WOW

Thanks to everyone and everything for a great event. San Antonio is so impressively active within their community and supportive of outside forces, that it is incomparable with most young communities. Thank you.

Interview w/ Julia Arredondo of Vice Versa Press!

Julia WILL BE tabling with Vice Versa Press at Mini Zine Expo San Antonio!
1. Where are you from and why do you do zines? I’m originally from Corpus Christi, TX but spent 5 years in Baltimore and have been traveling here and there over the past few years. I do zines because I’ve been doing them since I was a kid. There’s something so official and unofficial about zine culture and its roots in the underground have kept me intrigued over the years. The fact that subculture still flourishes off the map by way of print is also really interesting and giving punks and weirdos a voice in literature is what I love to see.

2. What can we expect to see on your table? The “Guide to Being Alone” zine which was JUST released, “Guide to Dating Gangsters vol. 1”, a fly ass chapbook by Paul Schmidt, doom metal stationery, good vibes, etc.

3. What is Vice Versa Press? Vice Versa Press is a DIY printmaking and publishing entity that I release zines through and hope to work with more artists and writers under. It would be nice to eventually move to releasing music in the future, but that’s still in the works.

4. How do you feel about the coexistence between printmaking and zine culture? I think the two worlds lend themselves very well to each other in terms of production and process. Both are heavily rooted in music and counterculture and as long as the need to be heard as a voice coming from the streets is relevant, print and zine culture will hopefully continue to thrive.

5. Got any love advice? I’m clueless STILL after all the bullshit.

OUT NOW! Don’t be shy.

WRITE UP IN the san antonio current!

Hell yeah. We got some press. Check it. AND REMEMBER, it’s not too late to sign up for tabling. Let us know if you’re interested.

The San Antonio CURRENT rules

Interview w/ artist Dinah Coakley!

Dinah WILL BE tabling at Mini Zine Expo San Antonio!

1. Where are you from and what led to your becoming a printmaker? I was born in Wichita Kansas. My mother moved to San Antonio when I was around 3 or 4. Basically I was raised in San Antonio and know it as my home. I was curious about printmaking  when I heard all the laughing and talking coming from the print shop while  I was taking a painting class. I was intrigued by people making art and socializing, BEST of both worlds I thought! I have been hooked since my first class 10 years ago.

2. What kind of work will you show at the Expo? I am working on my first zine called ‘At the Movies’ using vintage letterpress movie ads. I have always wanted to make one! I will also bring some  relief prints and mono prints.

3. As part of the Southwest School of Art crew, give us your opinion on the SSA
print curriculum. I have really enjoyed the many varied and print related  workshops  that  have been offered through out the years, they just complement the great print curriculum.

4. What’s your weirdest tale of working at Herweck’s? The wierdest thing I can think of is an artist coming in and asking what kind if paint would you use to paint on potato chips and what potato chips would be the best to paint on. I said I thought acrylic paint on pringles because they were baked not fried.

5. Got any love advice? Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.
Dr. Seuss

“Increased Brilliance” by Miss Dinah Coakley.

Interview w/ Flophouse Gallery curator, artist, and master of the senses Marc Anthony Smith

Marc Anthony Smith WILL BE hosting, tabling, and performing at Mini Zine Expo San Antonio!

1. Give us the history of the Flophouse. At one point my band was practicing in the space next door, a friend’s dad (a well established local artist) owned that lot and soon after bought this house. I came back to San Antonio in January of 2009 and moved in with my brother (who still lives here) and a musician friend of mine (who now lives next door). The house is located across the street from several (relatively) new, heady, alternative art galleries/ studios (FL!GHT gallery, 1906, Gallista gallery, R gallery) and the 2nd Saturday art walks were already taking place. I had started painting again when I moved back and met a few people who were simple local artists like myself and in August of 2009 we got some work together and I decided to open the house up to the 2nd Saturday art walk crowd. I picked the name “Flop House art gallery” because, well, that’s what it is. Cheap rent, cool part of town. My brother and I have experienced a rotating cast of very different roommates, and a great collection of art has found it’s way into the house. We are officially part of the Lone Star Arts District. Events here are aimed at supporting and encouraging spontaneous open expression, free thinking, joy and community, smart fun, spirituality, and the process of psychedelic inquiry. ART. MUSIC. HULA HOOPS. DANCING. We are the bastard children of King William. We tend the South End.

2. Tell us about your upcoming zine debut. My zine is called “FlashBack”. It’s a zine for the modern american freak. It’s for heads. It’s basically a psychedelic newspapaer about what’s REALLY going on, man. There’s a free joint inside very copy.

3. What’s Shiva’s Medicine Chest? Shiva’s Medicine Chest is a thing I do with sound and light. I call it “electric puja” – “puja” is a Sanskrit word meaning worship. Shiva is God, part of the Divine Trinity of Indian religions, and the formless, all-pervasive blissful consciousness that is the source and goal of all things and processes. Shiva is known as the Lord of healing herbs, the Lord of meditation, the remover of sins, the first teacher of the path of yoga, the Divine Dancer, playing the cosmic drum of creation and holding the cosmic fire of dissolution. “Shiva’s Medicine Chest” is a reference to the the healing herbs, divine nectar, and transforming energy that flow from the Divine heart of God.

4. Briefly describe San Anto’s creative community. San Antonio’s creative community is legit. The college-age community doesn’t have the disposable income that is available to some other demographics in other cities, but as a musician and a budding artist I have seen many dedicated and/or talented people in this town do their thing, get good, get noticed, and reach creative goals. We just need our active people to stay focused on creating instead of self-promoting. I love what these small galleries and D.I.Y. punks and us other freaks are doing with more grassroots, intimate, hands-on things.

5. You think ther’ll be some dancing going on at Mini Zine Expo SA? Yes.

The man of the decade, Marc Anthony Smith pictured inside the Flophouse Gallery workin’ on some zines.

Interview w/ Rafael DelaGarza of Vi/ZiNE!

Rafael DelaGarza WILL BE tabling with Vi/ZiNE at Mini Zine Expo San Antonio!

1. What’s the history of Vi/ZiNE and who is it? ummm Steven Flores smoked a lot of weed in high school where he was filming/editing a lot of skateboarding videos and had a dream of making a Video Magazine that just wouldn’t cover skateboarding but music and art and whatever else he wanted. So flash to a few years later in the winter of 2010 at a chipotle in san anto, tejas Steven met Diego and they both had a love for juice and everything in between. So along side with Steven’s girlfriend Laura (who both had already been doing videos under the name Movement Media) Diego joined the team to one day start a Video Magazine. After smoking even more weed one day they came up with Vi//ZiNE and a day to release their 1st Issue alongside the peeps who do Thursday showings of movies at Frankfurter Hot Dog Express. August 2nd, 2012, they released the 1st issue of Vi//ZiNE

2. What’s a video magazine? A video magazine follows the basic guidelines of a magazine but it’s all done with a video camera. ie; Interviews, segments, blah

3. What will be available on your table? Copies of our 2nd Issue, that is premiering October, 4th, 2012, and a few copies of our 1st issue. We will have a t.v. with our 2nd issue playing.

4. Is San Antonio receptive to Alt-literature? I believe San Antonio as a whole probably isn’t that receptive, but it’s like that everywhere, I mean or else it wouldn’t be called “Alt-literature”. But San Antonio is a huge city and with in that there is a lot of groups of people doing really cool things that are considered “alternative”. And there are moments where it seems that we are all coinciding together. Doing a lot of the same things, interacting at the same places, and involving each other in our own projects. And Vi//ZiNE aims to do exactly those things. Involving people we like and who we feel are doing cool things that should be known about across the city, and not just in a “alternative” sub group.

5. I was thinking about getting someone to run a kissing booth. Think that would go over well? Why stop there?

Check out the Vi/ZiNE #2 release party on Thursday October 4th at The Filling Station (San Anto)!

Interview w/ Shan Blam!

Shan Blam WILL BE tabling at Mini Zine Expo San Antonio!

1. Describe your work? Mish-mash, old with new, handmade…I dunno. I like the idea of “mini” things and I’m creative like alot of people…so zines are rewarding for me to put out. I get excited seeing something small that I made. That gives me a sense of satisfaction. It’s not so much about others liking it. It’s about me being happy with it.

2. Why do you do it and for how long? I do it because if I don’t I will probably get all depressed that I’m not doing something. I’ve attempted to make zines for almost 3 years, I think.

3. Has zine making gotten you more babes? Is there where I’m supposed to insert a witty comment?

4. What fabulous outfit will you be wearing? Won’t know till day of, dude.

5. What else do you do (bands, work, dance)..? I’m in two bands..The Pits and JunkMail. I’m about to start working at Trader Joes, I sew, I have dogs and cats, I go to school for art stuff and will be having my first art show February of next year.

Shan Blam! One of the co-inventors of Whiskey Toothpaste. YUMM…eeew.

Musical lineup announced!

Mini Zine Expo San Antonio welcomes live musical performances by:

Delenda: Electronic YeYe Pop LISTEN HERE

SHARDZ: Drum & Bass DJ Skillz LISTEN HERE

Micro Missile Attack: DIY Indie Creation LISTEN HERE

PUBLIC

Versimilitude

+Sights & Sounds by Shiva’s Medicine Chest!

Interview w/ artist Elissa Vura!

Elissa WILL BE tabling at Mini Zine Expo San Antonio with the Southwest School of Art group table.

1. Where are you from and why did you get involved with printmaking? I’m a dabbler from Texas and Massachusetts, so printmaking is just one of the many arenas in which I express myself creatively.  I was fortunate to be introduced to printmaking in high school.  (The school actually had an enormous press and let the students play with the mineral spirits.  I’m not sure what the administrators were thinking, but I loved it.)  I keep coming back to printmaking because it seems like there’s always something more for me to learn–and because I love adding new tricks and techniques to my arsenal.

2. What will be available on your table?
F-word greeting cards produced via letterpress on handmade paper, cute kitty-cat linocut prints, and screen printed T-shirts featuring a face-off between a laser-eyed cockatiel and a force-shield wielding budgie.

3. As part of the Southwest School of Art’s group table, give us some background on the SSA print curriculum. I can’t say enough good things about SSA.  I’ve been taking classes there since 2009, trying all kinds of disciplines.  The instructors are fantastic.  Students in printmaking classes have access to facilities and equipment for etchings, linocuts, lithographs, screen prints, and probably a few things I’ve forgotten.  And there’s a strong focus on making the processes as non-toxic as possible.

4. Tell us about your out-of-print comics. Comics!  I love comics, but as an avid reader and supporter of comics on the Web, I’m definitely nontraditionalist.  I don’t have an out-of-print comic (we must have miscommunicated), but I wish I did!  Comic creation is another area where I’ve been dabbling, mixing my creative writing and visual art skills.  Maybe I’ll have something for next year’s zine expo.

5. How do you feel about the relationship between printmaking and zine making? Though they might differ in audience and method, at a basic level they’re the same–both tools for communication, both mediums to forge human connection.

Interview w/ artist Josh Yurcheshen and Kissing Booth extraordinaire!

Josh WILL BE tabling at the Southwest School of Art group table AND will be manning the official MINI ZINE EXPO SA KISSING BOOTH. YAY!

1. Where are you from and how did you become a print maker? I’m actually originally from San Antonio, which was sort of an accident.  I’m not an accident, but my parents settling here was.  As for the printmaking, I sort of fell into it.  I did some printing in high school, and then ended up taking a long hiatus from art.  That ended when my friends and I did a twelve week program aimed at helping creative people recover their creativity and become productive again.  Then I was signing up for Beginning Printmaking with a friend, and I took off with it.  The instructor was kind enough to tell me that I had some talent, and the process is so pleasant and physical; it was just a really good fit.  So here we are!

2. What kind of work should we expect to see on your table? I am such a product of the cartoon and comics era…  There will be naked people talking to giant animals, and animals invading human spaces, and just anything else my brain thinks is funny or meaningful.  My work is figurative, and really, narrative.  I’m a writer, and I’m invested in telling stories, so I end up illustrating snapshots of stories and relationships.  The prints I bring will most likely look like the most labor-intensive comic book panels ever, which they sort of are.

3. As part of the Southwest School of Art crew, give us your opinion of the SSA
print curriculum. I think the Southwest School has such a wonderful approach to teaching printmaking.  The intro courses focus on the techniques and skills needed to execute a print; you learn the basics.  After that, you’re given so much freedom to pursue your own visions and interests, and the instructors are all there and ready to help you flesh out those concepts, and to remind you of all the process stuff that you’ve forgotten (if you’re me…)  In addition, there are so many little tricks and tangents that instructors are willing to teach, or are giving workshops on, or they can tell who to contact to get the full scoop.  If you come with an idea, you will meet people willing to help you turn it into a reality.

4. Word on the street is that you’re manning the official expo kissing booth. Is this true? This is in fact true.  I’m not sure how much traffic i’m expecting, but the idea was thrown out there, and I just think the idea is so funny.  The idea of me as any sort of sexual draw is so funny…  The desire to be intimate with someone is so basic, so universal, and a kiss is such an easy way to accomplish it.  No one should be ashamed of wanting a kiss; hence, I’ll be providing this service.  But I plan on being ready to deliver; dressed up, french cologne, minty breath, and I will totally be brushing my teeth between customers, so everyone gets a clean slate to work with.  I’ve also signed the equal opportunity clause, so sex or gender be damned, you pay the money, you get a kiss, and hopefully I’ll be able to make a few toes curl, just a little.

5. Got any love advice? Oscar Wilde said, “Never love anyone who thinks that you’re ordinary.”  I’ll agree with that.  Whoever you’re with should be utterly enthralled with you, and think you’re anything but ordinary.  Find someone who you can be best friends with, but who you can also have wonderful sex with.  Love and infatuation are, in a sense, easy.  I find it much harder to meet people I like enough to be friends with.  Also, Jon Waters said, “Don’t have sex with people who don’t read.  If you get home to someone’s house and they don’t have any books, don’t fuck them.”  This is exceedingly important advice.  Disregard it at your own peril.  I can also add that you should not have to cross the Atlantic Ocean to have someone break up with you.  There are plenty of people right here who would be more than willing to break up with you, and it’s much cheaper.  So I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m not buying any plane tickets any time soon.

Pucker up boys n gals, Josh is here to make your dreams come true!