Zine Library Highlight

Feathered Friends

A hand holds a small booklet titled "Crow Parenting" in front of a blurred gallery background. The booklet's cover has a black and white illustration of three crows, with two adult crows standing protectively near a nest of chicks. Above the illustration, a speech bubble from a third crow says "CAW!"

Bird Zines? Yeah, we’ve got a few!

These zines about our feathered friends fit right in with the current exhibition of a feather: works by Thaddeus Holownia and Karen Stentaford, curated by Emily Falvey. This exhibition was organized in memory of Gay Hansen (1954-2021), a gifted teacher, mentor, and ornithologist who taught at Mount Allison University for thirty-nine years. Hansen was known and admired for an ecologically sound approach to life that encompassed scientific curiosity, nurturing countless students, caring for plants and animals, and a mastery of taxidermy and numerous craft practices, including knitting and woven baskets.

Zines form the Owens’ Teeny Tiny Zine Library touch a wide (wing)span of bird related knowledge and species including their habits, habitats, and personal relationships with our feathered friends.

On the cover of the zine "The Free Guide to Cheeps" by Christina King, a black and white bird in flight is set against an abstract, soft teal background. Surrounding the bird are three small, cartoon-like clouds.

Christina King

Sing along to the tune of Christina King’s favourite bird calls in The Free Guide to Cheeps zine, a pocket field guide of mnemonics for backyard bird identification.

The zine titled "Crow Parenting" features a black and white illustration of three crows, with two adult crows standing protectively near a nest of chicks. Above the illustration, a speech bubble from the third crow says "CAW!"

Sarah Shay Mirk

Caw! Caw! This zine explores the communal parenting of the American Crow and how “helper” birds contribute to raising chicks. This zine was made for the Queer Creatures ride led by Sarah Shay Mirk and friends as part of Pedalpalooza.

The title page for "Last Call From Marshlands, Vol. 3 - The Great Auk" features a black and white illustration of a Great Auk.

Evan Furness

This mini zine includes information about the Great Auk a species of flightless bird that became extinct in the mid-19th century. This zine is a apart of a series by Furness made for In fine feather, an exhibition of works by 14 students from the Department of Fine Arts at Mount Allison University on the theme of migratory bird conservation.

A white paper cover of the zine "Birds I Saw This Summer: migratory ruminations" is fastened with decorative red yarn tied along the left side. The text is set in a large, bold, serif typeface.

Emily McDonald

Migratory ruminations about a red wing black bird, mourning dove, rooster and crows are accompanied by drawings by the author in this zine.

On a pink and white background, "BIRD WATCHING by Gilad Seliktar" is written in black text. At the top right, there's a small sketch of a person's face outlined in black with a brownish hue, labeled "Yonatan". At the bottom left is another sketch of a person wearing a beanie. Next to this face is the word "me" with a pink arrow.

by Gilad Seliktar
2021

Gilad Seliktar is a widely published graphic novelist. In this zine, made for the Quarantine Public Library, a father and son go roaming. Seliktar wrote and illustrated Tsav 8, The Demons of Mongols, and Who Are You Anyway. His graphic novel Farm 54, written by Galit Selikter, has been translated into five languages. Gilad is a Lecturer at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. He lives in Padres Hanna with his wife, Adi, and son, Yonatan. Read this zine online.

Below the text "BIRD STORY" is an illustration of five grey pigeons with purple and blue highlights, pecking at orange and red crumbs. Below the text "COLE DEGENSTEIN" appears on a rectangle of cream paper.

Cole Degenstein

This short story illustrates the author’s friendships with Canadian geese and other pigeon wisdom.

The text "13 (images of) Birds - Kevin Melanson) is handwritten in black pen on the cover of a white zine.

Kevin Melanson

As the title describes, this zine is in fact 13 images of birds, hand drawn by the artist from Google Image searches.

The title page for "Superb Owls" features a black and white illustration of a owl with a crown floating above its head.

Sarah Shay Mirk

Superb Owl Sunday is a special day to appreciate the nocturnal birds. Mirk’s zine of superb owls includes the barn, burrowing, cloud-forest pygmy, spectacled, great horned and snowy varieties.