Haz un fanzine, empieza una revolución by Andrea Galaxina, 2019, Spain ✱
Andrea Galaxina presents a detailed, illustrated guide to creating fanzines. She begins by describing her own introduction to zines and personal experiences in zine-making then follows by explaining the different forms and reasons one might have with regards to self-publishing. She also discusses the efforts and comfort of the zine community, including in depth information on all aspects of zine making from assembling the zine to distribution and engaging with the community.
Niñas Fuimos ; La Colección [Series] by Nata Cavieres, 2021, Chile ✱
Niñas Fuimos is a collection of zines made in Santiago, Chile edited and illustrated by Nata Cavieres Pasmiño reflecting on the childhoods of latina women. Each zine has a series of watercolor paintings accompanied by poetry and writings exploring identity and childhood focusing on a specific topic. The first issue talks about the experience of looking at one's childhood photos. The second issue focuses on childhood photos of the beach and has writings discussing vacations, summer and family. The topic of the third is play, discussing the types of games they'd play as girls like Sims and imaginary friends. The topic of the fourth is costumes, exploring the different aspects of the past and identity. The fifth issue centers on regrowth and discusses the passage of time, growth, and the future.
Gringa! by Kat Fajardo Zines, 2015, Honduran-Columbian
Honduran-Colombian cartoonist Kat Fajardo delves into the origins of her childhood shame over her Latina identity and first generation immigrant status: internalized colorism, exoticized stereotypes of Latinas in American media, machista gender roles enforced by Latine media and family, and the in-betweenness of feeling too "gringa" to fit in with her family and too Latina to fit in with her white American friends. -- Claudia
Growing up Salvadoran by Yiery Guevara, 2017, Salvadoran
Printing on blue paper with black ink, Yeiry shares anecdotes from her Salvadoran upbringing. From stirring masa with her family to the impossibility of tracing her genealogy, Yeiry includes hand drawn illustrations to go along with each page.
Malcriada : on abuse, assimilation and Latin@ identity [Series] by Suzy X, 2012, Cuba-Belize
Suzy X, of Chinese, Cuban, Guatemalan and European ancestry, writes about her childhood in Jacksonville, Florida. Her father, mother, and grandfather were abusive emotionally, physically, and sexually. In the South, she dealt with racism from various racial groups in school as well as her family. Suzy also writes about the sexism and racism found within her own Cuban culture. She later became a punk, went to college, discovered feminist politics, and worked with her mom to improve their relationship. The zine comes with a trigger warning for graphic descriptions of abuse.
Malcriada, #2 : the process of assimilation [Series] by Suzy X, 2013, Cuba-Belize
Suzy writes and draws comics about assimilation, forgetting Spanish, white beauty standards, Latino identity, and depression. The zine also contains coloring book pages and photographs.
Malcriada, #3 : My Mother's House [Series] by Suzy X, 2015, Cuba-Belize
The third issue of Suzy's perzine, written when she was 24 or so, is a travel diary about her first trip to Belize, her mother's home country, in over twenty years. Following a bad breakup with a long-term partner, Suzy visits family in Belize City, stopping in Cancún on the way. Her dated entries include writing on body image, Spanish language, Chinese-Belizeans, the meaning of home, prom night in Belize City, food, coming out, queer life in Belize, emo music, and visiting Mayan archaeological sites. The zine includes color drawings and photographs, as well as a playlist.
The Maximalist no. 1 by Maximalist Press, 2020
Written in English and Spanish, this compilation zine from Maximalist Press focuses on the voices of marginalized BIPOC queer artists, including undocumented college students, with poems, photography, and art. The first issue documents an anti-deportation protest, gentrification in LA, homelessness, and "slum life" on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. -- Nayla Delgado
PACO no. 1 : Nicknames by Silvia Torres, 2006, Mexican
This is a hand-illustrated perzine written in tribute to the author's many childhood nicknames. Torres, a thirty-year-old self-described wife and mother, discusses her use of “Spanglish” in this issue, while linking the arduous and mostly matriarchal controlled process of homemade tamale making to the Mexican-American tradition of assigning nicknames to children. The zine includes a “Spanish dictionary of sorts” and a “family-nickname-tree foldout.”
Venus by Granada Colectivo, 2018, Ecuador
Published by the Granada Colectivo, Venus is a collection of photographs containing portraiture (female presenting people, breastfeeding), still lifes (flowers, knives), and images of handwritten notes of scenes of Chile. -- Grace Li
Manual de Autodefensa Feminista : 6 Pasos Ilustrados by Tarix Sepulveda, 2018, Ecuador ✱
This self defense guide provides six illustrated guides for techniques to use in dangerous physical altercations. The graphics are in blue and yellow and detail specific moves in response to situations such as hair pulling and tight holds. The illustrations are spread out over four pages with a larger illustration on the back and a poster size illustration unfolding the entire zine. — Nayla Delgado
Mona // Changa by Elie Katzenson, 2020
Elie Katzenson combina la fotografía cinematográfica con viñetas que reflejan sus experiencias pasando por blanca y su historia familiar. También habla del linaje genízaro y del trauma generacional. (Transl. by Nayla Delgado)
Hazlo tu misma, 2015, Mexico ✱
In this handwritten and hand drawn zine, the authors present do it yourself projects like making dyes, poetry, custom shirts, rose water, vaginal vapor baths, and hot compresses. The zine also includes information about herbs, meditation, along with verbal and physical self defense strategies. Recipes for lemon pie and depression and anxiety tea are also included. -- Nayla Delgado
Más Vale Vivas y Combativas : Que Sumisas, Maltratados O Muertas, 2018, Colombia ✱
This guide from a Colombian author focuses on feminist self-defense tips. It discusses knowing oneself and one's own body, training, utilizing special strategies, and not letting down one's guard. The zine folds out from a square and includes digital drawings of a character with a weapon, venus signs, and other symbols. -- Nayla Delgado
It's complicated : musings on race, ethnicity, and identity by Rachel Casiano Hernandez, 2012, Puerto Rican
Rachel writes about being a light-skinned lesbian Latina who often passes as white non-Hispanic. She shares thoughts on Trayvon Martin, the use of the word "Hispanic" vs. "Latino," race and gender privilege, Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico contrasted with living in the States, and recommends books and zines. Casiano Hernandez's social media handle is Airellia.
Saludos de Tu Pena Gay by Sofia Bartsch, 2018, Chile ✱
Writing in Spanish, Sofia explores gay grief and discontent towards institutions of gender and sexuality through a collection of pencil drawings, black and white patterns, and typewritten text.
High St. Este de Oakland : Tierra de Lucha y Limones by Brenda Montaño, 2012, Chicana
The Chicana author writes about moving to Oakland, CA and the racism surrounding the mostly brown population there. She provides a history of Oakland's population, its strikes, communities, and police brutality in the city. The zine also contains newspaper scans, maps, photos, collages and a list of sources.
Casa de los trucos by Mateo Parra, 2002, Cuban
TW: abuse, sexual assault, self harm, body image, animal abuse
25-year-old Cuban immigrant, abuse survivor, phone sex worker, and queer drag king zinester Tricky Martin writes about her past and future, filled with cartoons, essays, and poems. Topics include self-mutilation, post-9/11 analysis, growing up poor, and the Southern Girls Convention. In issue two, Tricky comes out as a transgender man, and begins taking testosterone. Tricky writes about his father, vegan recipes, and the end of a long-term relationship. This issue is bound in yarn. Martin also contributed to his partner Robin's zine 2 Way Freak.
St. Sucia by Isabel Ann Castro and Natasha I. Hernandez, 2014, Tejanas
This collection of stories, writings, photography and artwork reflects on the dating and love lives of Texan Latinas or Tejanas. The zines combine humorous short stories with serious reflections of Latine identities and experiences, giving voice to this community of women. Content types include photos, poems, fiction, comics, art, quizzes, transcripts, and a nude self-portrait. — Nayla Delgado
Greenzine No.14 by Cristy C. Road, 1996, Cuban
Road, a queer working class Latina from Miami, discusses her upbringing and travels across the United States as well as providing written and illustrated discourses on gender, sexuality, activism, and racism in the punk community. Other zinesters occasionally contribute equally personal pieces of writing.
Hermana resist No. 1 by Noemi Martinez, 2001, Mexican
Noemi's emo personal zine provides a vehicle for her reflections in the form of poetry, letters and emails, journal entries, lists, quizzes, and essays on being a single mother. Typical content includes her relationship with the baby's father, poverty, organizing events for Latinas, sex, unplanned pregnancy, and parenting. Issue five of this zine contains poetry and a racism primer. The 28-year-old also discusses the holiday season, her dead end job, her family, and her two children Winter and J.
Xicanistas & Punkeristas Say It Loud! by Brenda Montaño, 2013, Mexican
This is a compilation zine on Punk identity. It provides definitions and a history of the words Xicana and Xicanistas, a history of Mexican-American female musicians, punk playlists, and personal stories.
I dreamed I was assertive No 2 by Celia C. Perez, 1998, Cuban and Mexican
Celia Perez, prolific zinester (Skate Tough You Little Girls and Picaflor are two of her other titles.) and school teacher cum librarian writes this perzine, which changes shape as issues progress. The first issues include stories about the evils of Jane magazine compared to Sassy, Lynda Barry, Celia's love of Martha Stewart and Oprah, race, and her life as a 26-year-old Latina sixth grade teacher in the backwoods of Florida in a predominately black middle school. Also included are pieces about her past, including her complicated relationship with her Batista loving Cuban-American father, her difficult hair, meeting her husband, and how she became so bossy. Later issues feature less clip art as Perez begins using a quarter-size format and in Issue 5 moves to Chicago. The Halloween issue includes recipes, spooky reads, and Halloween folklore and number 11 is mostly about cooking and Alice B. Toklas and includes some of Toklas' recipes. In issue 12, Celia's husband and son go on a trip to Arizona and she deals with her anxiety of living alone for a few days. Topical issues feature prominently in this zine, but so do book, food, music, and zine reviews.
✱ denotes zines in Spanish
Read on! ~~
Zines by Hispanic American Women