Since it's Halloween week, here are some prompts to make your very own creative, spooky, celebratory Hallowzines! While these prompts can be adapted to any age (including adults!), we’ve separated them into suggested ideas for K-3rd, 4-6th, and 7-12th graders. You can learn more about Brave Books: Zines and Zine Libraries and find a guide to making your own zines here.

K-3rd grade:

• If you could invent a monster, what would it look like? Where would it live? What sort of tricks would it get up to? Write or draw a zine about your invented monster!
• Ask a friend or family member to tell you a scary story. Turn it into a zine, writing and illustrating it. Be sure to credit the person/people who told you the story!
• Who or what are you dressing up as this year? Write or draw a zine from the perspective of who/whatever you’re pretending to be.

4th-6th grade:

• Write a ghost story from the perspective of the ghost.
• Imagine a haunted house. Where is it located? What does it look like? Who lives there? Who haunts it?  What does it smell like? What kind of sounds does it make? Write a zine that’s a guided tour of your haunted house.
• Pumpkins are delicious! Create a pumpkin-themed zine: Add a recipe, an ode to pumpkins, illustrations, lists of why you like pumpkins, painting or carving instructions, etcetera. (You could also create a zine about another Halloween-related topic that excites you: bats, vampires, costume parties, you name it!)

7th-12th grade:

• Write a review zine of your favorite scary movies, types of Halloween candy, or favorite monsters.
• Create an art zine of collages, drawings, and photographs about Halloween or another spooky topic.
• Interview people (friends, family, strangers) about Halloween. What does the holiday mean to them? What’s their favorite scary story or type of candy? Has anything spooky ever happened to them on Halloween? What’s the best costume they’ve ever put together? Create an interview zine out of their replies.

All ages:

• Write a perzine (personal zine) about what Halloween means to you. Do you love it? Hate it? Is it important in your family, or something you don’t celebrate? What are your favorite parts? Least favorite parts? What would your perfect Halloween entail?

These prompts were originally created for zine kits made in collaboration with librarians at the Dr. Fernando Escalante Tribal Library and Resource Center. The example zine in the post, "When Bats Roost," was created by the Education Department's own Gema Ornelas!

Want to share your zine with us? Drop it off, email us at pceducation@arizona.edu, or mail it to: K-12 Education c/o the UA Poetry Center, 1508 East Helen Street, Tucson, AZ 85721