Zine /ziːn/

sounds like zeen

Zines are independently-made, small-batch publications. Unlike a book you’d buy at a book store or online storefront, zines are not produced by publishing companies, do not go through editors and censors, and are not intended to make money. Whilst a novel, recipe book, GP pamphlet and other written and illustrated ephemera go through editors and proofreaders, redrafts and marketing, a graphic designer and a production specialist — a myriad of people with variable investments and stakes — a zine is made by one or a few people, who know each other well, and do not necessarily have qualifications in one or any of these skills. Zine-making, unlike book-making, is not a business, it is a way of saying something.

Zines are made because publishers cannot and would not print the creators work. This could be because its too local and small to be worthwhile, too controversial and untested, too experimental or “low-quality.” Zines have often been made because creators lack the resources to have their stories traditionally published or because typical publishing companies wouldn’t consider publishing their stories at all. For example, one of the earliest zines was Fire!!, created by a collective of Harlem Renaissance writers including Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston in the 1920s, which discussed controversial ideas in the African American community at the time, and was not endorsed by more traditional community leaders. Without zines, many people’s ideas, opinions and beliefs have been and will continue to be censored, prevented from being shared across communities and cultures.

There are many, many different types of zines. Fanzines are written by people who are ‘fans’ of different media, such as the 1930 The Comet, which was a fanzine dedicated to science fiction. Punk zines gained popularity in the 1970s, when mainstream publishing would never consider publishing a punk book. In the 1990s, many feminist zines were created, including some that turned into less-independent magazines, like BUST. Art and comic zines focus on visual images and storytelling through colour and shape rather than words. Perzines are ‘personal zines,’ which might be about the creator's own personal experiences. 

We love zines because they give people the opportunity to share their life, work and art without the barriers usually faced. To make a zine, all you need is a piece of paper and a pen (and you can get those for free at one of our workshops), and to make your zine for others, you just need access to a photocopier. Then, you can make a zine about whatever you want, make as many copies as you want, and send it out into the world. And, in a world which increasingly faces book bans in libraries,online censorship, and AI slop, making a zine is a way of refusing to be censored, having you creativity taken away from you and losing your voice. Having a community of independent creatives, sharing their lives, knowledge and skills, is more important than ever!

[Left - Some zines from history: Moon Illustrated (1905-6); Fire!! (1926); Novae Terrae (1936); Vice Versa (1947-8); Azalea: A Magazine by Third World Lesbians (1977-83); Sniffin' Glue (1976); Stringent Measures (1980s); Heavy Flow (1990s); One Way Ticket To Cubesville (1980s - ); Hellbore (2019 - ); Aghh!! Zine (2022 - ).]