process and express their knowledge and experiences. We will brainstorm ideas and put them into practice as we create our own flash-zine during the workshop!

5/28:  Zines and Reproductive Health
We will be exploring the ways in which zines have changed the way many femal-bodied people have learned about their bodies–from alternative menstrual products to fertility awareness and herbal contraception. Examples of zines which have been particularly influential will be provided. All are welcome to attend! 2pm-4pm, Somerville Public Library. RSVP.

5/29: Free Zine Workshop
What is a zine? Why are they important? Most of all, how can I make one?!! This workshop is an introduction to the wide world of zines–whether you are a beginner who has never held a zine in your hands, or someone looking for tips at the photocopier: this is a workshop for you! 12pm-2pm,@Papercut!

Special thanks, once again, to the Somerville Arts Council for making this series possible!

Tomas Moniz, author of parenting zine: RAD DAD will be at Papercut on
Friday to host a series of readings and songs all about “the pain, pleasure, and politics of parenting…”

Featuring music by Newell Hendricks of Cambridge, Tomas’ stories from the Rad Dad series, and more!

This all gets underway at 7pm. There will be light refreshments provided. Please let us know ahead of time if you need arrangements made for childcare.