Is there a subject, place or idea that you and/or your kids would love to explore? And would you be interested in sharing what you find with others?
The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh (CMP) and PublicSource have partnered in a new project that invites Pittsburgh-region folks of all ages (kids included!) to create “zines” — small, self-made booklets about any people, places or experiences that interest you.
Zines are often created to share art, stories, ideas or community voices outside traditional publishing. Yours might include writing, poetry, drawings, interviews, photos, collages, diagrams, timelines or a mix of all those things.
And no experience is needed. Zines have no rules, and you can make one on your own, with friends or family, or as part of a class or community group.
During August and September, CMP will be hosting workshops at their MuseumLab building and other locations that may teach:
Zine-making basics
Nonfiction storytelling
The skill of interviewing and asking questions
Cartooning and visual storytelling
Bookbinding
You can find more details right here about this project and how you can submit your zine.
Some of the submitted zines will be included in an interactive display at MuseumLab and then will travel to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Select zines may also be published online by Public Source.
“Together, these zines will create a snapshot of the Pittsburgh region — told from many different points of view. People will be able to flip through them, see how others experience the same places and discover stories they might not come across otherwise,” Public Source explained in their announcement about this project.
(Separately, teens and tweens interested in zine-making can also learn and get support from our friends at SLB Radio, where you’ll find free afterschool programming.)