the beautiful worst

How did you start Neither/nor Zine Distro?
 

Zines are often (but not always!) created at an intersection of art, music, and politics. What role do you see zines playing in building communities?
 

Zines are so versatile and accessible that literally anyone can make them. Zines are often made by individuals who, in my experience, often tend to be introverted (myself included!) which is why zine fests are so effective in bringing folks together. Annual zine fests are a hub for collaboration, sharing resources, inspiration, and unifying this often scattered group of artists.
 

Zines are also a group tool/medium for pre-existing groups to spread their message. The entire process (making, reproducing, assembling, promoting, and distributing) is in the hands of the zinester. That in and of itself is extremely empowering and acts as a tangible example of how bringing your art/message/voice to life can empower others, in turn, starting the cycle over again.

Another way zines function to foster community building is their ability to act as time capsules. Since zines are made by people without any kind of gatekeeping from publishers, editors, advertising, etc. they reflect authentic lived experiences. In this way zines are a record of peoples’ history. Archiving them and providing access to them by way of zine libraries is essential to preserving these uncapitalized voices and experiences that otherwise would be left out of the history books. Zines are used by marginalized folks in this way to provide an outlet for sharing their stories and art when opportunity to do so is limited or nonexistent and widely undervalued.

Are there any zines you recommend?

OH wow! So many! All of Ben Passmore’s comics, zines made by the Radical Visibility Collective, Muchacha fanzine, zines by Johnny Gale, Anna Jo Beck, K.E.B. Gomez, Adam Gnade, Jonas Cannon, Billy McCall, Shotgun Seamstress, Stolen Sharpie Revolution, Eberhardt Press, GenderFail, and the quarterly Slingshot newspaper.

 

Any tips for aspiring zinesters?

Get a copy of Stolen Sharpie Revolution!! It has everything you need to know! Buy from distros or look on etsy if you’ve never seen a zine in real life and want some inspiration. There are some online archives that have zines that you can look at for inspiration (QZAP [Queer Zeen Archive Project] and Sprout Distro are great).

Everyone’s process is different, but if you are feeling stuck or blocked (like I often do) challenge yourself to make a 24 hour zine or 1 page minizine [tutorial below!]. It can be small and it’s ok if you never make copies or show it to anyone. It’s a nice way of feeling the satisfaction of making a zine without the pressure of it needing to be “perfect” and you will get your creative juices flowing! Blackout poetry, collage, write about a dream you had or your favorite movie/singer/song/etc, doodle, do whatever you want as long as you just do it!

How To Make Your Own Mini Zine

Call for Submissions