I wrote in a zine in my little suburban town put out by arguably the most punk rock kid in our county. It was a glorious exercise and felt like a mini-rebellion. I was dis/heartened when he found me on facebook - he is about to get married and he is all "growns up." It happens to the best of them. I miss that zine. I miss zines in general. #zines
It's funny that I got into zines primarily because of the Internet (I mean, I'd heard of them through Sassy but I never really knew how to get them until I could go online and order them using Paypal) but that the Internet has really taken the steam out of the zine community. The community still exists, but the creative energy once used to put them out has become so diffused by the technology that is so readily available online.
Even so, the zine community - particularly the feminist perzine community of the early 2000s - played such a huge role in my political, personal and artistic development. (I even put out a few of my own.) I would order huge packages of them, then sit in the bathtub and read them, one right after the other. I had no friends who shared my politics or my tastes, and it was wonderful to know that there were people like me out there somewhere. Plus, some of the zines were so good, so smart and well-written that reading them over the years has been like earning a graduate degree in cultural studies. I learned about Judith Butler, Urvashi Vaid, Dorothy Allison, Amber Hollibaugh, bell hooks and about eighteen thousand other artists, critics, academics, writers and activists through the world of zines. My life is that much richer because of them.
I wrote my own zine as a teenager, and was a huge reader of zines. I loved the creativity, learning so much about others' lives, being pen pals with the writers, being excited and happy whenever a new issue came out, and it was a major highlight of my teen years. Midwestern Wasteland, East Village Inky, Kelp, America's Dreaming, and Queen of the Universe were my favorites.
Today all those zine writers still write, and I feel happy whenever I see their names around. I stopped keeping a zine because I grew tired of it, and switched to Livejournal, and now have a film-review blog. I miss reading those zines, but the kind I never liked were the ones that imitated others' DIY style, like "zine-making by numbers," or were too self-absorbed or preachy or boring to get through. #zines
If I knew where to get zines, I would read them. I'm all for blogging and do love the immediacy of the interaction between readers in comments but I can see the benefits of zines as well and agree that a lack of an instantaneous way of response is a good thing. People can express opinions without the need to defend them as soon as they're expressed and readers get more time to mull things over. Prevents knee-jerk reactions, in a way. #zines
@marionette: I know some college libraries have collections as well. It might be worthwhile to check out a local school and see what they have on file. Barnard has a great collection, as did Bard (where I went to undergrad). #zines
@marionette: I work at ZAPP (Zine Archive and Publishing Project) in Seattle, Washington and we have a catelogue of over 20,000 zines. I know that the IPRC in Portland, the Barnard college library in New York City and QZAP (Queer Zine Archive Project) in Milwaukee all have sizeable collections too. If any of these Zine libraries are close to you, I hope you'll visit!
zines can be hard to find, but once you start looking they're everywhere. there is something about the fact that they're self-distributed and usually not sold in stores that makes every one distinct and special. its best when you just trade them among friends, but you can get them through a number of distros online. ([microcosmpublishing.com]) has a huge variety of incredible zines for sale: please, please, check out the zine "doris." its a woman's personal zine dealing with a huge variety of issues that she kept making over a long period of time, and its absolutely incredible. there's also a large number online for free, usually more informational and dealing with radical politics/diy, etc at zinelibrary.info #zines
@pheeebles: I agree that Doris is awesome. However, I would encourage people to shy away from going through Microcosm for their zine needs. The owner is shady, both in terms of business and his personal life. #zines
I was a zine addict back in the mid-late 90's (I still have a dozen, yellowing Factsheet Five issues), and what mainly attracted to them was their often fearless content. Many zine editors couldn't care less about ad revenue and they just ran whatever they damn well pleased (one favorite was "Murder Can Be Fun," a zine dedicated to real-life freak accidents). I agree that the Internet and blogging killed off the zine as well as the overcrowded zine market that had too little retail distribution. Yet, a zine always has a great sense of being a product of much blood, sweat and tears. #zines
Holy coincidence – I don't want to be accused of spamming, but if any Jezzies live in (or near) Montreal, Quebec they are holding Expozine this very weekend with 300+ vendors, including feminist smut zine Lickety Split.
I think that in the age of electronic mass dissemination zines serve the pretty awesome purpose of being local. Blogs can be read anywhere, by anyone, but don't usually feel tied to a specific community or place. Zines can be a really good way for a small community to have its own media, home brewed, specifically tailored, and in a way kind of intimate. To me its sort of like the distinction between recorded and live music- its awesome that my friends record EPs and that I can listen to their music everywhere, and its certainly convenient, but its also really important to me that they play shows and create occasions where we all come together and listen to them. #zines
"Perhaps most importantly, blogs provide a certain polish that zines purposefully lack."
There's a creeping professionalism throughout young culture (that which is actually produced by youth) that is sad, but I think has to do with a certain amount of depoliticization more broadly these days. It's so obvious in music - zines are just further to the margins so the shift is less noticable. #zines
I taught an Intro Women's Studies course from 05-08. The final project was to create a zine about any topic covered during the semester. The students really struggled with the idea of a zine, which made me (and the idea) feel dated. #zines
@catxox: LOL, one of my rhetoric professors asked me to teach a class about zine-making, and it was like trying to instruct a group of teenagers in the fine art of tapestry weaving. #zines
@Susan B.: Lots of zines make a point of printing on recycled paper, or even reused paper (you can see random crap and writing on all the backs of the pages). #zines
maybe zines are still alive and kicking and relevant in certain communities, but i can say that being at the right age and target demographic (diy feminist young person) during even the peak of zine culture, i've never read one, never seen one, and wouldn't know where to find one if i were looking, both at the time, and in the present. #zines
@browngirlinthering: really? when i was in high school i feel like every other girl i knew had one, and a lot of the more popular ones were sold or given away at book and record shops in my town growing up. i definitely see blogs as having displaced zines, but I definitely think there is room for both. #zines
@browngirlinthering: How old are you? I feel like zines were distinctly "Gen X." They are certainly not as prolific now as they were when I was in high school but they're around if you look for them. Generally comic book stores, head shops and record stores. #zines
@J.D.Regent: I never really read zines either (although I read ABOUT them in Sassy) I think I was just a tad bit young when they really had their heydey. Or maybe it was growing up in a midwestern suburb. #zines
@J.D.Regent: @winner: i was in high school in the mid 90's so i would assume i was in the right demographic! i think either i just didn't live in a big enough city in the right region, or just didn't know the right places to look. i kind of feel like i missed out!! i love the aesthetic #zines
@browngirlinthering: I can see that. I was and am continue to be one of a handful of people I know who knows anything about zines, and I even came into the community after the peak of it passed in the early-to-mid 90s. #zines
I can see how blogs might be considered Zines in "new media" form, but Zines still offer things that blogs can't/don't. When someone writes something outrageous in a Zine, there isn't going to be immediate response. There's a lot of freedom to say exactly what you want. Sure, people can say whatever they want on the internet, but there's always response - some good, some bad.
Also, I can see how (underground, at least) Zines might foster an old-school, chain mail community. Plus, who doesn't love actual cut-and-paste magazines? #zines
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Even so, the zine community - particularly the feminist perzine community of the early 2000s - played such a huge role in my political, personal and artistic development. (I even put out a few of my own.) I would order huge packages of them, then sit in the bathtub and read them, one right after the other. I had no friends who shared my politics or my tastes, and it was wonderful to know that there were people like me out there somewhere. Plus, some of the zines were so good, so smart and well-written that reading them over the years has been like earning a graduate degree in cultural studies. I learned about Judith Butler, Urvashi Vaid, Dorothy Allison, Amber Hollibaugh, bell hooks and about eighteen thousand other artists, critics, academics, writers and activists through the world of zines. My life is that much richer because of them.
In short, I must read this book. #zines
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Today all those zine writers still write, and I feel happy whenever I see their names around. I stopped keeping a zine because I grew tired of it, and switched to Livejournal, and now have a film-review blog. I miss reading those zines, but the kind I never liked were the ones that imitated others' DIY style, like "zine-making by numbers," or were too self-absorbed or preachy or boring to get through. #zines
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Ah, Rock Palace. #zines
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Ciara's taste in zines is pretty top-notch. Plus, her own zines are fantastically written, smart and funny. #zines
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More info here expozine.ca
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There's a creeping professionalism throughout young culture (that which is actually produced by youth) that is sad, but I think has to do with a certain amount of depoliticization more broadly these days. It's so obvious in music - zines are just further to the margins so the shift is less noticable. #zines
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I love zines in the same way I like books and magazines (especially when they're made of recycled paper). #zines
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@Intern Katy: Damnit... now I am scouring eBay for 90s zines. And back-issues of Sassy. #zines
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Also, I can see how (underground, at least) Zines might foster an old-school, chain mail community. Plus, who doesn't love actual cut-and-paste magazines? #zines
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