On the rainy afternoon of Nov. 5 in library classroom 203, Ryan McGonagle’27, current president of the Beloit Science Fiction and Fantasy Association, and Archivist Diane Ray, collaborated to host a workshop on creating and celebrating zines. This zine workshop was a collaboration between LITS, BSFFA, and Res Life. Ray curated a selection of zines for inspiration, and gave a small presentation on the history of the medium. McGonagle took charge on helping attendees get started on their zines.
Rays’s history lesson on zines started with Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press and the resulting influx of cheap printing. She explained how what we would later understand as zines, sold for pennies on street corners, were a precursor to modern day social media. Theological and political topics were common subjects, and these pamphlets could be written in response to each other, with writers often attacking other writers’ positions in this manner. Ray also touched on the zine’s place in the history of women publishing and early fandom culture.
A decent number of students attended and followed McGonagle’s instructions to create a simple six-page zine. The process involved basic paper-folding and scissor-cutting. More adventurous and complex zines can include sew-binding and hardshell covers. After participants got on their way with making their zines, the rest of the time was spent in casual conversation, and reflecting on the medium. Multiple people echoed the idea that zines should make a comeback as a common form of communication, which seems like a sign of success for this event. BSFFA is having more events later in the semester, such as potlucks and presentations, a dice scavenger hunt, and a tabletop RPG board game night.
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