I wanna publish zines, and rage against machines;
I wanna pierce my tongue, it doesn’t hurt, it feels fine…
– Harvey Danger, “Flagpole Sitta”

 

On Saturday, May 10, the library hosted a zine-making workshop to celebrate World Collage Day. Don’t fret if you missed it! I’m here to fill you in on what you missed, or add a few more ideas to what you learned in that class.

Let’s back up for a moment – maybe you’re still wondering, “What the heck is a zine?” Zine is short for magazine. They have been used to spread information and ideas, self-publish content such as poetry and art, and to avoid censorship. Zines have been around since the 1930s, when they started as fanzines.

Then later, in the 60s and 70s they were utilized greatly amongst the punk and counterculture movements, as well as feminist and queer movements of the 1990s – such as Riot Grrrl. Though not as widely-known, zines are still a popular medium for sharing information, art, and ideas – especially in our current climate of threatened censorship and book challenges. Zines can be handwritten/drawn, collaged, typed, or made on the computer. They can share information about your favorite interests, politics, activism, art, mental health, or anything you can think of!

At the event here at the library, we made mini zines out of a single piece of 8 ½ x 11” paper. They can also be made with half-folded paper, bound/stapled booklet style, or any other size configuration (though they are generally quite small, to fit in a pocket or bag so you can share them when you’re out and about!)

The best thing about zines is that there really are no rules! You can make them however you want, whatever size you want, about any topic you want! In case you need some inspiration, though, here are some topic ideas:

• Animals
• Pride Month
• A how-to guide to your favorite hobby
• Social causes you are passionate about
• Your favorite band/tv show/book series
• Or you can find ideas and inspiration in books from our collection like Whatcha Mean, What’s a Zine? or Make a Zine!

The possibilities are quite literally endless!

Pictures of the author’s zine from the workshop: