*Sorry for posting this late. I got very sick Thursday evening, and I am just starting to recover. I went to the doctor Friday and am waiting back on test results regarding influenza.
At this point, in 2020, zines are no longer a counter-culture physical item. They can and are often digitized, which is great in this modern age. Even popular musicians such as Kanye West have one! With zines being so accessible, the topics range and vary. “The first zine is often traced back to a 1930s effort by the Science Correspondence Club in Chicago. It was called The Comet, and it started a long-lasting trend of sci-fi related zines”. This is according to the website, “Mentalfloss.com”.
Zines have officially been around for almost 100 years, and today they are going strong. I mean, I’m in a class about zines and DIY publishing and am getting college credit for it. I wish that this English 414 class was more “radical” in regard to teaching and implementing zine culture and history. There is a caveat to that though, because can you even “teach” radically, especially in an institution that is despised by it? I think you can, it’s a good first step.
According to the same website, “In the ‘70s and ‘80s, the main hub of zine culture became the punk scene in London, LA, and New York”. To me, this is the most fascinating part of zine culture. The counter-culture of it all is interesting. It has a purpose, a reason, and a feeling. They are often vulgar, angry and make certain groups of people uncomfortable. In my opinion this is how they should be. I do not see a purpose of writing zines that are just “fantasy” or have no inherent personal, social or political meaning. I don’t believe all zines have to be incredibly depressing or sad, I think that social issues can be framed in a comedic or satirical way. It does not have to be boring, but it should be meaningful.
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