Yesterday, I was on my library's website minding my own business and downloading yet another e-book that I would not be able to read (I cannot focus, really) when I noticed in a corner of the homepage that the Multnomah County Library was hosting a virtual event with Malaka Gharib, the author of the graphic memoir I Was Their American Dream.

The title of the event was Make a Self-Care Zine with Malaka Gharib.

I discovered zines on the late, at the Alien She exhibition at the OCMA, back in 2015 and have since then fantasized on writing my own.

For those of you who are not familiar with the concept, a zine is usually a homemade, self-published/self-photocopied, DIY-ed "magazine" that is typically produced in small batches.

I'm not a drawer. I actually feel very vulnerable showing you these - I mean, look at what Malaka made! - but what I mean to say is: If I managed to do it, anyone can!

Malaka gave us prompts and we had between 1 and 3 minutes to create each page. I obviously focused on text - did I mention I'm not a drawer? - but eventually got inspired as she showed us her work in real time.

Now I want to make more, experiment with placement, focus on images rather than text and get creative with flourishes.

I am not the most regular journaler, but I really think that I'd be happy to look back on a little time capsule from this "far from ordinary" period we're going through.

Malaka's workshop was focused on self care but there are so many subjects you could write about!

I want to remember our daily routine, the shows we watched, the games we played, the music we listened to, the food we cooked, the people we connected with, how we connected with them (Zoom, anyone?).

So here you go, grab a piece of paper, or even better, a piece of junk mail that has only been printed on one side (as you will end up writing only on one side of your sheet of paper) and start folding!

How to make your own zine from a single piece of paper

Check out this tutorial.

You can also make a little homemade notebook if you feel crafty.

Prompts to write your pandemic self care zine

• What does a bad day during the pandemic feel like?
• How do you pull yourself out of that feeling?
• Who do you reach out to when you need to connect?
• Describe your best day during the pandemic
• How do you care for people you love during the pandemic?
• What do you do to forget your surroundings during the pandemic?
• What have you been holding on to get through this?

Portland peeps: For zine inspiration, check out the IPRC for making them, and Palace for browsing and buying the best zine selection ever!

Note: If you buy something through my links, I may earn an affiliate commission, at no cost to you. I recommend only products I genuinely like. Thank you so much for supporting my work.

Have you ever published a zine/ Would you publish a zine? What was it/would it be about?

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