THE BEAT BULLETIN:
A Quarterly Zine
Where to begin? Well, “zine” (Pronounced Zeen) comes from “Magazine.” But - unlike those many glossy tabloids vying for your attention at the grocery-store checkout - a zine isn’t trying to sell you anything. Novel idea, no? Zines are passion-project-publications which are often distributed for free.
Since 2011, Theatre of the Beat has toured extensively across Turtle Island, making many friends along the way. The downside is, our community’s quite spread out across timezones and postal codes, spanning from the Maritimes, through the GTA and Prairies, and past the Rockies. This means we don’t get to see everyone as much as we’d like (sad face).
In January 2026, we’re trying something new. Theatre of the Beat will be distributing a quarterly zine across Canada. Each issue will focus on a theme of sorts, and include an essay, poetry, artwork, a Q&A with an Indigenous organization or activist, and writing prompts. The hope is that this zine will give us something to talk about, to find common ground, and to keep us connected with cross-country camaraderie!
PENPAL CLUB:
handwritten letterS As a radical act
Internet fatigue is real, and with everything feeling so “Us” and “Them” of late, we thought our community might appreciate a way of connecting with strangers that is 100% Deep Fake-proof, and Bot-free: A Penpal!
For those of you who grew up post-dialup, a Penpal is a handshake agreement between two people - typically strangers, who live in different places, to write back and forth as a way of getting to know each other.
So, as a companion-piece to the zine, we’re also starting a Penpal Club: an IRL opportunity for some good old fashioned, tangible, human connection! Besides, who doesn’t love to get mail?
If you’re interested in participating in this experiment, you can sign up for the Penpal Club in the Zine link above. Both you and your Penpal will recieve the zine. You don’t have to talk about it. But you certainly would learn a lot about each other’s world views if you did.
ZINE CONTRIBUTERS:
Are you a dreamer? Thinker? Writer? Artist? Activist? Why not pitch us an idea?
The goal of this zine is a lofty one, to explore complex or even polarizing topics in ways that seek common ground and promote camaraderie amongst our wide-spread Beatnik community. The content won’t necessarily be about theatre, but will be in pursuit of our mission to catalyze conversations on social justice at the intersection of the beliefs of the communities we find ourselves in. Which, in case you didn’t know, these communities are quite diverse, including: many rural and urban folks, young people and seniors, farmers, artists, business people, and activists, people living within incarceration, and definitely lots of Mennonites.
If you think you can explore complicated topics in ways that can engage with this diverse group of people, please reach out. You maintain all the creative ownership to your work, and if your work is selected for an issue, we will provide a humble $50.00 (CAD) honorarium as a token of our appreciation for your help with this project. Theatre of the Beat is looking for contributors to any of the recurring columns below.
ART
Poetry
Q&A
ESSAYS
If you would like to submit an idea, or simply ask a question about the zine, please contact TOTB’s Creative Communications and Community Engagement Manager, Johnny Wideman, at the link below.