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From Xerox to Liberation: The Zine Underground
- Ash Antunez
- Mar 13
- 9 min read
Birthed from chunky Xerox machines, devoid of hierarchical editorial mastheads and ads, zines were never just publications—they were movements. Unlike traditional magazines driven by profit, zines pulsed with raw creative energy, existing beyond the realm of marketing tools.
Unbound by size, these self-published booklets shifted the cultural subconscious, shaping our perceptions of art, politics, fashion, and design in ways that still resonate today. First emerging in the 1830s and gaining momentum in the 1960s & 1970s, zines thrived in DIY countercultural circles. They weren’t just reflections of their time; they were tools of resistance—carving out space for identity politics and artistic experimentation that mainstream glossies ignored or dismissed.
As a result, zines became textbooks for marginalized and queer communities, unshackled from the corporate politeness and systemic bigotry of the era.
“No mainstream publication could ignore Black, queer, or women’s issues, but the alternative press was built on them,” said historian and zine collector Vince Aletti, who contributed to the 2021 exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago. “Their voices generated much of the fervor and fury of the time.”
This fervor not only defined the post-Civil Rights counterculture of the 1970s and 1980s but also revolutionized print media itself.
And the beauty of zines? All you need is a library of originals. From there, you can scan, fold, and staple copies in minutes—keeping the movement alive, one page at a time.
I must give a nod to a few of my favorite zine collections:
South Chicago ABC Zine Distro-
Since 1998, the South Chicago ABC Zine Distro, led by Anthony Rayson, has been sharing zines from an extensive collection with prisoners while collaborating with incarcerated activists. Through editing, producing, and publishing the writings and art of politicized prisoners, the distro advances a broader mission of public education and radical advocacy.
Anthony Rayson wrote his first zine, The People’s Polar Express, in the 1970s after dropping out of Grinnell College as a protest against U.S. military action in Cambodia—and in defiance of what he saw as a tepid response from his peers. “Grinnell students only struck for one day,” Rayson recalls. “So I said, ‘No, I’m staying on strike.’” He spent two years hitchhiking across the country, eventually returning to his parents’ home in Tinley Park, where he wrote over a hundred pages of creative work.
Two decades later, Rayson now receives 80 to 100 zine requests from prisons each week. Some incarcerated individuals request a specific title, while others ask for as many zines as he can send. With the help of a single volunteer, he strives to fulfill every request within three weeks.
Rayson not only supplies educational materials but wholeheartedly supports prisoners in organizing their own education and liberation efforts. “Prisons are really where there are the most brilliant people to collaborate with,” he remarks to writers at ChicagoMag.
He estimates that each zine is shared with up to 20 people beyond the original requestor. Some prisoners read them aloud through air vents, while others use makeshift clotheslines to pass them between cells.
Despite facing threatening letters for his anti-racist activism and lawsuits accusing him of inciting riots and strikes, Rayson remains adamant. He is committed to importing love through the concrete walls of the prison system.
At its core, the ABC operates on the principle: "We are down with all those who fight for the abolition of all police and prisons, who refuse the logic of compromise and reform, who take bold action—breaking the spell of law and order—to defend the earth and each other against all forms of oppression, domination, and exploitation."
You can check out their extensive library at: South Chicago ABC Zine Library
THING
A living, breathing testament to Black queer resistance, creativity, and defiance. More than just a zine, it was a radical space that gave Black queer voices a platform at a time when they were silenced by both mainstream society and parts of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Born in an era of crisis, Thing emerged amidst the devastation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which ravaged queer communities and was exacerbated by the Reagan-Bush administration’s callous indifference. Against this backdrop of loss and systemic neglect, it became an electrifying vessel of joy, solidarity, and expression—deeply rooted in both cultural and political struggle.
Founded in the late 1980s by writer and DJ Robert T. Ford, alongside Trent Adkins and Lawrence Warren, the magazine took shape in Ford’s Chicago apartment—an intimate, creative rebellion against marginalization. Its debut came just two months after ACT UP activists chained themselves to the New York Stock Exchange in protest of exorbitant AIDS medication costs. Within its pages, poetry, house music, visual art, and drag performance flourished. At its core, Thing was a rejection of erasure and assimilation. It stood in direct opposition to the sanitized, heteronormative portrayals of queerness that dominated the era, offering instead an unfiltered, unapologetic space for Black queer life in all its radical complexity.
Some say that we have the power to stop homophobia by curtailing our ‘outrageousness’; by suppressing any hint of a sissified camp sensibility, we can easily assimilate into the mainstream. Be more inconspicuous, invisible. But what reward is conditional freedom? Don’t believe the hype. There’s nothing wrong with being a queen.
Through interviews with groundbreaking figures—Marlon Riggs, Joan Jett Blakk, Essex Hemphill, RuPaul, DJ Frankie Knuckles, and Vaginal Davis—Thing captured the voices that defined Black queer culture in the late 20th century. Their insights into art, politics, and lived experience weren’t just featured; they were woven into the magazine’s fabric, creating a vibrant, rebellious dialogue that continues to resonate today.
Yet Thing was more than just a magazine—it was a community. Readers’ letters, photographs, and notes filled its pages, a testament to the love, solidarity, and gratitude it inspired. It was a space of recognition, where Black queer folks saw themselves reflected and honored—their struggles validated, their joy celebrated.
You can check out one of Thing's archives at:
Sprout Distro
An anarchist zine distributor and publisher, Sprout Distro “operates from the occupied territory currently known as the United States,” offering hundreds of zines on topics ranging from direct action to political theory. Its primary goal is not just to distribute literature but to share practical skills for our own survival independent from the state.
Within its extensive archive, Sprout Distro introduces the concept of an anarchist ecology—one rooted in anti-colonial and anti-authoritarian principles, resisting domination in all its forms. This means learning from the land itself, from Indigenous traditions that have endured despite centuries of violence, and from each other, as we forge new ways of living that challenge hierarchy and exploitation.
A significant portion of Sprout Distro’s collection focuses on security—how anarchists and activists can protect themselves and their communities from both state and non-state repression. These resources cover personal and collective security measures, offering strategies for digital privacy, resisting surveillance, and navigating encounters with law enforcement.
But security is not just about defense—it is about building. Sprout Distro promotes organizing and collective action, offering zines that outline practical steps for creating anarchist infrastructure: forming affinity groups, defending autonomous spaces, squatting, starting reading groups, and establishing collectives rooted in mutual aid. These materials inspire and equip individuals to build horizontal, self-organized communities that embody anarchist principles.
Understanding the legal realities faced by activists is crucial. Sprout Distro provides insights into anarchist interactions with the legal system, covering "know your rights" training, grand jury resistance, and survival strategies for jail and prison. These materials share hard-won lessons from past struggles, emphasizing the power of solidarity while making clear they are not a substitute for legal counsel.
Alongside security, Sprout Distro also offers zines on reproductive health and consent, recognizing bodily autonomy as central to liberation. These materials provide practical knowledge on self-managed healthcare, abortion access, and survivor-led discussions on consent and accountability—essential resources in building a world free from coercion and control.
One standout offering from Sprout Distro builds on the legacy of Do or Die: Voices from the Ecological Resistance. This zine critically examines the state of contemporary ecological resistance, particularly Earth First! in the UK, and explores the intersections of insurrectionary anarchism & radical environmentalism.
“We are settlers on this land, raised in cities, severed from the roots that once bound people to place, alienated from the ecosystems we remain a part of yet barely understand. The dominant culture has taught us to see the land as something to extract from, control, and commodify—but we reject this. We want to unlearn the myths of ownership and supremacy that have shaped our disconnection, and in their place, we seek to re-learn joy, connection, and wonder. We embrace grief and loss not as burdens, but as necessary steps toward healing. Decolonization is not a metaphor—it is an ongoing struggle to rebuild relationships with the land based on care, reciprocity, and respect.”
Through personal reflections and sharp analysis, the zine interrogates the strategic impasses that have stalled ecological resistance and proposes new directions for action.
In every aspect of its vast archive collection, Sprout Distro seeks to challenge the oppressors, deepen resistance, and cultivate radical imagination. Whether through security manuals, organizing strategies, or ecological theory, these zines offer more than just tools—they offer visions of another world, already taking root in the cracks of the old one.
You can check out their extensive library at: Sprout Distro
Godzine
I cannot continue without giving flowers to my dearest friend, Godzine—a self-taught experimental film and digital photographer, writer, zine-ist, and DIY enigma. Their work defies convention, existing at the intersection of analog nostalgia and digital surrealism, where the past and future collapse into a singular, dreamlike vision.
Blending film grain with pixelated glitches and layering archival public domain images with fragments of personal history, Godzine constructs worlds that feel both eerily familiar and completely untethered from time. Their methodology is deceptively simple yet deeply profound: pour your soul into every single thing you create and send it out into the universe, untethered, unafraid. Each photograph, zine, and piece of writing functions as both a love letter and a manifesto—a meditation on memory, resistance, and the beauty of unfiltered imperfection.
Their DIY ethos isn’t just an aesthetic choice; it’s a philosophy. Godzine embraces the raw, the unpolished, the mistakes that become the magic. Whether through hand-cut collages, scratched negatives, or glitch-ridden digital prints, their work carries an unshakable authenticity. It exists in defiance of commercialism, algorithm-driven art, and the demand for perfection in creative expression.
But beyond the art, there is the friendship. And that is its own kind of masterpiece. Being friends with Godzine is like opening the door to my soul and having it realized—fully seen, fully understood, without explanation or pretense. They are a collaborator, a mentor, a mirror reflecting back the truths I might have otherwise overlooked. Their influence ripples outward—not just through the art they make but in the way they encourage others to create without fear, to embrace impermanence, and to exist unapologetically.
“Chicago’s broader creative community is so incredibly vibrant at the moment, and it feels like something we can really be proud to take part in– especially when we witness the beautiful variety and ingenuity of its seemingly immeasurable creatives! There have been multiple points in history where the world had its eyes on Chicago – now is one of those times.”
Godzine is not just an artist but an experience—one that lingers, disrupts, and refuses to fade.
Now, it’s your turn!
Let’s translate all of this inspiration into your own zine-making adventure. Whether you’re an artist, a writer, or just someone with unique ideas, a zine is your platform for self-expression without gatekeepers.
Here’s how to get started with the assistance of
Step 1: What Excites you?
Pick a topic that deeply inspires you, something you can talk about for hours, or something that feels underrepresented in mainstream media. Zines have no limits.
Step 2: Organize your ideas.
Brainstorm and document your ideas. You can use Pinterest for digital mood boards or jot down notes in a physical journal. If you want to collaborate, bring others in and ensure clear roles and credits. Author & Creator Austin Kleon's creative methods are a great reference for brainstorming.
Step 3: Design your Zine.
As you begin designing the zine, think about its creative direction. Playful? Interactive? Minimalistic? Bold? Consider things like size, format, and the materials you’ll use. Do you want it to fit in a pocket, or will it be larger and more scrapbook-style? Whether hand-crafted or digital, make it true to your vision.
Step 4: Production time.
Once the content is ready, decide how to make it tangible. Print it at home, use a local printer, or take advantage of UIC’s free printing services. If you can’t print, share a digital version and let others print it themselves.
Step 5: Distribute & Connect.
Share your zine! Sell or give it away at local fairs, on campus, or online. Digital versions can be shared on social media. The zine community thrives on connection, so trade with others, attend zine fairs, and spread the word on digital platforms like Instagram.
The secret to a successful zine? Creativity, openness, and fun! Don’t stress about perfection—what matters is expressing your voice and ideas in a way that feels true to you.
As Keehnen Ford beautifully puts it, “We wanted to make a magazine that would be a way of documenting our existence and contribution to society. Our idea was not so much to radicalize or subvert the idea of magazines as to make one from our own point of view. It wasn't about deconstructing what a magazine is, it was playing within its perimeters.”
The world is waiting for your voice. So go ahead, dive in, and start creating. Your zine is your contribution, your manifesto, your creative rebellion. The world needs your perspective.
Happy zine-making! With love & care, Ash ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
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