Q&A with Charlotte Raymond

Charlotte Sareño Raymond is a queer woman of colour, a poet, a thinker, and a feeler. She likes to explore the delicacy of the human experience in her writing from vulnerability to strength, to the strength in vulnerability. She can be found performing poetry across poetry across Melbourne including at the Melbourne Writers Festival Festival and various slam events. Her work has been published by works included Djed Press, Cordite Poetry Review and Baby Teeth Review.

When and why did you start making zines?

I started making zines with the publication of my first zine ‘The Melanin Monologues: A Charlotte’s Web.’ This was for a book launch with a friend of mine and with limited time to pull my works together this gave me the opportunity to pull my creative works together drawing on my poetry and the creative images of a dear friend of mine.

What is your favourite thing about zines?

I love compartmentalizing things so getting to sort the pages into neat piles before hearing the soothing click of the stapler really puts my mind at ease.

Do you have a favourite zine (aside from your own!)? What is it and why do you like it?

Wild by Ummi Tasfia was a zine that actually inspired me to write my own zone. It focuses of the strength of desi women and gave me the courage to produce my own works.

You can view Charlotte’s zines The Soft Chronicles here

You can view Charlotte’s zines The Melanin Monologues here