Echo news overview: what have I been up to (June 2021)

I haven’t done one of these updates in a while but now there are a bunch of things I’d like to share. So this is a list of news and announcements about projects I’ve been involved in lately, going from zine readings, exhibitions, and virtual zine fests to illustrations, podcasts, and music.

Even though the pandemic and semi-lockdown are still going on, I’m lucky to find a lot of options to remain creative and do stuff from home. It’s what gets me through these days and puts a smile on my face (same in non-lockdown times actually – seems like my life hasn’t changed that much). Please stay safe & enjoy reading my Echo “newsletter”:

News & updates: zines, libraries, workshops, band, and my zinester anniversary

It’s been a long while since I’ve had any news to share here beyond the zines I’ve been making during the lockdown in the past few months. But now the end of the summer is approaching, there is some exciting stuff happening and not just online!

These announcements include a zine workshop I’ll be doing in October, zine library donations, news from my band Lavender Witch, and… an upcoming zinester anniversary!!

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News and upcoming events – Fall/Winter 2018

So what’s up in ECHO world?

NEWS:

• If you follow this blog, you’ll already know that I recently participated in Inktober (a challenge to encourage drawing with ink every day in October). This month – November – is there is more creative fun with Zine Writing Month (ZineWriMo). I’m working on lots of zines at the same time: a mini-zine about where to find inspiration, a mini-zine about playing guitar, a fanzine, and the next issue of Same Heartbeats. Phew! Follow my progress here.
• The most recent zine I published is A Space of Our Own, a mini-zine about all the reasons why I love autonomous spaces. Check out my zine catalogue for a list of all my zines.
• If you’re looking for New Year’s cards (or postcards for other occasions/celebrations), I recently printed 3 new postcards designs. You can order them by mailing me at flapper_grrrl@yahoo.co.uk.
• Last month I did two zine workshops, at RoSa in Brussels and at Le Garach in Namur, that you can read all about on this blog. I was happy to have been invited for these events and it was a lot of fun to share the zine love!
• Some other recent blog posts include a list of zine libraries in Belgium, photos of my trip to the UK in September, a list of illustrations/articles I contributed to zines/books/etc, and mini-reviews of zines I recently read.

EVENTS:

L-festival
November 23rd – Rock Classic, Brussels
Concert of Lavender Witch together with Dragon’s Daughters as part of L-festival (co-organised by Pullet Rocks and Soirées Cerises) where we’ll also sell all of our zines, soaps, and buttons.
Facebook event

Barriversary
November 25th – ACU, Utrecht (Netherlands)
To celebrate the second anniversary of the book café Barricade, there will be a workshop, film, food, … and a panel discussion on radical books, with The Black Archives, Atalanta, and ECHO, co-organised by Bloed Aan De Muur.
Facebook event

Feminist Winter Market
December 4th – Amazone, Brussels
Feminist craft market to find DIY gifts for friends and family! I’ll bring my zines and postcards.
Facebook event

News & zine events (Summer)

So many announcements: zine plans, new zines, reviews, and two upcoming zine events!

 

Working on Same Heartbeats #13

News!

• International Zine Month is over but you can still read all about it on my blog. Check my posts here.
• My newest zine Same Heartbeats #13 is finished! (See photo on the right of “the making of”). Find out more on this blog very very soon! Recently I made some mini-zines too and you can order them separately as well as in a set!
• I have a new zine plan to announce and it is a collaborative one: J and I will be making a self-care cookzine with easy and fast recipes for bad or low-energy days when you just want to put a frozen pizza in the oven. So we’re looking for easy and healthier alternatives for dinner, snacks… Any suggestions and ideas are of course welcome! 🙂
• Sister Ray Zines has offered her help in making the Brussels DIY tourist zine which I am very happy about! I have to admit I was a bit stuck because it seems like such an overwhelming project. Also, Sister Ray’s zines are super cool, and creative collaborations are always fun, so it’s a total win! More and more amazing projects and places keep popping up in Brussels so it’s about time this zine gets made!
• And last but not least! Korbi Falardeau reviewed 3 of my zines, From Spice Girls to Riot Grrrls, Dirty Lesbian, and Space Invasion on YouTube. Isn’t this cool?! Watch it here and also check out all reviews of my zines.

 

Zine events!

• 

  Photo taken at Mothers & Daughters

  Zine workshop + zine table at Ieperfest
  Sunday August 12th in Ieper, Belgium
  During the hardcore punk festival Ieperfest we are making zines focusing on the relation between punk/music and sexism/feminism (though you can make zines about any subject you like), while eating yummy vegan food.
  Plenty of feminist zines and perzines available on the FEL stand.
  Website: Ieperfest

News, workshops & events (late Spring – Summer 2018)

Hi there! I’ve got a LOT of zine workshops coming up in the next few months, plenty of zine plans, and other news. It must be the zine season?

NEWS:

• Lately I’ve been working on two mini-zines at the same time. They talk about playing guitar and Chainsaw Bunny. I intend to finish them very soon. I’m also considering selling all my mini-zines as a set. (I got my inspiration and idea from the amazing Rachael House and her amazing mini-zines). Here you can see some photos of the “making of” these zines… –>
• Sea Green Zines wrote a lovely review on their blog about my mini-zine Do it Yourself Care. ❤ Read it here.
• Question: Would you be interested in tableing at, giving a workshop at or visiting a DIY zine fest in Ieper, in Belgium? Please let me know if you’d be up for this. A friend and I are looking into how much interest there would be if we organise such an event. She’s a volunteer at a super cool autonomous space in Ieper where it can take place.
• I’m always up for trades with other zinesters! I’m especially interested in perzines, feminist zines, zines about self-care/mental health, zines about friendship & support, metazines, travelzines, zines about learning to do/make something, comic zines, zines about cats… Contact me if you want to trade!

EVENTS:

Zine workshop for Mothers & Daughters:
Saturday June 9th: (time to be confirmed)
at Mothers and Daughters in Brussels

Zine workshop for La Barloca festival:
Saturday June 16th: 14:00-16:00
at Barlok in Brussels

Zine workshop for Fat Positivity Belgium:
Saturday July 14th: (time to be confirmed)
at Salle Lollepot in Brussels

Zine workshop + zine table at Ieperfest:
mid August (date to be confirmed)
at Ieperfest in Ieper

Zine workshop for RoSa:
September (date to be confirmed)
at the RoSa library in Brussels

News & events

Got some news and upcoming events for you!

NEWS

• Same Heartbeats #12 is finished! More info here and order it by mailing to flapper_grrrl@yahoo.co.uk.
• I’m working on a mini-zine on self-care and a DIY tourist zine about Brussels but don’t know yet when they will be finished.

EVENTS

• Tuesday December 12th 2017:
  Waar zine de vrouwen? – at Minus One in Ghent
  I’ll be selling Same Heartbeats #12 and there will be other zines such as the new Fat Positivity Belgium zine!
• Tuesday December 19th 2017:
  Winter market – at Amazone in Brussels
  Zines and crafts for sale!
• January 2018:
  Public Domain Day – at RoSa in Brussels
  (to be confirmed)
• Friday-Saturday February 16-17th 2018:
  24 Hour Zine Challenge – at Plek in Kammerstraat, Ghent with Girls Go Boom
  Participate in making your own zines in 24 hours! More info soon.
• Saturday March 3rd 2018:
  Zine workshop – at Vort’n Vis in Ieper
  Learn how to make your own zine in one afternoon

News: cool things coming up

ECHO NEWS

• I’m working on the zine Same Heartbeats #12 but it will still take a few months before it’s finished. For this issue I’m writing about gender identity, queer / femininity norms, Ladyfest Maastricht, and much more.
• I have some new zines for sale at Housmans radical bookshop in London. Right now they have Same Heartbeats #8, 9, and 11, and From Spice Girls to Riot Grrrls. Go check out their awesome book and zine collection!
• I’m contributing an article for the next issue of the anarchist magazine De As on feminism, but more on that soon.
• Also, more music and craft news will be revealed soooon!

EVENTS

It seems like we have an exciting autumn ahead full of feminist events in Belgium (and nearby)! Let’s start with September:

• Friday 1 September:
  Concert of Petrol Girls / Dream Nails / Cocaine Piss in Ghent organised by Girls Go Boom
• Saturday 2 September:
  FEL reading group in Ghent – we’ll read and discuss “Chavs” by Owen Jones – check out all activities of FEL here. Also consider financially supporting FEL.
• Friday 15 September:
  Concert of Baby Fire + Eve Libertine (Crass) + extra guests at Cinema Nova, in Brussels
• Wednesday 27 September:
  Last Ladyfest Brussel party (I will play tunes as DJ Dolle Nina 🙂 )
• Friday – Sunday 29 Sept – 1 Oct:
  F-word Fantastic Feminist festival in Amsterdam

A bit further ahead, on Saturday November 25th: On The Rag IV feminist festival in Liege:

Hope to see you at one of these events!

Happy 2017! (+ news)

Happy New Year!

Let’s make this a year of positive radical change!

Some announcements and news:

• My very first peer-reviewed scientific article called “Write it yourself? Feminist perzines as participatory playgrounds” got published in the journal Tijdschrift voor Genderstudies! It’s about feminist perzines and their value in today’s digital age. Let me know if you’d like to read it and I’ll send you the pdf.
• In 2016 I also contributed comics for #4 and #5 of Ethical Sloth.
• Same Heartbeats #11 is slowly progressing…
• Lately my flapper_grrrl(at)yahoo.co.uk email address doesn’t receive all mails sent from gmail addresses. In case you have/had trouble mailing me, please comment under this post or anywhere on this blog, and I’ll get back to you.

Plans / resolutions for 2017:

• Make zines as usual:
  My plan is to publish Same Heartbeats #11 + another 24 hour zine + a mini-zine this year.
• Do research and write about zines:
  I’m working on a second article and I just love to study the medium of zines in all its facets.
• Make new crafty merch:
  Design new zine-themed buttons, new postcards like the one above, and maybe stickers. Some new bunnies might be born too this year.
• Draw more:
  Make more sketches and experiment with styles and materials, draw at least 2 self-portraits (because I think I forgot to make one in 2016), start working on a graphic novel, make more Chainsaw Bunny comics.
• Read more zines and books:
  I want to read at least 120 zines and a dozen books (including comic books / graphic novels) this year, inspired by this (thanks to Jessica Maybury for the tip!). I’m a slow, easily distracted reader but I also really want to read more and hope this will encourage me. Possibly some zine/book reviews might follow, here or on De Tweede Sekse blog. I’m at 20 zines and 2 books so far, yay!
• Organise!
  Hang out with zine friends, create together, and use our creativity for positive radical change!

News & updates – August-September 2016

Some end of the summer activities and zine news:

• On August 13th, I was tableing with my zines and with my friends of the feminist collective FEL at Ieperfest. This is a hardcore festival in Ieper that has been going for decades. Hc-punk music, yummy vegan food, anarchist/feminist books for sale, interesting talks and films, and a zine library, I was a happy bunny! FEL also did a talk about the future of feminism.
• My zines are now distributed by the band Respect My Fist (on the tour they did this summer through Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium), Artificial Womb distro, Heavy Mental distro, Active Distribution, and at various zine events in the UK. They’re for sale in some other places too.
• Same Heartbeats #10 is finished and printed, as well as my new 24 hour zine In Movement! More info soon!
• And yes, I still plan on releasing that Lost Luna demo this year too.
• The home office of ECHO will move in the end of September, so ask for my new address before you send any snail mail.

News – september 2015

Some upcoming exhibitions, zine projects…:

• Upcoming next week on Tuesday September 15th is an event called Eva Bijt Door at the bookshop De Groene Waterman in Antwerp. There will be a panel debate about women and art and an exhibition on feminism called Weibermacht. Sounds very promising! I’ll be exhibiting and selling zines my zines there too. If you make feminist zines and you’d like to show them, let the organisers know!
• I’m very honoured to be part of the Drawing out of the box: Feminism in comix exhibition at the F-word festival in Amsterdam from October 2nd. It will be amazing, with lots of incredibly talented feminist comic artists such as Mawy, Henna Räsänen, Morgenmuffel, Valentine Gallardo, B. Carrot and other Zsa Zsa zinesters. The festival’s program also looks very interesting, so I’m very much looking forward to this.
• During this year’s Sophia conference called “Unruly Bodies” that will take place in October, there will be a great amount of activist and artist involvement in all of the discussions, workshops and exhibitions. I’ll be hosting a zine reading room and zine workshop related to bodies that defy social norms. Come and have a look!
• On November 7-8th I’ll be in Berlin for the Zine Fest there. It’s my first time at this zine fest and I’m very curious what it will be like. There will be several feminist zine makers, so we’ll probably share a big table. 🙂
• On November 12th, just back in Belgium, I’ll participate in a zine table and I’ll be dj-ing as DJ Dolle Nina at Ladyfest/Magasin4 event in Brussels. Don’t forget the real Ladyfest Brussels in March 18-20th 2016!
• In between I hope to find time to publish the split zine Ana Hine and I are doing. Very excited about this! In the meantime, check out her zine Artificial Womb and the crafts she’s selling on etsy.
• And finally: a for now still nameless feminist group based in Brussels (who have organised events on Monique Wittig and 50s lesbian pulp fiction before) that I’m part of, are working on a collective zine about women’s spaces, lesbian-feminism and sisterhood. The zine should be finished this year and posters of the pages will be presented at several queer and lesbian events in Brussels. Yay! You’ll read more about it here when there’s any news!
• Update: Mid October there will be a 2-day zine workshop at Et Biiim festival in Lille (France)! I’ll gladly participate of course. 🙂 More info soon!