WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT ZINES? A LOT!
· You don’t have to get an okay from a publisher to express what you want or need to. You don't have to wait for the "big infernal machine to make up its mind about you" (to paraphrase Spalding Gray).*
· There are a million ways to make them, to have them look.
· They’re affordable to make and buy. ($5 is expensive for a zine.)
· They’re small and light, perfect for public transportation users, or for when you’re standing in a long line...
· You can make your own choices about copyright e.g. using Creative Commons licenses, an anti-copyright, or leaving out info to allow for default copyright to apply.
· Making them can involve fun crafting - cut and paste, collage, drawing... - adults don’t get to play enough.
· Zines are fun for the reader’s eye because of fun crafting!
· Since anyone can say what they want when they make a zine, a lot more voices get added to the conversation about what’s going on in society, or about health care, or whatever subject.
· People who don’t hold mainstream beliefs, people who live alternative lifestyles, who are marginalized, who have critiques of our culture and economic and political systems get to talk about that. Publishers may print some non-traditional viewpoints but tend to print what’s popular.
· It’s usually pretty easy to connect with zine authors to learn more, continue the conversation about the zine topic/s, whereas we’re usually very separated from book authors. Zines build relationships. Authors usually include email and/or snail mail address to encourage communication.
· Zines are such a great way to document something that happened, to celebrate what an organization or group does, so they’re great in outreach.
· Allows local residents to participate in building a body of knowledge, and in our case, to participate in the library’s collections, actively, as a contributor.
*Thanks for this, Ms. Ayun Halliday!