What the Heck is a Zine, and Why Should I Make One? A Hands-on Zine 101 Workshop

Have you heard about zines before and wondered what all the hype is about? Are you new to zines, or do you have some experience with them but want to learn more? Would you like to make a zine in a fun, collaborative group setting?

Join us for a free, interactive workshop all about zines! In this workshop, we will:

• Review what zines are
• Discuss the many reasons to make zines
• Read zines together
• Make zines together! (Instructions and supplies will be provided)
• Learn about the history and genres of zines
• Review various examples of zines
• Look at lots of helpful zine resources, including local ones
• Discuss our experiences with and questions about zines, their benefits and limitations, and different ways to create them

Optional: Bring printed text, images, or clippings to the workshop that you would like to include in a zine.

What is a Zine?

“Defined as ‘DIY [do it yourself] publications,’ zines usually come in booklet form (Cooper, 2022, para. 2). They are often personal, political, and creative in nature (Cooper, 2022; Hemphill & Leskowitz, 2012; Rodriguez Castro et al., 2025; Thomas, 2018). Individuals or small groups can make zines by hand or on the computer (Watson et al., 2025). They typically have ‘small print runs’ (Cooper, 2022, para. 14). Zines are amateur, rough, and raw, as opposed to professional, polished magazines (Anderson & Spandler, 2026; Chidgey, 2014). They can contain a mix of handwriting, typed text, drawings, doodles, photos, comics, collages, stories, poetry, personal narratives, manifestos, and more (Comstock, 2001; Watson et al., 2025; Weida, 2020). Zines ‘cover a broad range of topics in approachable ways’ (Pantony, 2025e). They are accessible, low-barrier publications that allow people to make and share creative work without funding, gatekeeping, or institutional support (Armstrong, 2025; Piepmeier, 2009; Watson et al., 2025)” (Pantony, 2026, p. 8).

Come to the workshop to learn more!

About the Facilitator:

Sage Pantony (they/them) is a writer, educator, workshop facilitator, zinester, and zine researcher. They have been making zines since 2019 that have been featured in bookstores, libraries, fairs, and university curricula. They recently completed an MA in Educational Studies at Concordia University. They wrote their final paper on how zines, as accessible popular education tools, can be used by adult learners outside of formal education to 1) empower themselves and others, 2) build communities and facilitate dialogue, and 3) engage in activism and praxis. Sage currently resides in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal with their partner and cats. You can check out their zines and other work at www.sagepantony.com.

Special thanks to the JOYLab, Fonds de Recherche du Québec, and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada for their support.