Is anyone under 30 involved in local short story zines?

[alias_sqbr]

So I was talking to penchaft about her writing, and started thinking about of the many people on my flist involved in local small press sff short story publishing (It seems to me that submitting to something like Borderlands would be a good next step, but I'm not sure she agrees).

Listing you all in my head I was struck by the fact that you're all older than me¹, ie 30+. Which, ok, so it takes a little while to get into that sort of thing, but thinking back I'm sure Lily started Fables back in her early to mid 20s, and similarly with a lot of the people on Borderlands etc. Looking through the submitters to Borderlands and Ticonderoga the (admittedly few) names I recognise are all older than me apart from a few of the artists.

Thinking about the younger creative types on my flist, their output and energy seems to go into:

• online into livejournals (their own or writing communities), often but not always as fanfic;
  
• Webcomics (this includes me of course :)) which if anything will likely be self published;
  
• Publications of manga-style comics (Pencafe, Xuan Xuan, jamwaf) This kind of includes me since I was in jamwaf once, but somewhat by accident :);
  
• Organising conventions (not writing related, but worth mentioning as a different "next step into being an involved adult fan" thing)
  

(Some of the older ones do these things too, of course)

Is this simply the result of my younger friends being more comicsy and my older friends being more writingy? Or the fact that people change as they get older? Or is there some sort of "generational"² shift away from prose 'zines? I get the feeling younger people³ still read them.

Still, to everyone who is under and/or over 30, lives in Perth⁴ and writes/edits: what has been your experience? Am I full of crap? I am aren't I?

(Random sidenote: trying to find a link for Fables and Reflections I came across this rather bizarre article with a use for sff zines I wouldn't have thought of... )

(1)Yes, I am discounting Piffle as a small press publisher, sorry grahame etc :) And in case anyone doesn't know and is wondering, I'm 28. It occurs to me that Liz Gryzb would only be 29, but since she's not on my flist and is older than me my point stands :)
(2) Where a "generation" lasts like 7 years :)
(3) Who aren't me. Sorry, I know, the peer pressure is pretty intense but I just don't like short stories.
(4) That said, those who don't live in Perth are free to say stuff too, but I am mainly interested in this as a local phenomenon.

Comments

[penchaft.livejournal.com]

the Australian partier, who will soon become a dating Australian
his or her future dating partner

That article is REALLY CREEPY.

[alias_sqbr]

I know! I wonder if Lily's seen it? I'm pretty sure that's not what she had in mind when she started the magazine :)

[purrdence.livejournal.com]

I have a story in submission for one of the local small presses, but I haven't received word if it's on or not yet.

[purrdence.livejournal.com]

I also had a story in the first F & R, under my maiden name.

[alias_sqbr]

See, I knew there'd be at least one counter-example, and they just weren't coming to mind. (I actually own a copy of that F&R and read it, so I have no excuse :))

You're like...25? Yes? (If I'm way off, console yourself with the fact that I have, in this post, basically defined myself as "around 30", which is scary but accurate) Hmm. I could be way off since we don't spend much time in the same social circles, but do you hang largely with the older "generation"? Maybe? *sees my lovely generalisation going off the rails, as they always do*

[purrdence.livejournal.com]

27. I would have been about 21 or 22 when the F & R story was published.

do you hang largely with the older "generation"?
*points to Drhoz*

Actually, I find the people I hang out with to be both old and young. For example, at my party of Friday, I was right in the middle of the age range there.

[meljane.livejournal.com]

There was a party ?!

[purrdence.livejournal.com]

It was posted to both Drhoz's LJ and mine a couple of days before. Not a lot of notice, I know - it was kind of a spur of the moment thing.

[meljane.livejournal.com]

I must of missed it .

[alias_sqbr]

HMMMM. Ok then.