Broken Pencil
| Former editors | Zack Kotzer Jonathan Valelly |
|---|---|
| Categories | Art, Culture |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Publisher | Hal Niedzviecki Tara Gordon Flint |
| Founder | Hal Niedzviecki |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Final issue Number | Summer 2024 103 |
| Country | Canada |
| Based in | Toronto, Ontario |
| Language | English |
| Website | brokenpencil |
| ISSN | 1201-8996 |
| OCLC | 427378454 |
Broken Pencil was a Canadian magazine based in Toronto, Canada that profiled zine culture and independent arts and music. It was founded in 1995 and published four times annually[1] until its closure in 2024.
History
Broken Pencil was founded in 1995[2] by Hal Niedzviecki.[3][4]
In 2009, Broken Pencil published a collection of short stories entitled Can'tLit: Fearless Fiction from Broken Pencil Magazine, featuring Canadian independent writers, with ECW Press.[5] In 2015, The Toronto Star published an article about the first 20 years of Broken Pencil and its role in zine publishing in Canada.[3]
Niedzviecki, who remained the magazine's publisher, shut down Broken Pencil in late 2024, citing criticism of his views on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Niedzviecki had received backlash after he made multiple pro-Israel posts on Twitter, culminating in "a petition signed by nearly 200 people, including former editors and contributors, asking him to resign as publisher of the zine-culture and arts magazine."[6]
Canzine
Broken Pencil organized Canzine, a Toronto-based festival centred around zines and small press publications, from 1995 until 2024.[7][8] The 2024 Canzine festivals, which had been planned to take place in Toronto and Ottawa, were cancelled, potentially due to a boycott by zine makers in protest of Niedzviecki's pro-Israel stance.[6]
References
- ^ "A Writer's Guide to Canadian Literary Magazines & Journals". Magazine Awards. November 7, 2013. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ^ Benson, Eugene; Conolly, L.W. (November 30, 2004). Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English. Routledge. p. 897. ISBN 978-1-134-46848-5. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ a b Carvile, Olivia (July 29, 2015). "How zines survive in the Internet age". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on February 10, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- ^ Niedzviecki, Hal (May 29, 2011). "Three of Canada's Best Cultural Magazines Celebrate Milestone Moments". Huffpost Canada. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
- ^ Good, Alex (October 2009). "Book Review: Can'tLit: Fearless Fiction from Broken Pencil Magazine". Quill & Quire. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
- ^ a b O'Kane, Josh (December 3, 2024). "Broken Pencil magazine to shut down as founder cites pressure over pro-Israel views". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on December 5, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
- ^ "CANZINE OTTAWA | Ottawa Art Gallery". oaggao.ca. October 28, 2022. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- ^ LaPierre, Megan (August 23, 2022). "Canzine Festival Returns to Toronto and Ottawa for 2022". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on November 30, 2024. Retrieved November 30, 2024.