Response to DIY: the rise of lo fi culture by Amy Spencer

I was recommended DIY: the rise of lo fi culture by Amy Spencer, by my friend Katie. She is an avid zine collector, is interested in many different aspects of DIY, crafts, feminism and punk rock and was my first port of call when I began my research project.

As the first book I read, it definitely works as a great insight into the world of zines, their effect on people, who reads them, who writes them, who needs them and various other questions that I've found have come up on the subject. I've always had a keen interest in zines and have purchased many, read more and even made a couple, but as for the history and famous zine makers, I was a little lost. However, DIY: the rise of lo-fi culture was able to teach me all of the above whilst explaining the reason for zines' importance in today's subcultures.

Zines in the punk rock days of the 70's and 80's were a quick, cheap and easy way to communicate to other fans, to allow for a creative space to share opinions, which allowed to create a foundation for a strong, lively community of music lovers. Zines such as Sniffin Glue and Cometbus fast became popular for their straight-to-the-point opinions as well as the DIY ethos and aesthetic they also featured. Cutting, sticking, photocopying, using a typewriter and illustrations all became a strong elements within the production of the zines.

The book later goes on to explain how this influenced many women in the feminist and riot grrrl movement to take this platform and use it to spread their own messages. They believed there was a level of ignorance in underground and mainstream press to their issues and zines like Bitch and FAT!SO? were distributed to help empower women and aid in spreading messages of the feminist movement over the 80's and 90's.

In relation to my dissertation, DIY: the rise of lo-fi culture is a fantastic book, with an abundance of information on many different aspects of zines, and the DIY ethos that's so importantly behind their creation. It explains the origins and history of zines simply, but also tackles issues such as the future of zines in relation to the birth of the Internet, the social impact of zine communities and emphasis on alternative subcultures. Overall, a great informative read!