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Hazel: A Witches' Lifestyle Zine

Created by Lucy Kagan

Hazel: A Witches' Lifestyle Zine was created by Lucy Kagan, and after the first issue, all subsequent issues are a collaboration between multiple talented creators of many gender expressions, sexualities, races, and ethnicities. Our witchcraft believes in creating power where people have been told there is none. Hazel V: Spirit is the final issue in the Hazel series, featuring writing, comics, illustration, and DIYs on the theme of Spirit. We imagine a young witch in training sitting down on her off day in a cafe with this zine to catch up on the latest in the magical world. How to work with sourdough spirits, what kind of witchy music gets you energized, a healing meditation on a walk in the woods, and stories of reaching out to long distance friends through astral projection are just some of the works that fill this zine with homespun magic.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

We're Reprinting Hazel Issues I & II! Plus a PDF of All-New Extras & Livestream Launch Party
over 2 years ago – Sat, Jul 31, 2021 at 04:46:05 PM

Folks have been asking for Issues I & II to return, and we're finally doing it! This year, we're bringing back the first issue of Hazel, which was all done entirely by myself, and at 24 pages, was only a hint of what was yet to come over the next few years. Issue II is the first Hazel issue where friends were invited to contribute their wonderful spells, stories, and talents to a zine that nearly doubled in size at 44 pages. These short and sweet introductions to the Hazel series are finally going to be back in print thanks to everyone who's been messaging me over the past couple of years since I ran out of copies!

Sneak peek of some pages from the Hazel Supplemental PDF!

For our long-time readers who already have the entire Hazel collection, we're adding an entire supplemental reading PDF with extras that didn't fit into previous issues or were made newly for this zine. We accidentally ended up making something equally as long as the first issue! These PDFs were supposed to be free to those purchasing issues I & II, but since they got so big, well... we're still offering them for free to you for the first week of the campaign! Early Bird backers will get this PDF if they pledge before August 7th, and after that, will be available for purchase or as an add-on. 

Snacks and drinks both easy for a quick party snack fix, and inspirational for something extra special!

When we launch on August 1st, we'll be having a livestream launch party at 2pm EDT on the Cottonbook YouTube channel featuring Hazel creators, including new contributor and long-time magical person Mint Faery! Grab a snack, some crafts, and a nice herbal tea and join us for a warm afternoon of creativity. We even made a Pinterest board of snacks and drinks you can make that seem like something out of a fairy's tea party! 


We'd love to print this little supplemental if we get enough funding, so help us get the word out by sharing on Instagram, Twitter, and wherever your witchy friends hang out, and hopefully we can make this another fantastic success! Thank you so much to our coven of readers for all of your support!!!

Best wishes,

Lucy 

Digital Rewards Out Now! Check for BackerKit Emails with Downloads
over 3 years ago – Sat, Oct 31, 2020 at 11:07:13 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Everything Has Arrived: Time to Lock Addresses and Pack Orders!
over 3 years ago – Fri, Oct 23, 2020 at 07:29:23 PM

Box full of books!

My printer must like surprising me this year, since the last I heard, the books were ready to be printed, and today as I was wondering to myself, "Are they done? Are they shipped?" suddenly, the delivery man came to the door! Leading up to this moment, fellow contributor Natalia Lopes and I had a little distanced outdoor assembling party for all of the wooden charms that came in, I've been printing totes and learning to be a better screenprinter, and we've been trying to get the digital rewards all bundled and uploaded for our digital backers. While that's not done quite yet, we will at least begin to lock addresses, so if you need to make any last changes, please do so immediately via BackerKit! 


I've reached a fairly slow moment, so it's perfect timing to start on packing orders, but I will let you know that I am the only person who preps and ships orders, and I am scheduled to get a much-needed cubital tunnel surgery at the beginning of November. Everything should be in order so that all of the shipping gets done well before that, and I can always ask for help (it's just a little more difficult with pandemic precautions), but that's what's on the calendar for me. Hopefully, it never needs to interfere with fulfillment. 


Any last commissioners for the Patron of the Light Arts tier, please reach out to us immediately to get your commission rolling, and any last backers who have not filled out their BackerKit survey, please do so at the following link, using your Kickstarter email address: https://hazel-v.backerkit.com/


I can't wait to get these started and finally get the books in your hands! This has been such an amazing and inspiring year, and I'm filled with ideas for what to do next. Thanks to everyone for your support all along, and a most majestic autumn to you. 

Lucy

Deer charm with purple watercolor backing card in front of my lovely houseplants
Fox wooden pin on green watercolor backing card in front of my tablecloth

BackerKit Surveys & Book Progress
over 3 years ago – Sun, Oct 11, 2020 at 08:15:37 PM

Happy Autumn! We're already enjoying the harvest season with pumpkin curry and croquettes, apple cider fresh from the farm stand, and spooky movies. The screen for our screenprinted Hazel totes arrived and I've been printing away, plus our proof copy of the book came in and our contributors got to have a little look at how it's looking! We're all excited to see it come together, and now that we've made our final edits and sent it back to the printer, it should be on its way to getting all the copies printed and ready to ship to us. Meanwhile, our wooden pins and charms are also in the works, and we expect to receive the update that they've shipped soon! 


As mentioned in the previous update, we're using BackerKit this year to help us with final orders, add-ons, and digital rewards fulfillment. As we finish up prepping the files for digital rewards, we're waiting for 10% of our backers who have not responded to the survey. If you have not received or filled out your survey, please do so by following the link below and inputting your email you use for Kickstarter. 

https://hazel-v.backerkit.com/

Thanks so much to the 90% of you who have filled out the survey and shared the project! We're so excited to move forward. Orders are being locked in the next 24 hours, and then once we get the books and everything in, we'll charge cards for any additional goodies you might have paid for. 


We were short on proof-readers this year, so I went through the 84-page (we went... a little over what we expected) physical proof copy by hand and caught the last few straggling mistakes, and I really got to see how phenomenal this book is altogether. I'm so thankful for the incredibly talented team we had for our last year, and their gifts are all so moving and kind and generous: a perfect antidote to the pain this year has brought us. My heartfelt thanks goes out to all of you who helped make this possible, and I really hope you'll find the magic in this issue as inspiring and uplifting as I do. 

Best wishes, 

Lucy

Surveys Sent~ Look for an Email from BackerKit! Plus an Invitation to a Hazel Readers' Discord
over 3 years ago – Wed, Sep 23, 2020 at 03:53:31 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.