It’s hard to say when exactly the ‘zine’ emerged; from the chapbooks peddled in the streets of England in the nineteenth century, to the swapping of science fiction tales in the 1930s, to the Riot Grrrl epidemic of the 90s; zines can be found from the time that people had the ability to write, create and self-publish and everywhere that paper, pen and scissors are available. I’d like to show you that, as the title intimates, zines can change the world; it’s no small claim, I know, but I really believe it.
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First of all, power to independent publishers! Zines allow more and more people to have a legitimate say, and give total creative license to their inventors. Every zine that circulates, hand-to-hand, mailbox-to-mailbox, is chipping away at the monopoly of the major commercial publishers for whom maximum profit inevitably takes priority over quality content. The unfortunate reality is that capitalism and independent expression just don’t fit together that well. George Nicholson, an editor-in-chief at Dell Publishing (an American cornerstone of the pulp magazine since the early 20th century) writes that “…anything perceived as ‘difficult’ is avoided at all costs by the major publishers… every penny is being watched and the ‘dragons’ of censorship are stronger than ever in my memory”. The thoughts and writing of everybody should at least be accessible; whether they are actually read or not, is the choice of he or she who holds the zine in hand, flipping the covers. Censorship is a decision for individuals – not CEOS.
The creation and distribution of zines is far less factory-like than the infinite, removed nature of the reproduction of glossy books in the major printing presses. Usually, zines are covered in the fingerprints of their loving creators, who have pieced them together, slid them beneath the scanner, lifted each copy from the photocopier, arranged and hand-stapled them. Purchasing zines is like buying your eggs from the old man up the road rather than factory-farmed ones; sometimes they cost a little extra, but they’re ten times more ethical. And anyway, many people give away or swap their zines, for nothing (or next to it)! That’s because making zines is enjoyable; a fantastic creative outlet that combines thought, creativity and art. You feel proud when you finish a zine – I know I do, anyway.
Zines localise the publishing industry, often involving niche content with quite specific audiences. They bring together people with similar interests, but also help others to see things from your perspective. They’re a great way of meeting people – if you come across somebody you like, you hand them a copy of your zine and carefully watch their reaction. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to reduce it entirely to this, but I’m willing to suggest that a zine played a not-so-insignificant role in bringing my boyfriend and I together. After we first met, I posted him a copy of Ruby Tuesday, a zine comprised of my own poetry. In return, I received a hefty envelope of typewritten notes and drawings – it was on. Nearly two years later, and we’re still here! The moral of that story is, that self-publishing helps people fall in love.
Zines begin with tiny roots which can spark entire movements. For example, in the early 90s Kathleen Hanna got together with some girlfriends and created the zine Bikini Kill, containing the famous Riot Grrrl Manifesto. At the NY Art Book Fair in 2010, an exhibition of over 600 unique Riot Grrl zines was put together. What once was small spread like wildfire – and all independently! Not only did Riot Grrrl give rise to a number of influential zines (Jigsaw, Snarla, Manifixation to name a few), but great politically-oriented bands too (Le Tigre, Bikini Kill, Bratmobile); zines are an important part of the counterculture which, I believe, is integral to creating social change.
So, while zines can simply be the swapping of ideas between a group of friends, they can also bring people together from all over the world. Zines can be international stewards! Not only this, but zines can help save the postal service! Sure, the post has some issues it needs to work on (such as its environmentally friendliness), but the fact is that nothing beats receiving a fresh book or zine in the mail in hard copy. There’s no need for an argument here, you know what I’m talking about. It’s a feeling.
Are you convinced? Well, time to get out your gluesticks, people! Make a zine! Change the world!
If you enjoyed this, then please check out my SOYA page here. Comments and feedback much appreciated!
