Meeting with the Venus Fanzine queen:
Amy Schroeder

Babes in Boyland/Ovary Action : Can you describe your feelings and goals for the very first issue of Venus you released? Was it the first fanzine you had?
Amy : I made my first zine when I was about 11 years old. I didn't know it was a zine at the time because at that age, I didn't have any exposure to fanzines. I was living in a suburb of Chicago and there was very little "alternative culture." The first zine that I made was more of a silly school newsletter.
As for the first issue of Venus, I created it in one evening in my dormitory at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. I was 19 years old and I just had an urge to make something. I had a lot of energy and a lot of ideas that were inspired by my first women's studies class. The first few issues of Venus were more of a personal zine with rants about college life. I used a word processor to type the content and I cut and pasted photos for graphics. I photo-copied about 100 copies of the zine and sold it for $1 per copy (or gave it away) to
friends and strangers. I enjoyed creating the first issue so much that I decided to continue developing it and released about one issue per year throughout college. With each issue, I made improvements in content and design and it gradually took on the focus of women in music.

Bib /Oa : Did you start working on it on your own? How did/ do you deal with
other people's input and views?
Amy : The early issues of Venus (issues one through five) were experimental in that they had no real focus. I was covering such random topics as cigarette reviews, friends' bands and art projects, roller skating, critiques of Midwestern life, and a new "movement" I started called the Anti-Lawn Advocates of America. Each issue reflected where I was at in my life. As time went on, I asked my friends
to contribute stories and comics, etc. I was also writing feminist essays that sparked debate from some friends, which in turn inspired me to write more and to take on new challenges with Venus.

Bib/Oa : Can you tell us about the changes the zine and yourself went
through issue after issue?
Amy : While creating Venus in college, I also was working full time at my university newspaper and freelance writing for other national publications, and I also interned at a San Francisco-based magazine called SOMA. When these publications didn't want to publish my interviews with women musicians, I published the stories in Venus. That's basically how Venus got its women-in-music focus. Similarly, the writing, editing, and design skills I was learning while working for other publications were reflected in each issue of Venus. After college, I moved to New York and then to San Francisco and now to Chicago. I was working full-time jobs as an editor for other publications and also creating Venus in my spare time. While I enjoyed working for other publications, I always more fulfilled by creating my own publication and made it my goal to be able to do Venus as my full-time job, which became a reality in March of 2002. Each new issue of Venus gets a little bit thicker and a little bit slicker over time. It continues to grow and expand and that's what I enjoy about it most. Each issue is a new project.

Bib/Oa : What is a fanzine for you? what is it not?
Amy : To me, a fanzine is freedom. It's creating whatever you want. No one is holding you back and you have no boss. The best fanzines are the ones that let creativity and energy flow without barriers or restrictions. I've been studying journalism since high school, and to me, my fanzine is the one outlet in which I feel I can truly and honestly publish what I think is missing in many mainstream publications.

Bib/Oa : I personally feel like you are one of the best representations of
feminist in practice. Do you feel comfortable with this view or do you
feel oppressed with labels?
Amy : You're the first person to tell me that. Thank you. I embrace and cherish feminism because I have personalized it. I do what I think is right. As for the musicians we cover, we do not require that you have to call yourself a feminist in order to be covered in Venus. I find value in all women's work -- be it feminist or not. In short, Venus exists because I don't think other non-mainstream music publications do a good enough job of covering women musicians. There are quite a few non-mainstream publications that cover independent music, but they tend to focus on men's work. In a better world, Venus would not need to exist.

Bib/Oa : Can you tell us about your worst experience as an author,
interviewer...etc (in terms of anger, embarrassement...)
Amy : I've never had a bad interview. I love talking to people and asking them questions. I'm a naturally curious person and could talk for hours with absolutely anyone. I find all people interesting. Everyone has a story -- whether or not they realize it. As for anger, the one thing that angers me is that some record labels think that women don't buy records. That pisses me off. Some of the biggest record collectors I know are women.

Bib/Oa : Can you name the people, dead or alive, who inspire(d) you most,
and explain in what way they do.
Amy : Gloria Steinem for her investigative journalism and for starting Ms. Magazine. Jane Pratt for her early work at Sassy magazine. Janis Joplin for doing whatever the fuck she wanted. My parents for telling me that I could do whatever I set my heart to.

Venus' website