by MJ Head
Brisbane’s student-led ScratchThat Magazine will launch our Timestamp issue on the 29th of May 2026, as part of an ongoing effort to give emerging creatives real-world publishing experience.
Our autumn edition intentionally rejects the digital and soaks into childhood nostalgia to bring ScratchThat’s readership ‘something worth reliving.’
Editorial board member Sailor Rose said our publication aims to reconnect people with their own pasts and challenge society’s work-first, tech-saturated culture.
‘We did have a point in life where you could just breathe… I’m just really hoping it reconnects people back to their own pasts,’ Rose said.
Previous zine editions have included various submissions of prose, poetry, autofiction, visual media, photography, and digital art.
Head of Art, Sayge Potter, said our zine’s visual identity draws heavily from a 2000s scrapbook aesthetic to maintain a hand-made feel.
Potter said: ‘You look at the arts, and you see more than just writing and just art—you see everything. I want to capture that kind of scrapbooky, put-together essence.’
Potter said the physical publication is vital in an oversaturated, digital world where content is easily lost, as a printed zine endures on a bookshelf.
Editorial board member Xana Robbins said working on the zine strengthened her professional skills and provided a clearer understanding of industry expectations.
‘It’s made me feel more professional and more ready to know what to expect from the industry.’
Robbins also said the project offers emerging creatives a chance to produce something professional and tangible to keep.
While details of the launch remain private within the team to maintain suspense, the launch event has been officially scheduled for Friday, the 29th of May 2026, from 6 to 9pm. The celebration will be held at QUT Kelvin Grove’s Creative Industries Precinct in Z9, Level 1, Room 30.
To align with our issue’s nostalgic theme, guests are encouraged to come dressed in their best 2000s fit for an evening of trivia, prize draws, and a pizza dinner.
Get your tickets now at https://events.humanitix.com/scratchthat-launch-party-2026
Author Bio:
Heyo, I’m MJ (They/Them), or better known by my friends as Bucky Barnes’ No. 1 Loverboy. As a third-year Creative Writing student at QUT, I love anything sci-fi, fantasy, and queer. While my muse is fiction writing, you can also often find me making art from cardboard and papier-mache or upcycling clothes via embroidery threads.
If you ever catch me on campus (not hard, given my asthma), don’t hesitate to say hi and strike up a conversation about your latest art project or favourite superhero.