Zine-Making as Feminist PedagogyAuthor(s): Kimberly Creasap

Source: Feminist Teacher , Vol. 24, No. 3 (2014), pp. 155-168

Published by: University of Illinois Press

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 Zine-Making as Feminist Pedagogy
K imberly Creasap

Introduction (Duncombe 6). They are available in

many public and university libraries and
One of the challenges that many gender independent bookstores, as well as from
studies instructors face is making complex online zine distributors and other web-
topics—such as gender identities, politi- sites specializing in handmade goods
cal theory, and media criticism—current, (see Appendix for a teaching resource
interesting, and relevant to students’ list).
lives. When I began teaching Introduction Zines occupy a middle ground between
to Women’s Studies, one student said, traditional research papers or essays and
“But the women’s movement is over. What Web-based media such as blogs. Unlike
is left for us to talk about?” Her classmates research papers, zine style is decidedly
nodded in agreement and looked at me informal. Images are hand-drawn or cut-
blankly. Many students came to the class and-pasted by hand. Essays, poems, or
believing that women’s studies was solely confessional stories might also be hand-
a history lesson, that the discipline had written—or typed with drawings framing
little to offer their own lives. To complicate the paragraphs. The informal, creative,
matters further, Introduction to Women’s and participatory character of zines shares
Studies students come from various lev- some ground with blogs, but unlike blogs,
els of experience—from students in their zines are physical objects that can be
first to fourth years—and major in subjects held and passed from person to person
ranging from engineering to psychology.1 by hand. Students find the middle-space
In order to help students connect femi- of zines appealing. They like writing cre-
nist theory to their own experiences, I atively for an audience beyond the class-
suggest incorporating zines into gender room, but feel that their voices would be
studies courses as both reading and writ- lost in the vastness of the Internet. The
ing assignments. Zines are “non-commer- visual, material qualities of zines “ignite
cial, non-professional, small-circulation [a] creative urge” in students when they
magazines which their creators produce, first touch, read, and share print zines
publish, and distribute by themselves” (Piepmeier, “Why” 213).

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 Zine-making employs three principles and experiences through the critical lens
of feminist pedagogy: participatory learn- of feminist theory. The idea that animates
ing, validation of personal experience, and this project is that efforts to “make sense
the development of critical thinking skills of everyday life experiences [and] to inter-
(Hoffmann and Stake). Whether an indi- vene critically in [one’s] life and the lives
vidual or collective effort, making zines is of others . . . is what makes feminist trans-
a collaborative process. Students collabo- formation possible” (hooks 70).
rate by talking about their ideas, providing After a brief review of scholarship on
feedback on one another’s writing, and zines, I discuss how instructors can use
working together to construct their zines. zines as both reading and writing assign-
By fostering this kind of collaboration in ments in the classroom. Reading about
the classroom, zine-making gives stu- zines is useful for introducing students to
dents “a model of ways for people to work zines as media and contextualizing zines
together to accomplish mutual or shared in the history of feminist publishing. Incor-
goals, and to help each other reach indi- porating zines into courses can also help
vidual goals” (Shrewsbury 9). instructors teach subjects that are under-
The zine-making process allows stu- represented in academic literature and/
dents to connect with feminist ideas in or mainstream media. Writing zines in the
substantial and personal ways. Personal classroom takes this a step further and
change has long been an important aspect allows instructors to facilitate a participa-
of feminist pedagogies, rooted in femi- tory learning experience for and with stu-
nist consciousness-raising groups of the dents as they create and distribute their
1960s and ’70s (Hoffmann and Stake). own publications. I discuss two types of
Zine-making can be an intensely personal zines that students produce in classroom
process. Students write about personal settings: cultural zines (feminist analy-
relationships and experiences that some ses of pop culture) and experiential zines
of them have never shared before, while (feminist analyses of personal life experi-
applying a feminist lens to those experi- ences). These zines exemplify both devel-
ences. For example, one of my students opment of critical thinking and validation
wrote an analysis of proposed legisla- of personal experience, two principles of
tion that would allow employers to refuse feminist pedagogy. I conclude with the
insurance coverage of birth control for con- outcomes of the zine project as well as
traceptive purposes. While researching the limitations and suggestions for how zine
essay, she brought up the subject with her projects could be tailored to specific stu-
grandmother, who had been the leader of dent populations or academic disciplines.
a women’s movement organization during
the early 1970s. She said that making this Zine Scholarship
zine would make her grandmother proud
of her. Zine historians typically identify three
Making zines includes critical thinking phases of zine publishing. The earliest
about categories that are often taken for zines—or fanzines—were written by sci-
granted as “natural” (e.g., womanhood, ence fiction enthusiasts in the 1930s
heterosexuality). Zine-making requires as a means of sharing and commenting
students to analyze their own biographies on science fiction stories (Duncombe).

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 In the 1970s, fanzines about punk rock nery 23). Like scrapbooks and pamphlets,
music emerged as fans began to write zines have allowed girls and women to
about punk, which was “ignored by and write about issues that were not written
critical of the mainstream music press” about anywhere else (Flannery; Piepmeier,
(Dubcombe 7). Zines that receive the “Girls”).
most scholarly attention—which is still Zine-making is an expression of a Do-
relatively little—are those that came from It-Yourself (DIY) ethic, “a specific dimen-
the riot grrrl movement of the 1990s (see, sion of feminist expression centering
e.g., Comstock; Harris; Piepmeier, Girl; upon grassroots politics and autonomous
Schilt). Riot grrrl began as a small move- cultural production”(Kempson 4). Contem-
ment aimed at confronting sexism in punk porary feminist activists and students of
rock music subcultures and grew into a feminist theory have grown up aware of
national movement of young women con- feminist ideas or stereotypes about femi-
fronting sexism in their everyday lives nism. Both “positive and negative percep-
(Marcus). tions of previous feminist movements”
Zines share commonalities with inde- are influential in how contemporary zine-
pendent media of earlier women’s move- makers speak back to feminism in their
ments, such as scrapbooks, pamphlets, work (Kempson 7). Turned off by what
and manifestos.2 In the nineteenth cen- they perceive as the feminist orthodoxy of
tury, scrapbooks were popular forms of so-called second-wave feminists, some
independent media produced by women’s contemporary feminists make zines in an
clubs and individuals. Women’s clubs effort to articulate their understandings
used scrapbooking as a means of docu- of feminist movements in opposition to
menting their activities and challenging orthodoxy. In doing so, they also use zine-
news coverage of them (Piepmeier, Girl). making as a means of asserting their own
In feminist movements of the mid-twen- subjectivities. For example, if they per-
tieth century, mimeographed pamphlets ceive an “official feminism” that is hostile
and manifestos were important ways of to queer women of color, writer-activists
connecting communities and promot- might use zines as a means of challeng-
ing feminist politics. Major texts such as ing both the perceived exclusivity of femi-
“The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm” by Anne nism while also reaffirming their identities
Koedt and Our Bodies, Ourselves by the as queer women of color who identify as
Boston Women’s Health Alliance began as feminists (Kempson).
mimeographed pamphlets akin to zines.
Unlike scrapbooks, of which there were Zines in the Classroom
only single copies, mimeographed texts
of the mid-twentieth century allowed for Using zines in the classroom has two
wider publication and distribution of texts. goals: to create awareness about issues
These texts inspired “excitement and related to feminist theory (particularly
volatility of newfound, newly rediscovered those that are underrepresented in aca-
knowledge [and] the sense that the knowl- demic literature and/or mainstream
edge was to be used, shared, and spread media) and to critically evaluate media
around to create new knowledge and to images and/or social issues. To meet
foster cultural and political change” (Flan- these two objectives, I suggest incorporat-

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 ing zines into the classroom as both read- Color (POC) Zine Project visited Pittsburgh.
ing and writing assignments. The goal of the POC Zine Project is to “make
all zines by people of color easy to find, dis-
re a di ng zi nes
tribute and share.” I worked with the POC
Reading about zines makes the format Zine Project to organize a reading on the
more familiar. For example, students University of Pittsburgh campus as a means
might read a selection from Alison Piep- of connecting what was happening in the
meier’s book Girl Zines: Making Media, classroom to the wider university com-
Doing Feminism. The book presents a munity. Students, faculty, and staff from
trajectory of feminist movements in the across the university attended the event,
United States through “participatory which included readings on the intersec-
media,” beginning with the “informal tions of gender, race, class, and sexuality
publications” of suffragist movements and as well as an exchange of zines and con-
women’s clubs in early twentieth-century versations lasting long after the event had
America (28). This reading not only intro- officially ended.
duces students to zines as media, but also The POC Zine Project is one example
places zines within an historical tradition of how zines often “carry the message of
of feminist writing and publishing. a very specific subset of a community, a
While sources like Piepmeier’s book are dialogue that probably could not be found
useful for contextualizing zines as feminist in any other printed medium” (Wan 18).
media, reading about zines is not a sub- In this way, zines can help instructors
stitute for reading zines themselves (Piep- teach issues that are underrepresented in
meier, “Why”). Instructors could hold a academic literature and/or mainstream
class session at a library or bookstore with media. For example, as an introduction to
a zine collection or simply bring in a sam- transgender studies, our class discussed
pling of zines that they collect themselves. the zine Short & Queer: The Coming Out
In my course, we visited the Carnegie Issue. The cover of the zine features the
Library of Pittsburgh (CLP) zine collection author, Kelly, standing in front of a micro-
early in the semester, and students spent phone announcing “I’m a boy!” (see Fig-
time reviewing the collection to become ure 1). Inside, Kelly writes about his expe-
familiar with zines as media and to see riences with coming out as a young trans
how zine makers integrate theoretical and man. The zine is a compilation of diary-
political ideas with their own personal nar- like entries interspersed with emails sent
ratives and experiences. between the author and his mother, which
Instructors might also encourage stu- reveal how emotionally heartwrenching
dents to attend zine-related events in their the coming out process can be for both
cities or towns, such as zine fairs—which trans people and their families—and how
happen annually in many major cities the relationship between mother and
worldwide—or zine readings hosted by child changed over the course of one year.
local bookshops. If that is not possible, fac- Discussion of this zine gives students an
ulty could organize zine-related events on intimate look at the coming out process,
campus. For example, in the spring of 2013, one that cannot be conveyed as convinc-
a group of zine makers from the People of ingly in scholarly texts.

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 The zine also contains a page in which
Kelly and his friend “JDEW” discuss gender-
inclusive language and pronoun usage.
Kelly uses masculine pronouns (he/him)
while his friend uses gender-neutral pro-
nouns (ze/hir). Tips they give readers
include, “don’t tell us how hard it is to
change pronouns (think about how hard it
is to come out)” and “correct yourself . . .
and when you correct yourself, don’t freak
out!” Below their “chat” is a gender pro-
noun word search, designed to help read-
ers practice using gender-neutral language
and switching between masculine and
gender-neutral language. In my classes,
students found this exercise enormously
helpful for talking about gender-neutral
pronouns—a subject that made many of Figure 1. Short & Queer #4. Images used
with the permission of the author.
them uncomfortable because it was unfa-
miliar to them. By practicing in an environ-
ment where they felt safe making mistakes,
and asking questions, the exercise opened central to feminist pedagogy—a process
up questions about gender and language by which larger political questions are
in a way that academic readings had not. I “refracted . . . through the eyes and expe-
got the sense that many of them believed riences of the individual creating the zine”
gender-neutral language was theoretical, (Duncombe 28). This is the central goal for
something that only gender studies schol- students who create their own zines: to
ars care about. Learning about gender- take the material from a course and put a
inclusive language from Kelly and JDEW personal spin on it. If they do not feel as
personalizes the subject. The authors though they have enough life experience
acknowledge the discomfort that readers upon which to draw, encourage them to
may feel when switching between gender- write a feminist analysis of pop culture or
neutral pronouns, but make the point that advertising. That allows them to distance
transitioning from one gender identity to the project from their own life experi-
another is much more difficult. ences, but still encourages them to think
Short & Queer, while deeply personal, analytically about course material.
also tackles some difficult and impor-
writing zin es
tant political questions about how trans
people negotiate their identities in a world Zine-making is rooted in a DIY tradition.
that recognizes only two gender catego- DIY ethics hold that there are no rules
ries. In that way, it is an excellent example for making a zine; it is a purely creative
of how the zine-making process is about pursuit. For this reason, making writ-
“personalizing politics”—a task that is ing guidelines and a grading rubric for

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 student zines presents a challenge for matters (“How long does my zine have to
instructors. DIY culture “emphasizes be?” or “Where can I get my zine photo-
passion and creativity over skill and tal- copied?”) to substantive concerns (“Can I
ent” (Freedman 52). Balancing these use swear words in my zine?” or “How do I
principles with university-mandated go about using images?”) to raising anxiet-
requirements may require some creativ- ies (“I don’t have a lot of life experience;
ity on the part of teachers. For example, what am I going to write about?” or “How
my courses were writing-intensive, mean- do I write about feminism in a personal
ing that students had to write a specific way?”). In the second workshop, students
number of pages over the course of the reviewed each other’s work and gave feed-
term. As such, I imposed a word count for back for improving both writing and theo-
their expository writing in the zines. But retical links. During the third zine-making
in order to encourage as much creativity workshop, students constructed their
as possible, I urged students to use any- zines by hand, sharing supplies that they
thing they wanted in their zines: poetry, brought to class.
photos, drawings, magazine clippings. I As Piepmeier has noted, zines “insti-
clearly stated, however, that it was a writ- gate a kind of gift culture” (“Why” 214),
ing course, and I would only grade their and this is what I observed in my classes.
writing, not their photography or draw- To my surprise, most students elected to
ing skills. This allowed me to balance the cut and paste their zines by hand, forego-
demands of the course with the creative ing desktop publishing software for scis-
flair of zine-making. sors and glue sticks. They liked the idea of
In order to facilitate a participatory a zine as a material object. Its physicality
learning experience, I suggest that instruc- made their ideas and contributions feel
tors make collaborative workshops a more substantial. It also made it possible
central part of the zine-making process. to donate their work to the library for the
In my courses, I organized three work- public to read. In the vast world of the
shops. For the first workshop, we met at Internet, they felt that their voices would
the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, con- get drowned out by all of the other voices
veniently located across a plaza from our out there. Physical objects, they reasoned,
classroom building. Ahead of the work- could have more impact. One student said
shop, the zine librarian and I pulled zines she liked the idea of leaving her zine on
having to do with gender, feminism, and her coffee table, so that visitors might pick
sexuality from the shelves and brought it up and read it. Others made extra copies
them to the conference room in which our of their zines and shared them with class-
class would meet. For the first half of the mates, friends, and family.
class, students browsed the zines freely;
some students took them to secluded Student Zines3
reading nooks while others sat at tables
and took notes on what they read. For the Student zines cover more topics than the
second half of class, we discussed ques- scope of this article allows, so I will focus
tions that arose as they browsed the col- on two types: cultural and experiential.
lection. Questions range from practical I chose these types because they corre-

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 spond to two important tenants of femi-
nist pedagogy: the development of critical
thinking skills and the validation of per-
sonal experience. Cultural zines are critical
analyses of popular culture from feminist
perspectives. For example, Jessie’s zine,
Home Makers, is a critique of domesticity
using anticapitalist feminist theory as a
guide (see Figure 2). Cultural zines allow
students to “critique the media even as
they consume it hungrily” (Piepmeier, Girl
173). This is “a pedagogy of active criti-
cism,” in which zine makers give up pas-
sively consuming media to become active
producers and critics (Girl 172). Experien-
tial zines explore personal issues such as
body image, sexual encounters, and fam-
Figure 2. Home Makers, an anticapitalist ily relationships (see Figure 3), through
critique of domesticity that uses images from the lens of feminist theory. Students write
women’s magazines to critique the domestic about these issues not only in terms of
ideals that they sell. The shape of the zine individual psychological processes, but
(a house) exemplifies how students use the also as analyses of social categories such
form of the zine as well as the content to as gender, race, and sexuality.
communicate their ideas.

Figure 3. Alternative Family Values is a personal exploration of one student’s family, pictured above,
using class material on motherhood, gender, and lesbian marriage as a lens for exploration.

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 cultu ra l zi n es two archetypes of femininity (see Figure
4). In the middle of the book, the content
In cultural zines, students use feminist
runs together, making readers uncertain
theory as a lens for analyzing television,
whether they’re reading the Madonna or
magazines, video games, music, and
Whore half of the zine. While these arche-
advertisements. One example of this is a
types are distinct, they share some char-
zine with a double title: Never Gonna Get
acteristics. As Cassie points out, “[both
It/Let’s Get it On. This zine explores the
archetypes] encourage women to refrain
Madonna/whore archetypes in the style of
from speaking, focus on appearances,
a satirical feminist self-help book. In the
and downplay their intellect.” These com-
introduction, the author, Cassie, writes,
monalities are signified in the blurring of
“The concept of this tiny book is to rep-
the boundaries between the two—both
resent and satirize two conflicting mod-
theoretically and in the physical form of
ern notions of femininity—the Madonna
the zine.
and the Whore. The side you are about to
By satirizing notions of femininity in the
read is the Madonna section. If you turn
style of a self-help guide, Cassie critiques
the booklet to the back, you will find the
self-help books geared toward women.
Whore section. [ . . . ] So, read on! I’ve
For example, in a section titled “See the
filled these pages with the worst possible
Bad Girl Dress,” Cassie offers the follow-
advice I could give. With any luck, you too
ing “advice”: “Wear tight fitted clothing.
will be thinking, ‘Oh man, that is pretty
Try to cover up as little of your body as
fucked up.’” The form of the zine, which is
possible.” In an analogous section in the
written as a double-sided book, reflects
other half of the zine titled “See the Nice
the content of the zine, which is about
Girl Dress,” Cassie offers the exact oppo-

Figure 4. Cassie’s zine, Never Gonna Get It/Let’s Get it On, explores Madonna/whore arche-
types in the style of a double-sided, satirical self-help book.

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 site advice: “Do not wear anything too In this passage, Alison raises questions
tight. Try to cover as much of your body as around the purpose of these advertise-
you can.” There are similar sections with ments. The goal of advertising is to sell prod-
advice for speaking, learning, and dat- ucts, but she points out that these commer-
ing. Using satire as her method, Cassie’s cials are geared toward a narrowly defined
“advice” critiques modern dating and group: white, middle-class, masculine men.
advice guides by critiquing sexual double She asks, if the goal of the advertisement
standards. is to sell more beer, why not try to appeal to
Another example of a cultural zine is more people? She also states that she finds
(Wo)Man Up! by a student named Alison. the ads “alienating and offensive” because
The title is taken from a series of adver- they define the audience so narrowly. She
tisements for Miller Lite beer in which men concludes that “the type of masculinity por-
are ridiculed by bartenders for carrying a trayed in these commercials (white, male,
purse or wearing skinny jeans. The attrac- and “manly”) reinforces racial and gender
tive bartenders (who are all women) look privilege” by implying that this is what an
at their male customers with pity, telling “average guy” looks like and excludes any-
them to “man up” and drink Miller Lite, one who does not look that way.
implying that “real men” do not carry These two zines are examples of how
purses or wear tight-fitting jeans. The students employed critical thinking skills
advertisements are meant to be humorous in their zine-making. Cassie used the
by making fun of men for presenting them- format of the zine (a double-sided book)
selves in ways that are culturally associ- as well as the style (satire) and content to
ated with femininity and telling them to be critique modern self-help guides. While
“real” men. In an essay about these adver- self-help books aim to improve women’s
tisements titled “It’s Not for You,” Alison lives, Cassie questions the extent to
writes: which this is true and claims that they
reinforce double standards and negative
The majority of men in the Miller Lite stereotypes about femininity. The creative
commercials are white. Most of the
aspects of the zine as a form allowed
women are white, too. [ . . . ] The men
Cassie more options for critique than a
that Miller Lite markets to fulfill a spe-
cific vision that the advertisers have traditional research paper. Alison critiques
of masculinity. They are white, middle- normative representations of masculinity
class, masculine (supposedly straight) in television media through an analysis of
men who “should be” even more mas- beer commercials. She writes, “I did not
culine. It is an outdated model of what really see how some of the articles for our
masculinity looks like, especially in a class fit together when I first read them,
world where so many alternate lifestyles but as I began to write articles for this
and masculinities exist. [ . . . ] I recog- zine, they began to come together for me.”
nize that the goal is to sell a product, For Alison, the process of writing a series
but the way they go about it is alienat-
of distinct essays connected by a theme
ing and offensive to so many groups.
allowed her to make connections among
Shouldn’t they try to appeal to more
our readings—connections that might not
than this narrow demographic if they
want to sell more beer? have been made if she had written a tradi-
tional research paper.

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 e xpe ri e nti al zi nes black ancestry, this is a different story.” The
essay begins as a diary entry on July 16,
In experiential zines, students use feminist
2010. That was the day that Rebecca went
theory as a lens for analyzing their own life
to a salon for “the big chop”—a term used
experiences and those of people around
by African-American women for the pro-
them, such as their families, friends, and/
cess of cutting off relaxed or permed hair
or peers. Bodies and intersectionality, in
when transitioning from chemically treated
particular, were popular topics in expe-
to natural hair (see Figure 5). After posting
riential zines. A zine titled Color Me by a
photos of her new look on Facebook, she
student named Rebecca is an excellent
earned praise and support from her friends
example of both. Rebecca begins her zine
and most of her family, but when her father
by writing about how personal the project
saw her, he did not approve: “My dad was
was for her: “I had no idea where to start
kind of upset and asked, ‘Why would you
or what would come of this project. From
cut your hair without permission?’ to which
the beginning I knew it would be very intro-
I retorted, ‘I didn’t know I needed permis-
spective [because] that is what I need right
sion to cut my own hair!’ as I walked away
now. [ . . . ] I found this project to be thera-
more mad than disappointed. [ . . . ] My
peutic.” Like all students who wrote expe-
parents were born in Trinidad and Tobago,
riential zines, Rebecca begins by telling
a small twin island Caribbean country off
readers just how personal the zine-making
the coast of Venezuela. [ . . . ] It leads to
process was for her. The title signifies the
conflicts between my household and how I
“range of emotions” that she explores in
interact with the rest of the world.”
the zine, which is a personal meditation on
In this passage, Rebecca expresses
her life through the lens of intersectionality
anger that, despite support from her
theory.
friends and mother for her decision to cut
The first essay in Color Me is a reflec-
her hair, she is angry that her father does
tion on the politics of hair. Rebecca writes,
not support her. She credits this to cultural
“I’m sure for most people cutting your hair
differences between the Trinidadian val-
is far from the biggest deal in the world.
ues of her father, who expects to be asked
It lacks controversy, does not impact your
permission when his daughter cuts her
daily life. However for any woman that has
hair, and her desire for independence.

Figure 5. Images from Color Me by Rebecca. The photo on the right documents Rebecca’s “big
chop.”

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 Rebecca continues the essay by one bold phrase, as if to remind herself to
describing the racism implicit in nor- be confident in who she is.
mative beauty standards and how, for
a time, she tried to conform to those Limitations
standards: “As with a lot of things, one
aspect of colonialism and slavery is the Zines require a lot of time to design, write,
dislike for anything that does not mirror compile, publish, and distribute. On com-
European standards of beauty, including muter campuses where students often
skin tone, hair texture, and physical fea- work full-time in addition to attending
tures. [ . . . ] I thought I couldn’t go natu- classes, in courses with a higher enroll-
ral because I did not have ‘good hair’ that ments, or at schools that have shorter
was easy to straighten, wasn’t too kinky, terms, instructors might elect to have their
longer than shoulder length, etc.—beliefs classes create a collective zine. In a col-
instilled in me by my family’s adoration of lective zine, students each contribute one
these standards of beauty. This is the hair essay; the collected essays are then com-
they gave me, but they cannot seem to piled into an anthology (see, e.g., Aulik
appreciate it.”4 “Dissident”). The zine-making process is
In this passage, Rebecca adeptly con- truly a class collaboration in which the
nects history and biography, race and entire class must discuss organization,
gender. She points out how normative layout, and themes. Once the original
beauty standards are historically linked to zine has been compiled by the group, the
whiteness and acknowledges that she was instructor could arrange for enough cop-
socialized to believe in those standards by ies for each member of the class. Working
her family. She points out that her hair was on a detailed, personal, and collaborative
passed on to her by her parents, yet they project such as a zine may help create a
instilled the belief in her that natural hair sense of community at school for students
was not beautiful. By “going natural,” she who do not live on campus.
asserts her belief that natural is beautiful. Not all teachers have access to a zine
It is both an act of defiance and self-accep- collection like the one at the Carnegie
tance. Library of Pittsburgh, but it is relatively easy
Near the end of her essay, Rebecca to create a zine resource library. Zines are
states, “To be black, first generation, natu- inexpensive, and there are numerous ways
ral haired and confident.” The phrase is in to find, request, and/or purchase zines
boldface type. It is not part of a paragraph. both in person and online. The Barnard
It stands on its own, demanding the atten- College Zine Library offers a comprehensive
tion of readers. It follows a paragraph online list of zine collections from around
about the difficulties she experiences in the world. Some of these libraries allow
“having to prove [her]self equal, not only teachers to email requests for photocop-
to men but to white people.” This bold ies of zines in small numbers, sometimes
phrase reads as a meditative affirmation— for free or a nominal fee. Many cities in the
not for readers, but for Rebecca herself. world, from Bogota to Minneapolis, host
Amid paragraphs in which she describes annual zine fairs, where teachers can meet
complexities and struggles at the intersec- zine makers and purchase their zines first-
tions of race, gender, and culture stands hand. Independent booksellers are another

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 source for zines. Online sources include me connect course content to my own
large zine distributors such as Microcosm life, which may not have been achieved
Publishing or the online marketplace Etsy through writing a research paper.” In a
(see Appendix for details on each of these similar statement, another student writes,
resources). “I much much much preferred doing this
I piloted this project in an interdisciplin- zine as opposed to a research paper. I
ary writing course where writing instruc- spent more time working on the articles
tion was an important component of the and actually wanted to work on it. Since
course. Not all instructors have the time it was a zine, I felt that it reflected myself
to devote to writing instruction, but zine- more than a paper would and so I was
making could be adapted for a variety of motivated to make the project good since
disciplines and course formats. Zines are it would be a reflection on myself and
ideally suited for creative writing semi- since it was on a topic that I chose.” These
nars, as they emphasize creativity in form reflections highlight how the personal
and content (see Bott; Wan). Because nature of zines helped students connect
zines often present ideas that are not rep- biography and theory. Students were moti-
resented in mainstream media—or chal- vated to work on the project and spent
lenge the politics of mass media in gen- considerable time working on their zines,
eral—they could also be incorporated into reading and rereading articles, revis-
courses on communications, media, and ing essays, and refining the connections
popular culture (see Aulik “Zine”). Teach- between theory and everyday life.
ers might ask students to make a zine as The collaborative, participatory class-
an alternative to a mainstream magazine, room environment during the zine-making
encouraging them to critically analyze process enables students to dig into their
mass media as well as propose alterna- own projects as well as the projects of
tives. Education instructors might have their classmates. In reviewing and giv-
students review textbooks on a particular ing feedback on their classmates’ writ-
topic and create an alternative. Zines as ing, students learned something not only
reading and/or writing material are also about feminist analysis or a particular
relevant to a number of courses in gender topic, but also about how to communi-
and sexuality studies, including social cate their ideas effectively. The collective
inequalities (gender, race, and class), writing, assembling, and distribution of
feminist and queer theories (zines help zines gives students experience writing
students connect theory to everyday life), for a wide audience and then delivering
and feminist movements (zines are, after their work to that audience themselves.
all, a major way that movements commu- In doing so, students felt that their voices
nicate their goals) to name but a few. mattered and that others in the campus
community were taking their work seri-
Conclusions ously.
Zine-making gives students an oppor-
Zines are effective teaching resources that tunity to tap into passion and creativity as
help students connect theory and every- they connect feminist texts and ideas to
day life. One student writes, “The personal their everyday lives. Zines became labors
element of the zine was what helped of love as students began the writing

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 process, allowing them to connect with Student’s Guide to Making Zines—This
feminist theory in personal and meaning- guide includes information on every
ful ways. As one student put it, “My zine in aspect of zine making: necessary supplies,
particular really made me see how sexism laying out artwork, making a zine online.
and racism are still very much embedded http://grrrlzines.net/writing/student
in our society.” Comments like this—and %20zine%20guide.pdf
the zines themselves—indicate the con- Syndicated Zine Reviews—A site devoted
tinuing relevance of the feminist adage to reviewing zines, which is useful for
“the personal is political.” teachers seeking zines to use as reading
material in classes. http://syndicated
Appendix: Zine Resources for
zinereviews.blogspot.com/
Teachers
Teaching with Zines—This resource list
Barnard Zine Library—Barnard’s collection includes books, articles, and lesson plans
boasts the largest collection of zines writ- (for high school courses) that speak to
ten by (cis- and transgender) women with using zines in the classroom. http://zines.
an emphasis on zines by women of color. barnard.edu/teachingwithzines
Since 2004, zine librarian Jenna Freedman
We Make Zines—An online forum for peo-
has also collected zines on feminism and
ple who make and read zines. Members of
femme identity by people of all genders.
the site can read and write zine reviews,
The zines in the collection are personal and
answer calls for submissions to edited col-
political publications on activism, anar-
lections, and interact with other zinesters.
chism, body image, third-wave feminism,
Membership is free. http://wemakezines.
gender, parenting, queer community, riot
ning.com/
grrrl, sexual assault, trans experience, and
other topics. http://zines.barnard.edu Wikibooks Zine Making Page—Site
devoted to the practicalities of making
Etsy—Advertising itself as “the world’s
zines, from the writing process to bind-
largest marketplace for all things hand-
ing zines by sewing or stapling the pages.
made,” Etsy is an excellent resource for
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Zine_making
buying zines. http://www.etsy.com
Zine Libraries—The most comprehensive
Microcosm Publishing—Microcosm is a
and up-to-date list of zine libraries in the
large publisher and distributor of zines on
world. The list includes American libraries
a large number of topics, including par-
organized by state and international librar-
enthood, sex, food, bike culture, fashion,
ies in Australia, Canada, France, Germany,
gardening, and more. http://microcosm
Japan, New Zealand, and the United King-
publishing.com/
dom. http://zines.barnard.edu/zine
People of Color Zine Project—Founded -libraries
in 2010, the People of Color (POC) Zine
Project aims to make zines produced by notes
people of color easy to find and distribute. I would like to thank Kathleen Blee, Kelsy
Members of the collective tour campuses Burke, Amy McDowell, Marie Skoczylas, and
across the United States to read their work Elizabeth Yates for their helpful feedback on
and distribute the work of others. http:// earlier drafts of this article. Special thanks to
poczineproject.tumblr.com/ Kelly, author of the zine Short & Queer, and my

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 gender studies students for allowing me to use Freedman, Jenna. “Grrrl Zines in the Library.”
images of their zines. Signs 35 (2009): 52–59. Print.
1. The Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Good Hair. Directed by Jeff Stilson. Chris Rock
Studies Program at the University of Pittsburgh Entertainment, HBO Films. 2009. Film.
offers undergraduate and graduate certificates. Harris, Anita. “Gurl Scenes and Grrrl Zines:
Undergraduates must take the introductory The Regulation and Resistance of Girls in
course as a requirement for the certificate. Late Modernity.” Feminist Review 75 (2003):
Students who are not enrolled in the program 38–56. Print.
take the writing-intensive section of the course Hoffmann, Frances L., and Jayne E. Stake.
as part of the writing requirements needed to “Feminist Pedagogy in Theory and Practice:
graduate from the Dietrich School of Arts & Sci- An Empirical Investigation.” NWSA Journal 10
ences. (1998): 79–97. Print.
2. At Shabazz City High School in Madison, hooks, bell. “Theory as Liberatory Practice.”
Wisconsin, teacher Denise Aulik teaches zine In Teaching to Transgress: Education as the
writing courses that connect zine-making to the Practice of Freedom, 59–75. New York: Rout-
history of “underground and dissident press.” ledge, 1994. Print.
3. The student zines referenced and shown Kempson, Michelle. “’My Version of Feminism’:
here were donated to the Carnegie Library of Subjectivity, DIY and the Feminist Zine,” Social
Pittsburgh’s zine collection, making them pub- Movement Studies 14 (2014): 1–14. Print.
lic documents. In order to ensure privacy, I do Marcus, Sara. Girls to the Front: The True Story
not reference zines that students did not make of the Riot Grrrl Revolution. New York: Harper
available for public use. Perennial, 2010. Print.
4. Rebecca mentions “good hair” in this People of Color Zine Project Presents. POC Zine
passage—a reference to the 2009 documentary Project, 2014. Web. 16 July 2014.
Good Hair directed by Jeff Stilson. Piepmeier, Alison. Girl Zines: Making Media,
Doing Feminism. New York: NYU Press, 2009.
wor ks c ited Print.
———. “Why Zines Matter: Materiality and the
Aulik, Denise. “The Dissident Press: A History Creation of Embodied Community.” American
of Underground and Independent Publica- Periodicals 18 (2008): 213–38. Print.
tions.” Syllabus, Shabazz City High School, Schilt, Kristen. “‘I’ll Resist with Every Inch and
Madison, Wisc., 2012. Print. Every Breath’: Girls and Zine Making as a
———. “Zine Writing.” Syllabus, Shabazz City Form of Resistance.” Youth and Society 35
High School, Madison, Wisc., 2012. Print. (2003): 71–97. Print.
Bott, Christie. “Zines—the Ultimate Creative Short & Queer. “The Coming out Issue.” 4
Writing Project.” English Journal 92 (2002): (2011). Print zine.
27–33. Print. Shrewsbury, Carolyn M. “What is Feminist Peda-
Comstock, Michelle. “Grrrl Zine Networks: Re- gogy?” Women’s Studies Quarterly 21 (1993):
Composing Spaces of Authority, Gender, and 8–16. Print.
Culture.” JAC 21: 383–409. Print. Wan, Amy J. “Not Just for Kids Anymore: Using
Duncombe, Stephen. Notes from the Under- Zines in the Classroom.” Radical Teacher 55
ground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative (1999): 15–19. Print.
Culture. New York: Verso, 1997. Print.
Flannery, Kathryn. Feminist Literacies, 1968–75.
Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2005.
Print.

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