“Zines are amazing beautiful pieces of shit”
People have always wanted to share their experiences, or tell their side of the story - especially people that aren’t really seen in or represented by traditional media outlets (or sometimes even anyone else).
Which brings us to zines.
Zines are a DIY form of media, and they have a rich history
Zines are self-published magazines, usually in black and white. The word zine comes from 'fanzine,' which was used to describe fan-created magazines about a specific topic or group of people. Zines can be about anything. My favourites are personal journals sharing experiences and thoughts from one specific person. I love that they can put them out into the world anonymously too. There’s a huge freedom of expression in it: the writer can be who they really are.
Zines have been around since at least the 1890s (I would argue) when pamphlets and broadsides were used as promotional tools by businesses. Their popularity grew in the late 1960s. This was when underground newspapers came out during protests against the Vietnam War and other political issues.
They were produced cheaply on photocopiers (they still are). They’d then be distributed through mailboxes or at events like concerts--reaching wider audiences, especially for marginalised voices, than traditional print media would allow.
Over time, ‘zine’ came to be used as an umbrella term for any independent publication produced by people with limited budgets.
What goes in a zine?
Anything and everything can go into a zine. Here are some of the kinds of zines I’ve read:
personal stories and reflections.
music, movies, and books reviews.
interviews with artists and comics about daily life.
activism on issues like feminism and LGBTQ rights.
poetry.
Where to find zines
Zines can be found in loads of places such as:
your local library
arty shops with independent books, comicbooks, photobooks, etc
little free libraries
from your friend
online marketplaces like etsy
zine fairs
direct from zinesters themselves, they usually have Instagram or other kinds of social media platforms. They also have online shops (like mine!)
What ARE zines? People ask me this a lot and I’m often pretty stumped because they’re everything. So I’m putting this on the internet in an attempt to have something to point to by way of explanation.