a zine about zines wicked meta
Zines (rhymes with “beans”) are low-barrier, low-budget photocopied publications in which authors are in full control of the entire process of creating a publication, from writing and layout to printing and distribution.
Derived from “fan magazine,” zines are DIY independently- or self-published booklets, usually photocopied, made for pleasure rather than profit. They are available from “distros,” info shops, or directly from zinesters and are often traded with other zine makers.
Zines are made for the purpose of sharing information, and allow unfiltered access to the ideas, expressions, perspectives, and experiences of historically marginalized or underrepresented subcultures and social movements.
In times of strife, zines offer a cathartic art form to create and share stories of lived experiences and play a large role in communication for members of social and political movements.
2 See also: Zinelibraries.info “zine making/putting pages together” from wikibooks.org Stolen Sharpie Revolution by Alex Wrekk
types of zines
Zines can be about anything!
Basically, if you want to write about it or create something in the form of a zine – you can do it!
zine topics = anything
Are you stuck on a topic to write about? Try brainstorming some ideas. Here are some to get you started:
a comic
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Make lists Make a collage/art zine Write about a childhood memory Draw
Interview someone Write about a memorable experience Tell someone how to make or care for something
zine history
1920s Science fiction fans The Comet Issue 1, May 1930 zinewiki.com
5 1980-90s 3rd wave feminism, riot grrrl Bikini Kill, bratmobile 2000s Zines as subject of research Zine collections in academic and public libraries, archives Social justice BLM Pandemic zines
i wanna make one!
Grab some supplies
If you want to make a physical zine, grab some paper and a pen at least. Add some design to your zine by cutting up pictures from old magazines or printing them off the computer; draw with sharpies and markers; add stickers, stamps or washi tape. Paste everything together with a glue stick. Use a typewriter or cool fonts.
You can make copies with a photocopier at the UPS Store or Staples. Or scan the pages on your phone to make a PDF and print on a printer or send to UPS to have them make copies.
half-size zine (8 ½ x 5 ½”)
quarter -size zine (5 ½ x 4 ¼”)
• Cut in half
• Collate
•
Staple along middle fold Note that some of the pages are upside-down relative to each other, so you probably can't do this very straightforwardly on a word-processor. PowerPoint lets you rotate blocks of text and images .
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Zine_Making/Putting_pages_together
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make a mini zine
Yang, Andrew. (2010). Engaging Participatory Literacy through Science Zines. The American Biology Teacher. 72. 573 577. 10.1525/abt.2010.72.9.10.
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digital zine design
This zine was created in PowerPoint!
PowerPoint is a super easy way to add blocks of text and insert images into your pages. You can change the size of the slide to be landscape 8.5x11” for a half-size zine. Then, save or print to PDF.
page size
half size: 5.5" x 8.5" quarter size: 4.25" x 5.5“
This is the size of the page you’re designing. If you’re making your own template, use these measurements to mark your page boundaries.
sheet size
Letter size: 8.5” x 11”
Legal size : 8.5” x 14”
This is the size of the paper you’ll be printing on. You’ll have multiple pages on the sheet.
adjusting sheet and page sizes
Google slides file > page setup
PowerPoint design > slide size
Canva choose a template > resize Adobe Indesign file > document setup
Design the entire thing using the software of your choice, or create a page at a time and print out or add to your template.
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page layout
These are cut and paste pages. When photocopying, print on both sides, choosing 1-sided to 2-sided copies. Try to get rid of any borders too!
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brainstorm ideas
Use this space to brainstorm topics for your zine.
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storyboard
Use this space to layout the pages for your zine.
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zines in scholarship
Some zines are great examples of primary source materials that can be used in research. PRIMARY SOURCE MATERIALS provides direct or firsthand evidence about an event, object, or work of art. They can be in the form of:
Autobiographies Memoirs
Diaries
Personal letters
Interviews
Field notes
Photographs Drawings
Posters
cite a zine
In-Text Citation
Freedman, Jenna, and Kate Hass, editors. Are You There God? It's Me, Menopause, Jenna Freedman & Kate Hass, 2014.
MLA: In parentheses, the last name of the author of the zine and add the page number at the end of the sentence. (Freedman & Haas 4)
Chicago Style (first mention or in footnote): Author’s First name Last name, Title of Zine, volume or issue number, (City of publication: Publisher (usually the author), year of publication), page number(s).
APA: (Author Last Name, Year of publication) (Freedman & Hass, 2014)
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About the UConn Zine Collection
The Liberated Zine Zone is a circulating zine collection that works in collaboration with the Maker Studio and Archives & Special Collections. The mission of the Zine Collection is to create a participatory collection that showcases a format that features voices not often found in traditional library materials, while fostering an inclusive space to create, donate, and trade zines.
Zines @ UConn
The Liberated Zine Zone is located in the Leisure Reading Room on Level B in Homer Babbidge Library in Storrs, Connecticut.
CHECK ONE OUT!
The zines in the Liberated Zine Zone circulate just like books! Or read them in the leisure reading lounge.
ZINE Blo
v.1 2012
DONATE!
Zines are shelved by title. This is the spine label for Bloom, vol. 1 from 2012.
Do you want to donate a copy of your zine to the library & archives? Drop a copy in our donation box or contact zines@uconn.edu
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s.uconn.edu/zines
The UConn Zine Collection is a circulating zine collection that works in collaboration with the Maker Studio and Archives & Special Collections. The mission of the Zine Collection is to create a participatory collection that showcases a format that features voices not often found in traditional library materials, while fostering an inclusive space to create, donate, and trade zines.
The UConn Library Maker Studio has Zine-Making Kits!
Each maker kit contains the tools to get you started, and includes scissors, glue sticks, stickers, craft paper, labels, stamps, markers, washi tape, and more. There's also a manual typewriter to get that old-school zine design. Come to the Maker Studio to start making your own zines!
Stay connected to learn about zine-making workshops being offered by UConn Library Staff. @uconnlibrary zines@uconn.edu
Created by Rhonda Kauffman
Storrs, Connecticut 2022
Zines – University of Connecticut Library - Metazines
