Homework 8

Anatomy of a Zine: When Magazines go Indie (via Time)

In this article, Meredith Melnick gives a brief lesson on the principles behind the movement of self-published zines. It's interesting to see how seriously these groups take these publications when it comes to its creation process and content. Something I wouldn't have guessed is how there are professionals in the publication business who are so evidently active in the zine-scene. It's cool seeing how even though someone can reach a very high level of prestige or recognition in their field, and still find that desire to make their own work by hand, just because it's fun and they feel like it. Even though it isn't going to gain a lot of recognition or fame, it's cool to see collaboration of different artist and writers who wanna work on a project in hopes of something beyond fame or money. I feel like there's a lot more value placed in a work of art if it's about something the artist cares deeply about and advocates for. I also like how they addressed the culture behind zines and the reason they tend to steer away from the now popular blogging platforms. Although most don't look down on the keeping of a personal blog online, but simply want the joy own having something physical in their possession.

Yes, Zines Still Exist, and, They're Not Antiques (via The New York Times)

Although this article explains things that were also in the previous article. This interpretation in the explanation of zines and their network of publication is a little more personal. I like how Chris Berube talks about different events that are currently taking place in order to expose independent artists and writer's work to the public. However, there doesn't seem to be lot of pressure on these zine creators to get their work out there. Since publication costs are so low, they're not really risking anything. It's often said throughout these articles that this type of freedom is what attracts the creators of zines in the first place. The article goes through a variety of different artists and their preferred topics. I think the best thing is how these topics (everything ranging from feminism, nerd/fan culture, political and social activism, or just pure randomness) that would almost never be seen being represented by any kind of formal publication company.

How to Make a Zine (via Rookie)
Very informative article, it really shows how much the community wants to aid the creation of the things they love. I like how its not this big secret on how to make zines. The article itself looks like it could be a little pamphlet that would be handed out to people who were interesting in making zine. It's almost like this little invitation to join this movement.