Summary

The website content details the author's journey in creating their first zine, "Teeny Tiny" issue #1, in 2002, and its evolution over twenty years into a platform for publishing multiple writers under Teeny Tiny Press.

Abstract

The author recounts their initial inspiration for making zines after attending an event where they encountered a zine by Roberta Lavadour. They describe the simple, cost-effective process of creating a zine from a single sheet of paper, which led to the production of "Teeny Tiny" issue #1, featuring the author's own poems and a call for submissions. The zine was illustrated with stickers and included a cut-and-paste image of Louise Brooks on the back cover. Over the years, "Teeny Tiny" has grown to include works from various authors, transitioning from a personal project to a community-driven press. The author reflects on the personal and stylistic growth evident in their poetry and highlights the recent "Thank You" zine project, which served as a fundraiser for Treehouse, an organization supporting foster children and parents. The author encourages others to engage in zine-making as a creative and fulfilling endeavor.

Opinions

The author values the ease and affordability of zine-making, emphasizing that it requires only a single sheet of paper and one precise cut.
They see zines as a unique way to share creative work and gain new perspectives on one's own writing.
The author appreciates the community aspect of zine culture, noting that some contributors to "Teeny Tiny" became friends after their work was published.
They believe in the potential impact of small-scale publishing projects, as evidenced by the successful fundraiser for Treehouse through the "Thank You" zine.
The author expresses personal satisfaction in the evolution of their zine into Teeny Tiny Press, which has allowed them to publish a variety of works beyond their own poetry.

Self Publishing

The First Zine I Ever Made

Teeny Tiny, issue #1, from 2002

front cover of Teeny Tiny #1 (photo by author)

I made my first zine in 2002 after attending an event in Seattle called Northwest Bookfest and picking up a single-sheet zine made by a bookbinder and artist from Oregon named Roberta Lavadour. I’d known about zines before then, but I hadn’t known you could make a zine simply by folding one standard-sized sheet of paper (and making one precise cut with a pair of scissors).

This design appealed to me because it was easy and affordable. I could reproduce my zine by making single-sided photocopies that cost less than ten cents each. I decided to put together a zine of some of my own short poems, in the hope that I could follow it up with zines that shared work by other poets and authors of short prose, too.

On page two of my brand-new zine, I explained that I’d decided to call my zine Teeny Tiny, after the folk story of The Teeny Tiny Woman, one of my favorite books as a child. I also put out a call for submissions for a second issue.

I sent copies to friends and a few friends of friends. I sent one to Roberta Lavadour and thanked her for the idea; we hadn’t talked at Bookfest: I’d just browsed the cool handmade journals in her booth and brought home one of the free copies of her zine.

I took photos of a copy of Teeny Tiny #1 for this post to show you how simple a zine can be. I illustrated the poems in this first issue with stickers. For the back cover, I cut and pasted an image of silent film star Louise Brooks.

I printed out my poems and then did the layout by hand. This is what the single piece of paper that makes up the zine looks like before it’s folded into eight pages.

Teeny Tiny #1 unfolded (photo by author)

Below are some close-ups of some of the poems, as well as a photo with a tape measure to show you the size of the zine. When folded, it fits in the palm of your hand: the zine measures around three inches by four inches.

“Winter Weather Advisory” (poem and photo by author)

“While Reaching for a Milk Carton” (poem and photo by author)

It’s fun to look back on these poems from a different time in my life. I see some small changes, like the fact that I never drank beer back then, but these days I occasionally enjoy a nice Guinness or other dark or amber beer. And of course, I see big changes, as I was in my twenties in 2002 and was just moving in with my first serious girlfriend.

In a lot of ways, my poems are similar to what I write today, very much occupied with daily activities and familiar surroundings, and looking at themes of love and home and family, with a bit of humor thrown in.

Teeny Tiny #1, barely 3" across (photo by author)

People did, in fact, respond to my call for submissions, and I’ve been publishing Teeny Tiny on a (very) irregular schedule for twenty years now. After the first issue, the rest of the issues of Teeny Tiny have included work by multiple writers. Some of the writers are friends, and some are strangers who have gotten in touch with me after seeing a print copy of the zine or reading about it online. Some of those strangers have become friends.

I group all of my independent publishing efforts under the heading of Teeny Tiny Press, as I’ve done other projects along with the ongoing zine. For example, I’ve published a Teeny Tiny chapbook series, where I make handmade covers and do a limited edition run of mini-books by individual authors.

My most recent project is my Thank You zine, which collects and publishes tiny thank you notes in poem or prose form. I did the first issue as a fundraiser for Treehouse, an organization that helps children in foster care as well as foster parents here in Washington state, and I’m working on putting issue two together now.

I ended up raising over $700 with issue one of Thank You, and it was really cool to see what I could do with my tiny zines. Here’s a little piece about it that ran in a local art blog.

I appreciate you reading along and looking at my first zine from all those years ago. I encourage everybody to consider putting together a zine at least once as they’re fun and relaxing to make, and they’re a unique gift to share. They also give you a new perspective on your creative work as you print out and arrange your poems/texts in a different way.

Teeny Tiny #1 back cover (photo by author)

If you want to learn more about how to make your own zines, please check out my article below on creating your own handmade print publications filled with poems or any other tiny texts of your choice.

You Can Make a Poetry Zine

Or a handmade publication of other tiny texts

medium.com