Stacey Teague is an Auckland based zine-maker and poet. She recently returned to New Zealand after living in the UK for two years. Her poetry collection takahē was recently published by Scrambler Books. 2014 will be her first Wellington Zinefest. We asked her a few questions:
I can't remember specifics, but in 2009 I co-edited a zine where we solicited art and writing and took that along to the Auckland Zinefest. While I was there I got a whole heap of zines that I loved and after that I started making my own zines pretty regularly.
A lot of your zines seem to be documenting your exploration of a single idea or theme. What is your process for zine-making?
I definitely give myself a starting off point, I find that helpful in writing as well. I have a zine about love, buses, dinosaurs, a trip to Melbourne, going to CALH. It's just easier to work that way imho.
How many zinefests have you been to? Do you have any favourite memories from any of them?
I went to 3 or 4 in Auckland and 1 in Christchurch. It's always a nice atmosphere and it's fun to swap with the other stallholders. I really liked Christchurch Zinefest, they had a reading during the day which I read at and was really cool.
Tell us a bit about the zines you'll be bringing down to Wellington.
I'm bringing some old zines I made, including a zine for each season of one year. A poetry publication called 'Hands Like Mirrors' that I co-edited, which features young NZ/Aus writers. My own poetry collection called 'Takahē'. Two new zines that were mostly made in the UK but I've finished off here, one is about the Jurassic Park franchise and the other is about dogs I saw when I was travelling in Europe. I'm currently finishing up a zine that is a writing collab with my friend Susie.
You recently spend a couple of years overseas. Did you make any zines while you were away? Were you exposed to any cool international zines or zine people?
As above, I started making those two zines, but overall I was kind of in a zine hiatus while I lived in the UK, for whatever reasons. It feels right now that I'm home to be making them again.
What are a couple of your favourite zines by other people?
I just looked through my zines (I have a shit tonne of them) because I was trying to find a specific one but couldn't find it, it was one that folded out into a map, of maybe, Sydney? and they had written and drawn stuff on it of memories or things they have done in certain areas. I keep wanting to copy this idea, but anyway it's a really good idea. When I was going through my zines I found a cool one by Alice May Connolly called 'Cat' which is writing and it's cool. I like the zine where Eamonn got people to draw pictures of him too.
