#268: The Second Zine
Publish yourself
A year and a half ago I made my first zine and wrote about it here. Yesterday, I finished my second zine, and here I am sharing it with you again.
Zines are a method of self-publishing, opening art up to the masses, and for someone who always wanted to see their name on the cover of a book, this is a method of making that a reality.
Lately, I have been writing more. I have been proudly calling myself a poet. And I have been putting that writing forward into competitions and for publication. Clearly, though, getting published is no easy feat. Writers tweet frequently about their rejections in an attempt to normalise the crushing emailed dismissal. Katie herself has written about what it’s like to receive a different type of rejection letter. To try to succeed is to accept that one will also fail.
But a zine magically puts all the power into the hands of the artist. With very little resource I can produce and distribute a piece of my own fiction. All I need is some paper and pens, perhaps a typewriter if I’m feeling edgy, and, of course, that symbol of zine culture: access to a photocopier.
I don’t need an editor to approve my words, a magazine to accept my submission, or a publishing contract to allow me to share my work. It is within my own power to give my words to the world. The only person that can reject this creation is myself.
Ironically, self-rejection can be very tempting. It would be easy to tuck this zine away with my other scrawlings, gathering dust and never seeing the world. But where would be the point in embracing an art form made to be shared, if I am just to hide it away?
More to the point, zines are often seen as part of a sub-culture, a community, and they can only be part of that community if we overcome our self-consciousness and share our work, in all its imperfect glory. In my recent forays into the world of writing, I have started attending workshops run by some wonderful women in Newcastle. I have been connecting with people with similar interests, and at our showcase in July, I have the opportunity to share this zine. And in such a way, this zine is the product of the company of others, of a shared of experience, and to truly do justice to its existence, this zine needs to be shared.
DIY publishing gives you the power to make something, but also, without a binding contract, the power to hide it away. But we should embrace the zine’s community roots and be unafraid to share our creations with the world.
