In this hands-on zine making course we’ll absorb the methods and intentions of historical “fanatic magazines” to inform and inspire our new work. Since the 1930s, artists, fans, and subcultures have found community through self-publishing niche, small-circulation publications – driven not by profit, but by a burning desire to communicate. Students will each create their own periodical based on their personal “obsession”, learn different zine formats and make distinct editions that culminate in a self-directed final project. Tracing the material evolution of DIY publishing, students will explore pivotal moments in counterculture, from Russian Futurist booklets and Mexican revolutionary chapbooks to sci-fi fanzines, Tijuana Bibles, 1960s Mimeo Revolution ephemera, Fluxus scores, punk zines, and Riot Grrrl minicomix. Through hands-on object lessons, archival research at NYU Special Collections, and local site visits, students will master diverse production methods – including linoleum printing, hectograph degradation, two-color Risograph printing, comic scripting, and audio interview transcription. Working both individually and collaboratively, students will navigate every phase from raw concept to physical editioning, building a collection of peer work along the way. The semester culminates in a synthesized final zine and a distribution and critique event at Desert Island comics in Brooklyn, launching student work directly into real-world circulation.