NYC Feminist Zinefest 2016

Dozens of ziners featured their personal zines at the NYC Feminist ZineFest,
 held at Barnard College this past February.

            Despite the brisk, wintry air of February 28th successfully infiltrating the streets of New York, it failed to extinguish the warmth emanating from inside Barnard College. Occurring on the third floor was the fourth-annual NYC Feminist ZineFest, where over fifty tables featuring individualized booklets were on display for the public. For those of you who aren't familiar with the term 'zine', they resemble comics; short for magazine or fanzine, zines are self-publications motivated by self-expression rather than profit. Many of the zines exhibited touched serious topics, ranging from personal stories of an author's past to the larger issues that plague our world today. "The event is really representative of intersectional feminism," said Jenna Freedman, the Zine Librarian at Barnard College (which holds over 7,000 zines!) and also one of the five organizers for this event. "Three times the amount of tables we have here today applied to the event, but sadly we can't fit them all," Freedman remarked on deciding who gets their own exclusive table at the event. "We research the applicants extensively, deciding on who would bring an interesting collection to the event. It's hard." As I toured the tables, Freedman's words echoed in my head, and I saw the individuality of every author represented in their works. I made sure to pick up a couple of zines myself, astonished at how blunt and personal they were. Powerful messages and images can be found on every page of these zines, packing heavy ideas within such tiny pamphlets. 

Three zines that  I purchased at the Fest; Preta, 
Sticks & Stones, and Suburban Blight

            Despite the name, the Zinefest did not only focus on feminist ideologies; many of the zines that struck me hit upon the social justice movements that we see daily. Suburban Blight, a zine penned by 'Steph', embraces that we are living in the midst of one of the most potent social movements of our generation, Black Lives Matter. Side-by-side this headlining movement are feminists protesting the rape culture that is infecting society, as well as teachers striking for their own entitlements. Immediately upon going through the pages of this zine and others did I find connections to the themes and works that we've delved into in the classroom. The course illuminates how all of movements —racial- or gender-based, social or political — are not new; rather, they are merely evolutions of past ideologies. In Native Son, we see the racism exuding from the pages both before and after Bigger is convicted for Mary's death. Today, the most influential movement that is taking the country by storm is Black Lives Matter. Countless examples of racial prejudice is fueling this ongoing fire, leaving us to wonder where it will lead in the near future. In The Crying of Lot 49, we see Oedipa not taken seriously and trapped in the traditional gender role of a housewife, as she is a woman in a men's world. Feminists today are taking a stand against the focal point of female oppression today: rape culture. These societal problems have existed for ages, and we are seeing modern versions of them every day, everywhere.

             While the class itself has displayed that the social movements of today are by no means new, the zines reflect their own impact in conjunction with the course itself. Our focus is to achieve a more solid understanding of how social class is represented and its intersection with different issues, something found in the hundreds of zines that were displayed at the Zinefest. Bits and pieces of this central idea are symbolized throughout the zines, with each authors' personal spin on the topic. The Zinefest takes what we are learning in the classroom out into the open, such that the public eye can get a glimpse into the people behind the movements. This event is held all over the world in other major cities and areas, meaning that millions of similar zines are constantly being circulated around with unique, empowering stories and outlooks. We sit in the classroom, studying; the zines are out there, teaching. The NYC Feminist ZineFest provided a glimpse of these stories and their individualities, and I highly recommend getting your hands on one of these magnificent manuscripts, and fast. 

The back cover of Suburban Blight

For more information on this event, visit feministzinefestnyc.wordpress.com