If you tune in to The Cycling Europe Podcast this weekend, you will discover a new episode – number 19 – in which ‘Gears For Queers‘ – that’s Abigail Melton and Lilith Cooper – discuss their cycle as novice cyclists from Amsterdam to Montpellier in the south of France. They’ve written about their adventure in a new book that will be published in early June called (you guessed it…) Gears For Queers! If you listen to the chat on the podcast, you will hear mention of ‘Zines’ and specifically the Cycle Touring Festival Zine that Abi and Lilith are currently editing. They are looking for contributions and you have until May 23rd to get thinking and get creative. Full details from the dynamic cycling duo below… Or visit their website: GearsForQueers.co.uk.
Hello!
Weโre looking for contributions to a collaborative zine about cycle touring, as part of theย Online Cycle Touring Festival.
Whatโs a Zine?!
A zine in a home spun, small circulation, DIY publication โ often a pamphlet or booklet. For some examples of zines, check out the Edinburgh Zine Library online catalogueย here.
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 โ 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 itโs well lit, and as flat as possible) and send that to us! We want between 1 and 2 pages, and they can be about anything related to cycle touring, although the theme of the festival this year was cycle touring close to home, so we welcome reflections on what that means for you!
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.
Iโm stuck?
Good news! Weโve got a 30 minute zine workshop on Youtube, with some fun creative activities, and some examples of things you could do. All you need is paper, a pen and a pair of scissors! Itโs family friendly, so sit down with the kids, or your touring partner, or on your own, and get making!
Still feeling stuck? Here are some prompts to get you started:
