Missile explores the past of feminist zines and chats to the founder of Grrrl Zine Fair, Lu Williams, about their future

An archive edition of Riot Grrrl on display at the Grrrl Zine Fair Library

Image: Mollie Marshall

When it comes to zines, there are no limitations. A 10-page rant about right-wing politics? An obsessive creation about your favourite cheese flavoured snacks? Or perhaps, our favourite, a punchy, angsty feminist publication.

For the uninitiated, zines (formerly known as fanzines) are independent, small-circulation magazines, published and distributed by the creators. The first of their kind can be traced back to the 1930s, when fans of science fiction produced “fanzines” as a way to share and critique stories as well as communicate ideas. It wasn’t until the 1970s that underground groups, including fans of punk rock music, latched onto zines as a way of spreading their radical ideas and culture. The real era of the zine was the 1990s. Third wave feminism was in full force and political, anti-racist and feminist zines were brewing in the bedrooms of teenagers worldwide.

The cut-and-paste methods of creating a zine meant that anyone with an opinion to share could do so; there was no need for a computer or printer, just some pens and a pair of scissors. Juvenile feminists, enraged by sexism and homophobia and spurred on by publications such as Spare Rib, began forming collectives. The most notable was Riot Grrrl, an underground feminist punk movement that was comprised of political writing and imagery in zines and punk music created by Riot Grrrl bands. The movement started in Olympia, Washington with feminist activists forming bands and creating zines to oppose the male-dominated punk rock and grunge scene led by the likes of Kurt Cobain. The movement produced all-female bands such as Bikini Kill, Heavens to Betsy and 7 Year Bitch, who rioted throughout the 1990s and spread their angry opinions across the country and eventually, the world.

Bikini Kill's lead singer Kathleen Hanna performing at one of Bikini Kill's first gigs in 1990

Image: Allison Wolfe

Three decades and a new wave of feminism later, these zines are still being churned out by fervent feminists. Collectives and communities of female, non-binary and transgender feminists are producing zines with sharp thoughts and grungy graphics. Lu Williams, who goes by she/they, is the artist who runs the Grrrl Zine Fair from her home in Southend-on-Sea. Since 2015, this live event has been supporting zinesters through a self-publishing fair, panel talks, performances, live music, exhibitions, and workshops. Grrrl Zine Fair succeeds in connecting young, creative feminists who exist outside the saturated art world and need a form of passionate outlet. Williams tells Missile that zines are important to young creatives because they are “a space we have complete control of and a way of sharing ourselves and our stories with the world. You don’t have to rely on someone to tell your story for you”. The 28-year-old founder says: “I’ve done my job when I leave a workshop and people who came on their own are happily chatting, swapping Instagram handles and talking about the next zines they’re going to make.”

A handful of zines from the Grrrl Zine Fair, including Williams' own, Grrrl In Print

Video: Mollie Marshall

Williams had always been crafty as a child, making their own miniature books and zines. While studying Fine Art at The Ruskin School of Art, Williams joined feminist societies and started working on the Cuntry Living zine. The artist says, “at that point it wasn’t cool to be a feminist (crazy I know), so throwing parties and making zines meant finding like-minded people and building a community.” Williams eventually made their own zine, Grrrl In Print, which is “part art, part political”. This zine can be found in the Grrrl Zine library alongside over 500 others created by artists across the country and even editions of the original Riot Grrrl zine. The library has recently moved from its home at the Newington Green Meeting Room in London, the former hangout of feminist writer and philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft, to The Old Waterworks in Southend-on-Sea.

Williams is an advocate of creating communities in unexpected areas, especially outside of London. “London swallows you whole and already has lots of well-established scenes,” they say. “I think in Southend you have more room to be strange, to stretch, fail and rest. It feels more like playdough.” The artist finds their creative inspiration in and around Essex, in slogans or doodles written into dirt on the back of vans. “We have weird, small businesses here. They make their own signage and displays”. The zinester seems to find anything a creative muse, listing “old fairy-tale books, postcards from charity shops and crop circles”.

Lu Williams, founder of Grrrl Zine Fair

Image by Bethan Elford

In 2019, Williams hosted a stage at the Village Green Festival in Southend-on-Sea. This involved a “talks tent” in collaboration with gal-dem, a British magazine produced by women of colour from marginalised genders, and a music stage platforming Riot Grrrl bands. The artist is looking to create a similar event this summer, alongside the workshops and events they have planned. Grrrl Zine Fair’s social calendar is brimming with feminist festivities in the coming months including an upcoming event at The Feminist Library in London. Williams is currently in the process of archiving their vast collection of zines to "capture feminist zine culture for generations to come”.