There are so many yummy autumnal foods! If you'd like to make a Fall food zine, here are some prompts to get you started:

Fall Food Acrostic:

Do you know what an acrostic poem is? Here’s an example:

P is for pôhpukun, the Wampanoag word that gives us “pumpkin.”
U is for the color umber, a dark, autumnal orange.
M is for Mexico, where the first pumpkin seeds were found.
P is for pepitas, which make delicious and salty snacks!
K is for kabocha, a dark green pumpkin from Japan.
I is for Ichabod Crane, who left a shattered pumpkin behind.
N is for night, when the jack-o-lanterns glow bright.

Create a zine with one line of your poem on every page. Illustrate that line! The zine could be a pumpkin acrostic or an acrostic about another beloved fall food. Some ideas: Atole, candy, sweet potatoes, persimmons, calabaza en tacha, and apples. Create a zine with one line of your poem on every page. Illustrate that line! The zine could be a pumpkin acrostic or an acrostic about another beloved fall food. Some ideas: Atole, candy, sweet potatoes, persimmons, calabaza en tacha, and apples. 

Autumn Food Traditions:

Does your family, community or friend group have any Fall food traditions? Do you make pan de muerto for Día de los Muertos or bat-shaped cookies for Halloween? Is there a certain candy you always buy, or does a trip to the pumpkin patch typically result in yummy pumpkin bread? Write a zine about a food tradition that’s important to you. You could include historical tidbits, interviews with friends and family members, recipes, favorite memories, and more!

Candy Reviews:

Love Pulparindo? Hate KitKats? Feel ambivalent about candy corn? Write a zine reviewing 5-10 candies you enjoy for Halloween, Día de Los Muertos, and/or other Fall holidays. If candy isn’t your thing, you could pick another Fall food theme: review autumnal vegetables, fruits, pies, soups, atoles or anything else that strikes your fancy.

These prompts were originally created for the University of Arizona Museum of Art's Community Day, which celebrated their The Art of Food exhibit.

You can learn more about Brave Books: Zines and Zine Libraries and find a guide to making your own zines here.

Photos by Tyler Espinoza Photography.