Having someone you personally know read your perzines or zines in general?

[Saling Pusa Distro/closed]

HOw do you feel about it? DO you let family and close friends read them? Personally, I wish I could because I feel like most of the things I write about will help people I know understand how I think or how I am... but then again I am not too comfortable having people know what I think... reading my zines is like having a free access to my brain, heart and soul...

maybe it's cowardice on my part...

any thoughts?

[Vicky Stevenson]

My mum *insisted* on paying for a copy of the first one she saw, because it was part of my college art show. Since than I've given her copies and she's always given me positive comments. But then, they're art zines so really just an extension of other stuff I'm into, which she's always really supportive of and interested in. I automatically give to them to friends who've expressed a prior interest, and anyone who asks for one can have one. My boyfriend is usually the first to look through a finished copy.

I haven't finished any perzines yet so content isn't an issue, but even once I do put some out I'll still let my family/friends see them, because I doubt they'll ever have anything particularly angsty in them. When I was slightly younger I might have been a bit weary (like I used to try and keep internet life and "real" life very separate), but now I'm a lot more open in general.

[Eunice]

I know it's an old thread, but I've been away for a while.

It made me smile when I saw that for most of you who replied, family means parents and siblings. For me it's my husband and daughter (she's 23). My husband copies my zines for me so he could read them if he wants to. I think he does, but he doesn't really say anything about them. Probably because he knows me so well after 30 years that there's nothing new in them for him. My daughter picks them up and flicks through, but doesn't really read them. I haven't written anything that would shock her though. I sometimes wonder what she would say if I did and she read them.

[twilight gecko]

my sister and my guy get the first 2 copies.. because they understand my morbid sense of thinking..
the rest i give to internet friends..
as for the rest of my family, i think they would be judgemental.. and they just aren't the sort of people who read journals/zines/poetry..
-tg

[Sarah]

This thread was so helpful! I'm writing my first zine right now and I have been struggling with this. I don't want to straight out say to friends and family "no you can't read this" but the stuff I'm writing about is intensely personal.

The idea of old high school or university friends reading what I've written... it doesn't make me feel good. Even the current people I pal around with - it would be weird! I have a couple of friends who read zines and I wouldn't really mind sharing with them. Same with the boyfriend because he knows all my secrets anyway.

But is there really a way to avoid and evade everyone else if they ask?

[Kate Haas]

All my friends and family read my zine. In fact, the only people close to me who don't are my kids, because they're not old enough to find them interesting. (Although one of my sons enjoys the quote section at the back, because he's often featured there saying funny things.) I'm pretty comfortable having people know what I think. At least, what I think as I choose to present it to the world.