Are Zines Hot Again? A Look at Zine Culture Today

Technically, zines aren’t strictly a ’90s thing. They have flourished as tools of communication and community for marginalized voices and those outside the mainstream for much longer.

According to Carolyn Croley, technical services librarian at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, zines originated in the 1930s and 40s thanks to sci-fi fans who began self-publishing small magazines in order to discuss their favorite stories and films. While this is when the term “zine” seemingly first emerged, artist and educator Alanna Stapleton thinks their origins can be traced back even further. She writes that self-published booklets and pamphlets “are not a new idea. People with independent ideas have been sharing their words and opinions since there were printing presses.” For example, she mentions everything from the witchcraft guides of the 1400s to the Federalist Papers of 1788 to the 1848 Communist Manifesto.

Later, when zines became an official “thing,” they were platforms for fandoms (like an ur-Tumblr!), integral to the punk scene of the 1970s and 1980s, and—yes—prevalent during the 1990s riot grrrl movement.

We’re seeing another resurgence today.

Zines as a Tool for Advocacy and Community-Building

While the zine aesthetic of the 90s eventually became co-opted for capitalistic purposes, today, there’s a reemergence of the zine in its original form within activist circles.

As someone who works within the field of sexuality, the first place I noticed this comeback was via Pleasure Pie, a sex-positive education organization based in Boston. Pleasure Pie creates inclusive, trauma-sensitive zines that teach adults and teens about sexuality and also conducts its own zine-making workshops. At a time when “parental rights” legislation is making it difficult for teens to access comprehensive and inclusive sex education, it makes sense that educators and activists would turn to zines as an educational tool.

Image from Pleasurepie on Etsy

Another person who uses zines in their work is craftivist Shannon Downey, author of Let’s Move the Needle. They collaborated with Mindy Tsonas Choi of the Be Seen Project on a zine workshop, creating a craftivist-focused zine you can grab for free here.

Then, in a throwback to those witchcraft guides of the 1400s, I stumbled upon the Lunar Faire, a New Jersey-based night market that also happens to produce a regular Faire Zine. I was giddy when I saw their table of zines. It’s been great watching the form gain a foothold again. In this particular case, the zines were a way to build community among local witches and also share craft tips.

When I thought it wasn’t possible for things to get any more zine-tastic, a local arts organization hosted a Zine Fest, where tons of artists gathered to sell zines that celebrated education, self-advocacy, wider advocacy, creative self-expression, and more. I discovered that zine fests were happening all around the country, and I noticed that there are even small presses—like the social justice-focused Microcosm Publishing—that have entire zine catalogs.

You Should Totes Bring Zines To Your Library

As sanctuaries of knowledge and community, it makes sense that libraries are also incorporating zines into their collections and their programming. There’s an entire community around zine librarianship, including zine librarians at academic institutions. Even my eensy-weensy local library has a zine section in its YA room, with how-to-make-a-zine zines, a maker space, and a modest collection of zines created by residents.

There are so many ways bring that zine magic to your own library. You can cultivate your own collection of zines that you can then either allow to circulate like the rest of the books in your collection, or you can keep them for in-library use only, like other reference materials. You can host one-off zine making events or zine fairs, or even create a zine-making club that meets regularly, helping to build community around this art form while also fostering creativity.

You can create a LibGuide like the one produced by the Library of Virginia, which contains a timeline of zine history, shares info on zine collections around the state, links out to digital zine collections, and provides other zine-related resources, including steps on how to make your own.

At a time when marginalized voices are being silenced in many mainstream spaces, there’s no doubt that zines are an amazeballs option.

I often roll my eyes at reboots, but this is one that brings me joy.