Zines (pronounced /zeens/ as in magazines) defy any fixed or rigid definition. At their heart, they are a medium for expression, community, and outreach, taking whatever form best embodies their message. Most often, zines are self-published booklets that are printed in small runs and sold at or only slightly above cost. They circulate via non-standardized means like trading or gifting, making them uniquely ephemeral and resistant to dominant ideologies.

The first zines emerged in the 1930s as “fanzines”—science fiction booklets that were shared amongst fans of certain properties. During the 1970s-90s, zines experienced a boom as printers and photocopiers became more widely available. Zines took on new importance and scope, rejecting authority, expressing dissidence, and carving out new spaces and communities for countercultural ideals and messaging, often in explicit or nonprofessional terms.