Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Define what a zine is in order to identify alternative and small press information formats.
- Describe zine culture and history in order to recognize the personal stories and narratives of underrepresented creators.
- Discuss different genres of zines in order to identify models for students' own projects.
- Design their own zines in order to complete their assignment.
What is a zine?
Zines (pronounced like "magazines" without the "maga") are:
- Made for the love of creating and not for profit!
- Independently published
- Can be physical (consisting of one sheet of paper to many, fastened together, generally with staples) or digital objects.
- Physical zines are usually photocopied but can also be offset, mimeographed, letterpressed, or Risograph printed.
- May be created by one person or a group of people (called "comp zines" or "compilation zines").
- The contents can be about anything and everything you can imagine: personal stories ("perzines"), music-related writing, lists of things, political ideologies, photography, mental health and self-care tips, fiction, artwork, comics, and so on.
- Are made by a diverse community of people around the world who are called "zinesters".
Examples of Zines
A selection of zines
"The Little Book of Affirmations for Survivors" by zinester Karina Killjoy
