Diversity in Music: Zine Recs

Updated and Expanded

Access is intersectional- so get to know whats at those intersections. Not only does it strengthen you politically, but there’s so much more cool shit out in the world to discover once you commit to learning about the things you love. So here are a few other great books, zines, newsletters and beyond, discussing disability, race, misogyny, gender, sexuality, saftey, organizing and inclusion. I’m having a hard crash this week after overdoing it (washed my hair and ended up in bed for 3 days), so this week’s isssue is pretty late, but I’m really excited for the works featured here as well as some of the future issues I have in the works.

Coming up sometime next week: An interview with Jake Walker of Faulty Wires. Give them a listen

Antifa, Autism, and The Border Wall Around Punk- Free Download

I’ve never been particularly good at the social stuff. Punk has always appealed to me for that reason, but I’ve always been on the sidelines of punk looking in, unable to perform my own unintelligibility and rage in the proper way for acceptance.

Building: A DIY Guide to Creating Spaces, Hosting Events and Fostering Radical Communities- Free Download

Building is a comprehensive guide to hosting events as a means of creating radical communities. The zine primarily provides a thorough guide to creating spaces (whether they be opening your house or some other type of space) for hosting events.

Black Punk Now

Black Punk Now is an anthology of contemporary nonfiction, fiction, illustrations, and comics that collectively describe punk today and give punks—especially the Black ones—a wider frame of reference.  It shows all of the strains, styles, and identities of Black punk that are thriving, and gives newcomers to the scene more chances to see themselves.

diary of a sista grrrl zine: Buy from the creator

htx based zine about being a black lesbian in the punk and alternative scenes

Harm Reduction for DIY Venues- Free Download

Our title has most often been interpreted as [DIY Venue] Harm Reduction (harm reduction for DIY Venues). But we think of it more as [DIY] Venue Harm Reduction -This resource centers the needs of low-budget, precarious DIY situations, while expanding beyond ad hoc strategies.  

Fag School #1 - Free on The POC Zine Project Issu

Fag School, a series of publications featuring interviews, photographs, writings and more from a predominately gay selection of contributors.

In issue #1, Alvin Orloff, The Husbands, Coloring, Ask Allison, Scream Club, and other queer tastemakers are lauded for their candid descriptions of a punk and free-wheeling lifestyle. Fag School also printed tongue-and-cheek reviews of public cruising grounds that entice and entertain those who have dabbled in these areas of life (and those who haven’t).

The First 7-inch Was Better: How I Became an Ex-Punk- Free on The POC Zine Project Issu

By Nia King

Making Spaces Safer: A Guide to Giving Harassment the Boot Wherever You Work, Play, and Gather - Internet Archive

Shawna Potter, singer for the band War On Women, has tackled sexism and harassment in lyrics and on stage for years. Taking the battle to music venues themselves, she has trained night clubs and community spaces in how to create safer environments for marginalized people

Muchacha Fanzine #16: Decolonize Punk - Free on Issu

Aimed at celebrating the overlooked contributions of punks of color, Muchacha Fanzine’s “Decolonize Punk” explores how punk is a political identity and radical subculture that Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) use as a tool to resist systemic oppression.

No Bystanders: by Mike Nowotarski- Free Download

A zine dedicated towards addressing the twin issues of harassment and abuse of power in DIY music. Click the image to purchase on Bandcamp.

Outset: Women and Nonbinary Black, Indigenous and POC in Punk Rock

A zine about the roots of punk and the women and non-binary BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color) pioneers at the movement’s advent.

Sing It Like the Kids That Are Mean To You: A Collection of Works by Emos of Color

a collection of works about what it means to exist as a person of color in emo/punk/alt-rock/etc scenes and in online "bandom."

Shotgun Seamstress: by and for Black Punks since 2006 -Free on Issu

Shotgun Seamstress was made by Osa Atoe. The zine came out of the experience of being the only black kid at the punk show. Shotgun Seamstress is a black punk fanzine turned book written, compiled and laid out by hand by Osa Atoe

Weirdo Zine:

WEIRDO is a UK-based zine and platform documenting the experiences and perspectives of South Asian people in the alternative scene across the world.

Women Who Rock 'Zine: Making Scenes, Building Communities- Free on The POC Zine Project Issu

Women Who Rock ‘Zine #1 is based on material created for, during, and inspired by the Women Who Rock Conference, which highlights both contemporary and past movements in and outside of Seattle by bringing together musicians, activists, writers, advocates, and scholars to talk about questions of female representation and access for women with music scenes.