A large table in the Boiler Room of Columbia’s library was covered in art supplies and folded paper. A handful of students traded stories and scraps of inspiration.
This was Zine Night, the library’s biweekly gathering dedicated to the art of self-published magazines. Jennifer Sauzer, head of access services and assessment at the library, led the first meeting of the semester on Wednesday, Sept. 10. She sees zines as a channel for lived experience.
“I think at this point, it’s really timely to allow people a path to share their lived experience,” Sauzer said.
For Carmen Rivero, a sophomore animation major, that path led to current events focused on community protection and rights awareness.
“I thought it’d be a good outlet to get some emotions out,” Rivero said.
Their plan was to make a zine about politics using photocopy paper. “There is some U.S. imagery and clowns, and I thought it would be fun to combine those and just make a piece about everything going on,” they said.
Zines are magazines that can be made by anyone and are mass produced by using a photocopier or printer. The club offered a cart filled with magazines and books to serve as inspiration.
Senior illustration major Abigail Pajeau first learned about Zine Night while working at the library. She helps Sauzer with running the club.
“I love zines,” Pajeau said. “I’ve been making my own for a couple years. A lot of mine are about the music that I like, or the political climate of the world and how it’s making me feel.”
At Zine Night, students were able to showcase and exchange their work with their peers.
The club also has a zine exchange stand, which can be found in the library’s first and fourth floors. Both members and non-members are able to leave a zine or pick one up.
The Zine group also has collaborated with the Chicago Public Library to showcase zines, with one session being held at the Uptown branch and another in Chinatown.
“It’s very low pressure,” Pajeau said. “However you’re feeling, whatever you want to express, you can do it.”
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Sauzer, who has a background in fine arts and communication, put it simply.
“I make them. I like them. I see that other people like them,” she said.
Copy edited by Manuel Nocera
