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February Interview: Stephanie Scarborough of Fork 'n Spoon Zine Shop
what makes you so super?
I have a long name, I make zines and buttons and I like cooking way too much. And I used to have a huge crush on Weird Al Yankovic!
And I'm obsessed with Lizzie McGuire.
And I'm obsessed with Lizzie McGuire.
how much is too much when it comes to liking cooking?
hmm . . . let me think . . . I think when I volunteer to bake stuff even when nobody asks me or even wants me to. I'm always baking stuff for everything.
even things in which baked goods would be totally inappropriate? like... hmmm... there aren't many situations in which baked goods don't totally rock!
this is true
maybe baked goods aren't appropriate at a bris?
maybe. or a funeral.
at a strip club bachelorette party?
or at a birthing
yeah . . . a birthing doesn't really call for food of any kind
no, it's really kind of inappropriate
I imagine you like this: oh! you're going into labor?! I'll preheat the oven!!! .....So, you like cooking and you like zines...
yes.
so you have zines about cooking
a lot, indeed: The Cheap Vegan, Smoothie Queen, Yuck!
do you do alot of vegan cooking?
Yep, that's all I cook: crispy tasty vegans
what do you want to be when you grow up?
a cooking show host with a weird sci-fi themed cooking show with a robot cat sidekick
are you a big fan of the sci fi?
yes, i'm a huge star trek dork. and i like mystery science theater 3000
how do you feel about non-vegans?
oh I don't mind them: they're tasty . . . but really, i'm not the militant type. i don't mind what other people eat, as long as they don't eat people.
I've asked this before, but why do you think so many crafty ladies are vegan or veggie?
I think a lot of it has to do with the fact it's hard to find vegan stuff like cookies and vegan-friendly clothes, so you just end up doing it yourself
if you were to banish four people to a deserted island, whom would you choose?
paris hilton, lindsay lohan, jar jar (from star wars), and... I'm trying to think of a fourth... richard marx, that guy who wrote all those cheezy love songs in the 80s
what is the most rewarding aspect of writing and/or distributing zines?
getting feedback and letters from people who read them. it's nice to hear that someone liked a recipe you wrote
how often do you receive fan mail?
hmm. . . one or two a week, i've gotten a few more lately. i love mail!
does the mainstream print media have anything to fear from the growing popularity of zines and zine distros?
I don't know if they really have anything to fear in a big way, but I think sometime they will have to deal with the fact that zines and small presses have so much more to offer in the way of info and allowing writers more freedom of expression. I buy zines way more than I buy mainstream books and magazines nowadays.
what advice to you have for a zinester just starting out who is looking to get distributed?
read the distro's submission guidelines carefully and follow them, get to know what kind of zines a certain distro is looking for, and always include your name, address and price into with your zine. this sounds basic and boring, but it will make a good impression and make distros more likely to carry your zine
what percentage of zines that come your way are accepted?
my distro is different from most because it's so specialized (food zines only), so I accept about 90% of the zines I receive. in fact, i usually seek zines out myself because I don't get tons of submissions. most distros probably accept a smaller percent than me.
what percentage of zines in general do you feel are worth reading? are there any zines ever that aren't worth reading?
i think the only zines not worth reading are ones that are either just downright hateful or produced just for a profit and the content isn't really "from the heart" i haven't run into many zines that i regretted reading.
ooh... that's a concept that I haven't really thought about... do zines actually exist which were created for a profit?
I don't know. I certainly don't make gobs of money on mine.
do you have a day job?
yes, I'm a copyeditor for a publishing company. we publish accounting manuals. it's very exciting . . .
what is the bestest zine in the world?!
hmmm. I really like Please Don't Feed The Bears by Brad Misanthropic. It's an awesome vegan cookzine
On average, how many buttons do you wear on your person?
i have about nine or ten on my jacket I wear all the time
will everyone have a zine someday?
i hope! i can just see my parents making a zine! that would be hilarious!
