When did you start creating zines?
I started when I was doing a residency at The Future, which is a store in Minneapolis. It was a one-week residency. At the same time, I was teaching classes at Women’s Woodshop (now known as Fireweed Community Woodshop) and I created zines as an option for a syllabus for the classes.
Why were you interested in creating zines?
I started with My Favorite Drill Bits, and I made it just because I wanted to make a zine. The Future had all kinds of zines, which I loved looking at. They are very interactive, and it was low pressure to create. With my teaching, I first created instruction sheets as full sheets of paper, and it just wasn’t working—the sheets would get in the way, things would get laid on top of them. So I decided to turn the instruction sheets into little booklets, and it made them more engaging.
How do you decide on the design of your zine?
I am not confident in my drawing skills, and it’s a little intimidating to try to draw the picture I want to draw. I start with the information first, and as long as the drawing illustrates the point I’m making, it’s fine. It’s not super glossy—I’m not spending a lot of time on the illustrations, which I hope encourages people to try things they may think they’re not good at. I don’t take it super seriously, it’s DIY cutesy enough.
How do you disseminate your zines?
I use them in classes. Any place people are woodworking, I will take a stack and give them away. I offer them on my website, where you can do a digital download. I used to sell them at Boneshaker Books, and the funds would go to Women’s Woodshop. I like the idea of supporting the community in some way, and to get the zines into people’s hands. I have dreams of putting them in the drill bit section of Home Depot! My Favorite Drill Bits is the most popular.
Do you collect zines? What type of zines do you like?
Yes, and I just spoke at a conference about my zines! Lise Silva Gomes’ Craft & Practice: Meditations on Creativity & Ethics and A Knot Book (the zine is out of print and now published formally as Sacred Knots) are great. They’re about knots and meditation, about the ethical responsibility of the craftsperson, responsibility to community, ownership, and avoiding cultural appropriation. They have interesting spaces to take notes as well as activities, and they get you thinking about how you fit in your community. Alanna Stapleton is an embroidery and quilting artist who creates zines. Most of the zines I have are more instructional or poetry, and some are just works of art.
Any future zines in the planning for you?
Probably—I feel like I always have ideas. I would like to redo some of my smaller zines. I like the larger–sized one I made with a cover, How to Make a Coiled Basket. I’ve been asked to make a zine for someone else who is teaching a woodworking class. I would like to make some fun ones rather than the technical instruction.
