Zines, zines, the magical fruit. The more you read, the more you… Discover cool art outside the mainstream?

Last weekend was Montreal’s annual small press fair, EXPOZINE. It’s Canada’s largest event of its kind. It was held in the basement of a parish not far from my place, so it was the perfect opportunity for a twenty-minute walk, fresh (cold) air that turned my nose into a faucet and some me-time.

I’m trying to refrain from purchasing books these days. I don’t have that much storage space in my apartment and my goal is to be an adult and stop shoving all of my overflow of things underneath my bed. Or maybe I should buy a storage bed and call it a day. Or maybe I don’t have to buy a storage bed, because I’m already using the space underneath my bed as storage so why would I need to spend money to do something I’m already doing when the only difference is aesthetics?

I still have a moving box from London filled with books and magazines. The box has been sitting in my living room for the past two months and I don’t have the heart to open it. One, because I don’t know where I’d put them. Two, because that will mean London is really over and I’m not over London yet.

… But zines? Zines are small. Zines can be squeezed between two books. They really don’t take up that much space so I went all in on zines.

Here’s what I bought:

1. Grilled Cheese kids magazine, issue 25, “Magic”

   Grilled Cheese is a bilingual children’s magazine that has been around for the past decade. It’s a whimsical, colourful riso-printed magazine filled with stories and activities on a specific theme. Each theme produces two issues: one for 2-4 year-olds, and one for 5-10 year-olds. I chose the “Magic” issue for my 9yo, who enjoys performing magic tricks for his fanbase: his grand-parents. I figured he could learn a couple of new moves in time for the Holidays. The “Magic” issue also includes an exclusive interview with a jay, and as someone who has interviewed a crow before, I know what kind of skills it takes to succeed at such a task. Much respect to the Grilled Cheese team.

2. J’ai pensé à toi: une collection d’oiseaux by Mélissa Longpré

   Speaking of birds, I came across this very interesting self-published book made by artist Mélissa Longpré. J’ai pensé à toi is a collection of pictures of deceased birds. Yes, it sounds creepy. But it’s not. It’s a fascinating project, a meditation on death and on giving those birds a second life through artistic representation. The artist Mélissa Longpré told me how the project evolved into a collective one, because people from all over Québec started sending her pictures of dead birds (and sometimes animals) with the caption “J’ai pensé à toi,” meaning “I thought of you.”

3. L’épingle filante by Noémie Roy

   This is technically not a zine. It’s a poetry collection published by independent publisher Les herbes rouges. I was really happy to take some poetry home with me. This collection by Noémie Roy is about early motherhood. I have a difficult time reading about early motherhood, especially creative nonfiction. It’s such a powerful, messy, profound, contradiction-filled time. But I’m willing to give it a chance in poem-form. What I’ve read so far is beautiful.

4. Victorian Children by Heather O’Neill, illustrated by Arizona O’Neill

   The text for Victorian Children was a deleted chapter from Heather O’Neill’s historical fiction novel, When We Lost Our Heads. Apparently it was too sad for readers and O’Neill’s editor made her take it out. So she recycled the lost chapter into a zine, which was illustrated by her daughter, Arizona O’Neill. What a great idea. Looking forward to diving in and finding out whether it truly is too sad!

5. Patrick Watson’s Book of Lyrics & Stories, illustrated by Arizona O’Neill

   I’ve been listening to Patrick Watson’s music recently, so when I came across this little booklet at illustrator Arizona O’Neill’s stand, I figured it could be interesting to tap into the musician’s mind and artistic process when it comes to songwriting. I really like “behind-the-scenes” and “making of” art stories. I think it’s why I’m obsessed with CBC’s Q with Tom Power podcast, which I listen to every single day.

I’m really happy with my new zine collection. Attending EXPOZINE was such a great reminder of how important community is in the art world, and how rich and diverse independent art is. It was inspiring.

Support your local artists!

I’m off to the Salon du livre de Montréal. It’s a busy week in the local literature scene!