By Diane Gilleland
Zines (short for "fanzines" or "magazines") are self-published booklets about any subject that grabs you. (Seriously, you can find a zine about just about anything.) There's a rich zine culture around the world, where music fans, writers, comic book artists, citizen journalists, poets, and others of every stripe are making, trading, and selling their creations.
Zine-making is also a fantastic activity for kids. Not only are zines a fun means of creative expression, making them gives kids a little insight into how published books and magazines are made, and may help them think more critically about what goes into those mainstream publications.
Here are some fun ways to create zine-making experiences for kids of all ages.
