WGS Prof. George The World of Zines, Zine Making and Self-Publishing

"Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine?"  (title borrowed from the book by Esther Watson and Mark Todd)

In general, zines (pronouned "zeen" as in magazine) are self-published booklets created by people seeking expression and community. People who make zines are sometimes called "zinesters."  Zines are folded or stapled and therefore portable and flexible. They require no Internet connection to read. They usually do require some technology to make. In general, zines were born on photocopiers of the 20th Century. In short, a zine is a Do-It-Yourself pamphlet publication that can be endlessly reproduced. Zines are usually not unique, one-of-a-kind creations.

Imagine a subject. There's probably a zine about it! Zines range from seriously reverent political treatises to wildly idiosyncratic personal musings. Many zines are like diaries or letters, and many others are like mini research papers.   Overall, the paper format prevails in the zine world, but this guide includes links to some digitized zines. Most are older zines that have been digitized but some are contemporary and "born digital."

Zine publishing and creation is more popular than ever, but zines are just part of the larger world of independent publishing. This guide is for students in Professor George's  WS 115 and 166 classes, to learn about the making, writing,  and self-publishing.

Solinas, Daisy "Muchacha presents Brown Queen: Latina Voices of the 21st Century," [Zine], n.d.