Zines: The Unsung Heroes of Human Connectivity

As COVID-19 continues to force social distancing, human connection is scarcer and more precious than ever. However, the zine community has stepped up to foster communities of young creatives through digital and print platforms. 

These self-published, self-distributed, print-based publications often cater to a small, niche audience with a very specific point of view. According to the University of Texas libraries, “fanzines” can be traced all the way back to the 1930s as a part of the science fiction fandom, but also have roots in the punk underground movement of the 60s and 70s.The small, handmade publications quickly evolved into a way for friends to keep in touch and share ideas. Before they could find people with similar interests on the internet, many young creatives sought out these connections through zines. 

Patrick Williams, the Syracuse University librarian for literature, rhetoric and digital humanities, said that zines were a “necessity” when it came to forming connections with people. 

“There was like a kind of underground scene in the country where people would distribute record reviews and zines and all sorts of different types of material through the mail,” Williams said. “And I always had friends in different states. So, I always loved getting mail and zines were a great thing to put in to mail to somebody… it kind of in a lot of ways reflected the types of networks we see people forming online today.”

Print zine’s long history of connecting people from all different kinds of backgrounds and identities manifests from a longing for a shared culture of art and community.

Jerk Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Sam Berlin made the executive decision to make Jerk’s final issue of the semester a zine issue just for this reason. Berlin said that she hoped the zine issue of Jerk will bring together a “very niche community” willing to “exchange art, exchange information and exchange ideas.” 

This exchange of ideas and information can range from anywhere to anything, no matter how random and in Jerk’scase, it’s pretty random. Jerk Magazine’szine issue becomes available this month and will include lists of embarrassing stories, photos, paintings and even a fashion spread inspired by a collage of the best looks from the staff’s grandmothers. A fashion spread based on grandmothers… you really can’t get more niche than that. 

Zine publications have even expanded beyond digital and print content by fostering online communities as well. With the internet and all the time in the world thanks to quarantine, there are more platforms than ever before that facilitate human connections. Some of the ways that zines have done this is through hosting virtual Zoom proms, creating collage kits, sharing Spotify playlists and hosting creatives on Instagram live sessions. 

16-year-old Abby Waisler has used some of these new tactics with her zine, All My Friends. Waisler aims to inspire a sense of youthfulness and joy in her audience through AMF’scolorful content and child-like energy.

“I like just like not having to take anything seriously, you know, it’s all just for fun,” Waisler said as she described the driving force behind her publication. 

Williams believes that the youthful facet of zines is pivotal to the community and encourages people to revert back to “kindergarten rules” as a way to relieve stress. 

“Yeah, sometimes it feels like we're reverting a little bit back into playtime,” Williams said.  “But then you start wondering, like, why don't we have playtime, an important feature of these stressful situations that we get ourselves into?”

For Williams and Waisler, zines are all about fun, and the zine community seems to agree. AMF has gained over 7,000 followers on Instagram (about 5,500 in just the past two months), released two print issues and has transformed a social media following into a digital community. In a recent Instagram live session, Waisler credited this exponential increase inAMF’scommunity to “branching out to different forms of social media” and finding ways to transcend the barrier of a screen. 

Before the days of social distancing, zines often held public events in order to rally their niche audiences. The Luna Collective, another print and digital zine, partnered with local LA entertainment group, Sleezehog Presents, to create a live music venue with other local zines, including AMF, as vendors. According to Williams, zines often partner up with libraries to host events, especially around exam time for students. The zine community even extends nationally and many cities, such as Chicago, Vancouver and Orlando to name a few, host “zine festivals” every year that are open to creatives across the country. 

Waisler even attributes much ofAMF’ssuccess to the fellow creatives helping her along the way. “I think there’s such an amazing community out there to either join or take advice from,” Waisler said. 

Similarly to Waisler, Sophie Gragg also foundedLuna on the basis of artistic connectivity. However, while Waisler’s publication caters to a niche audience that radiates youthful energy, Gragg’s focus is on enhancing and expanding the film community. 

“I definitely think film photography is fun and doesn’t need to be some serious, elite club, but I think the process inherently makes it a more meaningful creation process,” Gragg explained.

Since Gragg founded the film-only zine in 2018, they have gained a social media following on Instagram of over 6,600 and have printed 12 issues. Although she is content with Luna’s growing social media and expanding online presence, her true motivation goes back to the theme of connection. 

“I want it to be something where people discover new music, new photographers, new ideas and overall just inspire one another to create and find others to connect with,” Gragg said. “I just want to support those that deserve to move forward and connect those with similar interests and values.”

Now more than ever, where human interaction seems few and far between, the zine community has proved to be an essential catalyst for love, support and togetherness. For this reason, Anna Ruth founded the Instagram account, @the_quaranzine. According to Ruth, digital zines are the future because of their ability to be accessible to anyone. 

“Making art can be a helpful way to communicate and process, and I think a zine is a good format because it can encompass lots of mediums, from drawings to poetry to photos. The virtual nature of this zine allows for even more, like music, animation and video,” Ruth said. “But, it’s really the combined power of art and the internet both as strong connectors that makes this zine and this moment so poignant. For me, and I hope others, The Quaranzine is interesting because of its digital presence and accessibility.”  

Although digital zines are especially prominent at the moment, many other creatives believe that print publications and zine festivals and events will never go away. Gragg believes that not only is it important to document our lives outside of social media, but it’s also essential to human connection. The incredible thing about zines is that they can create a balance between both. 

“I really value the tangible nature of it and the role it plays in documenting our time and life,” Gragg explained. “There is something so special about picking up a magazine or photo book that just isn’t the same when looking at it on your screen.”

This article was written 05/01/2020