How did Sarah Dyer, Ailecia Ruscin, and the rest of the Bingham Center's zine donors amass their huge zine collections? They made their own zines and then traded them with women and grrrls across the country (and occasionally the world). So start cutting and pasting!

At its core, zine making is a personal process of experimentation and expression. There is no one "correct" way to make a zine, no rules—anything goes! But, for those new zinesters needing inspiration, the following resources by female zinesters are provided. Researchers, too, should take note of the resources below, as they provide a first-hand glimpse of the "behind-the-scenes" work of the zine culture.

The Essential Guide

Wrekk, Alex. Stolen Sharpie Revolution. Third edition. Portland, OR: Microcosm Publishing, n.d.

Not many zines can claim to have made it to a third edition. This popular do-it-yourself guide covers the finer details of zine production, covering everything from layout assistance to how to make your own paper. Notes on zine etiquette and the zine community assure its usefulness in zine research as well. Given the punk spirit in which it was written, it also contains tips on how to scam free copies and postage. Lists of national and international zine shops and distros, as well as zine web resources, are an excellent new addition to the third edition.

RBMSCL Ailecia Ruscin zine collection, 1994-2001 and n.d.

Other Print Resources

Block, Francesca Lia and Hillary Carlip. Zine Scene: The Do It Yourself Guide to Zines. Los Angeles, CA: Girl Press, 1998.

Although intended for a slightly younger audience, this is, to date, the best resource of its kind for information on how to make a zine. Celebrated authors Block and Carlip (both of whom have written extensively on young girls) present a conversational and fun guide whose heavily-collaged layout is reminiscent of zines themselves. Ideally intended as an inspirational tool, Zine Scene includes sample pages of several zines (including many by women and girls) and profiles of young zinesters. Block and Carlip's unique point of view—based on their own deep involvement with zine culture—make this work equally valuable in scholarly research.

RBMSCL Reference 070.572 B651, Z77

Kalmar, Veronika. Start Your Own Zine: Everything You Need to Know to Put it into Print! New York City, NY: Hyperion, 1997.

In spite of the psychedelic cover, this small book is particularly strong in its coverage of what to do before and after the actual writing of the zine. Information on copyright, planning a zine budget, finding a distro and advertisers, and zine publicity, often excluded from other guides, are given thorough and well-illustrated exploration here. A glossary of printing terms and an explanation of printing equipment will also be helpful to those new to creating a zine.

Davis Library Z479 .K35

Online Resource

Action Girl Online's Zine-O-Rama: http://www.houseoffun.com/action/zines/index.html

The motto of Sarah Dyer's Action Girl empire, "Action is Everything," is the guiding light of this page of her website. Dyer's Zine-O-Rama is one of the better "how-to" webpages available, with tips on zine etiquette, information on how to order and trade zines, and a zine FAQ provided in addition to her lengthy, inspirational, and comprehensive essay on how to make and distribute your own zine. Dyer's cheery and supportive words and her abiding faith in the cultural importance of zines make this a page all budding zinesters should visit.