Links:
Short history of queer zines:
https://www.lgbtculturalheritage.com/zines
Blogpost about someone making their first zine:
https://www.shutterspot.co.uk/how-i-published-my-first-photography-zine/
Longer video lecture about the history of zines and their rising popularity in academia:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnpBu-DB3R8
Short documentary on the thriving zine scene in the San Francisco:
WHAT IS A ZINE?
“A zine (pronounced zeen, short for magazine) is a small-circulation (most are 100 or less copies) self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, likely reproduced via photocopier and/or regular home printer. Zines are either the product of a single person, or of a very small group of people. A fanzine, blend of fan and magazine, is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon such as a literary or musical genre for the pleasure of others who share their interest. Among the intentions for the creation and publication of zines are sharing a skill or art or developing a story, more than just to seek profit. Zines and zine creators choose to disregard the conventions of professional design and publishing houses and instead do things themselves in their own way. We take matters into our own hands. Zines emphasize the personal connection between creator and reader, turning imagined communities into very real ones. Written in a variety of formats from text to comics, collages and stories, zines cover broad topics including fan fiction, politics, poetry, art and design, personal journals and more. What's not to love?”
- Erica Engdahl
WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF ZINES?
image of the cover of FIRE!! zine from the Harlem Renaissance' Primary Sources, Berry College
Scan of "The Comet" by Raymond A. Palmer and Walter Dennis from fanac.org
Zines have a rich history that reflects the creative and often rebellious spirit of their creators. I have tried my best to patch together all the information i have been able to find in books, online articles, videos and through word of mouth here. If you have any additions to this text or any part of this page about zines, i would love to know!
Get History Right!
The Black literary zine FIRE!!, created during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s by writers such as Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, is one of the earliest examples of a zine. You can read one of the isssues here.
"They wanted to express the changing attitudes of younger African Americans and explore contemporary issues such as homosexuality, interracial relationships, promiscuity, prostitution, and color prejudice. Hughes wrote that the name was intended to symbolize their goal "to burn up a lot of the old, dead conventional Negro-white ideas of the past ... into a realization of the existence of the younger Negro writers and artists, and provide us with an outlet for publication not available in the limited pages of the small Negro magazines then existing."
- Quote and image from the Harlem Renaissance --> Primary Sources seciton of Berry College (https://libguides.berry.edu/c.php?g=121659&p=5658548)
During the 1920s, individuals or small groups of Black artists and writers used the "little magazine" a short, small-distribution magazine, to undermine the established literary system. These locally, self-published works featured lesser-known voices of the Renaissance along with those of greater prominence.
Selfpublishing continued through the decades, with the Black Panther Party Newspaper and the Chilean women's magazine Aquelarre. However, the history of zine culture regrettably and inaccurately remains largely dominated by narratives of white men and women.
In the 1930s and 1940s zines started blossoming in the science fiction community to share and discuss their favorite stories, since a lot of publishing houses and productions companies frowned upon what they deemed a childish genre.These early fanzines were a way for fans to connect with each other, often including fan fiction, letters, and commentary. This format allowed enthusiasts to bypass mainstream publishing channels and create content that resonated with their specific interests and communities.
'The Comet' is often mentioned as the very first zine in history, even though it is quite unlikely, since 'FIRE!!' came before. I, myself have fallen into this injustice of information, and continue to still read and learn about the rich history of zines to this day.
Copy & Share!
The zine culture truly began to flourish in the 1960s and 1970s, partly due to the increased accessibility of photocopying technology, which made it easier and cheaper to produce the DIY publication. In the general public there was also a revolution around graphic design, that became more creative and free. This period also saw the rise of zines as a platform for underground and countercultural movements, including the feminist, punk, and LGBTQ+ communities. Zines became a powerful medium for marginalized voices, offering a space to express ideas and perspectives that were often ignored or suppressed by mainstream media.
Queer Culture & Feminism!
One of the most significant waves of zine production came from the LGBTQ+ community. In the 1980s and 1990s, zines played a crucial role in the spread of queer culture and activism, offering a lifeline to isolated individuals and helping to build a community. These zines covered a wide range of topics, from personal stories and political commentary to art and poetry, reflecting the diversity and creativity of the LGBTQ+ community. The Riot Grrrl Movement made zines, as characterized by the famous band Bikini Kill who started out making a zine of the same name.
Xerox copymachine ad from 1966
Punks & Pop!
Zines have also been an integral part of the music scene for many decades. Both underground and wellknown musicians and bands have made their own zines and have had fanzines made about them.
“The 1970s were a time of great political unrest in Britain, which dovetailed with the punk music scene taking a stronghold. In response, people such as Mark Perry (creator of Sniffin’ Glue, which is widely recognized as the first British punk zine) began creating zines that functioned as “cultural mouthpieces for punk bands-- fanzines disseminated information about gig schedules, interviews with bands and reviews of new albums alongside features on current political events and personal rants.
Riot Grrrl fanzine cover from an article about the movement at: https://www.historylink.org/File/22505
Picture is Courtesy The Riot Grrrl Collection, New York University Special Collections
The “do-it-yourself” nature of the zines themselves, which were (and still are) hand folded, scrappy collages of images and text, reflected the punk movement and the political rallying cries of bands such as the Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Adam & the Ants and many more. The central focus of punk music, and thus the fanzines that were borne out this era highlight the notion of resistance and the rejection of mainstream culture, politics, and opinions.”
- Percy Miller from the article: Genre Terms by iSchool Students: Zines (https://fisher.library.utoronto.ca/fisher-blog/genre-terms-ischool-students-zines)
Cover of the first edition of the IKLIPSX punk zine, Courtesy of the scanned versions from
In the 80s, the punk scene flourished with zines that people made with their band, about bands they liked or reviewing concerts and albums. One of the first zines in Denmark is believed to be created by SODS in 1978, a punk band that later evolved into Sort Sol. The zine was called IKLIPSX, and had 7 issues over 2 years detailing the punk scenes ins and outs.
Knud Odde, one of the editors of the zine, suggested that the series of fanzines would start at number #6, since it would seem like an established zine like that. You can download the IKLIPSX zines as PDFs and read them (in danish) for free here
Go To The Library!
In 2002, there was a zine published by Greg Meins in Portland called ”Zine Librarian Zine”, and it was the first attempt at organizing a zine library. Today there are many online resources and even physical libraries around the world where you can read zines.
Around the same time, there was a movement in the Nordic countries to get the youth more involved with the local libraries, since there was a fear that physical media and reading was getting less and less popular with every generation. Therefore, the initiative “Demotekerne” was established, where people could add their own media to the library by showing up and getting a library number added to it, so anyone in the local area could stop by and lend their homemade zine, cassettetape or art. You can read more about that in an article called: “The Demotek Challenging The Libraries!” By Ida Qvarnström.
The iniative was popular for a few years, but funding was cut, and only a few are left with very limited capacity.
Play With Art!
In addition to their role in activism, zines have also been an important medium for artists. Many artists have used zines to experiment with new ideas, share their work, and reach audiences outside the traditional gallery system. This has led to the development of a unique zine culture within the art world, where zines are valued not only for their content but also for their physical form, with creators often paying special attention to binding and materials.
Today, zines continue to be a vibrant and dynamic form of expression. They remain a popular choice for individuals and communities looking to share their stories, art, and ideas in an authentic, uncensored way. The zine format has also adapted to the digital age, with many creators now blending traditional print methods with online distribution to reach a global audience.
Templates
Electric zinemaker:
https://unicornycopia.com/ezm/
online zine page arranger:
https://nashhigh.itch.io/zinearranger
program that makes PDFs suitable for traditional bookbinding:
http://quantumelephant.co.uk/bookbinder/bookbinder.html
downloadable program for making zines and prints ready for risography printing (only mac):
zine templates for Affinity:
https://metaparadox.itch.io/affinity-publisher-zine-templates
zine templates for Scribus:
https://metaparadox.itch.io/scribus-zine-templates
downloadable one-page zine template:
WHAT CAN A ZINE BE?
What subjects can a zine be about?
The subject of a zine can really be anything you would like! The beautiful thing about a zine is that you are the artist, editor, creative director and publisher of your own magazine - you make every decision. You can call for submissions from other people, or you can make it all by yourself. It can involve mediums such as poetry, photography, comics, drawings, reviews, interviews, graphic design, diary entries, and whatever else you can think of. It can really feel like a great accomplishment to put together a zine with your work and see it as a complete unit, kind of like if you were to exhibit it at a gallery space.
Examples of subjects from already created zines:
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“Reviews of Sexdolls” is a zine where I illustrated real reviews i found online of sexdolls.
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“What Birds Are Really Thinking” a zine by Jenny Robins where they explore what they think different birds could be thinking about
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“Tooth Book” by Halden Nicolajsen is a scan of a illustrated story their little cousin made after losing their first tooth.
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“Race-ing and Dating” by Al Meeyn is a collection of their dating experiences as a black person
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“Tongue Tied” by Benni is a lesbian romantic comedy zine in a comic format.
Examples of names of zine subgenres:
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Fanzine (zine about something the author is a fan of)
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Perzine (A personal zine - could be diary entries or memories)
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Photozine (Photography zine)
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Poetryzine (Poetry zine)
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Comiczine (Comic zine)
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Artzine (Art Zine)
What formats can a zine be in?
Any format you would like is acceptable for a zine, but in general they are mostly in some sort of softcover magazine form. These are two classic formats:
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The One-pager
Can also be called an 8-pager.
A zine printed and folded from a single piece of paper. There is a folding tutorial in videoform here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab4O9SWNl9g
Visual examples:
one page folding tutorial from https://www.outletpdx.com/
One-page zine from Triss Baranyai with a poster print on the back
2. The Booklet
Sewn or stapled together, this format is especially popular printed in A4, ending up as an A5 booklet. The amount of pages should be able to be divided by 8 for the layout to work. There are many fun ways to experiment with this classic format, with different bookbinding sewing techniques, printing on different types of paper, adding hand-drawn elements, putting stickers on top, having a usb drive to go with each zine or whatever else you can think of!
Visual examples:
zine by Christine Lykkeh, hand dyed cover sewn together with thread
Example of how to print the pages of a booklet zine with either 12 or 16 pages + a simple way to sew the spine.
3. The Sky Is The Limit
You can also experiment with the format to suit your needs and wants for your project. Paper can be sewn and folded together in many ways, the sky's the limit.
Visual examples:
Zine by Peow Studio made from one piece of paper, folded accordion style
Photozine sewn together from multiple pages with a sewing machine as one continuous page by Tiffany Louise Hoff
Tutorials for zines:
step-by-step-guide to make a photo zine:
https://www.minifulness.com/how-to-create-publish-your-first-zine-comprehensive-guide/
Websites where you can publish digitally:
online and free if the zine is under 15 pages:
https://www.flipsnack.com/ezine
online, free publishing site:
online pdf to flipbook converter:
HOW CAN I MAKE A ZINE?
There are several different ways to go about it. When you have chosen a subject and a format for your zine and created the contents, you can either go the complete DIY route and cut-and-paste everything together, scan it in a scanner and print it yourself as a one-page zine.
You can also take your content and scan it and put it together digitally. You can do that in Adobe Indesign, but you can also do that for free in Scribus, LibreOffice Draw or online in Canva. There is also the one-time payment option of Affinity. Afterwards, you can print it at home or send it off to be printed proffesionally by a print shop. You can also publish your zine exclusively online.
Last but not least, you can participate in (or start your own) an open call and submit to a collaborative zine. You can find open calls on instagram or Pixelfed using the hashtag #zinesubmissions. They are usually run by a couple of people, but it could also be a single person, who is the editor. They put out the Open Call with a theme and format info, that you can then submit your writings/images/art/poetry/toenails to if they fit the criteria.
Links to zine inspiration:
zine idea generator:
https://zcmag.xyz/zine-idea-generator/
zine projects on Behance:
https://www.behance.net/search/projects/zine?tracking_source=typeahead_search_direct
zine reviews and more:
Movies about zines:
“Moxie!” 2021 (Netlix)
“No Straight Lines” 2023
WHAT CAN I DO WITH MY ZINE?
As mentioned above, you can publish your zine online and/or in print. You can send your zine to a zine library for people to enjoy it for free, or you can go to a zine festival to sell them or trade with other zinesters. Trading is a big part of the zine community. Some people sell their zines through online marketplaces such as Etsy or their own onlineshop. Some galleries and bookshops also sell in zines, but it usually has to be a professionally printed zine that is priced a bit higher. There are also threads online where people find each other to trade zines by sending them back and forth in the post. They could be spread gorilla-style in public spaces (like your local library or favorite café’s postcard rack) for people to find and read for free. There are a few zine libraries around the world the take donations so other people can go there and read your zine. You could use your zine as a mini-portfolio, or add it as a design project to your already existing portfolio.
RESOURCES
IRL In Denmark (mostly Copenhagen):
Shops To Buy/Sell Zines:
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Monday Studio
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Vildnis Coop
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Bladr
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Nørrebro Späti
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KIOSK
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Super Bookstore
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The Pond
Zine Libraries:
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Zine Hus (Aarhus, Denmark)
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Herlev Demotek (only has a very small selection of zines left. Copenhagen, Denmark)
Online Zine Libraries:
You can find a lot of zines you can read for free or per donation online at zine libraries. Here is a list of a bunch of websites with free reading material:
Zine Festivals:
Zinefests take place all around the globe, where you can apply for a booth at a market and sell and trade your zines. There are often also other events going on at the zinefests, such as workshops, concerts and more. CPH Zinefest has taken place every october since 2014 and has grown in size every year, with about 100 vendors the last couple of fests. There are also smaller trading events here and there, often at punk venues. Comicbook festivals also sometimes have an area for zines.
Here is an overview of the zinefests around the world:
https://brokenpencil.com/zine-festivals-and-small-press-fairs/
And this is a list of fests that i copied the following list from https://singularpapers.com/blogs/news/fanzine-fairs-festivals-guide with a few additions of festivals I know of:
Australia
Small Press Zine Fair - Hobart
Festival of the Photocopier - Melbourne
Zine Fair by Sydney Zinesters Unincorporated - Sydney
Blue Mountains Zine Fair - Sydney
Zineverleigh - Victoria
Canada
Halifax Pop Explosion - Halifax
Hamilton Zineposium - Hamilton
Expozine - Montreal
KW Zinetopia - Ontario
Canzine - Ottawa
Sappyfest Music Festival, Zine & Craft Fair - Sackville
Zine Dream - Toronto
Small Press Fest - Victoria
Chile
Fanzineichon - Santiago de Chile
Denmark
CPH Zine Fest - Copenhagen (October)
Zinefest in Odense - Odense (April)
Finland
Helsinki Zine Fest - Helsinki
France
Fanzines? Festival - Paris
Germany
Zinefest Berlin - Berlin
Comic Invasion - Berlin
Cakes&Zines - Berlin
Bremer Zine Fest - Bremer
Hamburger Zinefest - Hamburg
Snail Eye Leipzig - Leipzig (June)
Hungary
Ukmukfukk Zinefeszt - Budapest
Iceland
RVK Zinefest - Reykjavik (December)
India
Bombay Zine Fest - Mumbai
Indonesia
Cirebon Art & Zine fest - Cirebon
Hysteria zine fest - Yogyakarta
Ireland
Drogheda Zine Fair - Drogheda
Cork Zine Fest - Dublin
Limerick Zine Fest - Limerick
Italy
Zines Palermo - Palermo
Crack! Fetsival - Rome (June)
Japan
Zine Day Osaka - Osaka
Osaka Zine + DIY Fest - Osaka
Zinphony - Takasaki
Zine Farm - Tokyo
Kazakhstan
Öziñ Zine Fair - Almaty
Latvia
Sābrs zine and small press festival - Riga
New Zealand
Auckland Zine Fest - Auckland
Ōtautahi Zinefest - Christchurch
Dunedin Zine Fest - Dunedin
Kirikiriroa Hamilton Zinefest - Hamilton
Tauranga Zine Fest - Tauranga
Wellington Zine Fest - Wellington
Norway
Oslo Zine Fest - Oslo (November)
Poland
Poznań Zinfest - Poznań (september)
Krakow Zinefest
Spain
Gutterfest - Barcelona
Fanzimad - Madrid
Autozine - Madrid
Sweden
VXO Zine Fest - Växjö
CUTZINE - Malmö (December)
Thailand
Worse Zine Fair - Chiang Mai
Vietnam
Zinner's Fair 2024 - Ho Chi Minh City
United Kingdom
Barnsley Zine Fair - Barnsley
Brum Zine Fair - Birmingham
Bradford Zine Fair - Bradford
Zine Fair @ RTS Zines - Brighton
Illustration + Zine fair - Bristol
Carlisle Zine Fest - Carlisle
Derby Zine Fest - Derby
Dundee Zine Fest - Dundee
Edinburgh Zine Fair - Edinburgh
Edinburgh Zine Festival - Edinburgh
Pride Zine Fair - Edinburgh
Glasgow Zine Fest - Glasgow
Lincoln Zine Fest - Lincoln
Brewzine - London
In/Between Gutterz comic and zine fair - London
LGTBIQA+ Zine Fair - London
Over Here Zine Fest - Manchester
Comic and zine fair in Plymouth - Plymouth
Swindon zine fest - Swindon
Tees Zine Fest - Teesside
York Zine Fest - York
United States
Zine Machine - Durham
ANC Zine Fair - Alaska
ABQ Zine Fest - Albuquerque
AVL Zine Fest - Asheville
Southern Oregon zine fest - Ashland
Paper Hearts Zine Fest - Atlanta
Paper Dragon - Small Press Fair - Austin
Lone Star Zine Fest - Austin
East Bay Alternative Book & Zine Fest - Berkeley
Bradford Zine Fair - Bradford
Bremerton Zine Fest - Bremerton
Buffalo Bookfest - Buffalo
Carrboro Zine and Print Fest - Carrboro
Charleston Zine Fest - Charleston
Queen City Zine Fest - Charlotte
Chattanooga Zine Fest - Chattanooga
DePaul Zine Fest - Chicago
Chicago Zine Fest - Chicago
Zinecinnati - Cincinnati
Denver Zine Fest - Denver
Detroit Zine Fest - Detroit
IE Print and Zine Fest - Fontana
Grand Rapids Zine Fest Michigan - Grand Rapids
Fold Under Pressure Zine Fair - Greensboro
Zine Fest Houston - Houston
Johnson City Zine Fest - Johnson City
KC Zine Con - Kansas City
Lancaster Zine Fest - Lancaster
LICZ! - Lansing
Feminist Border Arts Zine Fest - Las Cruces
Las Vegas NM ZineFest - Las Vegas
Paper Planes Zine Fest - Lawrence
Halftone zine fest - Lexington
Biggest Little Zine Fair - Long Beach
Crushes Zine Fest - Los Angeles
Los Angeles Zine Fest - Los Angeles
Madison Print & Resist - Madison
Miami Zine Fair - Miami
Milwaukee Zine Fest - Milwaukee
Twin Cities Zine Fest - Minneapolis
Insert Name Zine Fest - Minneapolis
Midwest Queer and Trans Zine Fest - Minneapolis
St. Cloud Zine Fair - MInnesota
Montclair Zine Fest - Montclair
Nashville’s Zine City Fest - Nashville
Black Zine Fair - New York
East Village Zine Fair - New York
New York Queer Zine Fair - New York
NYC Feminist Zine Fest - New York
NY Zine Fest - New York
Newark Zine Fest - Newark
Dear Diary Zine Fest - Oakland
Bay Area Queer Zine Fest - Oakland
Street Cat Zine Fest - Ohio
OKC Zine Fest - Oklahoma
Olympia Zine Fest - Olympia
OC Zine Fest - Orange County
Philly Zine Fest - Philadelphia
West Philly Zine Fest - Philadelphia
PHX Zine Fest - Phoenix
Pittsburgh Zine Fair - Pittsburgh
Reed Zine Fest - Portland
Portland Zine Symposium - Portland
Queer/Trans Zine Fest - Providence
Richmond Zine Fest - Richmond
Luna Moth Zine Fest - Salem
Grid Zine Fest - Salt Lake City
San Diego Zine Fest - San Diego
SF Zine Fest - San Francisco
South Bay Zine Fest - San Diego
OC Zine Fest - Santa Ana
Santa Fe Zine Fest - Santa Fe
Santa Rosa Zine Fest - Santa Rosa
Seattle Zine Fest 2024 - Seattle
St. Pete Zine Fest - St.Petersburg
Tacoma Zine Fest - Tacoma
Tallahassee Zine Fest - Tallahassee
Tampa Zine Fest - Tampa
Risorama - Texas
Tucson Zine fest - Tucson
DC Zine Fest - Washington DC
WFPL Zine Fest - Watertown
Alt Press Fest - Salt Lake City