Reading Reflection #2

Readings: Why Diverse Zines Matter: A Case Study of the People of Color Zines Project by Melanie Ramdarshan Bold and Brown Star Kids: Zinemakers of Colour Shake Things Up by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Explain, entirely in your own words, the main argument of the reading. This should be a high-level synthesis, not a point-by-point summary; try to keep it to four or five sentences.

The reading Why Diverse Zines Matter: A Case Study of the People of Color Zines Project by Melanie Ramdarshan Bold argues that there is a diverse and thriving POC zine culture, showcased by the People of Color Zines Project (POCZP), a community building space and curation project consisting of 59 zines dedicated towards a form of advocacy. Melanie dives deep into the variety of zines such as Political zines , Network zines, and Perzines that have allowed for marginalized people and groups to control how they are represented without having to serve the interest of others and without the dominance of market pressures. The reading Brown Star Kids: Zinemakers of Colour Shake Things Up by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha argues that there exists a sub-culture of POC zinemakers inspired by the independent publishing of alternative histories in the 60s and 70s. Leah speaks about many individual zinemakers of colour offering diverse content that often get lost within the white pages and briefly describes some of her favourites.

The two readings spotlight the rise of a generation of POC zinesters and how zine-ing showcases the work of likeminded people in one digital platform, contributing to the "counter public sphere". And it is this counter sub-culture that helps raise the visibility of the zines and the creators and challenges dominant conversations. Overall, both readings emphasize on the idea that zines are a form of counter public sphere that break the confines of mainstream media to allow for POC voices to be heard.

What is the goal of this reading? What are the authors trying to understand better, and how do they go about trying to understand it?

Melanie Bold's reading focuses on zines that were created by people of colour (POC). Through a case study of the POC Zines Project, an online community-building project that promotes zines by POC, this paper seeks to look at what POC zinesters are creating, how they are experimenting with digital formats and social platforms, how they are connecting to communities, and how mainstream publishers can learn from this. On the other hand, Leah Piepzna-Samarasinha talks about her experience steering away from white zines and entering the genre and sub-culture of POC zinemake-ing. She gives a brief explanation of the history and rise of POC zines as well as overview of her favourite POC zinemakers. Both papers strive to highlight zine-ing as a new form of sociability and a new way of being in the world. And ultimately, these works brings attention to the importance of social collaboration and opening up the creative process and response to the under-represented in traditional publishing.

What do you feel like you now understand better, having read it?

It was really cool and inspiring to learn about zines as it was like learning about an entirely new culture hidden from the mainstream. While Habermas coined the public sphere to be a participatory culture for citizens, there was never much emphasis on those left out of it. And eventually, dominant perspectives took over and inequalities took place between those had a voice and those who didn't. That's why I love that zines took the form of a counter public sphere to combat the mainstream public sphere as it allowed even more voices to come through. It was also cool to learn about the history of zines, where they came from, and the different types.

I have also learned to understand the value of zines. As a POC, I often see myself misrepresented through stereotypes and underrepresented through exclusion in mainstream media. And so, I enjoyed learning about Leah's experience with zines and the power they gave to POC. Sharing your story can be scary and hard; especially in a society that is not afraid to exclude or discriminate you. But zines truly allow for unheard writers and voices a safe space to express themselves, their narratives, and their opinions. I love the idea of turning your pain and injustice into art and zines are the very definition of that.

What are some questions or interests you have that were not answered or adequately addressed by the reading?

I genuinely loved both readings, especially Melanie Bold's dive deep into the zine culture. Although, when it came time to discussing zines in the context of today's world, I became curious as to what role they would play. With social media allowing so many people to share their thoughts and stories everyday, learn about news perspectives on the go, create a content within minutes, and reach audiences with just one click, everyone has become somewhat of a prosumer. And I like to think that social media has become somewhat of a zine with many also advocating through social campaigns and voicing their thoughts across platforms. I wondered about how zines will or have been contributing to today's modern multi-faceted culture. Here are some of the general questions I had from both readings:

• How have zines evolved into today's digital world? With social media and everything online, where do zines fit in?

• How do you define the effectiveness of a zine in today's overcrowded and digital information society?

• What have been the drawbacks of zines? Are there any economic or accessible issues? (having to afford them, understanding them, gaining access, etc.)

• How do Perzines differentiate from autobiographies?

• Could zines ever reach audiences like magazines do? Could they be more widely circulated? (Or does that go against the spirit of zines?)

Going forward, how can you use this reading as a theoretical tool to better understand the publishing medium it discusses? Be specific: this is the hardest question, and the most important one, so spend some time thinking about this.

Both readings show us the significance of zines due to the opportunities it provided for connection, community, and networking. Historically, zines have been an alternative outlet for niche topics and writing ignored by mainstream media. And they have become a community building tool that provides an underground culture and safe space for POC and/or LGBTQIA+ people.

This reading also serves as a reference as to how the publishing industry today can learn from zines. Many independent publishers are increasingly turning to crowdfunding to fund more risky projects and establish reading communities. We've also seen an increased response from mainstream media as big corporates are beginning to deal explicitly with issues surrounding racism and race as well as demonstrated new indicators of genres, sub-genres, developing markets, and audiences. Overall, these readings provide historical and culture analysis of zines that can help audiences understand how it serves as an agent for social change and culture development. Both authors provide viewers a history of how zine-ing became the first of many alternative mediums and have paved the way for many more platforms to develop. With many marginalized communities and groups still facing discrimination and underrepresentation to this day, these communities and zines are more important than ever.