The Hamilton East Public Library (HEPL) is inviting the community to participate in our first-ever community quaranzine. Learn from HEPL staff, Heidi Herald and Ally Muterspaw about how you can send your art, ideas, or other uplifting work in theme of community gratitude, to be showcased in the Quaranzine Gratitude Edition. The submission deadline is January 15, 2021.
Heidi: To celebrate the Hamilton East Public Library’s first Season of Gratitude, I saw that people are able to submit content to the “HEPL Quaranzine: Gratitude Edition.” What is a Quaranzine?
Ally: The “HEPL Quaranzine: Gratitude Edition” is HEPL’s first digital zine that aims to connect our community through self-expression during COVID-19. Zines are booklets that multiple people can collaborate on by submitting art, poetry, and other personal work. The zine will be formatted by HEPL staff and posted on our website. People will be able to read the Quaranzine online or print it out.
Heidi: What kinds of work can people submit to the Quaranzine?
Ally: The fun thing about zines is that they are open-ended, so people can submit any kind of personal work they like! Zines can represent various art forms, like collage, photography, written work, and others. We just ask that people submit with the “Season of Gratitude” in mind. If you need ideas for a zine project, stop by the library to pick up an Activity Pack, then submit your completed project to be included in our Community Quaranzine.
Example of zines by Kirk Reedstrom, “Things to do while Social Distancing.”
Heidi: When are submissions of the Quaranzine due, and how can people submit their work?
Ally: Quaranzine submissions are being collected until January 15, 2021, when the Season of Gratitude programming ends. Submission sizes should be 8.5″ x 5.5″, and in PDF or photograph form, preferably PDF. People can submit their work to communications@hepl.lib.in.us. You can find Quaranzine guidelines and other Season of Gratitude activities when they create an account on our activity tracker, Beanstack, at hepl.beanstack.org.
Heidi: Will HEPL be hosting a digital zine in the future?
Ally: Currently, HEPL is focusing on The Season of Gratitude zine, hoping that we will receive plenty of content! If the Quaranzine is popular, we might have more zines in the future.
Heidi Herald is the Public Services Librarian at the Hamilton East Public Library, where she has worked for the past 10 years. She has been a resident of West Fishers for twenty years. Heidi’s favorite thing to do in Fishers is to walk along the trails (especially the Nickel Plate Trail, which she lives along!) with her two adorable dogs. She loves that Fishers is a growing and changing innovative city. One of her favorite hobbies is needlepointing, and you can find some of her work currently displayed at the Ignite Studio. She also loves to read, and leads two book clubs at the library. Follow the Hamilton East Public Library on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instragram , LinkedIn, or visit their website.