And we did kick out the jams at the Reykjavik writing jam!

The October 10th reading was the first official event hosted by Seattle City of Literature, produced in partnership with Reykjavik UNESCO City of Literature, Iceland Naturally, and ZAPP. Bragi Ólafsson and Karen Finneyfrock each wrote and traded one-sentence character sketches, then wrote stories featuring each others’ characters.

After the reading, ZAPP volunteers helped the audience of 75-100 people create zines from the work they just heard. From the official recap: “Everyone had a chance to walk out with a one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted booklet commemorating the event. There were two covers to choose from, featuring the logos of Reykjavik UNESCO City of Literature and Seattle City of Literature, respectively, and there were stamps, collage supplies, and other materials available to customize the zines.  We’re sending a bunch of these zines to Reykjavik.”

Thanks to our partners for a great event!

Come to the Elliott Bay Book Company Friday, October 10, for the Reykjavík Writing Jam, featuring Bragi Ólafsson, writer and bassist of the Sugarcubes (yeah, that band that Bjork was in before she went solo!!!), and Seattle’s Karen Finneyfrock. Each will read fiction based on characters the other created. After the reading, ZAPP will help you create your own zine based on their work! 

We’ll be at Short Run comix and arts festival on November 15th. We will debut our third collaborative zine, Xenographic #3, themed FOOD. Please say you’ll be there, too!

**Short Run will also host a number of events, in addition to the fest at Washington Hall,  from November 10th-20th.  Check it out because it’s going to be rad.

The next Xenographic coming soon, and the theme is Food. Yum! Gross!  No holds barred in this collection featuring stories, comix, and other doo-dads by Emily Wittenhagen, Jon Horn, Evan Peterson, Gabriela Ooh, and many, many more! This is a particularly special zine because it will be presented in conjunction with Dallas/Portland/ Internet/all around the country-based collective (wo)manorial  on October 25th, and will debut in Seattle at ShortRun in November.  Proceeds will help support ZAPP!

After a brief break from our open hours at Black Coffee, we’re relaunching our open hours at Hollow Earth Radio, the third Sunday of every month from 4pm-6pm, following our appearance on the Buoy and Bellow show at 2:30pm. 

ZAPP members will be there to answer any questions you have about the organization. Come check out some zines, listen to good music, and work on your newest screed, compare binding tips and what not. 

Much thanks to our own Hannah Fischer, DJ Dusty Mantle and Hollow Earth for helping make this happen!

ZAPP asked, and you gave—more than $2,000 to our Give Big campaign. Thanks to everyone who donated and helped us take advantage of a great opportunity! And thanks to Shunpike for acting as our fiscal sponsor and making it possible for us to take donations.

Join us this Tuesday, May 6th, for The Seattle Foundation’s GiveBIG!

GiveBIG is a one-day, online charitable giving event to inspire people to give generously to nonprofit organizations who make our region a healthier and more vital place to live.

On Tuesday, May 6^th, donate to ZAPP for GiveBig! This is a wonderful day to show us your support because a percentage of your gift will be enhanced by the Seattle Foundation’s matching pool, making your donation go even further!

When you GiveBIG, you protect a cultural resource and you contribute to preserving a historically significant and unique archive:

• Your Donation will help us achieve our goal to move to a new space within a year. This space will keep the archive safe and accessible, as well as provide a place for zine production, in-house workshops, and performances and exhibitions.

• Your Donation will also aid in our ongoing programming and community projects throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Help us spread the word! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, and use#GiveBIG when gabbin’ about why you love ZAPP.

Click here to donate to ZAPP on May 6th.  **Make sure you specify ZAPP in the comments field

(For more information on the Seattle Foundation and the GiveBIG event, peruse their FAQ page.)

ZAPP’s collections may be in storage, but ZAPP is still out and about town.  We hold regular Open Hours at Black Coffee Co-Op
(501 East Pine Street) “on the 10s” of every month — the 10th, 20th, and 30th — usually 4-8p.m.  Come hang out with the ZAPP community to work on your current zine project or just chat.  Bring your own supplies, because ours are in storage, too!

Always double-check our event calendar to make sure Open Hours are still on!  Occasionally we have to cancel if we have a conflict.

Busy times for us!  Here’s a quick accounting of recent and upcoming ZAPP happenings (‘zappenings’?).

recent past:

• On Feb. 21st ZAPP officially became a recognized non-profit by the Office of the Secretary of State of Washington.  Woohoo!!!!!  (Ahem.)
• On March 4th we put out our very first press release.  Think of it as our State of the ZAPP address!

near future:

• Don’t forget our party tomorrow night!  Hope to see you at ZAPP Is Alive, Long Live ZAPP at Vermillion Art Gallery and Bar (on Capitol Hill) at 7pm!
• On Sunday, March 16, we’ll be back on Hollow Earth Radio.  Tune in at 2:30 p.m.!
• We are finalizing plans to launch regular drop-in hours later in March.  Drop-in sessions will be a way to replace the workspace portion of our open hours — stop by to hang out with the ZAPP community and work on your current project.  We’ll be able to reveal details in a day or two!

And here’s what it looks like when you box up a zine archive.  This is 100 boxes, which is not at all the full collection:

100 boxes of zines on the floor, 100 boxes of zines…..