Top : Articles & Essays

  • A Brief History of My Life in Zines
    Sarah Dyer of Action Girl recounts how she became a zine creator and collector and why she donated her collection to Duke University.
    (    Added: 11-Apr-2015)
  • A Day in the Life of Qvimby's Book Store
    Sherri Gionet, former co-owner of Quimby's zine and book store in Chicago, describes life behind the counter. Originally appeared in Quimby's Magalog.
    (    Added: 1-Jan-2002)
  • Cheap Memes: Zines, Metazines and the Virtual Press
    Mark Frauenfelder, writing in Media Diet, examines zines as "meme carriers." A memes is an information pattern capable of replicating.
    (    Added: 1-Jan-2002)
  • Engaging Resistant Writers Through Zines in the Classroom
    A lecture delivered by Judith Williamson at the College Composition and Communication Conference annual convention, Nashville, March 1994.
    (    Added: 1-Jan-2002)
  • Fanzines: Their Production, Culture and Future
    A dissertation by Phil Stoneman of the University of Stirling, written in 2001 to earn a Master of Philosophy in Publishing Studies. You may also view the work as a downloadable PDF file (300K)
    (Added: 10-Feb-2012)
  • From Zines to Ezines: Electronic Publishing and the Literary Underground
    A dissertation by Fred Wright of Kent State University, written in 2001 to earn a doctorate in philosophy. PDF (623K)
    (Added: 10-Feb-2012)
  • Irreverence You Can Almost Touch
    Steven Heller reviews Fanzines: The DIY Revolution and two other books about sci-fi and horror books, magazines and comics (New York Times).
    (Added: 10-Feb-2012)
  • The Psychological Motivations of the Zine Publisher
    Fred Wright, writing in the Journal for the Psychoanalysis of Culture & Society, explains that zine publishers create "because of the psychological need to produce and consolidate a sense of identity for themselves, an impulse that operates simultaneously in the Lacanian registers of the Symbolic, Imaginary and Real."
    (    Added: 1-Jan-2002)
  • Teacher's Guide (PDF format)
    This free, four-page teacher's guide can be duplicated and given to students. It includes information on creating your own paper zine, a list of recommended books and a classroom exercise called The 30-Minute Zine.
    (    Added: 1-Jan-2002)
  • What They're Saying About Us
    A bibliography of mainstream newspaper and magazine articles about fanzines, from 1987 to 1996.
    (    Added: 1-Jan-2002)
  • Why Publish?Look!
    In 1989, Mike Gunderloy, the founder of Factsheet Five, compiled a 54-page paperback called Why Publish? It contained dozens of responses to that question solicited from zine editors. Mike has graciously allowed zinebook.com to post Why Publish? as a PDF file as a free ebook available for download.

  • Why Zines Won't Die
    Rita Flórez examines why zines continue to thrive in various formats. From Good Magazine.
    (    Added: 25-Oct-2007)
  • A Zineography
    A mediagraphy of articles about zines, as well as books, tapes and related materials, compiled by Chris Dodge of Street Librarian. Last updated November 1998.
    (    Added: 1-Jan-2002)
  • Zine Rebel or Zine Elvis?
    Jeff Somers of the Inner Swine makes his case for three types of zine editors: Shock Jocks, Movementeers and plain old Writers.
    (    Added: 1-Jan-2002)
  • Zines as a Medium for Feminist Dialogue
    In this article from Feminist Collections, Angela Richardson examines six zines created by women.
    (    Added: 1-Jan-2002)
  • Zine Saver
    An essay about the spirit of zines by Scott Berg that appeared in the Washington Post in August 2004. Free registration may be required.
    (    Added: 1-Jan-2002)
  • Zines: Not Totally Dead
    Gawker recognizes some outstanding zines that are still published!
    (    Added: 15-Mar-2008)
  • Zine Week: Horror and Film-Related Zines
    Matt Bradshaw of Omega Channel recounts his years reviewing horror and film-related zines for Factsheet 5. "Eventually I contacted Seth Friedman at Factsheet 5 and asked if I could review film-related zines for him. The magazine had a section specifically devoted to B movies, and I felt it calling to me. 'Hell, yeah,' he said. Soon I was receiving stacks of zines large enough to clog a suburban sewer."
    (Added: 29-May-2006)
  • Zoning in on Zines
    Jim Romenesko of Poynter.org asks the question, Are zines journalism? "Yes and no. Some fanzines are sloppy rants produced by psychopaths. Others are carefully produced works of excellent writing and reporters." Posted 7 June 2000.
    (Added: 1-Jan-2002)

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