Tonight you can get stuck in with the launch event for ASPZ’s 16th issue, featuring work centered around the theme “Lines.” 16 is a pretty high number for this sort of thing, so they must be doing something right. Unfamiliar with the ASPZ? In their own words: “ASPZ, short for A Shanghai Poetry Zine, is a magazine and a community dedicated to spread the love for poetry in all forms and among all genres of people.” Beginning in 2016 as a small self-produced zine, ASPZ has since become one of the more influential indie magazines in China. They’ve given the spotlight to a wide array of promising young artists, with the goal of promoting Chinese work on the international scene. As with many of their events, tonight you can expect readings and presentations of artwork from the zine contributors, as well as a poetry open mic afterward for all those who stay. As Sunday is sadly a work day, I’ve been assured things will run strictly on time, which might be a first in the history of open mics. Why not make the best of a short weekend and take in some culture? It all kicks off 8 p.m. at PAPER on Huaihai. Entrance is 70rmb, which includes a copy of the magazine. If you’re hungry to get eyeballs on your own work, ASPZ is already on the submission hunt for their next issue. The topic is Reveries, which is (somewhat confusingly) unrelated to their upcoming event series, also titled Reveries. For more information, shoot an email to aspz.magazine@gmail.com or join the official ASPZ WeChat account by typing AShanghai_PoetryZine or using this QR code on their event flyer.

A Shanghai Poetry Zine is accompanying the release of their newest issue with an event where artists can mingle and poets can read their works. There will be an open mic for anyone else who wants to drop by and read their works.