Zines
Author’s Note – If you are completely new to this subculture and have never heard of a zine, perhaps you should begin your journey here:
- Purdue University – What is a Zine?
- Barnard Zine Library – Zines Are Not Blogs: A Not Unbiased Analysis by Jenna Freedman & How to Make A Zine
- Make a Zine!: When Words and Graphics Collide by Bill Brent (2008)
- The Creative Independent – How to Make A Zine
- Starting a Riot,’ episode 3: Start a Zine! – Oregon Public Broadcasting’s riot grrrl podcast, “Starting a Riot,” hosted by Fabi Reyna with musician and zine-makers, Ramdasha Bikceem, Allison Wolfe and Tobi Vail; “Girls to the Front” author, Sara Marcus; journalist and zine-maker, Sarah Shay Mirk, and Mimi Thi Nguyen, curator of the “Evolution of a Race Riot” zine and Associate Professor & Chair of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Here are just a few examples of zines made during the riot grrrl era:
Bikini Kill: a color and activity book
Evolution of a Race Riot #1 & Evolution of a Race Riot #2 – Compiled by Mimi Thi Nguyen in 1997, “Evolution of a Race Riot” was two compilation zines and a third zine listing projects, zines, and resources for people of color who were/are involved in punk rock and punk culture. The Race Riot comps are crucial and critical documents for POC involved in the subcultural terrain of DIY publishing, music, art, and culture. This version was digitized, edited and shared by the POC Zine Project. – Mimi Thi Nguyen – Mimi speaking about “Art Now” in 2017
Girl Germs, Girl Germs, Number 3 & Girl Germs, Number 4
Gunk, Number 1 (partial); Gunk, Number 3 (partial); Gunk, Number 4 (partial)
Jigsaw (TobiVail has a blog called Jigsaw, which she began in 2008 and last posted on Oct. 18, 2023.)
Ra Ra Rebel, Number 1 & Number 2 by Riot Grrrl Records
Riot Grrrl!, Number 1; Riot Grrrl!, Number 2; Riot Grrrl!, Number 3
THE RIOT GRRRL SPLIT ZINE (By Jolie Ruin & Hannah Neurotica)
Skurt Cobain, Number 1 & Number 2 by Riot Grrrl Press
Slutcake, Number 8 by Riot Grrrl Press
Additional zine archives and resources:
List of zine libraries from Barnard College
List of zine libraries from ZineWiki
Anchor Archive – located in RadStorm, a non-profit community arts center located in Kjipuktuk/Halifax, Nova Scotia
BishopsGate Institute – zine archive
Crimethinc Zine Library – Inside Front Zine by Crimethinc – Journal Of Hardcore Punk: Complete Collection, Volume One (The 1990s Issues) and Journal Of Hardcore Punk: Complete Collection, Volume Two (The 2000s Issues)
Digitizing Queer Punk History: The Chainsaw Records Collection
Independent Publishing Resource Center
Internet Archive – riot grrrl items
LCC Zine Collection – LGBTQIA+ Zines such as: Holy Titclamps & Queer Zine Explosion and Feminist Zines such as: Ablaze!, Bikini Kill, Grrrl in Print, Professorial platforms. ‘Do it yourself’ girl revolution: LadyFest, performance and fanzine culture and Spare Rib
Maximum RocknRoll (MRR) & Book Your Own F***in’ Life Archive – MMR is a not-for-profit monthly zine of punk subculture based in San Francisco that was printed from 1982-2019 and is now available online. From 1992 to 2011, it published a D.I.Y. (do it yourself) resource guide called “Book Your Own Fuckin’ Life” for individuals and bands to connect with others or book shows.
Queer Music Heritage – Queercore Gallery
Re/Search Publications, formerly known as Search & Destroy
Riot Grrrl Press. – Jolie Ruin
Slug & Lettuce Archive – A zine supporting the Do-It-Yourself ethics of the punk community.
Stolen Sharpie Revolution – D.I.Y. Resource for Zines and Zine Culture
The Women’s Library – currently located at the London School of Economics & Political Science
ZineLibraries.info – ZineLibraries.info was created in 2007 to share resources regarding collections, programming, preservation, and the promotion of zine collections beyond the email list. We would like ZineLibraries.info to exist as a place where zine librarians of all stripes can share information, documentation, advice and news pertinent to zine libraries worldwide.
ZineWiki – ZineWiki aspires to become the most complete online zine database, useful for zine libraries, archivists, readers, and writers looking to catalog their work.
