History of Zines

How did zines get started?

• About, for, and by marginalized voices and topics
• Need for an accessible outlet free from censorship, oppression, and discrimination
• Desire to share ideas broadly and provide equitable access to the creation and dissemination of information

Early Zines

• Science fiction - The Science Fiction Fan (SFFan or SFF): A science fiction fanzine created by Olon F. Wiggins which ran 1936-1941 in Denver, CO.
• Punk/rock/underground music scenes - Slug and Lettuce: Free newsprint punk zine created by Christina Boarts which ran 1987-2006, originally in State College, PA. 
• Feminist - riot grrrl: A movement started in the early 90s by Kathleen Hanna, lead singer of the band Bikini Kill based in Olympia, WA, and other women fed up with sexism in the punk scene. Many zines were created and disseminated around this cultural and political movement.
• Queer - Holy Titclamps: A queercore zine created by LarryBob from 1989-2003 first published in Minneapolis, MN and later in San Francisco, CA, which served as an alternative to the heteronormative punk scene. Damron Guides: Called the "Little Black Book of Gay Travel", originally started to highlight places around the world considered safe for members of the gay community.  
• Political/Anarchist - Crowbar: Anarchist squatter zine published in Brixton, South London, United Kingdom during the 1980s.
• BIPOC - Fire!!: A Quarterly Devoted to the Younger Negro Artists: Published in 1926 during the Harlem Renaissance in Harlem, New York City, NY. Edited by Wallace Thurman, it was founded by the self-described artist group Niggerati which included Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. Aquelarre: Bilingual, feminist publication from the 1980s-1990s highlighting Chilean exiles in Vancouver, B.C. and other Latin American women living in Canada. Gidra: The Monthly of the Asian American Experience: A monthly zine which ran from 1969-1974 by a group of Asian-American students at the University of California, Los Angeles as a platform to discuss issues impacting Asian American students. The Negro Motorist Green-Book: A guidebook for African Americans taking road trips around the United States. It was founded by Victor Hugo Green, a postal worker, and was published annually from 1936-1966.