Future Fantasteek! is now on exhibition in the Bower Ashton Library, Bristol, UK

An exhibition hosted by Bower Ashton Library, Bristol, UK
Future Fantasteek! #23 – You Love Libraries – When All the Books Are Gone
Jac Batey & Jessy Randall

Wednesday 5th November – Friday 19th December 2025
https://www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/ff23libraries/

This exhibition was organised by Dr Sarah Bodman who is responsible for Artists’ Books at the Centre for Print Research (CFPR), where she runs projects investigating and promoting contemporary book arts.
Thanks also to Shaun Oaten, @idleformat on Instagram for the exhibition photos.

Future Fantasteek! No.23 is now on show in Tutt Library at Colorado College, USA

 
Future Fantasteek! No.23 is now on show in Tutt Library at Colorado College, USA
July > September 2025

Future Fantasteek! #23: You Love Libraries // When All the Books Are Gone

Onscreen version formatted so both zines are the right way up to view 

Jac Batey (images) & Jessy Randall (text)
Brighton, UK / Colorado Springs, USA (2025)
Edition of 100
297mm x 210mm, 32 x pages
Tête-bêche format: two zines with one rotated 180 degrees, meeting in the middle. Two front covers.
Digital colour printing on 150 gsm recycled silk paper,
Includes a bookmark

This special library-themed issue of Future Fantasteek! (ISSN 2399-3022) It is a gift to libraries in gratitude for all that libraries and library staff do for communities, for literacy, and for intellectual freedom. It contains two 16-line poems about books and libraries by Jessy Randall, illustrated by Jac Batey using withdrawn library books, vintage stationery, tippex, index cards, pens and collages. The Tête-bêche format means both zines are bound together with one rotated 180 degrees, making for two front covers. 

When All The Books Are Gone

Selected spreads

You Love Libraries

Selected spreads

The process involved agreeing on the poems to include, then taking each 16-line poem in turn and working on everything 'all at once'. The idea was to repurpose old library book covers and stationery, but I needed to be able to see the whole sequence of the poem so I could consider the visual pace and flow. Work-in-progress images

Message from the authors
The authors thank the University of Portsmouth, UK, Research & Innovation Fund, for supporting the printing and distribution of this publication. We love libraries – for real, not just if someone asks.
Sincerely yours, Jac Batey (University of Portsmouth, UK) / Jessy Randall (Colorado College, USA)

Jessy Randall is a librarian at Colorado College in the United States.
Her latest book is ‘The Path of Most Resistance: Poems on Women in Science’ (Gold SF, 2025).
Personal Website: www.bit.ly/JessyRandall

Future Fantasteek! No.22 'Paper Cuts'

Future Fantasteek! No.22 Paper Cuts is a change from the usual A5 format, broadsheet newspaper size containing a series of drawings/collages that are about how we use words and expressions to bully each other.

12 pages colour printed on newsprint
500mm x 350mm (broadsheet format)
Edition of 100, numbered, signed and embossed
July 2023, Brighton, UK

The 'Paper Cuts' artwork explores the impact of language on mental health. Created through a combination of collage and drawing techniques, they bring attention to the passive/aggressive phrases and words that are often used to bully and blame individuals. The works feature a clash of cartoon-like imagery and hand-drawn text, highlighting phrases such as “being resilient” and “gentle reminder” that can be used in a harmful manner. Similarly, as technology rapidly evolves, so too does the absurdity of the language we use to describe it. This language is parodied to highlight how it can make us as humans feel anxious, out-of-date, or redundant. The series encourages open conversations about mental health and challenges the notion that individuals can be ‘fixed’, which distracts us from attempting to create a more equal and supportive society. It’s a call to action to rethink the way we communicate and to understand the power of words.

The series of eight collaged/drawings are part of the following touring exhibition in libraries in
London, UK 2023-2025. Supported by Creative People & Places, Arts Council England and the University of Portsmouth.

Broken Pencil nomination - Best Art Zine category

I was thrilled to get nominated in the best art zine category of the Broken Pencil Awards in Canada 2022. There were lots of amazing zines showcased at the event and online. As part of the event, I was asked to make a short film that showed some details about Future Fantasteek! No.21

You can see all issues of Future Fantasteek! in the Tate Collection

For more about the Tate's collection of Artist Books and Zines
https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain/library-archive-reading-rooms/library

 

I've been drawing a lot on the train recently, so I thought I'd put all my train drawings together
on a separate blog called > PLATFORM 2  >  https://bateyjackie.wixsite.com/platform2

Future Fantasteek! No.21 - 'Future Fantasteek! in Motion' at Arts Council England

Future Fantasteek! No.21 is FINISHED yay!
This was part of an Arts Council England Funded project called Future Fantasteek! in Motion.

Through this project, I was able to spend dedicated time to develop new skills in animation/moving illustration. The new zine includes AR elements that can be seen via a smartphone and the project website.

To see Future Fantasteek! No.21 click here ➡️
https://bateyjackie.wixsite.com/ffinmotion

Future Fantasteek! in Motion

Future Fantasteek! in Motion funded by Arts Council England is progressing rapidly.

You can preview elements here:
Future Fantasteek! in Motion Website

Future Fanasteek! No.22 'Doom Scroll' is nearly completed. It'll be ready to send out in March 2022 NOW with added AR. This has been the most amazing project that's given me time to learn so many new skills, I can't wait to share it with everyone.

Arts Council England award

Really pleased to be able to now share that I've been awarded a Developing Your Creative Practice grant from the Arts Council England.

This is for a project called Future Fanasteek! in Motion running between Aug 2021 and Feb 2022 and it will have its own website to share the work in progress and final outcomes.

For more click on the menu above or follow this link:

https://bateyjackie.wixsite.com/ffinmotion

I want to explore the space between animation and the still-image on the printed zine, to develop aspects of motion, digitally and through AR. I propose digital interventions in sound, animation & sequence to make the unfolding of pages (real & virtual) a multi-layered experience. This grant provides dedicated time to learn to record, edit and place sound/image in harmony so that I can enhance the experience when viewing zines online and in-print using AR. I see this as mixing elements in unexpected ways that will be an exciting step-change in my practice.

'Decay' exhibition for The Rise Collective in Hanoi, Vietnam - April 2021

I'm really pleased that I have a limited edition print on shown in an exhibition in Hanoi, Vietnam curated by The Rise Collective. The curator @livyhasnolife has set the theme as 'Decay' and over 50 artists from around the world are showing work.

The show will be on 3rd-12th April 2021 at @archhanoi, in aid of @bluedragonchildren.

"The exhibition has the aim to raise money for @bluedragonchildren. ✨🐉✨ Blue Dragon offers children and families in crisis throughout Vietnam the chance to change their situations. Their services include rescue and crisis care for young people in immediate danger. They provide shelter, legal advocacy as well as long term support in returning to school and/or training. BD have rescued 1000 victims of human trafficking and continue to do amazing work."    From the organiser's Instagram Page

This is my print, it's a two colour lino print about food waste.

For more see: Instagram RISE COLLECTIVE >

Here are some more images of the private view April 3rd 2021
(Photos by Livy Nelson)

Interview about Zineopois and Future Fantasteek! For Hotondo Zero Yen Daigaku, Japan.

It was great to do an interview recently for Masaki Okada (editor) Hotondo Zero Yen Daigaku, Japan. 
We spoke about Zineopolis the art zine collection I curate at the University of Portsmouth as well as Future Fantasteek and drawing on the train.

http://hotozero.com/column/world006/ 

Article by Masaki Okada (editor) for "Hotondo Zero Yen Daigaku"(it means "Let's enjoy universities more closely.") Our focus is to introduce University-related information (e.g. interesting researches, open lectures or events, and so on) for adult learners in Japan.

There's a roughly translated (via Google) version attached below here or you can visit the site to see the original content.

Future Fantasteek! No.20

Softback zine laser printed in colour on white paper.
A5 size with 16 printed pages, saddle-stitched.
Yellow cover, laser-printed in colour with mulit-lens transparent cover.
Brighton, October 2019, edition size of 30.
All numbered, signed and embossed with maker's mark.
ISSN 2399-3022 (Online)

This issue is all about the joys of commuting. Drawing on the train over photos taken from my journey to work as a way of not-wasting-time. The text is the real-life reasons why we are late today.

Read the whole thing here, scroll below:

The International Books, Publishing and Libraries Conference, Spain 2019

This paper was presented at the The International Books, Publishing and Libraries Conference (Granada, Spain 2019). It's now been accepted for publication with some revisions in the International Journal of the Book publication estimate early 2020.

Are You Okay?  Mental Health Narratives in Art Zines from the Zineopolis Collection
Dr. Jackie Batey

Abstract:
This paper explores examples of art zines that contain visual narratives about mental health. The author is the curator of “Zineopolis” (University of Portsmouth, UK) and specific examples will be drawn from this special collection of art zines. This paper questions how visual narratives about issues such as GAD (General Anxiety Disorder), Burnout and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) can communicate to a reader through art zines. It will consider authorial illustration within the self-publishing sector and how personal, private stories can been shared in an ultimately positive context. ‘Well-being’ has become a particular focus for higher education in the UK with many students struggling with issues such as anxiety and depression. Art zines have an immediacy and democracy of production that means many more voices can be heard and stories shared beyond what is available in the mainstream. Ethical issues of circulating these art zines within a special collection is also commented upon with reference to The Zine Librarians Code of Ethics (2015). Mental health issues have often been portrayed though the popular media unsympathetically creating stigma, whereas these selected art zines show care and understanding offering an alternative narrative.

Keywords: zines, mental health, self-publishing

This paper was presented at the The International Books, Publishing and Libraries Conference (Granada, Spain 2018). It's now been accepted for publication with some revisions in the International Journal of the Book publication estimate. 2020. To read the draft version scroll below here...

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Out of Order No.1

A photographic record of all the broken stuff around us...

Is the engineer REALLY coming?

Are they REALLY sorry about your inconvenience?

..You couldn't fix any of this stuff either could you?

Softback zine laser printed in colour on white and ivory paper.
A5 size with 16 printed pages, saddle-stitched.
Yellow cover, laser-printed in colour.
Brighton, August 2019, edition size of 30.
All numbered, signed and embossed with maker's mark.
Spin-off special edition from Future Fantasteek!

To read the whole thing scroll below here: