032: Alex Wrekk - Writer, "Stolen Sharpie Revolution," "Brainscan," and more

01/03/25 • 51 min

Alex Wrekk is the writer and creator of Stolen Sharpie Revolution, a fantastic book now two decades into its print run and continuing to influence zinemaking and zinemakers the world over.

Alex also creates the zine Brainscan, and, sometimes, a handful of years will go by before a new issue shows up - but! - it’s always being worked on.

We chat about doing multiple drafts of zines, about the presentation of the zines themselves, and even about how I view Stolen Sharpie Revolution as a permission slip to all creators out there.

What is a zine? Well, we talk about that too, but truly, a zine is WHATEVER you make. It’s an artform driven by the Do-It-Yourself mindset - which Alex and I talk about of course - which means you should go out there and do it yourself. Make a zine!

Alex's work:

Portland Button Works & The Spiral House - https://portlandbuttonworks.com/

Alex's zine catalog - https://portlandbuttonworks.com/alex-wrekk-zines-brainscan

Midwest Perzine Fest - https://midwestperzinefest.wordpress.com/

DIY witch blog - DIYwitchery.com

Critical Thinking Witch Collective - https://criticalthinkingwitches.com/

Thank you so much to Alex for coming on and to you for listening!

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Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction.

My website also has links to my newest story, Dynasty of Blood, a serialized story set in a fictional 1980s, but one that deals with the historically factual Satanic Panic and its connection to tabletop roleplaying games. Print copies of volumes 1-3 are now available both print-on-demand and print-at-home!

Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson

You can also go to mossheartbooks.com to check out my independent bookshop and follow me on Instagram @mossheartbooks.

Thank you!

Alex Wrekk is the writer and creator of Stolen Sharpie Revolution, a fantastic book now two decades into its print run and continuing to influence zinemaking and zinemakers the world over.

Alex also creates the zine Brainscan, and, sometimes, a handful of years will go by before a new issue shows up - but! - it’s always being worked on.

We chat about doing multiple drafts of zines, about the presentation of the zines themselves, and even about how I view Stolen Sharpie Revolution as a permission slip to all creators out there.

Alex's work:

Portland Button Works & The Spiral House - https://portlandbuttonworks.com/

Alex's zine catalog - https://portlandbuttonworks.com/alex-wrekk-zines-brainscan

Midwest Perzine Fest - https://midwestperzinefest.wordpress.com/

DIY witch blog - DIYwitchery.com

Critical Thinking Witch Collective - https://criticalthinkingwitches.com/

Thank you so much to Alex for coming on and to you for listening!

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Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson

You can also go to mossheartbooks.com to check out my independent bookshop and follow me on Instagram @mossheartbooks.

Thank you!

Previous Episode

031: Carolyn J. Carpenter - Screenwriter, "You Can't Run Forever"; Script reader

Carolyn J Carpenter is a cofounder of Hollywood Gatekeepers and a story analyst, writer, producer, and script reader, which is how I met her! This is another entry in my “Austin went to a film festival” series (along with Drew Larimore and Jim Burnstein) because I met Carolyn at Austin Film Festival in October 2024.

Carolyn has a ton of industry experience as a reader and writer, and has worked as a story analyst on movies like "Black Swan," "Zodiac," "Footloose," and "Nixon & Kissinger." She stopped by to talk about what they do at Hollywood Gatekeepers, where they help kick down the gates by offering script reading services like avoiding the saggy middle in your screenplay, and more. Also, we discuss how to answer the question "What else do you have?" and what to do when you feel like you're on the edge of making a huge step forward in your writing life.

Thank you to Carolyn for stopping by and to you for listening!

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Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson

You can also go to mossheartbooks.com to check out my independent bookshop and follow me on Instagram @mossheartbooks.

Thank you for listening!

Next Episode

Ledger's Fun Future with New Interviews and Audio Fiction

Ledger is changing!

The craft of writing has so much that goes into it, so many people who help writers produce, finish, and publish their work, so instead of only interviewing writers, Ledger will also begin featuring chats with everyone from Beta readers to editors, to publicists and publishers!

Along with those new interviews there will be shorter episodes offering bits of writing advice. These will be quick and to the point, showcasing ANYTHING that has helped the writing flow.

And finally - audio fiction.

Starting exclusively with fiction by Austin Wilson, Ledger will now publish audio short stories across many different genres. No outside submissions will be considered as of now, but there is that potential in the future when compensation for writers is guaranteed.

This is the next stage of Ledger, one that zooms out to contain much more of what makes the writing happens. It's going to be so much fun!

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Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell other writers about it! Swing by austinRwilson.com to see the host's publishing credits, to contact him, or to read free fiction.

Links to all his work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson

You can also go to mossheartbooks.com to check out Moss Heart, an independent bookshop which can also be followed on Instagram @mossheartbooks.

Thank you!