Grrrl Zine Riot

Austrian-born Elke Zobl has indeed created a “global feminist network taking back the media” with her site Grrrl Zine Network.

On the site, you can find “rebellious feminist zines: grrrl and lady zines, riot grrrl zines, transgender zines, zines by grrrls of color, lesbian/queer zines and many others!” The site also features interviews with zinesters from around the globe! I’ve never seen anything like this.

Zobl comments on how the site was started: “Five years ago, when I was looking for feminist zines on the Internet there was no comprehensive resource site available. So I decided to create one. That’s how GRRRL ZINE NETWORK, came into being. My overall goal for the web site is to share resources on grrrl zines in different languages, and to create connections between like-minded but often far-away feminist youth who read and produce zines. Currently the site is listing and linking around one thousand feminist-oriented zines and distros from more than thirty countries in twelve languages. The resource section provides information about feminist organizations, art, popular culture, and music projects. Another part compiles books, videos, journalistic and academic writing on grrrl zines. To exchange information and ideas, as well as to announce new issues or calls for submissions, I have also created a mailing list and message board. Both provide a forum for people interested in talking about zines, feminism and the global network!”

In addition to this work, Zobl has a deep commitment to feminist zine studies: “I am also doing research on alternative media (or citizens’ media), feminism and social change. I have written my dissertation on “The Global Grrrl Zine Network: A DIY Feminist Revolution for Social Change” (funded by the Austrian Academy of Science) (at the Institute for Theory, Practice and Mediation of Contemporary Art at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austria) as well as my master’s thesis on “Do-It-Yourself: Feminist Artistic Practice in Zines and Magazines.”

Great stuff!