We’re looking for contributions to a collaborative zine about cycle touring, as part of this year’s Cycle Touring Festival.
What’s a Zine?!
A zine in a home spun, small circulation, DIY publication – often a pamphlet or booklet.
For some examples of zines, check out the Edinburgh Zine Library online catalogue here.
Click here to see the 2020 Cycle Touring Festival Zine
Why make a zine?
Zines are great ways of sharing knowledge, experience and skills. They are also a great way of capturing a community, or an event. We want to make a record of the Cycle Touring Festival, and try and capture some of the skillsharing and storytelling that goes on within the Cycle Touring community!
How do I contribute?
We want your contributions in the form of A5 pages – you can physically make these, by writing, drawing or collaging, or make them digitally, like in a word document. You can then scan these in or use a scanner app on your phone, and send them as a PDF or picture. Or, you can just take a photo (make sure it’s well lit, and as flat as possible) and send that to us.
Please send all submissions to [email protected] by Sunday 7th March.
If you have an idea for a submission but need more time, please get in touch and we will be happy to help facilitate that.
What can I contribute?
We want between 1 and 2 pages, and they can be about anything related to cycle touring. Last year’s theme was ‘Cycle Touring Close to Home’ – but this year there is no theme, so we can’t wait to see what you send us! If you’re unsure what to do, take a look at 2020’s zine here for some inspiration.
Although the Cycle Touring Festival is UK based we welcome entries from around the world. We prefer entries in English, submissions in any other language are subject to us being able to check they fall within our guidelines.
Who can contribute?
Anyone! There is no minimum (or maximum) age for contributors, you don’t need to have been on a cycle tour, you don’t have to be a professional artist or writer and we welcome contributions from anywhere in the world.
Please bare in mind we will not accept submissions which are in any way homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist, ablelist, fatphobic or oppressive to any group of people.
I’m stuck?
Good news! We’re hosting three 15 minute zine making workshops on the Cycle Touring Festival’s Facebook page on the 16th February. All you need is paper, a pen and a pair of scissors! They’re family friendly, so sit down with the kids, or your touring partner, or on your own, and get making! These videos will be available to watch for the entirety of the festival, but tune in on the day to chat with us in the comments.
Video 1, 10am: Make a Mini-Zine (ages 2+) An introduction to mini-zines: open to anyone! We’ll be using quick fire prompts to get you thinking creatively and imaginatively whilst you make your first (or 100th) mini zine. Children under the age of seven will need an adult to help.
Video 2, 12pm: What Type of Zine Shall I Make? (ages 7+) We’ll be introducing you to a range of different zines to help you get inspired to make your own. Fun exercises will get you collaging, writing poetry and writing your first fanzine. Children under 7 can take part but will need an adult to help them write/cut.
Video 3, 2pm: The Cycle Touring Festival Collaborative Zine (ages 7+) We’ll be running through some exercises and prompts to help you create an A5 page for the second Cycle Touring Festival Zine. All welcome, but children under 7 will need help from an adult.
Prompts
- Draw your cycle touring set up.
- Why is cycle touring important to you?
- Attend one of the Online Cycle Touring Festival Events and share what you learnt!
- Share your best camp stove recipe.
- List all the cycle tours you’ve been on (or all the ones you want to go on!)
- Share your top three tips for people’s first cycle tour!
- Create a photo collage of your trips.
- Share a diary entry from a cycle tour.
- Draw a comic about a funny experience on a cycle tour
- Share your pandemic rides or the rides you’ll be doing after lockdown.
- How could we make bike touring more inclusive and/or accessible?