Zine in the world
Due Date: March 9th, 2005
General Instructions:
Construct a zine or other form of personal expression that addresses your experiences with gender, sexism, relationships, etc. Your composition/project must be focused on one or more incident(s), topic(s), issue(s), or situation(s), that relate(s) to class themes. Your zine/project may include self reflections from your class journal, or in class writes. Include a bio-poem or self-portrait for extra points. Your zine or project should include the equivalent of five typed pages of text. Use personal experience as your guide
Grading:
The assignment will be graded on: Originality and creativity; use of multiple forms of expression (e.g. poetry, prose, illustrations, graphics, comics, etc.) Focus or themes addresses; Authenticity and/or insight; Depth and validity of gender analysis; inclusion of examples, observations, and experiences; and effectiveness (clarity, coherence, organization) of writing. The use of theme as a binder will focus you, and as such becomes the platform for grading.
Resources:
I will give you some resources to provide you with an idea of what a zine is and how the writing slants to t the personal form of political. Review these materials in order to get an idea of what a zine is and looks like. Read the zines or other essays by young women to get an idea for your own composition.
K. Green and T. Taoramino. (1998) A grrrl’s guide to taking over the world. Seal Press
This contains a selection of some of the best zine entries and vignettes out there. A few years old but it will give you the ideas that you need.
F. Lia Block & H. Carlip. (1998). Zine Scene. Girl Press.
This book is on how to construct a zine. It explains the multiple purposes and formats of zines and gives step by step instructions. A must read for those who never heard of a zine.
S. Shandler. (1999). Ophelia Speaks: Adolescent Girls Write About Their Search for Self. Harper Collins.
This book provides poignant and realistic examples of young women’s writings that will give you ideas for your own compositions.
O. Edut (Ed.). (1998). Adios Barbie: Young Women Write About Body Image and Identity. Seal Press.
Another excellent example of essays on body image in young women’s own words that will inspire you in your own compositions.
M. Karp & D. Stoller (Eds.). (1999). The BUST Guide to the New Girl Order. Penguin.
A collection of humorous essays from the zine BUST that will inspire laughter and thought. The essays in this book range in styles and formats that will be a useful guide for your own zine.
Ideas and Options
There will be as many methods of constructing a zine or project as there are people in the class. Here are a few ideas on how to begin:
1. Focus on a particular experience. Write about your first sexual experience, your first intimate/romantic relationship, your self-esteem as a teenager, or an experience with violence.
2. Focus on your developing sense of your physical self, your body image, your use (non-use) of cosmetics, your experience with dieting and weight issues, etc. Include a self-portrait.
3. Focus on role models or individuals who influenced who you are today.
4. PHOTOGRAPHS AND ARTIFACTS AND MAPPING: Sometimes it helps to assemble a handful of photographs or artifacts from your life to help spark your memory. You may want to include a collage or scrapbook or some images.
5. Zines often include poetry, comics, illustrations/drawings, collages, quotations, and even recipes.
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