DIY: the rise of lo-fi culture by Amy Spencer

Amy Spencer (2005). DIY: the rise of lo-fi culture. US, UK: Marion Boyars Publishers Ltd.

p11, 'It was empowering to realise that anyone, however amateur, could produce something which would be valued as a finished product."

p12, 'The 1930s sci-fi zine, the dada art zine, the chapbook created by beat writers in the 1950s, small-scale radical magazines of the 1960s, punk zines of the 1970s, the zine explosion of the 19902, online blogs and guerilla news reporting of today all started with individuals sharing a similar DIY ethos: the urge to create a new cultural form and transmit it to others on your own terms.'

p12, 'It is, however, a celebration of the amateur that is at the heart of the DIY scene in both music and literature - a celebration that continues today.'

p13, 'Zines are non-commercial, small circulation publications which are produced and distributed by their creators.'

LOOK UP FREDRIC WERTHAM.

LOOK UP THE WORLD OF FANZINES.

p15, 'Since their beginnings in the sci-fi community of the 30s, zines have been traded amongst writers and it continues to be a common practice for them to swap zines. This enables both parties involved to avoid commercial dealings and idealistically reverts the process back to a time when exchange of goods was more common than monetary exchange.'

p15, 'The zine is viewed differently from a commercial product. It resembles a gift more than a product, as it typically bypasses the profit motive. The flow of zines, and the personal network that has developed around them, resembles human contact. The zine is passed around physically through the network connecting people together, sharing the sense of solidarity in their interest in the underground of the independent culture.'

p15, 'Zine writing has thus become a culture in itself.'

p16, 'They adopt the DIY principle that you should create your own cultural experience. It is this message that they pass onto their readers - that you can create your own space. Unlike the message of mass media, which is to encourage people to consume, the zine encourages people to take part and produce something for themselves.'

p17, 'Zine writers often write about their own personal take on the world and address social and political issues. It is also clear that earlier self-published newspapers and magazines of the 60s were indeed a very important form of journalism...'

p18, 'There are countless exceptions but the zine tends to be written by a middle class, white population in their teens and early twenties. Many zine writers have challenged this assumption and produced radically different publications or have tackled the subject directly in print, but having the time and freedom to put together a zine is a privilege which many in this demographic do not question.'

LOOK UP STEVE DUNCOMBE.

p24, ' Often people who feel that they have something to say, even if it is about themselves and they don't want to try and publish through convectional routes, become zine writers.'

AARON COMETBUS

p27, 'For many writers it is this community-building that is the most important part of producing their zine. Networks are forged which serve to support not only the zine community but also artistic and activist activities.'

LOOK UP THE WORLD OF ZINES.

p35, 'During the 1990s in the US the riot grrrl movement championed the zine as the ideal format to spread their collective manifestos and more personal viewpoints.'

p36, '"The personal is political."'

LOOK UP GRRRLZINES.NET

p37, 'While zines themselves may be relatively unimportant, the implications of this DIY ideal are huge.'

p47, 'Zine culture has primarily been male produced. As a product of its time period, it has historically consisted of male writers involved in sci-fi fandom, 60s independent newspapers and those at the forefront of punk. Eventually, women who were interested in the potential power of independent media but did not see their own experiences reflected in the existing publications decided to produce their own.'

p48, 'The term 'riot grrrl' was first used in zines by musicians and activists in America - Kathleen Hanna from Bikini Kill (and later Le Tigre) and Allison Wolfe from Bratmobile.'

p49, '...women redefined feminism for the 90s and recognized each other as manufacturers of culture as opposed to participants in a culture that they were forced to accept. There were encouraged to reclaim the media and produce their own cultural forms.'

p49, 'Riot grrrl zines were also similar to the early dada publications, as part of their stand against mass media involved them taking and subverting images from mainstream magazines, such as fashion features or advice columns; a similar practice to the dadaists' reworking of recognized mass cultural images for their artistic goals. Many writers would have felt that the zine medium was theirs alone and had never been used before.'

p51, 'The popularity of this zine (FAT!SO?) proved that young women were waiting for this form of media.'

LOOK UP SAMIZDAT.

p52, 'Although continuing to be self-produced, these later publications typically refer to themselves as 'magazines', drawing attention to the fact that to be taken seriously, many felt you had to move away from your zine origins.'

LOOK UP INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE (Library of Independent Exchange)

p57, Interview with Lisa Jervis (Bitch: A Feminist Response to Pop Culture)
'What impact do you think the internet has had or will have on zines and magazines?

It's made it much easier to find out about them, and to connect with other people making them. It is easier to make a zine now because you can do it online if that's easier for you, or you can get access to advice and info about making a print zine. People though that the internet was going to herald the death of print, which was a crock even in the boom days. The feeling of a printed document is never going to lose its appeal or be replaced by an electronic alternative.'

LOOK UP THE F WORD WEBSITE.

LOOK UP CRAFTIVISM.COM

LOOK UP GETCRAFTY.COM

LOOK UP CRAFTSTER.ORG

p66, 'Jean Railla of Getcrafty.com explains in the introduction to her recent book, her attitude that this resurgence of craft activities is a form of 'new domesticity' - a way for women to link feminist principles with the idea that crafting is an enjoyable and valued activity and one which should not be rejected as part of a oppressive culture.'

LOOK UP SUBVERSIVE CROSS STITCH.