If you suddenly find yourself with lots of free time on your hands at the moment because of lockdown, it might be a good idea to think about self-publishing something or other – and coming up with a zine of your own might be just the tonic you need to take your mind off the current situation.
Quite simply, a zine is just an independently published document that is often put together by cutting and gluing text and pictures into a document to be photocopied or by producing a master document on a computer, typing and formatting the pages yourself.
Zines are actually steeped in history and have been around since 1776, incredibly, which is when Thomas Paine (an American political activist, philosopher and revolutionary) self-published Common Sense, which was used to help promote the ideas that led to the US War for Independence!
So you’ll be in excellent company indeed if you decide to launch your own ‘quaranzine’ right now – and who knows? You may even end up changing the world, as well!
Zines are typically non-conformist so there’s no better time than right now to start one and there are no rules regarding their development and content… it can be exactly how you see it in your mind’s eye.
While they are intended to serve a smaller audience and cater to niche markets, you can easily extend your reach these days thanks to the internet, so you can have a physical publication but also set up a corresponding ezine to attract a digital demographic at the same time.
Check out this article on the Hyperallergic website, looking into the thriving zine culture that’s being seen in Hong Kong at the moment, driven in large part by the pandemic.
Co-founder of the Zine Coop collective Beatrix Pang explains that she has seen a rise in zine creations during lockdown, saying: “A zine can narrate ephemeral and mundane daily life experiences and also deliver important messages and advocate for individual or collective freedom.”
Some of these zines are quarantine-specific, so it seems, with many focusing on the lack of information provided by institutions and the recognition of basic rights for essential workers and marginalised communities.
Others tackle subjects like maintaining proper hygiene and social distancing at the moment, as well as how to sew your own fabric face masks… which may become more important as time goes on and lockdown is relaxed, but social distancing still remains.
Already-established zines are also issuing calls to those interested in submitting work, so if you’re not sure where to start, this might be a good place to begin so you can learn more and feel like you’re contributing to something special.
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