Mission
Our goal is to create a resource for zine-makers, and zine-lovers to explore this form of expression. We aim to support zine-culture through gathering and celebrating initiatives.
What is a zine?
A zine (pronounced ‘z-ee-n’) is a self-published piece of printed matter. Zines are often hand-made in small quantities with modest materials and distributed locally for cheap. Zines come in all formats and materials but they are commonly a bound paper booklet. Zines are used by writers, artists, activists, organizations, poets, and fans to share their stories, ideas, and art outside of the bounds of formal publishing systems.
Why zines?
Zines are special artifacts of culture because of their accessibility and intimacy.
Anybody can make a zine.
Zines are typically modest in their materials and format and require minimal technical tools and resources to produce.
Zines are far more affordable to create and distribute than conventional printed media. With zines, people can create and publish with freedom, without the restrictions and constraints of hierarchy and commodification.
Zines are about community.
The independent spirit of zines allows for a direct connection between author and reader otherwise not possible within the traditional and often exclusionary practices of mainstream publishing and media. Zines have long been a medium for marginalized voices to distribute their stories and protest systems of oppression within their communities.
Zine History
People have been sharing ideas through printed matter outside of formal publishing practices about as long as publishing has been around. Some people argue that Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, the Federalist Papers, and the Communist Manifesto are examples of early zines. Modern zines are commonly traced back to American publications, called ‘fanzines’ in the 1930s and 40s created by science fiction fans such as The Comet (1930) and Fantasy Commentator (1943). From the 1930s and 60s, the topics covered by fanzines grew to include comics, music, and horror.
In the 1970s, reproduction became more widely accessible through the proliferation of copy-machines and copy shops. Zines of this era were platforms for political commentary, literary experimentation, rock and roll music criticism and experimentation with design. The 1970s and 1980s punk scenes in London, Los Angeles and New York became a hub for zines including Slash, Punk, and Sniffin’ Glue. Artists in the punk scene used zines to distribute information about events, venues, and groups rejecting corporate and mainstream labels and media. The independent nature of zines represented the aesthetic and ideals of punk culture. This DIY tradition continues to be a staple of zine culture today.
In the 1980s and 1990s, reactions to the patriarchal and heteronormative dynamics of punk emerged, and with them new traditions in zine-making. Queercore artists like G.B Jones and Bruce LaBruce created the zine J.D.s to centered around anarchist, queer-punk themes and the Riot Grrrl movement encouraged young women to form bands and make zines to amplify their voices. Riot Grrrl zines shared unfiltered experiences of third wave feminism such as gender discrimination, and body image. Artists like Kathleen Hanna, Johanna Fateman and Miranda July produced zines like Bikini Kill, Jig Saw, Bust (1993) and Bitch (1996).
Zines have also been used by LGBTQ+ communities to share stories, distribute information, and protest. In 1947, Edythe Eyde distributed the first queer fanzine Vice Versa by hand. In the 1980s, the grassroots political movement ACT UP used zines to raise awareness about the AIDS epidemic, protest the US government’s ignorance of the crisis, and share resources and personal stories of community members.
Today, zines in all shapes and structures can be found in record shops, independent bookstores, book fairs, and online. Museums, universities and libraries include zines in their collections and zine libraries and ‘distro’s (distributions) can be found all over the world!
Sources & Additional Resources
- A Short History of Zines, Amon Carter Museum of American Art
- American Counterculture, Glimpsed Through Zines, Lili Anolik for The New Yorker
- A Brief History of Zines, Shaunacy Ferro for Mental Floss
- A Brief History of Zines, UNC Chapel Hill Wilson Special Collections Library
- Zines 101: History, Rachel Drissell for Cornell University Library
- Zines, Library of Virginia
- Queercore Booklet, Canadian Centre for Gender & Sexual Diversity
- A Brief History of Zines, Kelly Jensen for Book Riot
- Feminist Zines, University of the Arts London, London College of Communication
- Zines: A Brief History, College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, Clemens Library
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