The 2017 Sticky Institute Festival of the Photocopier Zine Fair

Pictured outside Melbourne Town Hall. Photo credit: Shane Jones.

Featured here are selected highlights from yesterday's sensational Festival of the Photocopier Zine Fair. The fact that this ginormous event went off without a hitch was testament to the superb organisational skills of Sticky Institute, the ongoing support of the City of Melbourne, Melbourne's vibrant zine community and the thousands of visitors who came through. With able assistance from Shane Jones and Gracia and Louise as next stall neighbours, could this zinester ask for anything more? I think not. 
(Click on images to enlarge).

Despite the prediction of the poster in the previous photo,
 there were over 200 stalls. Not surprisingly,
the event was fully booked.

When we arrived at 9.30 am there was already a small queue of stallholders.
(The genial doorman, Paul, pictured in the red waistcoat,
has become a valued fixture of this event. When he
 slipped away for only a fleeting moment around opening time, Sticky refused
to open the doors without him. Waiting zinesters enthusiastically
chanted his name until he returned).

Before very long the queue had extended around the corner.

A short time later, it had continued up Collins Street as far as the eye could see. 

The doors were opened to stall holders at 11 am. I'm on the left setting up
alongside zine stall neighbours, Gracia and Louise. Photo: Shane Jones.

Gracia and Louise with their heads down as the setting up process continues.

Shane and I captured in one of the rare quiet moments,
just before the doors were opened and hoards of
zine enthusiasts streamed in. Photo credit: Gracia Haby.

I was very proud of my brand new Moth Woman Press sign.
Photo credit: Shane Jones.

Pictured with more of my zines. To my right is fellow zinester Louise Jennison.
Photo credit: Shane Jones. 

Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison.

L-R front: Gracia Haby, Louise Jennison and Vicki Fowler and back: L-R:
Shane Jones and myself view the zine fair through rose and blue coloured
 glasses (originally intended to be paired with a special G&L 3D zine).
Photo credit: Jill Kellett.

My able zine stall assistant, Shane Jones.

This and the following photo were taken from the Town Hall stage.
 They aim to give some idea of the magnitude of yesterday's crowd.

Melbourne Town Hall's mighty organ, as seen from
our stall 

Thanks for having us, Sticky Institute and City of Melbourne. See you in 2018!

MATERIAL GIRLS on the work table (Part 2)

For the past three days I've been making up additional copies (twenty, to be exact) of an older zine, Material Girls, which was originally published in 2010. (See also previous post). The final stages of production are pictured directly below. It's a relief to have completed it with a week to spare before the 2017 Festival of the Photocopier Zine Fair at Melbourne Town Hall on Sunday afternoon, February 12. For more information about Australia's most celebrated zine fair, click HERE.