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?

[Erin H]

It makes total sense. That's how I feel.

Ericfishlegs said:

My mom asked to read my zine once and my reaction was to laugh in her face. While I feel a little bad about that I do stand by the sentiment it expressed. I don't exactly keep my zine a secret amongst people I know "in real life" but I don't brag about it either and I feel like knowing people I see on a regular basis read my zine it would just keep me from feeling as free in my writing as I want to be. I don't know whether this makes sense or not, but it's how I feel so I'm not gonna argue with myself over it.

[Sarah Arr!]

I think that your real life people reading your zine would just reiterate the obvious: that you're kind of hilarious.

Ericfishlegs said:

My mom asked to read my zine once and my reaction was to laugh in her face. While I feel a little bad about that I do stand by the sentiment it expressed. I don't exactly keep my zine a secret amongst people I know "in real life" but I don't brag about it either and I feel like knowing people I see on a regular basis read my zine it would just keep me from feeling as free in my writing as I want to be. I don't know whether this makes sense or not, but it's how I feel so I'm not gonna argue with myself over it.

[Billy Da Bunny]

here's how i do. when i'm writing/making the zine, i sort of pretend no one i know will ever read it. then after it's all done, i go through, and read it. i pretend i'm saying the words outloud to _________ (my mom, brother, whomever) and then on each individual i decide "ok, should i give this to them?"

different people get different issues.

it's tough. the more open and vulnerable you make yourself, the better your writing will be. but it's tough to be vulnerable.

[sandy]

it's WEIRD. well, i find it weird. i don't mind people i know reading my zines, but unless zines & art is our way of "talking shop", i probably wouldn't make the first move in showing it to them. they might take it too seriously because we have a pre-existing relationship or they know me personally. if anyone asked, though, i'd have no problem showing it. :)

[Kira Swales]

I like my personal friends reading my zines because I have moved away from home and dont see them much - when Im feeling pretty isolated its nice to send out that bit of personal information, and usually get a nice response back. As for family, my parents both read my zines. They are pretty supportive and I would feel bad not allowing them to read them (plus I think it helps them to understand me) however I do feel censored by this in many ways, when I want to write about certain issues like sex and depression, which is a part of my life they have never been a part of. I dont know how this would be overcome except for writing anonymous zine contributions....as for my grandparents and extended family, no way!

[Bri Zine]

it's definitely a little strange. when i first started making zines in my teens i would show my family because they were interested, but as i've gotten older and my zines more personal, i don't really show them. i think maybe i've given my sister some because i feel she'd understand best.

as for friends, for years none of them were very interested in reading them. but in the past year or so i've had a lot of people i know (friends and acquaintances) ask to read them, and if they buy a copy i let them. i figure, they're sold at distros, and i promote that, so anyone could get a copy if they really wanted. i definitely get nervous about friends/acquaintances reading them though. mostly i've gotten really positive feedback, though. a lot of girls sharing their stories with me, which is so nice. my most recent issue has some letters to some guys i kinda dated, though, and that's nerve wracking to have people who know me personally read.

i guess it all comes down to what you're comfortable with. after about ten years of doing this, i still get nervous they'll fall into the "wrong hands" but i also stand behind everything i've said in my zines, so in that sense i feel okay about it. like amber said, i don't really censor myself, i just try to consider if it's really my story to share and what not.

[kelley]

I have let my mom read one of my zines, and I felt a bit uncomfortable. The zine was entirely about music.. so I can't even imagine if she read one of my personal zines!

I have let a friend of mine read my most recent zine. I felt a bit uncomfortable considering there were some things in there that I don't discuss with anyone. This friend was my best friend's girlfriend... and not even my best friend got to read it. Sometimes I feel odd that she of all my friends got to read it, but it's no big deal, really. Sometimes I'd like my friends to read my zines, for the exact reason you mentioned.. to be able to share my thoughts. However, at the same time, I feel like it's "cheating" to have them know. I feel like these thoughts could easily be found out through regular conversation. Does that make sense?

Anyway, I prefer keeping my zines private from my real life friends, but if they ask.. I will share.

[CocoaPuss Zine]

my mom asks to read my zine sometimes and i tell her no and i think that kind of bums her out but she respects my space. i want to write a zine that my mom can read, so maybe this year i will. my friends from my personal life read my zine and my friends from school do not. well one did. she never said anything else about it when she was done, but she saw me talking about it on facebook and wanted to be supportive. some of the boys i talk about read it and like that they're in it, but hate that other boys are. my current boyfriend knows about what's in it but has only read issue #3. we have a lot of the same friends and i didn't want anything to be suprise to him.

[Milo]

Years ago when I did Mutate I would never show my parents my zines... I guess I still don't show them Gendercide, either. Some of the other zines, though, I do give to them. Cookzines and QZAP:meta for sure. I think my sister has most of my zines. In general I have no problem giving my zines to friends and strangers. Most of the stuff I write isn't that personal, though...

[andreajean]

My family has been surprisingly enthusiastic about the zines I've shared with them. It's really great! But I don't show them everything. I do send almost all my zines to my closest friends.

The funny thing is, I don't think my boyfriend reads them. We live together, and I guess I don't feel the need to "give" him a copy when there's a whole box sitting in our living room. Maybe I should, though.

[Adrian Fynch]

I've always wondered about that myself. When I lived with mine, I figured he'd ask if he wanted one, or just take one off the shelf, but he never did, not while I was around anyway. I've given him copies in the past, but he never said much about them, so I don't knooow.

andreajean said:

My family has been surprisingly enthusiastic about the zines I've shared with them. It's really great! But I don't show them everything. I do send almost all my zines to my closest friends.

The funny thing is, I don't think my boyfriend reads them. We live together, and I guess I don't feel the need to "give" him a copy when there's a whole box sitting in our living room. Maybe I should, though.

[Maranda Elizabeth]

I don't think I've given any of my zines to my mom, but obviously my sister reads my zines, and I don't really get nervous about that anymore.

I've shared some of my zines with friends and acquaintances over the years, mostly because a lot of the stuff I write about doesn't seem to come up in conversation too much, but they might as well know about it because, you know, it's my life, and also just as encouragement for them to make their own zines (some of them have, some of them haven't). But I've also had issues with people who I guess weren't expecting to read something so personal, and also people who misunderstood what I had written and thought it was, like, about them or something. It was weird. Usually they don't say anything about my zines, though - I'll give them one, they'll thank me, that's it. If someone asks me, I'll give them a zine, but I don't really make a point of it anymore.

I used to be really nervous about sharing my zines in town, but I guess over time I've just stopped caring.

Actually, I've also considered making a zine specifically to be distributed around town (and beyond), but it's one of those things I think about a lot but don't actually do. But I've become so alienated from most folks around here that I'm not so sure I'd want to bother anyway.