Finding Zines
There are so many ways to locate zines outside of the Whitworth Library! Attending a local zine fest, purchasing through a distro, or reaching out directly to a creator are all great options! The resources on this page will help you locate zines in the Pacific Northwest (and elsewhere), as well as connect with other zine communities and resources.
Local Zine Spots
- Birds Nest Zine LibraryBird’s Nest is a community zine library located inside of Spark Central. The collection is non-circulating, and you can read zines at Spark Central during their open hours.
- Auntie's BookstoreAuntie's Bookstore in downtown Spokane sells zines and books about zines on their website and in their store. Check their site for availability and ordering options.
Zine Fests & Events
Know of any other zine-related events? Email Sophia at sduval@whitworth.edu to include it here!
Zines on the West Side
This is just a small selection of libraries and independent bookstores with zine collections in Seattle and Portland. Visit them on your next trip!
(A note: Some zine libraries may require an appointment.)
Zine Union Catalog (ZUC)
Zinecat.org is a union catalog dedicated to zines. A union catalog is a resource where libraries can share cataloging and holdings information. The Zine Union Catalog (ZUC) lets researchers discover zine holdings by searching a single catalog, and helps librarians copy catalog records to facilitate lending across libraries. ZUC serves educators, researchers, librarians, archivists, and anyone in the general public with an interest in zines.
ZUC contains over 30,000 records from partner libraries including ABC No Rio, the Barnard Zine Library, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Denver Zine Library, the Queer Zine Archive Project and the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture at Duke University.
Places to Buy, Sell, Read, & Connect
You can purchase zines from these distributors. Some allow you to submit your own zines for distribution.
- Antiquated FutureAn online store, zine distro, pop-up shop, and tape label that operates out of Portland, Oregon. Zine genres available include personal, historical, humor, personal-as-political, literary, and music. Check out their "Links" page for links to active distros and other zine resources.
- Back Pocket PressBack Pocket Press is a zine distro and community printing press established in ypsilanti, michigan in 2013.
- Bluestockings CooperativeBluestockings Cooperative is a worker-owned community space and bookstore guided by the principles of abolition feminism, solidarity, and transformative justice practices.
- Brown Recluse Zine DistroCreated to support and center zines written predominantly by people of color.
- CrapandemicSelf-described goth zine distro in Indiana.
- Doris PressOfferings include feminist, queer, perzines, political zines, and much more.
- EtsyHome of all things handmade and DIY, including zines.
- Mend My Dress PressA small publisher and distributor based out of Tacoma, Washington.
- Microcosm PublishingAn independent publisher and distributor in Portland, OR.
- Pen Fight DistroA feminist and queer shop and small press based in Manchester, UK.
- Portland Button WorksPortland Button Works specializes in making custom buttons, but also offers their own designs in addition to running a zine, comic, and book distro.
- Quimby'sMassive collection of zines, running the gamut of possible topics.
- Sprout DistroSprout Distro is "an anarchist zine distro (distributor) and publisher based in the occupied territory currently known as the United States."
- Stay Kind!Stay Kind! publishes and distributes creative works including zines and buttons. A portion of all sales are donated to initiatives supporting positive change in our communities.
- Sweet Candy DistroOpen since 2004 and based in Olympia, Washington. Current inventory includes zines on a variety of topics, such as mental health, feminism, body image, food, travel, fiction, and more.
- Wasted Ink Zine DistroA Phoenix-based distro and brick-and-mortar shop that specializes in local and international zines.
- Zines & ThingsZines & Things is a literary zine press, a zine shop and the home to a literary reading series called ‘tell me a story.'
- Zine-O-MaticMonthly zine subscription service.
- The Word DistributionA source for a variety of DIY projects - art, buttons, patches, and of course - zines.
A growing number of digital projects are providing access to zines and zine culture in new ways. Below are some examples of completed and ongoing projects, many including PDFs you can download.
- Beyond the Riot The Zine Scenes project (in progress) is a simultaneously archival and inventive initiative led by Alana Kumbier (project leader), Michele Hardesty, and Leslie Fields. 'Zine Scenes' is the name of the project's final format: an interactive website with narrative game elements through which visitors can encounter zines and the subcultures in which they were produced and circulated.
- Broken Beautiful Press Radical zines, many by women of color, with PDFs available to download for free from the site.
- Circulation Zero PDF downloads of 3 West Coast Punk Zines.
- Coslet-Sapienza Fantasy and Science Fiction Fanzines This collection is comprised of over 15,000 fanzines that date from 1937-1972, which reside in the Special Collections department at UMBC.
- Digital Dada Archive View the University of Iowa's impressive collection of Dada periodicals (36 in total), books, leaflets, and ephemera online.
- Gidra Collection (Densho) Contains 66 issues of Gidra, an influential grassroots Asian American newspaper, from its founding in 1969 until 2001.
- Independent Voices An open access digital collection of alternative press newspapers, magazines and journals, drawn from the special collections of participating libraries.
- Internet Archive Zines This is a collection of zines that can be found on the Archive.
- Joan Flasch Artists' Book Collection An online guide and finding aid for the collection of artists' publications (including zines) available in Flaxman Library Special Collections.
- OCAD U Zine LIbrary on ArtStor Shared Shelf Established in 2007, the OCAD University Zine Library is an ever-growing collection of self-published and handmade objects located in the OCAD University Library's Learning Zone. The collection was created to inspire, educate and entertain, to encourage collaboration between OCAD U students and to open up the world of zines for readers and creators everywhere.
- Papercut Zine Library's Virtual Library A collection of zines that are available online as PDFs or other digital versions.
- POC Zine Project Archive of downloadable zines made by People or Color, with the mission of making POC-created zines easy to find, distribute, and share.
- Printed Matter Digital Downloads Digital artists' publications, including zines, available for free download from NYC art bookstore Printed Matter.
- Punk Planet Archive Punk Planet was a 16,000 print run punk zine based in Chicago, IL, that focused most of its energy on looking at punk subculture rather than punk as simply another genre or music to which teenagers listen. In addition to covering music, Punk Planet also covered visual arts and a wide variety of progressive issues - including media criticism, feminism, and labor issues.
- Queer Zine Archive Project (QZAP) QZAP was first launched in November 2003 in an effort to preserve queer zines and make them available to other queer folks, researchers, historians, punks, and anyone else who has an interest in DIY publishing and underground queer communities.
- Rising Together Zine Archive An open digital zine archive/exhibition held from 2017-2021. The purpose of the digital archive is to give CBAA members, and the broader book arts community, a direct way to react and give voice to issues of social justice, power, politics, and environment.
- Solidarity! Revolutionary Center and Radical Library A digitized collection comprised of zines that were part of the Solidarity! collection.
- Zines of the 80s and 90s Scanned images of zines from the late 80s and early 90s, from the collection of Public Collections founder Marc Fischer.
Want to connect with other zine creators and enthusiasts? Check out the following sites!
- Stolen Sharpie RevolutionA DIY Resource for Zines and Zine Culture
- POC Zine ProjectMission: To make all zines by people of color easy to find, distribute and share. POCZP is an experiment in activism and community through materiality.
- Zine WikiAn open-source encyclopedia devoted to zines and independent media. It covers the history, production, distribution and culture of the small press.
- Zinelibraries.infoAn informational site for librarians (or anyone!) who maintains zine collections.
- The Zine Pavilion at ALAThe Zine Pavilion is a space on the exhibit floor at ALA Annual to display zines, meet zine librarians, and talk about how zines can fit in your library.
- The Book of ZinesA collection of articles on zine history.
- We Make ZinesAn active online community for zine writers and readers.
- Girl Zines A-Go-GoA San Diego-based zine collective that teaches workshops, hosts reading rooms,and promotes DIY media.
- Queer Zine Archive Project (QZAP)QZAP was launched in November 2003 in an effort to preserve queer zines and make them available to other queers, researchers, historians, punks, and anyone else who has an interest DIY publishing and underground queer communities.
- Small Science CollectiveA collaboration of scientists, artists, students, and anyone else interested in science, this project produces small zines and web comics on a variety of topics.
- Zine SitesGuide to online zine resources from the Barnard Zine Library
Zine Reviews
Because of the typically small circulation and de-centralized distribution of zines, review publications can be incredibly handy for identifying your next read! Most contain brief summaries, contact information, and pricing.
- Broken PencilA magazine and not-for-profit organization that is devoted to the celebration of zine culture and the independent arts. Recent issues of Broken Pencil are available online via Literature Resource Center.
- Factsheet FiveAn influential and comprehensive guide to zines and alternative publications, now accessible on the Internet Archive
- Zine NationA current blog featuring zine reviews and interviews.
Zine Libraries & Collections Elsewhere
A not-at-all comprehensive list of zine collections & libraries in the United States and elsewhere. For more places to look, check out the Barnard Zine Library's directory of zine libraries.
- Anchor Archive Zine LibraryHalifax, Nova Scotia
- Barnard Zine LibraryNew York, NY
- Bowling Green State UniversityBowling Green, OH
- Denver Zine LibraryDenver, CO
- Fales Library Riot Grrl CollectionNew York, NY
- OCAD U Zine LibraryToronto, Ontario
- Papercut Zine LibrarySomerville, MA
- RISD Library Zine CollectionProvidence, RI
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Library & ArchivesCleveland, OH
- Salford Zine LibraryManchester, UK
- Salt Lake City Public LibrarySalt Lake City, UT
- San Francisco Public LibrarySan Francisco, CA
- University of Iowa Zine & Amateur Press CollectionsIowa City, IA
- University of Miami Libraries Zine CollectionCoral Gables, FL
- Zines at the New York Public LibraryNew York, NY