Since the Fall of 2021, our Brave Books theme has celebrated Zines and Zine Libraries— creative, self-made publications that invite students to share their voices, stories, and imaginations in unique and personal ways. 

As we enter the final year of our zine theme, we want to celebrate by showcasing student zines from across Arizona! From now through April 2026, we’re inviting students to submit their original zines to be featured in our Zine Library located in the Children’s Area of the Poetry Center. We encourage students of all grades to submit.

We welcome zines of all kinds—handmade or digital, collaborative or solo, serious or playful. Zines can include poems, stories, drawings, collages, interviews, photography, or anything else that feels creative and true to you. If you need ideas for where to start, check out this blog post: Unstuck: Ideas for Your Next Zine.

Throughout the year, we’ll be highlighting student zines in blog posts, social media spotlights, and displaying them at the Poetry Center. This is a chance for students to see their creative work shared and celebrated alongside others in our community.

To submit a zine:

1. Fill out the media release form: English    Spanish 
   (Physical forms are also available in person at the Poetry Center.) 

2. Mail or drop off your zine at the Poetry Center, or email a digital file.

   Send zines to:
   UA Poetry Center
   c/o K-12 Education
   1508 E Helen St.
   Tucson, AZ 85719

   or pceducation@arizona.edu

If you are a K-12 educator, librarian, or community educator and want to explore ways to involve your students in the zine call, please reach out to Eva Sierra at emsierra@arizona.edu.

Zine Lesson Plans and Resources

If you are looking for ways to create and use zines in the classroom, check out these lesson plans and resources created by Poetry Center partners and staff:

Lesson Plan: My Culture Is…: A Zine Exercise based on Tato Laviera’s “Spanglish” (Grades 6-12)
Lesson Plan: Making Little Poetry Books of Questions to a Nature Being (Grades PreK-5)
Lesson Plan: Make your own "You" Tube and "I like to watch" books (Grades K-5)
Blog Post: Make a Tucson Zine!: An Activity for Kids of All Ages
Blog Post: Brave Books: Winter Zine Prompts

We are so excited to see what you submit! As always, you can browse our current zine collection in the Poetry Center's children's area.