What Does Fanzine Mean?

Fanzine in Practice

Fanzines are where organized fandom physically lived for decades: mimeographed and photocopied volumes traded by mail and sold at conventions, carrying the fic, art, and meta of pre-internet fandom — Star Trek zines of the late 1960s and 70s famously incubated ship culture itself. The internet dissolved the distribution function, but the form returned transformed: modern fandom zines are curated group projects with contributor applications, professional printing, and frequently charity fundraising models, producing handsome themed volumes of art and fic. The revival keeps old norms — limited runs, at-cost or charity pricing to stay inside fandom's noncommercial lines — while adding mod teams and production schedules. Zine culture is thus both fandom's deepest history and one of its livelier current scenes.

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