How to create your own zine library: lessons from the Madzines project

Please note: this event will be held in person. Masks are encouraged at this event.

A Madzine is a zine that challenges mainstream understandings about mental health. The Madzines team have amassed a fascinating, inspiring, informative, moving wealth of these publications over the past four years. Through trips to zine fairs, classrooms and community groups - in the UK and overseas - we've been helping Madzines move. As the project comes to an end, we're considering where and how to house the zines that we've collected (we'd welcome thoughts on that!). We're also keen to seed some Madzine libraries in other places.
A zine library can be anything from a fully catalogued collection in one fixed physical location to a shoebox under one's own bed. Join us from 6-8pm to hear about our main collection, our personal collections and the lessons we have learned. There will be opportunities to consider the many shapes a zine library can take, explore some ethical and practical issues that collecting raises and, if you'd like to, dream up a plan for your own library.

This relaxed session will enable you to meet others with an interest in mental health, mad knowledge and collection building.

CW: This event will touch on experiences of madness and distress and on responses to them. It will be a relaxed session, however, with a primary focus on collection building, opportunities to move around, and choice about when and how to engage.
Before the session: Madzines popup at GZL
If you would like to spend more time browsing our collection of Madzines, then come along to the Madzines library pop up session from 1-4pm, before the evening session. Hel, Jill and Tam will be there to greet you, and help you find your way around the collection.

Hel Spandler is principal investigator on the Madzines research project, based at the University of Central Lancashire, and editor of Asylum magazine.

Jill Anderson was senior research fellow on the project and a member of the Asylum editorial group.

Tam Martin Fowles is the founding director of Hope in the Heart and Mad Woman Talking, an artist, survivor, facilitator, educator, activist, and zine maker.
Find out more about Madzines here.

This event is suitable for 16+. There will be 20 attendees maximum, and the event will feature comfort breaks. During this event, attendees will participate in: Talk / Lecture, Group Discussions, Hands on activities, Reading, Sharing work that has been created

This event will take place at Glasgow Zine Library's place on Albert Road. You can find directions here.

Masks are encouraged at this event. GZL provides KN95 masks for participants.

If you have any questions or access requirements, please get in touch with us via [email protected]

All events will adhere to our safer spaces policy, which you can learn about here.

GZL pledges to support The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel. As part of this pledge we may participate in strikes called in response to the ongoing genocide in Palestine. If this event falls on a strike day and is cancelled, we will work with event leaders to reschedule the event asap. Participants will also have the option of receiving an immediate refund for any ticket purchases and travel booked to attend.

After booking a ticket, you will be sent several reminder emails from Eventbrite leading up to the event. We will also send emails that share any resources that attendees will need access to, including any required materials.

Please email [email protected] with any queries or issues.

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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Glasgow Zine Library, 32-34 Albert Road, Glasgow, United Kingdom