Calvin's Dialogue Produces 'Zine

October 26, 2007 == MEDIA ADVISORY

Summary: For the first time in its history, Dialogue, the journal of arts and
letters at Calvin, has published a 'zine.

Full story, plus JPG, see
http://www.calvin.edu/news/releases/2007-08/dialogue-zine.htm

For the first time in its history, Dialogue, the journal of arts and letters
at Calvin, has published a 'zine.

Lest that sound like a case of redundant publication—a magazine publishing a
magazine— Dialogue editor Beth Oliver supplies the definition of the ‘zine
genre:

"A 'zine is a small, inexpensive, generally self-published magazine," Oliver
said. "Usually it can be the work of one person or a small group. Artists do it
to self-publicize."

The new 14-page 'zine measures a mere 4¼ by 5½ inches and contains a series of
collage-like images, many of them overwritten with hand-lettered captions.

"The idea isn't to have one coherent vision. The images are very fragmentary,"
said Dialogue advisor Lisa Van Arragon about the 'zine, "but as you see them
together, it creates this bigger picture."

The production process for the tiny publication, said Oliver, was less a
layout session than a crafting party.

"I set up two different times of two different days where people could just
come and make. I think that's why it's so fun—because you're with other
people and communicating and making, and it's just that sort of mental
outpouring."

The 'zine production sessions also served to welcome people other than
Dialogue staff to contribute to the publication, said Oliver, and that's the
invitation she's like to extend on behalf of the established publication as
well.

The creators of the zine published only 200 copies of the publication and
handed them out one by one across campus. The feedback, so far, has been
positive, said Oliver.

-end-
Received on Thu Oct 25 22:55:32 2007