{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"","standfirst":"Zines are short booklets that are self-published or produced by a small, independent publisher. They\u2019re creative, empowering, and sometimes controversial \u2013\u00A0and a fantastic way to express ideas in a fun and informal way.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/7417/tw.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EThey\u2019re a great choice for children and young people \u2013 the topic\u2019s up to you, and zines don\u2019t demand fancy equipment or the sticking power to write a full-length novel.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETechnically, zines have existed since people began to write, print and share information. The name sprang up in America in the 1930s, when sci-fi fans began to create fan magazines \u2013 \u2018fanzines\u2019 \u2013 featuring their own stories. \u2018Fanzine\u2019 became \u2018zine\u2019.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe zine explosion came later, fuelled by the do-it-yourself ethos of the 1970s British punk movement and access to photocopying. In 1991, \u003Cspan\u003Eunderground feminist punk movement \u003C/span\u003E\u2018riot grrrl\u2019 emerged out of the United States, and thousands of young women began to produce personal and political zines. During the 1990s, e-zines became popular, and the ease of selling online meant the global zine scene had arrived.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWho\u2019s making zines? \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe self-published nature of zines is great for allowing marginalised voices to express themselves: today, the majority of creators are female, topics are often political, and representation is wide.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ENico Novatore, a student, artist and the creator of Bodies zine, says: \u2018I wanted to make space for people to tell their own stories about their bodies. I started with an idea that was very loose, and I just met up with people and took photos of them. I used an instant camera, which matched the grungy, DIY style I was going for, and I sought out contributors who were trans, non-binary or women who\u2019d been socialised into thinking their own worth was reflected in how attractive their bodies were.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018I wanted to show that there\u2019s more in common across how people feel about their bodies than there are differences. It\u2019s important to give people the chance to tell their own stories \u2013 especially those who aren\u2019t white, thin or able-bodied. Every body is beautiful.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EZines provide a vehicle for personal ideas, beliefs and interests, and often explore a niche area where multiple themes overlap. Weird Walk zine explores hiking in the British landscape, folklore, natural history and paganism, among other topics. Alex Hornsby, co-creator with Owen Tromans and James Nicholls, explains, \u2018About four years ago, Owen said we should walk the Ridgeway, a 100km ancient trackway described as Britain\u2019s oldest road. I\u0027d never done any hiking or anything like that before. It was the best thing I\u0027d ever done. It completely cleared my head and gave me all this space to think. So we did another one, and another. And I thought, I guess we do hiking now.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018That fed into other stuff I was interested in, like history, natural history and folklore. So we decided to make a zine. I\u2019m a graphic designer for a record label, so I\u0027m always doing projects on behalf of other people. I thought, \u2018What would I do if I made something that didn\u0027t have to please anyone else?\u0027\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESoofiya is an artist, designer, and lecturer at Ravensbourne University. While they specialise in race and gender, they\u2019ve created zines on a wide variety of different topics. Rather than choosing a subject they\u2019re interested in, they choose something \u2018I don\u2019t really understand, or am thinking about. Sometimes it\u2019ll begin with writing, illustration or collage \u2013 whatever feels right. Some of my zines are really basic and illustration-led, while others are really heavy, text-based ones. Zines are a way to figure things out.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo many creators and readers, zines present an alternative to commercial, mainstream media. Soofiya believes their accessibility is of utmost importance. They also point to the negative side of their recent increased popularity. \u2018We\u2019re seeing a resurgence of zines, and while that\u2019s brilliant, it\u2019s also symptomatic of eight years under austerity. We\u2019re having to figure out new ways of making our voices heard.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe beauty of zines is that they\u2019re totally individual. It can be whatever you want it to be. When you go to an independent bookshop or comic book store, you\u2019ll find them in a huge array of shapes and sizes, on topics from the mundane to the bizarre. You can also find a massive range of zines on websites where people sell handmade crafts, like Etsy, Folksy and eBay.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWorking solo or coming together \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C/strong\u003EIf you (or your young people) are inspired, one of the first things to decide is whether you want to make your zine by yourself or with other people. If you\u2019ve got internet access, it\u2019s easy to work together even if others are far away.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESoofiya has experience of getting others involved. \u2018The first zine I ever made was collaborative,\u2019 they explain. \u2018I put a call-out on Twitter and spoke to lots of people I knew and people I didn\u2019t, it was a really nice process. I didn\u2019t really know how zines were done, so it made sense.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u2018If I want to work on something big and bulky, I might not know everything on the topic, so then it also makes sense to gather content from other people. Or if there\u2019s something I want to discuss or really figure out, then collaborative zines are good. For something more internal, where there\u2019s more therapeutic value, I might just do it myself.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAlex says you don\u2019t have to start with a big group. \u2018Loads of people have got in touch about Weird Walk to ask if they can write something or take some photos for it.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESince the start of the year, we\u2019ve all adapted and used technology to communicate and keep in touch. Working on a zine could be a great way to spend time with friends: find an interest you share, decide on your format, then get stuck in.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESkills for life\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBecause zines typically include writing, illustration and often photography, poetry or other content, they\u2019re a great way to pick up or try new skills. If you\u2019re in Scouts, there are badge links galore. Soofiya says, \u2018Because of their cross-discipline nature, you end up learning lots of new things. You might learn how to some software, or learn more about a topic \u2013 they\u2019re a tool of learning. Start small. Start for yourself.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAlex believes most people can make a zine no matter their skillset. \u2018It\u2019s so accessible. You can make 50 zines for not very much money or time. First, you figure out how many pages you want it to be, then what you want to say, what cool fonts you like. Just have fun. For Weird Walk, I laid it all out with Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator \u2013 basic design software \u2013 but you could do it with a stapler and a photocopier. That\u0027s arguably more fun!\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Alex, it\u2019s also about starting as soon as possible. \u2018If you feel motivated to do a zine, just go for it. It\u0027s so easy that even if you don\u0027t 100% love what you come up with, you can just do another one. If you\u0027ve got an idea and you think you could make a 12-page zine about it, just do it. Someone will like it.\u0027\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWant to get stuck in? A one cut zine is a great place to start \u2013 \u003Ca href=\u0022https://prod-cms.scouts.org.uk//media/4514/sct_033_lo_res.pdf\u0022\u003Eand we\u2019ve put together a handy how-to guide\u003C/a\u003E (see page 60). Show us what you get up to by emailing us at \u003C/strong\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Ecommunications@scouts.org.uk.\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"18 July 2020","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[],"id":48536,"nodeName":"How (and why) to make your own zine","title":"How (and why) to make your own zine","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/7417/tw.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd107cd590","caption":"TW","type":"jpg","size":1212599,"width":1920,"height":1080,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"How (and why) to make your own zine","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80ODUzNiJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2020/july/how-and-why-to-make-your-own-zine/"}