Concrete Playground

Given the effort they put into creating, curating, collating and copying their wares, it seems kind of weird that the makers of zines would be the kind to abbreviate words. Like, "Okay, guys, we've edited and self-published a niche interest periodical, sure, but we don't have time to pronounce the syllables 'mag' and 'a'. That's where we draw the line!" ? But then again, eccentricity and arbitrary decision-making are part of the beauty of zine culture, wherein anyone with access to words and/or images and a means of putting them together can be a publisher. There are political zines and poetry zines and zines about spoons and zines about people spooning.

Often stumbled across in cute indie stores and venues or tracked down online,  zines also enjoy a good gathering and the MCA and the Sydney Writers' Festival are, as has become their annual tradition, throwing them a party with this Fair. Head along and do some collecting — you can buy or barter — or just have a look at what people are into and up to.