Looking for a project to keep your kids busy while schools are closed in response to COVID-19? Or an activity that you can do alongside your children? Maybe you just want a fun distraction for yourself while you’re social distancing?
Inspired by George Ella Lyon’s “Where I’m From” poem, many people—old and young, writers and non-writers alike—have composed poems exploring their personal experiences. As part of the Changing the Narrative initiative at Virginia Humanities, funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, we invite you to make a zine that weaves together personal narratives and creativity.
What’s a zine?
A zine (/ziːn/ ZEEN; short for magazine or fanzine) is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via photocopier. Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very small group, and are popularly photocopied into physical prints for circulation. Learn more from Wikipedia.
What you need to make the “Where I’m From” zine:
- Zine template, to be printed on 8.5″ x 11″ (PDF)
- Zine prompts (PDF)
- Map, matching prompts to template (PDF)
- Folding instructions (PDF)
- Printer, to print off the template (and other provided PDFs, as needed)
- Scissors
- Pen, pencil, markers, and/or colored pencils
To get started…
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- Download the four PDFs above.
- Fill out the zine prompts.
- Use the map to match your prompt responses to their locations on the template and write your responses there.
- Once all of your responses have been added to the template, complete your zine with decorations, which can be anything from original sketches to collages.
- Finally, use the folding instructions to assemble your zine.
- Then, share your zine with others by posting it to social media. Tag the @va_ctr_book on Twitter or @VirginiaCenterForTheBook on Facebook and we’ll help retweet or share your zine with the world!
Many thanks to Lana Lambert and Bellamy Shoffner for the work they contributed to this project!
