Avery Cheeseman, arts and culture editor

Two Wednesdays ago, on Nov. 12, Queer, Indigenous, People of Color (QIPOC) hosted a zine-making event. At the event, students were given a synopsis of zine history and culture from guest speaker Lizz Caicedo. Zines are small, self-published booklets that can cover a wide array of topics, which makes them a very accessible and beginner-friendly art form in a way that a lot of other art forms are not. This diversity and abundance of zines was also discussed at the event, as Caicedo spoke about the early history of zines. “Zines had been around since basically the beginning of time. There’s no, like, legit first original (zine) because the art’s just always been around,” according to Augsburg student Sofi Gutierrez. 

Queer culture is so very tied to zine-making. This is a really important aspect of zine culture that cannot be overlooked. According to Gutierrez, “A lot of [zine making] was very rooted in early queer history. Like most of the earliest recorded zines were queer, and I think that’s very important to know when making them.” Because of this deep history, zines are truly a celebration of queer art and identity.

Even though the event only had about 15 students in attendance, there were still many wonderful zines created. Gutierrez stated that “there were so many great examples that the host brought for us to look at.” Gutierrez did have a favorite zine, one that was created by Beti Milashu, the historian for QIPOC. “They made a really, like, aesthetic kind of newspaper cutout zine, and it was, like, super collage-y and it was so beautiful.” 

This event served as a great way for students to hang out with friends and make some fun zines in the process. Gutierrez had a lovely time making zines and felt a deep connection to the art that they were creating, even if it was just shitposting. Gutierrez mentioned with a small chuckle that they specifically liked creating zines for “my friends and for the people that know me because I feel like it’s a little opening into my mind, my sick and twisted mind.” Whatever the reason for making zines, everyone found camaraderie in being able to create art together.

If you missed this QIPOC club meeting, fear not, because there are more events just around the corner. QIPOC is planning to host a “make the Yuletide gay” event this winter, and there are plenty of fun ways to get involved with QIPOC going forward. Follow QIPOC’s Instagram @augsburg.qipoc to stay up to date with upcoming events.