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- Thanks again to the producers of Think Out Loud for ... - justinhocking
- I've been into UG zines [& non-commercial media] since i ... - DamosA
- How can you do show about something so, "insider" as ... - Riposte
This weekend, creators of zines from across the country will descend on Portland for the annual Zine Symposium. These small-run publications are often assembled by hand with the help of a stapler and a photocopier. The subjects explored within their pages range from travel stories to parenting adventures and tales of dishwashing in kitchens across the nation. The Pacific Northwest has spawned many zines over the years and Portland is home to sizable zine collections at the Independent Publishing Resource Center as well as nine branches of the Multnomah County Library.
Though self-publishing can be traced back to Thomas Paine (and earlier), the heydey of zines was in the 1990s when they served to connect like-minded individuals before the dawn of the internet. Now that anyone can publish their thoughts on a blog, some might wonder how zines will survive and how they are different from blogs.
Do you make or read zines? How did you first discover them? Which are your favorite? What is the key to survival for this small part of the print world?
GUESTS:
- Shawn Granton: Creator of Ten Foot Rule zine and editor of The Zinester’s Guide to Portland
- Alex Wrekk: Author of Stolen Sharpie Revolution and one of the organizers of the Portland Zine Symposium
- Justin Hocking: Executive director of Independent Publishing Resource Center
- Tomas Moniz: Author of Rad Dad zine
Tagged as: comics · print media · zines
Photo credit: Fatalgram/ Flickr /Creative Commons
COMMENTS: (14 total)
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I discovered zines in 1994, at the age of 13, when I was living in a small town in northern Idaho, but didn't really have access to them until moving to Oregon the following year. I was drawn to zines that were personal, cut and paste style--rough and handmade--and typically produced by other girls and women. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to zine writers like Ceci Suburbia, Kristy Chan, and Cindy O., who, along with several others, inspired and empowered to do my own zine at the age of 16.
My life hasn't been changed by zines in the way that others have experienced--travelling the world, an international network of zine friends, minor zine celebrity, etc., but as cheesy as it may sound, my life was saved by zines and zine kids. At a time when I was extremely isolated and lonely, I watched my mailbox for new zines and correspondence.
Holding in my hands what was the product of months of labor and contained immensely personal information, I felt connected to someone on the other side of country that I would never meet. That is the power of zines.
Sure, there are similarities with blogs--both being the avenue to convey personal thoughts, raise awareness to important issues, etc., but blogs, for me, don't have the heart and soul that a zine does. Zinesters have pored themselves into this creation--writing, designing, photocopying, and distributing, whereas a blogger really need only register with WordPress, Blogspot, etc. Also, there is something undeniably important about the tactile quality of a zine--having something to hold in your hands, to touch, to interact with--that blog cannot compete with.
Naysayers have been predicting the end of zines for years. And while zines don't have the fervor around them that they did in the mid-1990s, they are a long way from being obsolete or irrelevant. Independent publishing has a lengthy history, as the post hints at, and so long as there are zinesters producing honest and authentic work, there will be readers.
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My name is Martha Grover and I've been publishing the zine Somnambulist in Portland for five years. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Not only does portland have a very supportive community, but I've "met" people from all over the states and even in Ireland!
Zines are different from blogs because, as stated before they are tactile. Also, in contrast to a blog they are more private. Zinesters are big fans of the private, slow process of actually exchanging letters through the postal service!
I'm heartened by the new emphasis in our libraries and schools of introducing children to zines. I think this is just as valuable as introducing children to musical instruments or sports. It may be a passing interest- or it may end up being a life long passion. They may not become a famous writer but it will connect them to their own talents and the stories of other people all over the world.
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Hear, hear! As a teacher I had my primary aged students write and trade zines. They clutched their small works of art and were so proud. I think the whole zine culture's emphasis is on producing and creating art rather than selling/ consuming.
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Hello, My name is Aron Nels Steinke and I've been making my own self-published comics since 2006. Because the zine and comics world are merging together more and more I ended up immersed in the Portland zine community unintentionally. The thing is, making a real book on your own even if it is just a couple staples and photocopies is incredibly empowering. To me, my zines are my art and my blog is where I just put up information. Again, like Martha and everyone else has said before me, having a real tactile book in your hand cannot be duplicated with an ebook. Also, zines are so cheap that anybody can do them! You don't need to own a computer. So if you're going to the downtown farmer's market this weekend, be sure and find the Smith Ballroom at Portland State University where you'll find us.
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Zine v. Internet = Quality v. Quantitiy
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Jenna Freedman, zine librarian at Barnard College Library in New York has an excellent essay "Zines Are Not Blogs" that I highly recommend:
http://www.barnard.edu/library/zines/zinesnotblogs.htm
The zine library at Barnard is one of many zine preservation efforts around the world that includes independent zine libraries and info shops, institutional libraries and archives, and independent archives as well.
Christopher Wilde
Co-founder
The Queer Zine Archive Project
http://www.qzap.org
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Howdy, This is Conch, host of Words & Pictures. Zine culture is radically participatory, so I encourage everyone to support your local small-press outlet, welcome out-of-town zinesters to Portland, come out to Thursday's benefit show at the Holocene for the Independent Publishing Resource Center, and try out a few workshops at the Zine Symposium.
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Hi there, I've been publishing Miranda, a zine about motherhood and other adventures, since 1998 here in Portland. I started the zine before I had kids, when I was just back from the Peace Corps with stories I wanted to tell. After I had my first child, doing the zine became a way to keep my identity as a writer, at a time when I felt pretty unsure of myself about everything else.
For me, doing my zine isn't so much about connecting with other parents - although it has done that for me, and Miranda has lots of parent readers. But mostly it's about the writing, telling the story. I want to make stories of my life that are both entertaining and that anyone can relate to, not just parents. Putting out a zine is a great way to do that, and it's really satisfying to have a physical object, the work of your own hands, to keep or give away. My kids will have and read my zines someday in a way that they really wouldn't, if it was a blog.
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Zines carry a really amazing middle ground between many art mediums. I find them accessable, interesting and drawing from a wide variety of experience. With the drawings and diary/literature hybrid mix of writing, they are different from a blog. I wish the medium was used by more publishing companies.
My favorite store for zine browsing and buying is, of course, Reading Frenzy (across from Powell's on Burnside in Portland): http://www.readingfrenzy.com/ -
Our economy has reached a point where accessibility and affordability are more prevalent factors than they seem to have been in the last few years. Content exposure through venues of self publishing, print on demand, and electronic books are all areas that are creating a mass of exposure that was not as readily available until now.
I'm one of the lead editors at Bare Bones Press and Productions, which is a new publishing house that is devoted to queer content and authorship. We adore forms of literature such as zines and chapbooks not only for their ability to remain affordable and therefore accessible, but also for their tendency towards allowing the creator to remain involved with their production in its entirety.
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How can you do show about something so, "insider" as zines, and yet know nothing about them? It sounded on the radio as if neither of you had ever read a zine? The whole show was like doing a show about painting, but never discussing a painting or a great painter. Why do you paint? Do you enjoy painting? What do you like to paint about?
What Im saying is that neither of you knew nothing about what you were discussing (except what you read on Wikipedia). No experience at all, and yet you spend an hour talking about zines as if you cared about them... but what are they again?
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I've been into UG zines [& non-commercial media] since i was a pre-teen. But most of that interests has been music-based. If [the right people] happen to be reading this, may i do a shameless plug for a great music/culture zine called OAKEN THRONE. They've been around since 2005 & put out their 6th issue afew monthes ago.
http://www.benwestdesign.net/oakenthrone/
You won't find it in any libraries. But Anthem Records(SE 34th b/t Belmont & Morrison) here in Portland carries regular issues.
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Thanks again to the producers of Think Out Loud for bringing Shawn, Alex and I into the studio. One thing I was hoping to go deeper into was the future of books and zines in an era when text is increasingly read online. My feeling is that the books and zines that will survive and thrive are those done with a strong sense of design and craft, and that are an "art" object in and of themselves. With this in mind, and to further or mission of facilitating creative expression, identity and community, the Independent Publishing Resource Center is launching a new year-long certificate program in Writing, Comics and Independent Publishing, beginning in mid-September 09. In the first semester, students will have a choice between a creative writing or a comics/graphic novel track; the second semester will be focused on publishing and production, with instruction in book design, layout, perfect binding (using our new perfect binding machine), New Media and distro. The idea is to not only help students hone their craft, but to empower them to then actually publish their own books. For more info or an application, please write me at justin@iprc.org.
Also, please join us at Holocene this Thursday the 23rd for an IPRC benefit rock show, including performances by Alex Wrekk, Ah Holly Fam'ly, Arrington de Dionyso, and a late night 90's themed dance party called the Zenith of Zines. For more information please visit iprc.org.
Thanks again to OPB for hosting us.
--Justin Hocking, IPRC Director
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I can't believe I'm the first to comment on this subject. I was introduced to zines by hunting down Jesse Reklaw, independent comic artist, for my son about 6 years ago. We've been hooked ever since. I love the people, love the freedom of expression and the whole independent print scene. I worked all day on yet another zine to sell/ trade at the symposium.
My kids have made zines for years now. I think with the alternative DIY culture, it is just another way to connect to the artist/ producer within ourselves and escape the consumer/ envy mentality that dominates the internet and popular culture. I actually got my 11-year-old to turn off youtube, sit down and write poetry and draw. Bless the zine symposium.