“Broken Pencil is the entertaining, indispensable guide to zines.” – the Toronto Star
About Broken Pencil: the magazine of zine culture and the independent arts
Welcome to Broken Pencil! Since 1995, we have been a mega-zine dedicated exclusively to exploring independent creative action. Published four times a year, each issue of Broken Pencil features reviews of hundreds of zines and small press books, plus comics, excerpts from the best of the underground press, interviews, original fiction and commentary on all aspects of the indie arts. From the hilarious to the perverse, Broken Pencil challenges conformity and demands attention.
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Take a look at the Broken Pencil Store to check out recent issues and back issues, as well as lots of zines, swag, and other goodies.
Want to write for us?
Send us your pitch for an article here.
Contacting Broken Pencil
For general editorial inquiries that are not submissions → email [email protected].
Anything related to subscriptions → email [email protected]
Anything related to advertising or any other business stuff → email [email protected].
Anything related to mailing and orders → email [email protected]
Our mailing address is:
CANADA:
Broken Pencil, PO Box #203, Station P, Toronto, ON, M5S 2S7 Canada.
USA:
Broken Pencil c/o Gutter Pop Comics
1421 Hertel Ave
Buffalo, NY 14216
United States
Submitting Your Work to Broken Pencil
ZINE Submissions:
To submit your zine or chapbook for review, please fill out the form here.
ZINE Submissions:
(Note, we are now accepting PDF uploads of zines and chapbooks for review purposes.)
FICTION Submissions:
We publish short fiction in every issue. All fiction submissions must go through our Submittable page. Broken Pencil does not publish poetry.
To submit your short fiction, please fill out the form here.
ARTICLES and REVIEWS Submissions:
Want to pitch an article idea, submit your zines & books for review, or just introduce yourself to the editors? Check out our submissions page to find out how.
Editor -– Zack Kotzer
Zack Kotzer is a writer, editor and former carny based out of Toronto. He became editor of Broken Pencil in 2022. His work has been published in The Globe and Mail, NOW Magazine, The Atlantic, Vice, Polygon and Spacing. He launched FUNLAND, a queer reimagination of 90s game magazines, in 2021. He has also written a book about pinball, knows too much about pinball, has a large chunk of his brain devoted to pinball. He no longer knows what it is like to experience the world as someone who knows less about pinball. Bug him over on Twitter @ZaaackKoootzer.
Co-Editor – Olea Kim
Olea Kim is a nonbinary cartoonist, editor, and artist. They review comics and edit the comics page for The Grind, an alternative commuter newspaper. They have been published in exclaim, FORGE art mag, and BUBBLES fanzine. They have led hosted multiple panels at TCAF and co-run Bug Milk, a bi-monthly comics reading series at The Beguiling.
Founder and Publisher – Hal Niedzviecki
Hal Niedzviecki is a writer, speaker, culture commentator and editor whose work challenges preconceptions and confronts readers with the offenses of everyday life. He is the author of over ten books including the novel The Archaeologists (ARP), a collection of short stories Look Down, This is Where it Must Have Happened (City Lights, April 2011) and the nonfiction book Trees on Mars: Our Obsession with the Future (Seven Stories Press).
Co-Publisher – Tara Gordon Flint
Tara Flint is the Co-Publisher, Business and Circulation Manager at Broken Pencil. Tara introduced the spreadsheet to BP in 1999 and brings a broad background in marketing, event planning, finance, and management. Tara is responsible for advertising, circulation, accounting, and fundraising.
Fiction Editor – Maria Cichosz
Maria Cichosz is a novelist and scholar whose writing has appeared in Critique, the Los Angeles Review of Books, The Puritan, and on the CBC Literary Awards shortlist, among other places. She holds a Ph.D. in Modern Thought & Literature from Stanford University and teaches writing at the University of Toronto. Her first novel, Cam & Beau (Now or Never, 2020), is the emo stoner bromance you didn’t know you needed.
Assc. Fiction Editor – Jason Smith
Jason Smith is a writer and hardcore baseball fan. Born in Scarborough, Ontario, his fiction reflects the sights and sounds of the place where he grew up. He’s looking to read stories that will linger in his imagination long after he’s torn his eyes from the page. Jason's debut novel, The Closer, was published in 2022.
Design Editor - Ian Sillivan Cant
Ian Sullivan Cant is the Design Editor of Broken Pencil. He is an artist, writer, graphic designer and wannabe falconer.
