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Zines in Academe: Can We Bring More Joy to the Practice of Research and Scholarship?

With Zines in Academe, zine librarian Jenna Freedman invites participants to explore alternatives or supplements to the research paper. Together we will discuss questions like "Do writing and grading have to be arduous?" "How do non-traditional..."

Make a Zine

cover of the zine This Cat Will Eat Your DocumentsBrainstorm a Zine Unit or Zine Syllabus

Visual syllabus example.

Is the assignment around zine-making or studying zines? Or both?

Zine Making

Today we're making quarter size zines. The layout may mess with your head. That's okay; breaking your brain while making a quarter size zine is a rite of passage!

Suggested Themes

  • A class you're teaching or taking
  • A unit in a class
  • An element of a class, e.g. a book, a skill
  • Course objective
  • How it feels to be you, right here, right now

Templates

With help from Milo Miller, famed QZAP co-founder, I've developed a zine template for myself for making a quarter-size zine that's eight pages long in InDesign. (This is not a template for a one-page folded zine. Those are easy to find.)

indd file

pdf file

docx file

You know what tool is super easy to use for zine making, especially for collaborations? Google slides (template for 8-page half-size zine).

PS Use Canva if you love it, but try to veer away from the most popular designs. They all start to look alike after a while

photo of a cat on a banner that reads "Zinesters in Residence"Cover/p1

Something that symbolizes the course/unit OR a mind map of the course/unit

Page 2

  • Introduce your zine (pro-tip: you might want to do this at the end, so you know what you're introducing)
  • Metadata: contextualize for the reader
    • Author
    • Date
    • Publication location
    • Contact information
  • Freedoms and restrictions
    • Do you want to claim copyright?
    • Assign a CC license?
    • Reject copyright?
    • Control digital reproduction?
  • The required or repetitive stuff, like the honor code: consider using a QR code
Page 3

Rant, manifesto, I statements: why this course/unit matters

Page 4 (left side of centerfold)

Cartoon, sketch, art, doodles (be bold! draw stick figures!)

Page 5 (right side of centerfold)

Up to you!

Page 6

Pencil game: maze, crossword puzzle, word finder, quiz, survey, matching

Page 7

Recipe (could be literally about food, or it could be "how to get an A."

Back Cover (8)

Credits, playlist, reviews or recommendations

Another pro-tip: number your pages. This will help when you are assembling your zines.

Zine Elements

Covers

color * construction paper * relief print * acetate

Binding

staples * sewing * stab * pamphlet * paper types* materials

Graphics

illustrations * fair use/copyright * photographs * typography/handwriting * backgrounds

Elements

Essay * Poem * Review * Drawing * Collage * Personality Quiz * Crossword Puzzle * Playlist * Top Ten List * Likes/Dislikes * How To * Comic * Rant * Blank Space * Art * Handwriting * Typewriting * Design Software * Stick Figures

Metadata: author, title, publication location, publication date, freedoms and restrictions

Genre

personal * political * art * literary * split * compilation * minicomics * DIY

Pro Tips

  • Leave a 1/4" margin around your pages
  • Remember your zine will be copied or scanned, so light text and images may not reproduce well
  • You do you