PREAMBLE FOR THE CHARTER OF “TOADSTOOL’S ZINE CLUB”
Established by a young group of Hamilton artists in 2019, we are creating a moderated and inclusive safe-space for LGBTQ+ and ASPEC adults (18+) for experience levels to create and grow together both online and IRL.
We are stronger together. We’ve seen ourselves grow faster and fuller working side-by- side. The pandemic has forced us a shift in how we to work, but we still swap skills and build our story-telling techniques to keep developing our own personal publications.
WHY JOIN US?
- BECOME AN AGENT OF CHANGE AND INSPIRE OTHERS WITH YOUR CREATIVITY! What will our future look like? How can I create even the smallest of change in the world? How do I find something bigger than me? As a group, we ask big questions and attempt to answer them through our work.
- BEGIN A CONVERSATION AND PUSH BOUNDARIES THROUGH THE POWER OF PRINT! Share in conversations focusing on Canadian indie arts, comics, self-publishing, and how we all fit into modern zine culture.
- BUILD YOUR CRAFT ALONGSIDE OTHER LIKE-MINDED CREATIVES! Gain helpful advice on your project before your finished, swap skills with our talented and established members, share your work in online and continue the conversation on Toadstool’s Community Discord Server!
HOW TO JOIN
Beginning March 5th, 2020, our in-person meetings at Central HPL are currently suspended due to COVID-19, but you may join us online via Toadstool’s Community Discord Server. In-person events will potentially return in Spring 2022.
HOW TO ACCESS THE SERVER
- Support the club with a donation on Ko-fi,
- Purchase from the Club’s PWYC digital zine library on Gumroad, Subscribe for FREE to our newsletter,
- or upon personal invitation by an authorized server member.
OUR EVENTS
“Joey Toadstool” will hold private a Q&A and discussion via our invite-only Discord server in the #zine-club Voice Chat channel. There will also be the occasional zine-making tutorial livestream held publicly on Twitch. Stream alerts are sent via the Community Discord Server, Instagram and Twitter!
Live events, markets and conventions are places we want to get our members work into. We fundraise to help cover vendor fees, printing fees and other event-related costs (such as transportation).
Club members can encourage fundraising efforts by promoting the club’s PWYC Zine Booth on Gumroad to people you know looking to support Queer Art Communities. You can also directly support the club with a generous donation to Toadstool’s Ko-fi (coffee) Shop!
SERVICES & RESOURCES FOR MEMBERS
- Gain professional and inclusive advice from our team of diverse and trusted creators—talk to people in the art industry and other like-minded talent from many different walks of life.
- Reach out to @everyone for guidance any time you need a quick-tip for your current project, a constructive critique on a piece, or suggestions for your next zine!
- Access a discord community full of resources for learning, opportunities to collaborate with professional artists, and a place to promote yourself and your work!
- PWYC and sliding scale rates are available to club members for my services!
MEMBERSHIP FEES & CONDITIONS
Currently our club does not charge a regular membership fee. The Zine Club Discord Server is run by myself and the wonderful, dedicated server @admins and @mods. Support the server with a boost or become moderator!
Do you live on Discord? Do you have experience with bots, widgets and the like? As a group of artists, we are always looking for server @mods. Anyone who has been on the server over 30 days may be eligible!
WRITTEN MAY 2020, REVISED DECEMBER 6TH, 2021 BY JOEY “TOADSTOOL” DEAN