Introduce student veterans to zines and writing. Zines are an easy way to self-publish your personal stories or research. Every veteran has a story to tell, but the hardest part is where to start. This program will help student veterans with the writing process because they will form a community of writers, a comradery for those involved, and they will be reminded that they are not alone. This program involves creative writing, storytelling, healing, and growth. Veteran stories matter and they need to be documented because they provide a cultural insight to this present time.
All veterans and military members.
Most supplies can be gathered from items already in the workplace or library. Zine-making supplies to purchase (if needed): Scissors, stapler, glue sticks, pencils, pens, blank paper (copy paper works best), colored markers, and colored pencils.
This program is good year-round. Here are a couple of options: National Day on Writing October 20th and NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month held in November.
The program is typically an hour but could be for an hour and a half.
Zine-making materials: Markers, pens, pencils, scissors, tape, glue, stapler, magazines, and paper. Templates for zines are located in the LibGuide resource included in the additional resources section. Magazines and any ephemera ideas that can be used to cut and paste.
There should be an introduction session or portion on what a zine is. It’s important to introduce participants to a zine, have a brief discussion on the purpose, how to fold a zine, and distribute. When advertising for the workshop include images of zines and a brief description on the promotional material. Most people are not familiar with zine culture. Encourage student veterans to share their stories.
You can create a survey using Google Forms or if your library subscribes to LibGuides, LibWizard is helpful. If you are including a form with a survey or a link to the survey I would suggest also creating a QR code, so participants can scan and easily access the survey.
Contact the writing labs or veterans student center to partner with.
Rosemarie Rodriguez, Northwest Vista College Library
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (LG-12-19-0114).
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America’s museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. Our vision is a nation where museums and libraries work together to transform the lives of individuals and communities. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.