for carleton university's enrichment mini-course program in may 2023, I assembled the class, punk & the diy world of zines. it took place over a week, every day from 9:00-3:00 & it was Jam-packed with creative activities and discussions.
we learned about zines, diy, punk, queercore, 2slgbtq+ identity, censorship, feminism, riot grrrl, and social activism. featuring lots of hands-on activities, i wanted the approach to reflect the content.
the students
a group of thoughtful, bright, creative, and socially aware students from grades 8-11.
the teacher
a phd candidate in public history at carleton, zinester, creative writer, newbie teacher & dreamer. this class was their love letter to some of their fave classes & teachers over the years (including the art journaling and pedagogical practices of the emotional geographies lab at carleton led by sophie tamas).
the course classroom at the beginning of the week.
the content
day 1. hellos! icebreaker called 'speed meeting.' a lot about zines, archives, and DIY. set intentions on the first side of our flipside activity. tried collective dreaming for the first time. made the first zines of the week with a random idea generator.
day 2. all about punk. watched videos about the musical evolution of punk and the satanic panic. listened to punk & spoke about its history, including afro-punk, taqwacore, & latinx punk. broke down the idea of moral panics. made another zine focused on social issues. engaged in a group activity.
day 3. queercore! spoke about the origins of queer punk & queer identity. discussed labels and the 2slgbtqia+ acronym. reflected on censorship and what content is or is not restricted. started our censorship zine activity.
day 4. riot grrrl & feminism. delved deep into feminism. explored and critiqued the waves model. thought about what makes a riot grrrl. continued censorship zines & wrapped up other unfinished creations. button-making!
day 5. finished up censorship activity & last minute buttons. completed the other side of our flipside creations. made signs for the 'booths' at our zine convention.shared & swapped creations made during the week. final additions to our collective dreaming. zine return and button swap. goodbyes!
each student received an envelope on the first day with a collection of paper, clippings, tape, stickers, etc. this practice was inspired by the class, emotional geographies, that i took with sophie tamas during fall 2020 - winter 2021.
this online 'scrapbook'
i was frantically scanning and photographing everyone's creations as they were being finished each day so that i could group them here, even after everyone took their originals home. we spent a lot of time discussing archives & how information is accessed and shared, so i hesitate(d) to call this an archive. i guess i've been thinking of it a bit like a scrapbook. I explained that my hope was for this to be a space we could return to afterwards and remember. so, spread out over the different pages, i've left 'notes for students' and coming soon is a longer letter to students...
note for students:
goodbyes are so hard! i'm still surprised by how fast the class went by & i'm going to miss the world we made together. like i kept saying, i wish we had more time! I've tried to capture your creations, energy, and incredible discussions in some of these pages. if ever you aren't comfy with what's been said, or want to make a change, i'm just an email away. (in general, don't hesitate to get in touch)🙂