Collections within collections
Zine-making is often more social in nature than the traditional book writing process. Zines can be collaborative projects with many contributors adding to the pages of a single issue, and it's not unusual for them to be part of an exchange where copies of a zine are sent out in return for others. Because of this many of the zines available at Ricker are listed as collections within the collection rather than as individual booklets, so be on the look-out for that!
Where else to look?
Besides Ricker Library, there are some other libraries at the University with substantial numbers of zines within their collections. This includes, but is not limited to:
The International and Area Studies Library
The Social Sciences, Health, and Education Library
The Rare Book and Manuscript Library
RBML has a custom advanced search tool
The University Archives also has one. Generally, unless the materials are in Oak Street Library for off-site storage, they won't come up in a regular search through the main library catalog
What else to look out for?
Sometimes, what will come up in a search for zines are items that may not match what your definition of zines is, but may still be related and helpful to your questions anyways. These are some of the common overlapping terms and subjects:
underground [insert here variations on press, comic books, media, strips, etc]
Karbala fired resistance stories by
This zine is to uplift the perspectives of often untold Muslims - the radicals, queers, fabulous and fierce folks - through adding narratives of navigating the spectrum of practice, belief, ideology, sect, gender and islamophobia. This zine is about resistance and resilience, and telling us the stories for ourselves with all their edges, contradictions, beauties and gems. Volume 2 is inspired by the yearly traditions of muharram and the stories of karbala which exemplify social justice, resistance to oppression, courage to change and strong solidarity. It touches on topics including anti-imperialist politics, loneliness, reclaiming identity, and the impact of war, xenophobia, and racism. Filled with artwork, poetry, and writings from as far away as Mexico City, the zine is split into two sections. "Raised Fists" focuses on the impacts of war, especially from the point of view of Muslims separated from their homelands. "Open Hearts" shows how visible queer and trans Muslims are making pathways within their families, communities, and histories.
Image from Oakland North: https://oaklandnorth.net/tag/totally-radical-muslim-zine/
Evil Child by
Cover title.
Edition and publication information taken from Booklyn website.
"Evil Child is a 20-page zine following the story of a corrupted .zip file that has turned into a fairy ring. By weaving folktales of changelings with the author's childhood internet experiences, Evil Child navigates a certain queer anxiety."-- Booklyn website (viewed April 30, 2021)
Image from Printed Matter: https://www.printedmatter.org/catalog/51383/
Juntos by
"Juntos explores the intersections of Black and Mexican identity in life and in struggle. Featuring interviews with T's family, original poetry, and foundational texts in Black and Mexican liberation, this zine provides a narrative of Blaxican unity and conflict that leads up to the culmination of Tanya's investigation into Black/Mexican relations."--Creator's website.
Image from Creator's website:
https://tcalvin.com/zines-and-chapbooks
This goth bitch. Issue No. 4 by
Collages, illustrations, and comics by MV Garcia, Cemetery Centerfold and naming rituals by Sexilia Labia, and interview with horror hostess and spooktacular drag queen Mistress Azrael, an overview of Atsushi Sakurai of Japanese goth band BUCK-TICK and more. Etsy.
Image by Quimbys: https://www.quimbys.com/store/8646
A very basic guide to low-tech risograph printing. by
Cover title.
"Originally created for Risograph Workshops at the Compound Gallery in Oakland, CA. Amy Burek"--Back cover.
image from Awkward Ladies Club: http://www.awkwardladiesclub.com/shop/a-very-basic-guide-to-low-tech-risograph-printing
An Attempt at a "Compositionist Manifesto" by
Written as an essay, 'An Attempt at a «Compositionist Manifesto»' points out the need for the manifesto as a genre, and its total coincidence with contemporaneity despite the opposite thinking being dominant. Using the Communist Manifesto as a model based on the common speech, Latour constructs a Manifesto using the different meanings of the word «compose» in order to think about a new world: one that is composed and decomposed into heterogeneous elements. For the author the manifesto is the composite of the world that we need to imagine.
Risograph printed, paper cover.
Constantly by
A poetic meditation rendered in beautiful pastels and black line on managing and struggling to get through the small tasks of every day. The claustrophobia of thought and the crippling of anxiety make any house haunted, any body possessed.
PPP: The Zines of Paper Rad by
Image from:
Delema Books. “PPP: The Zines of Paper Rad,” 2015. https://delemabooks.com/Shop.
Cory Arcangel: the Source Digest by
A compilation of Issues 1-10 of The Source, an archival zine series published by Arcangel Surfware between 2013 & 2016
Tuli Kupferberg: Yeah by
This volume collects all ten issues of the classic 1960s zine Yeah, edited by Fugs pioneer and poet Tuli Kupferberg and his wife Sylvia Topp, as facsimile editions. Originally published by Kupferberg and Topp's Birth Press between 1961 and1965, the magazine was, according to Kupferberg, "a satyric excursion; a sardonic review; a sarcastic epitome; a chronical of the last days," and throughout its pages he acts as both editor and artist, threading the needle of leftist politics with the sharp wit for which he became known as one of the founders of the counterculture rock heroes The Fugs. The magazine began under the shadow of the Cold War, with Kupferberg and fellow poets contributing poetry, drawings and collages that protested the social problems of the time: nuclear war, white supremacy, the Cold War and the Vietnam War, among others. Around issue seven, the magazine shifted toward an aesthetic that most closely resembles the cut-and-paste zine style of the '70s and '80s. In these issues, Kupferberg collages articles, images and advertisements in book-length meditations that bite and snap at the American dream with the artist's trademark sarcasm. The magazine ended with the infamous "Kill for Peace" issue, which lampooned American patriotism on the eve of America's escalated involvement in Vietnam.
Books & Zines by
Chiefly illustrations mostly without text; stapled; RISO black + white.
No Age and Brian Roettinger by
"For over a decade designer Brian Roettinger has been collaborating with Los Angeles duo No Age (Dean Spunt and Randy Randall) on albums and side projects resulting in an expansive audio/visual body of work. Having all grown up on underground music, they forged a friendship at DIY Venue The Smell, collaborating in a creative manner that seemed inevitable to both Roettinger and the band. What started in 2007 with a series of five No Age EP's, has grown and evolved into a visual power trio of sorts, with each project responding to or reacting against the last. From a CD case that is really more like a zine, to hand assembling an entire run of LP's, Roettinger and No Age have always looked for ways to defy conventions of album packaging while retaining a sense of urgency that has become central to each of their practices. No Age & Brian Roettinger: Graphic Archive 2007-18 is the most recent addition to this on-going collaboration, an artist book-meets-lexicon of the long running creative collaboration." -- printedmatter.org.
Standing Under the Estate of Art, Understanding the State of Art by
Cover title. On cover, "Standing under the estate of art" is crossed out in red pen.
Cycling by
Cycling is the second book in the Women's Health Chapbook Series, following Tip of the Iceberg: A Book About the Clitoris. The Women's Health Chapbook Series is a non-fiction family of books that make information about your body accessible and fun.
The Book of Boy Trouble by
A collection of the best of the first 10 years of the popular alternative zine Boy Trouble - the world's first forum for alternative gay comic artists. Boy Trouble is a zine with a unique character - gay comics with attitude, ranging from sex, love and longing to alienation, porn shops, drugs and punk rock. With the first edition of Boy Trouble now regarded by many as a defining moment in the public recognition of alternative gay male comic book artists, this is an equally important milestone - a first collection of one of the most important and influential gay boy zines around.
Zines+ and the World of ABC No Rio by
"By straddling the line between functional brochure and works of art realized in book form, the zine has retained its popularity even as the internet has largely become the preferred method of self-publishing. Zines+ and The World of ABC No Rio, organized by Jason Lujan, is an exhibition that goes beyond the mere form of the zine, which is usually a cheaply-made and priced publication, often in black and white, mass-produced via a photocopier, and bound with staples. The exhibit presents and explains a range of these self-same printed materials, mixing both artists' original creations with items from the ABC No Rio zine library archives, covering subject matter from arts-community history to political commentary. The zines will be shown in the context of art in book form. The overall aesthetic reflects a Do-It-Yourself approach, firmly rooted in a downtown New York scene that celebrates volunteerism, art, and activism. The zine form lends itself as a tool for community activism and empowerment. And, through this exhibition that community's voice, the Lower East Side downtown scene, is clearly articulated"--Center for Book Arts website, viewed September 8, 2014.
Writing a Riot by
Riot grrrls, punk feminists best known for their girl power activism and message, used punk ideologies and the literacy practice of zine-ing to create radical feminist sites of resistance. In what ways did zines document feminism and activism of the 1990s? How did riot grrrls use punk ideologies to participate in DIY sites? In Writing a Riot: Riot Grrl Zines and Feminist Rhetorics, Buchanan argues that zines are a form of literacy participation used to document personal, social, and political values within punk. She examines zine studies as an academic field, how riot grrrls used zines to promote punk feminism, and the ways riot grrrl zines dealt with social justice issues of rape and race. Writing a Riot is the first full-length book that examines riot grrrl zines and their role in documenting feminist history.
Punk, Fanzines and DIY Cultures in a Global World by
Since the 1970 and 1980s, fanzines have constituted a zone of freedom of thought, of do-it-yourself creativity and of alternatives to conventional media. Along with bands, records and concerts, they became a vital part of the construction of punk 'scenes', actively contributing to the creation and consolidation of communities. This book moves beyond the usual focus on Anglophone punk scenes to consider fanzines in international contexts. The introduction offers a theoretical, chronological and thematic survey for understanding fanzines, considering their contemporary polyhedral vitality. It then moves to consider the distinct social, historical and geographic contexts in which fanzines were created. Covering the UK, Portugal, Greece, Canada, Germany, Argentina, France and Brazil, as well as a wide range of standpoints, this book contributes to a more global understanding of the fanzine phenomenon.
The Newsstand by
This book documents and encapsulates the story of The Newsstand, a pop-up retail space conceptualized and produced by Alldayeveryday and curated by Lele Saveri. The most comprehensive anthology of contemporary zine culture of New York and beyond, including more than a thousand contemporary artist publications and independently produced zines, books, and artworks. The Newsstand was a pop-up conceptual retail store that transformed an ordinary subway hub into a mecca for independently published magazines, books, comics, and zines. Located within Brooklyn's Metropolitan Avenue L/G stop in 2013, the temporary space hosted events and art exhibitions in which the artists, acting as guest clerks, were given carte blanche to transform the space. In November 2015, The Newsstand will be re-created and built to scale at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, including the zines and books sold in its original location. The Newsstand catalogue features images of the zines, books, and ephemera sold; documentation of the events and exhibitions; images of the guest clerks and artists; essays by leading cultural figures; and interviews with the publishers, artists, commuters, MTA workers, and police officers influenced by The Newsstand. Designed in the style of a zine, this book documents not only a prolific time within independent publishing, but also the thriving community that supports it.
The following databases are great places to search for journals, articles, essays, and reviews:
These are some specific examples of materials you can find through them:
