Feminist punk icons Caroline Azar and GB jones deliver talk on zine culture

TORONTO, April 24, 2013 /CNW/ - Caroline Azar and GB Jones of the 1980s Toronto-based punk band Fifth Column are delivering a presentation on feminism and self-publishing as part of the 3-day She Said Boom: Feminist Zine Making Symposium hosted by the University of Toronto Graduate Students' Union.

Zines, or self-published magazines, first became popular in the 1980s as a form of do-it-yourself creative expression. Throughout its nearly two-decade run, Fifth Column members created dozens of zines and released three albums: To Sir With Hate, All Time Queen of The World & 36C, featuring memorable songs like All Women Are Bitches and Detox Killer/Erotic Thriller. This fantastic feminist force led the way for the queercore music and riot grrl zine scenes across Canada.

Caroline Azar explains the meaning of the 'she said boom' song lyric as follows, "Essentially, she said boom are three simple words that, for us, mean being responsible for your own pocket-sized revolution, and that one's exasperation with what is false can be said aloud: I say boom, you say boom, she said boom! A great punk fanzine called Sick to Move from Pasadena, California had a great slogan they need to be credited for: revolution begins in the mirror."

GB Jones hopes that this symposium will encourage younger women to find alternative ways of addressing sexism in society. As GB states, "Everyone is rediscovering the wonders of vinyl and cassettes lately, and I think zines are next. Although, make no mistake, a lot of people never stopped making them! I contributed to zines like Every Reason and The Filth Zine just in the past year, so I know the zine scene is still alive and well. I also know that feminism is anything but dead but in these times it's more important than ever for younger women to find out there's an alternative to the misogyny that's rampant nowadays, and I hope the She Said Boom: Feminist Zine Making Symposium can help. It can't hurt!

Celebrate feminism and self-publishing at this public 3-day feminist zine symposium. The symposium opens at the University of Toronto Koffler House at 7pm on Thursday April 25 with a feature length film screening of She Said Boom: The Story of Fifth Column followed by a talk with Director Kevin Hegge. Friday April 26 features a pay-what-you-can keynote presentation also at Koffler House at 7pm by Fifth Column founders drummer/guitarist/singer GB Jones and lead singer/organist Caroline Azar on their involvement in zine-making throughout the 1980s and 1990s in Toronto. The symposium closes with a zine launch party at gallerywest on Saturday night.

For more information visit www.utgsu.ca.

SOURCE: University of Toronto Graduate Students' Union

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For all other inquiries please contact:

Erin Oldynski
University of Toronto Graduate Students' Union
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416-579-3766