You feel empowered a lot, as a young person, because pretty much the whole world is reaching out to you saying āDo you like this? Will you buy this? Do we look cool?ā Zines, however, are not always so eager to pander ā many are very attached to the time period they have been written in, and as such you can feel out-of-touch as a young person without having done some background research first. So, here is a list of great zines for the young newbie looking to get a feel for what queer zines are like:- Homobody #6 (and not just because QZAP is interviewed!) ā I felt like this zine is a really accessible look at what Iāve come to know as a āqueer zineā ā a mix of humor, reflection, and most of all, attitude. And it also has that great interview with QZAP.
- Mevis is Feminist ā I loved the attitude and personality of this zine, and how it moved discussion past traditional āold people feminismā (AKA white, rich, hetero women). Melvis hip-thrusted his way into my heart, and I think heāll do the same for yours.
- Booty #19 ā I mean, who doesnāt like booty? But aside from the title, this zine takes a really introspective look at the creatorās life and highlights how zines are personal as well as public artifacts.
- Cosmo Queer ā This zine was angry, which was great, and I loved how it made a point of emphasizing that not all āqueer peopleā feel included in mainstream āgay cultureā (to the extent that it exists). Like Melvis, Revolution in Pink, the creator of this zine, moves discussions solidly into the 21st century.
Dylan Larson-Harsch is a summer intern here at QZAP. Heāll be reading and reviewing zines on the blog through August.
Dylan is a sophomore at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, the self-described town of cows, colleges, and contentment. He doesnāt have a major yet because Carleton is a hoity-toity liberal arts institution, but when he does, it will probably be English. When heās not working at QZAP or the equally-thrilling job of relabeling the zones of a shoe warehouse, Dylan likes to run, write, and read all manners of things. Feel free to contact Dylan through QZAP with any comments or questions.
