It's really easy! The Chapess is definitely the most polished (for want of a better word) of the zines I’ve made. The zine has a dedicated and varied fan base, it's really nice to get emails from people all over who are reading the Chapess, and it's always incredibly humbling to read folks' responses to it.Ĭan you share any tips on starting your own zine? I sell the zines though my online distro Synchronise Witches and post out parcels all over the world, each week. I've been able to run workshops, give lectures and do paid work off the back of the zine, which has been amazing and allowed me to make some big changes in my work and life. What are the benefits of creating a zine? The Chapess was a direct response to a job/group of students Zara and I were working with (I've worked in education since graduating in 2008) and our hope was to make feminism relevant to younger girls, especially those in rural areas with limited resources, like me. I got all of my early musical education through zines - which looked easy enough to make so I decided to start my own. I've always been interested in reading and writing and books, and music. I took over as sole editor in 2013 after Zara had her daughter Florence. The Chapess was started by my friend Zara in the summer of 2001. Alyssa talks very passionately about publishing her own work out of frustration that no one else would.Ĭan you tell me about starting your zine, The Chapess? I was talking recently with Alyssa Rorke and Sara Sutterlin about our work together, and kind of how our different identities overlap, none of us are easily pigeon-holed. What do you feel bonds you and drives your work? It seems like a great female led collaborative scene. The zine community is consistently supportive and welcoming and I've met a lot of the best people I know through zines, both online and IRL. Working with the Salford Zine Library helped me meet new people when I first moved to Manchester. I grew up in a pretty average small town punk scene and have always been super involved in the DIY scene. I started making zines when I was a teenager. When did you start being interested in zines and involved in the scene? Who better to start with than Cherry Styles, who is the founder of The Chapess zine, as well as Synchronise Witches, Based in Manchester, Cherry co-organised the first North West Zine Fest and makes up one quarter of the Salford Zine Library team. We chatted to some of the brilliant women behind some of the best zines around (about fab topics ranging from periods to feminism in Harry Potter) to get the low-down on DIY zine culture. How could you not want to get involved in that? At a time when more and more people are being pushed to the margins and muted they are literally taking things into their own hands. Up and down the UK engaged and inspiring women are coming together to create and distribute the kind of content they want to hear, without the restrictions and regulations often faced by the mainstream press. This results in some of the most engaging and welcoming communities, events and, of course, zines imaginable, all providing supportive and provocative outlets for discussions around many fascinating, need-to-talk-about topics.Īt a time when young people face mass unemployment and creatives are often expected to work for free, many have turned to DIY publishing to gain exposure and support each other. Its a way for critically and often politically thinking women, queers, POC, trans, genderqueer, non-binary, intersex, disabled, working class and otherwise marginalised peeps to exercise their voices. That is but a broad definition however as the zine world is progressive and evolving. There's plenty to get involved in, whatever your flavour, whether it is bad-ass comics, Spiceworld screening or shouty girl guitar music.Ī 'zine' is short for 'fanzine' and by definition is a non-commercial often home-made (DIY) publication usually devoted to specialized and often unconventional subject matter. Today, the world of zines continues to be a roller-coaster ride of creativity and ingenuity that offers a refreshing alternative to listicles, clickbait culture and advert-laden press.Īmazing women in the zine scene are creating and promoting gigs, screenings, workshops, marches, exhibitions, fairs and libraries offering support and welcoming new members around the country. DIY publications about punk, feminism, anarchism and eco topics have been an integral facet of counter and sub-culture since the 1970s. Zines are thriving across the UK and beyond, as a growing female-led DIY scene develops and distributes in the most welcoming community ever.