In addition to Mamaphonic, there are excellent websites and forums that we tend to recommend over and over to folks looking for zine resources. Without replicating the most excellent work these other sites have done, I will point out some of the major online resources. Because many of these sites have extensive bibliographies and lists of resources, I have limited my gathered resources to those specifically recommended as being particularly helpful by the women at Mamaphonic over the past three years.
Because the book format is acting kinda funky, if there is something you think should be added here, leave a comment & I'll update it into the Bib. :)
To Start Out
Packebush, N. (2003). Why you must make a zine. Retrieved Aug 12, 2004, from: http://www.mamaphonic.com/features/zine.html.
General Sites: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Zines
Factsheet 5: your guide to zines and alternative publishing
http://www.factsheet5.org/
Factsheet 5 is a comprehensive guide to zines and alternative publications. Each large issue will be packed with hundreds of reviews of independent and unusual publications. Every issue of Factsheet 5 will catalog and review an abundance of zines – complete with price, critical reviews, and ordering information. Additionally, it will include informative articles on zine culture, independent publishing, lively columns, interviews with self-publishers, and an extensive news section. From the Factsheet 5 “About Us.�
Grrrl Zine Network
http://www.grrrlzines.net
Five years ago, when I was looking for feminist zines on the Internet there was no comprehensive resource site available. So I decided to create one. That’s how GRRRL ZINE NETWORK, came into being. My overall goal for the web site is to share resources on grrrl zines in different languages, and to create connections between like-minded but often far-away feminist youth who read and produce zines. Currently the site is listing and linking around one thousand feminist-oriented zines and distros from more than thirty countries in twelve languages. The resource section provides information about feminist organizations, art, popular culture, and music projects. Another part compiles books, videos, journalistic and academic writing on grrrl zines. To exchange information and ideas, as well as to announce new issues or calls for submissions, I have also created a mailing list and message board. Both provide a forum for people interested in talking about zines, feminism and the global network! From the Grrrl Zine Network “About This Project.�
Zine World
http://www.undergroundpress.org/
For readers, Zine World features news, small-press reviews, letters, and a truckload of information you can't find anywhere else. For publishers, writers, artists, videomakers, and anyone who's up to anything interesting, Zine World is a great way to spread the word, with straight-shootin' reviews and free classified ads. We're excited about the potential of the free press, and we want to tell you everything we know about it -- which zines are terrific (and which aren't); how you can find underground books, papers, videos and websites on exactly the topics you're interested in; and the latest news of people being threatened, sued, expelled from school, or jailed for what they've said or written. From the Zine World “About� page.
Zines, E-Zines
http://www.zinebook.com
There is more on this site than I could ever hope to compile in four days, much less another year. This is one of the best zine resources online. There is no “about us� page. The site is laid out in basic “directory� format, with a search function at the bottom of the screen. They have done a very thorough job. Definitely a case of (almost) last, but not least.
Zinesters.net
http://zinesters.net/
major topics: any and all aspects of zines, many aspects of radical left-wing politics, semantics, education, literature, and anything else that comes up in the minds of over 550 individuals who have an interest in zines. From the Zinester front page.
Online Zine Forums
Mamaphonic
http://www.mamaphonic.com/forum/70
This is the Mamaphonic Zine Scene forum. Mamaphonic is a daughter site to the online version of the zine HipMama, one of the earliest online zines. Born from the online parenting forums at HipMama, Mamaphonic was formed specifically with the creative mama in mind. Mamaphonic is a varied community of artists, with around 60% of our contributors being writers and zine creators.
Pander Forums
http://messageboard.panderzinedistro.com/cgi/ikonboard.cgi
This is a discussion forum for zines maintained by Erica Pander of Pander Zine Distro. This site is dedicated solely to zines, and is broken down into more specific zine-relevant categories.
Live Journal Zine_Scene Community
http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=zine_scene
This community focuses on the creation and promotion of zines. Posts are organized by dates “published� only rather than having secondary sorting characteristics like some journals or blogs.
Zine Review Zines
Live Journal Zine Reviews Community
http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=zinereviews
This community focuses on the review of zines by people other than their creators. Posts are organized by dates “published� only rather than having secondary sorting characteristics like some journals or blogs.
Xerography Debt
http://www.leekinginc.com/xeroxdebt/
Xerography Debt is a review zine for zine readers by zine writers. It is a hybrid of review zine and personal zine. Xerography Debt has its own freestyle approach. It is all about communication, so each reviewer has used the format or style most comfortable to him or her. Also, each reviewer "owns" the zine in a communal sense. We are individual artists and writers coming together to collaborate and help keep small press flourishing. From the Xerography Debt front page.
