> What was your first exposure to zines? How did you find out about them? What have they come to mean to you?

as i already said, i first came into contact with zines when i started listening to hardcore and punk. i had listened to metal before and i was about 12 or 13 years old at that time. i used to order my records at a local distro and they also had many, many zines. so i was curious about what would be the difference between them and some of the more popular magazines i had been reading before and i ordered some. that was my first exposure to zines and i have been constantly reading zines ever since. i still have many of my "first zines" (like one issue of "tension building") and i will never ever throw them away because they gave me a lot. i laughed and cried while reading them. apart from music, they were the most important thing for me during that time of my life...

> Do you consider grrrl zines as an important part of a movement of sorts? Do you think zines can effect meaningful social and political change?

sure, i do consider grrrl zines as an important part of a movement. zines in general are important for all kinds of movement and i hope this will never end... if zines can effect social and political change? well, i surely do hope so. but i think that not only zines can effect those changes but they surely take part in that...

> What does the zine community mean to you?

many people that also make zines have become close friends of mine. so the zine community is a very important part of my life! i would say that i am almost a zine-nerd, every time i see a new zine and it sounds interesting at first sight, i just have to get it... i learned a lot from zines, they made me thoughtful, happy, sad and so on... basically everything i learned about punk and straight edge when i was younger came from reading zines. and as i already said, i got to know so many wonderful people who also make zines or who just wrote me a letter. all of this is just awesome...

> What advice would you give others who want to start a zine?

first of all: write about everything you want to write! don't try to make your zine like all the other zines, that's boring. do whatever you like with your zine! if you want to have lots of pictures in it, do so. if you don't like interviews, don't interview anyone. if you prefer cut and paste and your handwriting instead of a computer-layout, go ahead... another important thing is to let many other people know about your zine by spreading flyers, advertising in other zines and so on... i think this is the most important advice i received when i started and i would like to forward this to others... basically: just do whatever YOU want to do!

> Do you define yourself as a feminist? What are the most pressing issues you are confronted with in daily life (as a woman/feminist)? Are you active in the feminist movement?

yeah, i surely define myself as a feminist. the most pressing issue i am confronted with at the moment is fear. i have got fear of being raped, fear of going out on my own when it is dark, fear of being alone somewhere, etc. i wrote a column about this where i told a story that made me realize my fear. here it is, i hope i don't bore you with this:
some days ago, i was walking through the streets of cologne in the darkness... it wasn't even 9 o'clock and i was probably daydreaming when i heard someone with a bike behind me. he was driving pretty slowly and i asked myself why he didn't just pass by since there was enough space next to me... suddenly he came nearer and i heard him saying "sorry lady..." ...that made me wince and my heart stopped. in the end, that guy only asked me how he could get to any place in the city. i mean, i was afraid, only because someone was behind me, it was dark and i was alone. when i talked about this later on, i came to the conclusion that it should not be like that. womyn shouldn't be afraid when they are on their own... of course not. but almost all the womyn i talked to about this felt the same. they told me about being afraid in the darkness, being afraid when walking home alone, even being afraid when they are alone at home... that makes me so goddamn sick!! i want us to feel safe. i want to feel safe. but how? a girl i know was nearly raped some months ago if her dog had not barked loudly... since she told me about that, i started getting a bit paranoid when i was alone, especially at night... and it still is like that. when i go home late at night, i walk faster than i usually do, i look behind me all the time, every single noise makes me shiver. when someone is behind me, i start walking faster and my heart is also beating faster. and then i read that -in the united states- one out of every three womyn will be a 'victim' of any kind of sexual assaults during her lifetime... and my paranoia increases... all i want is to feel safe. but i just can't. i want to feel safe again. can you help me? we should all be able to feel safe again. and it is surely worth a try.
i am active in the feminist movement by doing my zines (which are somehow part of it, too), spreading flyers and information in general. i was also part of some collectives but unfortunately, they do not exist anymore...

> What do you think about feminism today? Do you see yourself as part of "Third Wave Feminism" and what does it mean to you?

i think being a feminist today is difficult. of course not as difficult as some years ago but still, i noticed that most people smile condescendingly at you if you say you're calling yourself a feminist... there's still so much sexism and patriarchy around all of us, in any way possible... i don't really know if i see myself as a part of third wave feminism. should i? :)

> Which role plays the Internet for you? Does it change your ideas of making zines and doing/reading zines?

since i have access to the internet, i have been using it regularly. it became a very important source of information for me and if i feel like informing myself about anything (for example if i want to write a column for the zine), i first look it up on the internet. i mostly use the internet for communication and i guess i write about ten or more e-mails a day... since i have a homepage, i also got in contact with lots of different people and parts of my zines can be read online. of course the internet has changed my ideas of making zines, especially because i am not only doing a 'paper-zine' anymore but also an e-zine. i still like 'real' zines much more than those online-zines. they are too impersonal in my eyes...

> Do you have any suggestions? Something you want to add?

thanx for this interview and if anyone is reading this who does a zine, he/she can get in touch with me for trading and so on... i am curious to read more zines!
love and strength for dreaming and fighting, elena

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