Eight Zines You Need to Read

Pop culture, nostalgia, the internet, artmaking, and more!

I thought it’d be fun to celebrate the two-year anniversary of Microfascination by sharing a little about one of its previous forms: a zine series I made in 2021 called Rabbit Holes.

Per this UT Library guide, a zine is “a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images” — usually a little handmade paper booklet, often photocopied. Crucially, “profit is not the primary intent of publication.” Zines tend to celebrate niche obsessions or highlight information that mainstream institutions aren’t necessarily giving voice to, playing an important part in sci-fi, punk, and activist scenes over the last century.

While I was making my zines (on topics like Anne Carson, the forgotten Brontë brother, and the 27 Club), I started poking around online to see what other folks were creating. In my experience, the zine community is populated with creators who’re just really excited about stuff (which is kinda Microfascination’s whole deal)!

So, this month I thought I’d share a few zines I’ve enjoyed for those who’re curious to see what’s out there:

Library Excavations #9: Chicago’s Filed Artists

I’ve bought MANY zines from Half Letter Press and this is one of my favorites. Marc Fischer goes digging around in the Chicago Public Library’s Chicago Artist Files: “a series of file cabinets measuring well over 70 linear feet with materials connected to Chicago artists, art movements, and arts organizations spanning from 1890 to the present.” If you’re a fan of libraries, archive deep-dives, or discovering lesser-known artists, this is a great entry point into the Public Collectors Library Excavation series. (Also worth noting: HLP offers a bunch of zines you can download for free!)

10 Best Horror Movies Directed by Women

French Lit professor and part-time illustrator Amélie Paquet put together this cute little zine to highlight spooky work from female directors of note. Comes with a bonus checklist of 200(!) to help you on your journey — maybe a fun project for next year? (Amélie’s also made a bunch more movie list zines in a similar vein: Body Horror, Revenge Movies, ‘80s Monster Movies, Hidden Gems for Black History Month, Witches of Cinema…)

Is Art Under Capitalism Futile? (In Short, No, but Here is a Socio-Economic Explanation of Why it Feels That Way.)

Mandatory reading for all artists! In author Fareeha Khan’s own words: “This would be a great gift for a friend or loved one who is slowly unraveling under the pressures of capitalism but knows there is a better way, perhaps in need of a light at the end of the tunnel in the form of a funny but informative essay and fun illustrations.”

Lists of Lists of Lists of Wikipedia

I LOVE every zine I’ve bought from Awkward Ladies Club, especially the ones that explore various weird delights of the internet. This particular zine curates Wikipedia’s listcruft, “a term some editors use to refer to indiscriminate or trivial lists.” Highlights include lists of fictional colors and animals with fraudulent diplomas, which is just a hilarious combination of words.

Basic Paper Airplane #13: The Cassette Tape Issue

Such a fun surprise to come across this one at a zine fest, take it home, and realize I recognized a few of the names in its pages! A wonderful meditation on the cassette tape’s personal and cultural impact from Joshua James Amberson and friends, and Antiquated Future has a great catalog to peruse while you’re adding that one to your cart.

Taiwan Travelog

Irene Lam makes gorgeous travel zines! This one recounts the personal ups and downs of a month-long adventure in Taiwan. BIG fan of the art style (Irene cites Studio Ghibli as a major influence, so no surprise there)!

Ditto, Vol. 3: Fan

I’ve written before about Candace Jane Opper’s book Certain and Impossible Events, a memoir that explores her enduring obsession with an adolescent crush who took his own life a week after Kurt Cobain. Her zines examine similar themes of adolescent infatuation and longing, often through the reproduction of personal archives and preserved artifacts. Here she takes a closer look at fandom via her old Smashing Pumpkins scrapbook. (Add this one to your Antiquated Future cart!)

The Chinchillustrator

Rachel Bard’s zines are so sweet and full of heart. In this one, a chinchilla confronted with artist’s block returns to her old sketchbooks to remind herself of why she loves making art. You get to page through tiny mini-zines inside of the bigger zine right along with her. A heartfelt reminder of why we create, and why we should continue.

If any of these zines piqued your interest, you might also enjoy my Rumpus interview with Jackie Wang, who talks about how crucial zines and blogging have been to her creative trajectory. I also heartily recommended a zine anthology called The Riot Grrrl Collection in a previous Microfascination!

If you want to create one yourself, this guide from The Creative Independent is a great starting point. If you’d prefer to work off a template, try a gratitude zine courtesy of Austin Kleon!

On this second anniversary, I’m so grateful for all of you and I hope that Microfascination can be a small ray of light for y’all in the coming months. I’ll be back in your inbox again in December with my second annual Small Joys roundup!