June's almost gone, and I'm busy with things including one zine project that got delayed but should finally appear this summer. Here is the introduction, to give you a clue about what it's about :
It is hardly a pamphlet, and nor is it a sequential comic or personal account of life.
Rather, it is a combination of several thoughts and several experiences that I wished to make public and share, and so I’ve made these few paper copies and left them out in the coffee shops of Newcastle that inspired them.
And I think we should all aspire to be kin to the Scriblerians, the republicans and pamphleteers, the refugee intellectuals and creative get-togethers that have – sometimes – used the coffeeshop.
Welcome to this zine, or call it a chapbook if you
like.
It is hardly a pamphlet, and nor is it a sequential comic or personal account of life.
Rather, it is a combination of several thoughts and several experiences that I wished to make public and share, and so I’ve made these few paper copies and left them out in the coffee shops of Newcastle that inspired them.
The contents are composed of two different elements
mixed together without much attempt at structure. Part one is excerpts from our
history : of the history of coffee shops and how they were (perhaps are still)
an integral part of our enlightenment, of reasoned debate and the public
meeting place for enquiring, thoughtful people.
These excerpts are taken from books to be found in
the public library and I recommend them – I learnt a lot about coffee culture,
about how the interplay of politics and freedom came to exist in these public,
spied-upon, caffeinated but non-drunken open venues.
And I think we should all aspire to be kin to the Scriblerians, the republicans and pamphleteers, the refugee intellectuals and creative get-togethers that have – sometimes – used the coffeeshop.
The second element comprises of rough sketches
made, usually with invited friends, at coffeeshops in Newcastle. Many of them
are from 2012, when I first meant to make this zine. Some have been lost, and
more will be made. If you would like to sit out in the public sphere with me,
drink black coffee and scribble with your pen, get in touch at : oldglen@gmail.com
or Mike, 42 Curtis Road, Newcastle upon Tyne.
No funding, sponsorship or other agenda is involved
in this zine.
