Women Make Zines: Tell Your Story!
4 week course at Wur Bradford in Kirkgate Market opposite the Home from Home Cafe.
Saturday 6, 13, 20 & 27 February, course fee £25/£20 conc.
Come and play in a safe exciting space, working towards making your own zine for the International Women’s Day celebration on 5th March.
Join us each Saturday for 4 weeks in February, to learn the craft, history, nuts and bolts of of self published zines. Week by week you’ll gain confidence to create your own short run publication. We’ll be covering everything from content, layout and editing to bindings, different formats backgrounds and collage. We’ll also be having a special field trip to The Print Project on Shipley to see the letterpress in action. Your zine will be exhibited for sale at the specially curated Loosely Bound stall at Leeds Museum at the International Women’s Day celebration on 5th March.
Open to everyone who self defines as female. Email wurbradford@gmail.com for more details, to ask questions and book.
Further information and Frequently Asked Questions:
Venue: Wur Bradford, Kirkgate Market, opposite Home from Home Cafe
Each Saturday: 6th, 13th, 20th & 27th February 11am-1pm, 2 hours per week plus a bit of homework time.
You’ll make a short run hand-made zine to exhibit and/or sell at International Women’s Day event 5th March at Leeds Museum.
Pre course homework: do a bit of online research, which zines best tickle your fancy and why? What sort of zine would you like to make? What do you want to tell the world? Make a few notes and bring them with you. If you have problems accessing the internet let us know and we can find other ways to get some info to you.
For a start try looking at: wemakezines.ning.com fanzine.tumblr.com leedszinefair.footprinters.co.uk sheffieldzinefest.wordpress.com zinenation.org
Week 1 – What are Zines? Why you should make one!
Different types of zine: perzine (splurge your soul), fanzine (what are you a fan of? Music/films/cake?), Accidental (woops I kinda tripped up over my own creativity, photocopied it and stapled it together). Compiling and photocopy skills. We’ll all make an A5 page on anything, any subject and we’ll put together a collaborative zine by the end of the session. Once it’s in order it’s all hands on deck to double-side copy, compile and staple that sucker.
Homework: make a basic plan for yer zine. Are you going to make your own or collaborate? How many pages? What will you put in it? Use the blank pages at the back of the zine we’ve just made to make a plan and bring it along to next week’s session.
Week 2 – The physical object. Different sizes, formats and bindings: A4, A5, A6, single folded sheets, random sizing. Bindings: saddle stitch, stab binding, coptic binding. We’ll cover them all, this will be a hands-on speedy session of making! We’ll also go over editing and compiling.
Homework: Start your zine! Chat to your new zine buddies to help if you get stuck!
Week 3 – Field trip. This week we’ll meet at the Print Project at Q20 studios in Shipley to take a look at the letterpress and witness original printing in action. More info here: theprintproject.co.uk. We’ll then head back to Wur to have a go at collaging, making backgrounds and page layout. Note: This week will be a longer session and include getting to Shipley then back to Wur. If a longer session is going to cause problems don’t worry just chat to us!
Homework: Finish your zine! Bring your completed master(piece) along to the next session to be photocopied. Even if it’s not completed, bring it along anyway!
Week 4 – An hour of using text, cutting out, putting pictures together, printing, making backgrounds, layout, And why thinking long and hard about it is a really bad idea. Then we’ll be photocopying and compiling our zines ready for the 5th March.
Homework: Come along and have a laugh with us at the IWD event at Leeds Museum, 5th March
FAQ’S
Where is Wur Bradford?
Wur Bradford is in the Kirkgate Market in Bradford City Centre. The easiest way to find it is to go into the market along the ramp above the Kirkgate Centre ‘Poundshop’ entrance. When you’re in the market turn right and we’re two stalls along, opposite the Home From Home cafe.
Is Wur accessible?
Kirkgate Market is accessible although the doors can be a bit tricky as they’re not automatic. If you think you may have problems with doors come into Kirkgate Market via the Kirkgate Centre on Darley Street, take the lift to the first floor then we’re straight through the market, look for the row of cafés. There is a small step to get into the Wur stall, which is open on two sides. We have a ramp which is wide enough for wheelchairs. If you have access needs please let us know and we’ll work together to make sure we can accommodate you as best we can.
Where is The Print Project?
At Q20 Creative Arts Hub, Dockfield Road, Shipley, BD17 7AD, about 10 minute walk from Shipley train station/Shipley town centre. There is on street parking on Dockfield Road.
I can’t make all the sessions, can I just do one or two?
Of course! Individual sessions are £7/£5 each. Have a look at the session outlines and see which ones are the most suitable for you.
I want to do the workshops, but I don’t want to write a whole zine, that sounds like school.
The brilliant thing about zines is you can do anything you want, no judgement, no spell check and the grammar nazis can’t see. There are infinite subjects, styles, page numbers and sizes, your final zine can be as large or small as you like. Zines can be anything: a celebration of brilliant people, a diary, a collection of favourite sayings, doodles you did on the bus, it’s totally up to you.
Can I bring my small person along with me?
Of course! Maybe you could make a collaborative zine?
What materials/techniques/software will we be using?
Mainly lots of different types of paper, scissors, craft knives, glue, felt tips, rubber stamps, tape, staplers, needle and thread. Collaging, book binding, stapling, drawing and photocopying (black and white only, although we do like using coloured paper and colouring zines in with highlighters). Hopefully we’ll have everything on hand, but if you want to include anything specialist chat with us. No computers….no no no.
If you’re selling our zines who gets the money?
You do.
Will there be biscuits?
There had better be biscuits…
I’ve got a question that isn’t frequently asked.
Drop us an email wurbradford@gmail.com, tweet @wurbradford, or post a question on the facebook event page and we’ll get back to you asap.
WMZ outlines-2
Wur Bradford 