The following article was written by Kristin Keck, a Teen Associate at the Manitowoc Public Library.
Zine n.– informal: a small magazine that is written by people who are not professional writers and that usually has stories about a particular subject. Shortened form of magazine or fanzine.
-Merriam-Webster.com
I am about to horrify some of my readers, and a lot of the teens if this gets around, but I, Kristin Keck, Teen Services Associate at Manitowoc Public Library, remember a time before the Internet. It was a dark time, a time when communication crept along through telephone wires and envelopes and electric typewriters. Those were cool. Some even had correction tape built right in. But I digress.
Even during this benighted time, there was still hope. Shining in the darkness, giving light to the scattered people who wanted to talk about science fiction or horror films or—Heaven help us—punk music, there were the zines.
Fandom has been around a lot longer than people think and so have the zines. Societies of Janeites were exchanging letters about the works of Jane Austen in the 1870s. The first parodies and pastiches (fanfiction with slightly classier Victorian names) of Sherlock Holmes appeared within ten years of “A Study in Scarlet.”
Zines sailed into the 20th Century on the wings of speculative fiction writers, particularly women who wrote science fiction. People who didn’t see themselves in the mainstream publishing world took to the non-commercial, DIY landscape of zines with gusto, representing themselves in stories, art, and essays. Universes expanded, ideas were shared.
I loved the zines—poor quality binding, weird inky smells, and all. They could usually be had for less than ten dollars—which included shipping—or you could get a contributor’s copy for a poem or story. Zines didn’t turn a profit, but that wasn’t the point. In my small Midwest town, it was connection to a wider world of people who knew where their towel was and always had a jellybaby to offer. It was a chance to stand out, to be weird, and to be part of a group all at once.
Kristin Keck
I want to bring some of that energy to the library this summer with a program for Teens—Zine Scene Summer. It starts on Wednesday, June 24, at 1 PM in the Franklin Street Room. We’ll meet once a week and talk about some aspect of writing—how word choice sets a scene, how to build tension, what makes a good character—and create stories and essays and poems, fanfiction, flash fiction, all kinds of writing. By August, we should have enough content to put together our own zine, filled with real voices. The program is open to Fifth Graders up to going-to-be seniors, with no registration required. All supplies will be provided. If you have a favorite pen, bring that.
Maybe you’re somebody with some stories tucked away in a drawer. Maybe you’re somebody who’s never even tried to put a word on paper before. Doesn’t matter which—you are welcome at this creative table. Let’s get our words out there!
