A zine is a self-published, non-commercial, often homemade publication. They are generally the product of a single person (sometimes a partnership or small group compilation), and usually created with paper supplies, scissors, glue, a photo copier, and staples. Usually a zine is defined by editions of 1,000 or fewer copies, though many authors print less than 500.
The term ‘zine’ comes from the word magazine. Pronounce it like the end of that word - “zeen.” (Like “lean” not “line.“)
Zines are part of DIY (do-it-yourself) culture and many people have very specific ideas of what a zine can/cannot be. The concept of zines can be traced to the late 19th/early 20th century, and zines are historically any type of creative expression: art, poetry, activism, fiction, self-reflection, and so on.
A Timeline of Zines ✦
Black creatives publish literary magazines allowing free expression outside mainstream channels. Get To Know The Little Magazines of The Harlem Renaissance
The term fanzine is coined by Russ Chauvenet in 1940. Expands into comics, horror, and board games. What are the SF fanzines of the 1930s?, Zine Scene
Wider access to copy machines fuels music and activist zines alongside the punk subculture. Fanzines: the purest explosion of British punk
Zinesters start reviewing and cataloguing each other's work, forming the first zine networks. The 10 Greatest Punk Zines of the Eighties
Feminist punk zines flourish. Mid-decade brings e-zines as websites allowed global distribution without any postage costs. Visual Impact of Feminist Protest: Grrrl Zines, Alt.zines and Memories of a Media Transition
Zines stay on paper and move online as webzines. Distros offer a mix of digital and physical items. Libraries have zine rooms and archiving events. Packed zine fests and small press events prove zines still spark curiosity. Core’s guide to zines in library collections , What is a zine fest?
My experience
I’ve been into zines since the late 90s. I remember being 13 or 14 sitting on the floor in my bedroom sorting through the ones I got new in the last few months. There was a red covered poetry zine with illustrations and photos. I think the whole zine was red, but I don’t remember. I just remember thinking how cool it was that I was reading the words of someone I’d never meet, who was describing my life in words I’d never have been able to articulate myself.
Blue and red papers with words and images printed on them describing music, containing record store stories, reciting lyrical poetry, and opening my awareness to new styles, contexts, and lives. Learning about 70s and 80s punk from people who lived it; learning about mental illnesses I didn’t have (and about ones I didn’t know I had); learning the terminology from other people’s contexts.
I’ve been making zines since 2011, behind the game but never lacking in ideas. Zines have been an integral medium in my life documentation since my late 20s.
Zines I've Made
- Perzines
- Letters to My Therapist: Series exploring mental health topics and my diagnoses
- When I Walk, I Walk With You: Family history and recipes
- Snow zines: A handful of zines about walking in the snow or how much I like snow
- Especially Captivating: Zine about aviation enthusiasm
- Seasonal Debris: A zine documenting each season - what I did, what I made, and observations of nature and life
- Creativity, life, and art zines
- Good Company: Mailing activity zine in celebration of snail mail
- Self-Care for Creatives: How to better appreciate your creative side
- Hunting and Gathering: Monster Hunter fanzine featuring papercut artwork
- Zines to Color: Coloring book type of zines of various topics (postage, Monster Hunter, horror movies)
- Zine Therapy: Some help for self-directed alternative (or companion) to therapy using zines (peer to peer resource)
- Fiction
- The Only Truth I Know: fractured fairy tale for Princess and the Pea
- The Three Divine Ladies and the Dark Stranger: fractured fairy tale for Three Billy Goats Gruff
- Kyoto Pond: Series of short stories set in a Japanese garden in the middle of a big city
- That Much Has Changed: Sketchbook project combined with Nanowrimo novel and made into a zine
- Abellion: A New History: History of a fictional fairy village
- SK Anonymous: Serial fiction about a serial killer
Links
Zines (pronounced like “magazines” without the “maga”) are:
- Made for the love of creating and not for profit!
- Independently published
- Can be physical (consisting of one sheet of paper to many, fastened together, generally with staples) or digital objects.
- May be created by one person or a group of people (called “comp zines” or “compilation zines”).
- The contents can be about anything and everything you can imagine: personal stories (“perzines”), music-related writing, lists of things, political ideologies, photography, mental health and self-care tips, fiction, artwork, comics, and so on.
- Are made by a diverse community of people around the world who are called “zinesters”.
What is a Zine? Exploring the World of DIY Print Culture
Unlike magazines, zines do not adhere to a strict publication schedule. They can be one-time projects or ongoing series, published whenever the creator feels inspired or has new content to share. This flexibility allows zine creators to experiment with different formats and themes without pressure to meet commercial expectations.
Everything You Wanted to Know About A Zine Fest (but were afraid to ask)
Zine fests exist to create a space where people can come together and share this awesome form of print media that can otherwise be hard to find. Even in the age of computers and postal mail service, zine fests bring forth a personal way to obtain zines. Not only can you buy, trade, or learn about zines, but you can connect with the actual zine creator or distro owner.
I read zines to escape surveillance and clickbait. It’s the new teen rebellion
Zines are accessible, often friendly to the reader and easy and cheap to make. If you have a printer and a spare few hours and some ideas, you can become a zine publisher just like anyone else. The process of zine-making becomes meaningful when you realise how differently people engage with them – readers become more connected to the tactile experience of a booklet, often making for more mindful and considered consumption.
Modification History
2026
- 3/14: Reviewed and updated for currency. Updated with highlighted styles to match the rest of the site styling.