There’s something new in our children’s and teen area: a mural celebrating zines and zine-making! Painted by Ana Santos Acinas of Alley Cat Murals, it’s part of our Brave Books: Zines & Zine Libraries program, which started in 2021 and will continue for the next few years.

Zines are self-published booklets that have been made by artists and writers for generations, with roots in subcultures including science fiction and punk rock. We believe (and have seen) that they inspire young writers to work with their hands, get creative, and share their writing and art without having to go through traditional publishing gatekeepers. At the Poetry Center, participants of all ages can flip through zines on display, create their own using supplies on hand, or take a zine kit to go.

In addition to the mural, zine library playbox, and zine-making station at the Poetry Center, this iteration of Brave Books consists of a range of programming. We’re continuing our efforts to distribute zines kits to and teach workshops in local public libraries, as well as offering zine-based residencies through our Writing the Community program. We’re also gearing up for an exhibit, Cut & Paste!: Zines from the Poetry Center’s K-12 Programs & Beyond, which will feature zines from youth creators who are part of our K-12 education programs, affiliated classroom teachers and teaching artists, the Poetry Center’s archives, and the Arizona Queer Archives.

So stop on by to read and make some zines! And, if you have any questions about Brave Books: Zines and Zine Libraries and/or the programming we’re offering, you’re welcome to email us at pceducation@arizona.edu.