Broken Pencil

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title: "Broken Pencil" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1995-establishments-in-ontario", "2024-disestablishments-in-ontario", "defunct-literary-magazines-published-in-canada", "magazines-established-in-1995", "magazines-disestablished-in-2024", "defunct-magazines-published-in-toronto", "quarterly-magazines-published-in-canada"] description: "Canadian magazine" topic_path: "geography/canada" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_Pencil" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Canadian magazine ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox magazine"]

Field	Value
title	Broken Pencil
previous_editor	Zack Kotzer
Jonathan Valelly
category	Art, Culture
frequency	Quarterly
publisher	Hal Niedzviecki
Tara Gordon Flint
founder	Hal Niedzviecki
founded	1995
finaldate	Summer 2024
finalnumber	103
country	Canada
based	Toronto, Ontario
language	English
website
issn	1201-8996
oclc	427378454
::

| title = Broken Pencil | logo = | logo_size = | previous_editor = Zack Kotzer Jonathan Valelly | staff_writer = | photographer = | category = Art, Culture | frequency = Quarterly | publisher = Hal Niedzviecki Tara Gordon Flint | paid_circulation = | unpaid_circulation = | circulation_year = | total_circulation = | founder = Hal Niedzviecki | founded = 1995 | firstdate = | finaldate = Summer 2024 | finalnumber = 103 | country = Canada | based = Toronto, Ontario | language = English | website = | issn = 1201-8996 | eissn = | oclc = 427378454 Broken Pencil was a quarterly Canadian magazine based in Toronto, Canada that profiled zine culture and independent arts and music. It was founded in 1995, and it closed in 2024.

History

Broken Pencil was founded in 1995 by Hal Niedzviecki.

In 2009, Broken Pencil published a collection of short stories entitled Can'tLit: Fearless Fiction from Broken Pencil Magazine, featuring Canadian independent writers, with ECW Press. In 2015, The Toronto Star published an article about the first 20 years of Broken Pencil and its role in zine publishing in Canada.

Niedzviecki, who remained the magazine's publisher, shut down Broken Pencil in late 2024, citing criticism of his views on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Niedzviecki had received backlash after he made multiple pro-Israel posts on Twitter, culminating in "a petition signed by nearly 200 people, including former editors and contributors, asking him to resign as publisher" of Broken Pencil.

Canzine

Broken Pencil organized Canzine, a Toronto-based festival centred around zines and small press publications, from 1995 until 2024. The planned 2024 Canzine festivals in Toronto and Ottawa were cancelled, potentially due to a boycott by zine makers in protest of Niedzviecki's pro-Israel stance.

References

References

1. (November 30, 2004). "Encyclopedia of Post-Colonial Literatures in English". [[Routledge]].
2. Good. (October 2009). "Book Review: Can'tLit: Fearless Fiction from Broken Pencil Magazine". [[Quill & Quire]].
3. Carvile, Olivia. (July 29, 2015). "How zines survive in the Internet age". [[Toronto Star]].
4. O'Kane, Josh. (December 3, 2024). "Broken Pencil magazine to shut down as founder cites pressure over pro-Israel views". [[The Globe and Mail]].
5. (2022-10-28). "CANZINE OTTAWA {{!}} Ottawa Art Gallery".
6. LaPierre, Megan. (Aug 23, 2022). "Canzine Festival Returns to Toronto and Ottawa for 2022". [[Exclaim!]].

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