Folklore in the Pages of my Favorite Zines

Over the past few days I have been working each morning on a writing project. I am calling this time my DIY Writing Retreat and I am happy to say it is going quite well if not quite as planned. Today when I sat down to share about how the retreat has been going, I realized that I never actually explained what it is I am making.

I am making a zine! If you are already familiar with this term just skip ahead to the next paragraph. If the the world of zines is new to you here is my definition: a zine is a self-published magazine and it can be about anything. A zine can be as short or as long as the writer desires. A zine can be factual, fictional, of dedicated entirely to fandom. Most zines are printed at home, or using library printers, bound by hand or even with a stapler.

((Me cutting out the pages of my previous witchy zine))

I am making a perzine, otherwise known as a personal zine. But, to be even more specific, I am making a witchy zine.

What exactly is a witchy zine?

Well .... I feel that I can really only explain with examples. So, here are a few of my favorite witchy/folkloric zines that have served as inspiration for my current zine project.

Witchy zines are often written from a first person perspective, really they are written quite similar to a journal entry. They are filled with personal anectodes about how the writer lives and practices witchcraft.

And in true zine style, very often they are filled with collage. Images are cut & pasted alongside excerpts of writing. While in the world of publishing books on witchcraft and occultism are having a boom, they never really seem to capture the DIY spirit of witchcraft like these zines do.

These are my favorites and the ones I go to for inspiration. These zines are unpolished, inperfect, and handmade which, to me at least, is a better representation of the folklore of modern witchcraft.

This one - by Leodrune - is so unique. I love that it has a bit of a story book element to it. And while I won't be filling my booklet with illustrations, this is the vibe I am going for in my own upcoming zine.

So, back to my current project:

Yesterday I used my allotted time to type of some of the notes I had made in my notebook so that everything is in one document, to be printed soon.

There are many more steps before my zine is completed and ready to be listed in my Etsy shop or traded with other zinesters. I suspect that by next week the first draft will be complete and then comes to fun part ~ collaging!

My plan is to have a first edition printed and bound by July when I hope to list them on my store (at a discount for people who read this blog) and mail them all over the world! Exciting!!

((my previous witchy zine which I still have quite a few of, will also be available when I restock the shop in July!))