NYPL Blogs: Periodically Speaking

Discovering Zines at the New York Public Library

NYPL Staff — Fri, 19 Jul 2019 17:22:05 -0400

What is a zine? Zines are easier to describe than define. They’re do-it-yourself handmade magazines that come in different shapes, sizes and formats.

Many are handwritten, photocopied, and stapled, while some may be professionally printed magazine-like publications. Each zine is a unique form of personal self-expression, made for love rather than profit, and can cover just about any subject you can think of.

The New York Public Library houses a historic zine collection, and continues to acquire current zines, collecting those broadly focused on New York City and from New York City creators.

The zine 6x6

The zines Cometbus and East Village Inky

How to discover and find zines at NYPL

Visit the Dewitt Wallace Periodical Room to browse a list of zines shelved in that room at the information desk.

You can also find zines in the Library catalog (seen below) by searching a specific title or any of these subjects: zines, fanzines, underground press, and little magazines.

Resources for additional zine research

Books

The Riot Grrrl Collection, edited by Lisa Darms

Notes from Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture by Stephen Duncombe

Girl Zines: Making Media, Doing Feminism by Alison Piepmeier, foreword by Andi Zeisler

Zine Scene by Francesca Lia Block and Hillary Carlip

Fanzines by Teal Triggs, with over 750 illustrations

E-Resources

Independent Voices: A digital collection of the magazines, journals, and newspapers of the alternative and small press archives of participating libraries
ProQuest Research Library: Provides articles from periodicals covering arts, business, children, education, health, humanities, law, multicultural studies, sciences, social sciences, and general interest. Full text is available for nearly two-thirds of its titles.
Alternative Press Index Archive: An index to alternative press published in the United States and around the world
The PERiodical Source Index (PERSI): This resource, accessible through the Find My Past database, indexes thousands of historical and genealogical publications, and contains more than two million entries from these sources. Coverage is centered on publications from the United States and Canada, though periodicals from Britain, Ireland, and Australia are also included.
ZineWiki: an open-source encyclopedia devoted to zines and independent media. It covers the history, production, distribution and culture of the small press. (external website, not part of NYPL)

A subset of the zine collection is housed in the DeWitt Wallace Periodical Room at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building with current periodicals in Room 108. Anyone with a New York Public Library card may access zines in the collection.

Fill out a call slip like this one to request zines in the periodicals room

Zines stored in the Library's onsite stacks or offsite storage facility are served in the Rose Main Reading Room at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, in Room 315.

Puss Puss: Cats in the Catalog

Catherine Blauvelt, Collection Development, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building — Wed, 08 Aug 2018 08:30:54 -0400

In honor of International Cat Day (August 8), I invite you to purr-use a recent addition to our periodical collection, a bi-annual magazine called PUSS PUSS. Based out of London, PUSS PUSS seeks to embody the independence of a cat and describes itself as being “inspired by people who go their own way and are not influenced or told by others what to do – just like cats!”

The magazine first launched in 2014 and features culture, music, and fashion for cat lovers. From an interview with Ai Weiwei about life with his thirty cats to hairstyles adorned with cat toys, this magazine tastefully curates a mix of high and low cat-focused features. Past contributors include Stanley Kubrick, Jon Gorrigan, Charlotte Olympia, Juergen Teller,Tyler, The Creator, Anja Konstantinova, and many more.

The New York Public Library has the entire run of PUSS PUSS, and patrons can access it in the DeWitt Wallace Periodical Room (Room 108) or the Rose Main Reading Room (Room 315) at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. For your convenience, access the catalog by clicking here.

If you’re looking for further reading, get a snapshot of what worldly cat lovers in the 80s were reading by requesting International Cat Fancy in the Rose Main Reading Room. Does the litter box need cleaning? Why not pro-cat-stinate in Room 315 with an article on stray cats in Spain? Find it within the pages of Cat Fancy’s January 1987 issue. And don’t forget to check out this magazine’s centerfolds—MEOW!

Already been there and done that with Cat Fancy? Why not take a look at another paws-ability, a magazine called Our Cats. This publication first went to press in 1899 in England. In addition to show records and advertisements, it includes announcements for the births, marriages, and deaths of popular felines

You’ll need a library card to request NYPL’s older periodicals. Sign up online and pick up your card in person. Un-fur-tunately, no cats allowed.

Exhibit Checklist - Celebrating The Little Magazine in Contemporary America

Karen Gisonny — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 16:30:45 -0500

1) Asian American Literary Review

Volume 1, Issue 1: Spring 2010

College Park, Maryland.

______________________________________

2) Callaloo

Vol.1: December 1976

Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

________________________________________

3) Exquisite Corpse

Volume 1, No.1: January 1983

Baltimore, Maryland.

________________________________________

4) Fence

Volume 1, Number 1: Spring 1998

New York, New York.

________________________________________

5) Language

February 1978: Number 1

New York, New York.

_______________________________________

6) Timothy McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern

Issue Number 1: Autumn 1998

New York

________________________________________

7) N + 1

Number One: Fall 2004

New York, New York

_______________________________________

8) The Little Magazine; A History and Bibliography

Frederick J. Hoffman, Charles Allen and Carolyn F. Ulrich

Princeton University Press; Princeton, New Jersey. 1946

______________________________________

9) The Little Magazine in Contemporary America

Edited by Ian Morris and Joanne Diaz

University of Chicago Press; Chicago, Illinois. 2015

______________________________________

10) Ontario Review

Number 1: Fall 1974

Windsor, Ontario.

______________________________________

11) Poetry

Volume 1, Number 1: October 1912

Chicago, Illinois.

_____________________________________

12) Tri Quarterly

“The Little Magazine in America: A Modern Documentary History”

Number 43: Fall 1978

Evanston, Illinois.

____________________________________

13) Women’s Review of Books

Volume 1: Summer 1983 Pilot Issue

Wellesley, Massachusetts.

____________________________________

The Legacy of a Librarian: Carolyn Ulrich's Little Magazines

Karen Gisonny — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 17:52:24 -0500

Princeton University Press, 1946

University of Chicago Press, 2015

The publication of a wonderful new book The Little Magazine in Contemporary America (University of Chicago Press, 2015), is a unique opportunity to celebrate and share the story of another book and the Librarian who co-edited it. The book is The Little Magazine: A History and Bibliography (Princeton University Press, 1946) and the librarian Carolyn F. Ulrich, who was Head of the Periodicals Division for some 20 years (mid 1920s-1940s).

The Little Magazine, considered a classic in the field, served as inspiration for the 2015 work and Ms. Ulrich herself an inspiration to the many Librarians that have followed in her footsteps over the years in the Periodicals Room—including me.

Both books are collections of original essays and interviews by literary magazine editors and bring to life the literary, cultural and political landscapes intrinsic to these publications and deepen our understanding their immense significance. These magazines are often the place where unknown writers are first published, editors are willing to take risks and not necessarily interested in turning a profit. Think T.S. Elliot's The Waste Land's early appearance in a 1922 issue of The Dial.

Carolyn Ulrich

Today Ms. Ulrich’s significant contribution is reflected in the Library’s rich collection of little magazines and avant-garde and small press publications—one of the most comprehensive in the country.

On display in the Dewitt Wallace Periodical Room, through January 1, 2016, are first issues from the Library's collection of many of the magazines included in the new anthology, as well as three classic little magazine anthologies of the 20th century.

Display in the DeWitt Wallace Periodical Room

Read more at Carolyn Ulrich, Library Luminary.

Avant-Garde Periodicals Meet Digital Archives

Karen Gisonny — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 12:19:54 -0400

The Library's research collections of little magazines and avant garde journals are tremendous and as curator for small press materials I was excited to attend “Remediating the Avant Garde: Magazines and Digital Archives", a symposium at Princeton University, home of the Blue Mountain Project. The symposium focused on the unique issues and challenges that arise when these highly artistic, visual and experimental journals are digitized. Here are some presentation highlights:

The ACC Fackel - Die Fackel, the digital version of the satirical journal edited by Karl Kraus from 1899 to 1936, provides free access to complete set of 37 volumes. The innovative and wide range of search indexes and tools make this an astounding resource. You’ll need to create account to access, while you’re there, enjoy the journal bindings wallpaper.

The Digital Pan - This presentation compared digital and print formats, focusing on use of metadata and how physical elements of the journal can be lost when not properly digitization - such as paper quality, oversize format and how those missing elements reduce the user experience of this visually stunning and important Art Nouveau journal published in Berlin (1895-1900).

DABNAP - This digital archive of little magazines from the University of Antwerp is in the very early stages of development and covers 1950-1990. One of it's significant features is it's mission to stretch copyright issues with digitizing some awesome neo avant garde little mags like Artworker Star...very cool.

Modernism from a Distance: Data Mining the Little Review - I love this project which used data mining of The Little Review to study changes in a journal’s editorial, regional and political focus.

Learn more about Digital Archives and magazines here:

Blue Mountain Project digitizes historic, avant-garde journals for research. NYPL is a partner and contributed Volne Smery, La Cite, Glebe and Umelecky Mesicnik for digitization. When work is completed they'll be available on the Library’s Digital Collections website.

Modernist Journal Project - This joint project of Brown University and University of Tulsa is a major resource in the study of modernism and periodical studies.

Index of Modernist Magazines - This index is compiled by at Davidson College enrolled in the seminar Modernism, Magazines & Media.

Just Who Was DeWitt Wallace, Anyway?

Raymond Pun — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 11:11:01 -0500

DeWitt Wallace Periodicals Reading Room

In the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, there is a reading room with high wooden carved ceiling called the DeWitt Wallace Periodical Reading Room. You may have seen the historical room decorated with large murals reflecting major publishers of periodicals, newspapers and books at the turn of the century by Richard Haas, an American muralist known for his architectural murals.

The wifi'ed room also provides access to some of the most popular and current printed newspapers and magazines from U.S. and abroad including The Economist, The New Yorker, Vogue, Le Monde, and our zine collection. All for FREE to read!

If you work or live in vicinity of the Library, you can escape from the midtown madness by reading and lounging in one of the Library's magnificent reading rooms. The reading room is currently funded by the Wallace Foundation devoted to the collection of periodicals. There are two reasons why I like this room aside from the architecture and murals: 1. It may be perhaps the quietest room in the Library. 2. I dare not to reveal their identities but I have spotted a few popular celebrities and literary scholars who have sat in Room 108 and gazed at the ceiling and murals in awe.

Lila Acheson Wallace and DeWitt WallaceHaving worked in the Periodicals Division for a few years now, I have always wondered about DeWitt Wallace's history. Thus I looked him up and found some interesting facts about him:

DeWitt Wallace (1889-1981) co-founded Reader's Digest with his wife Lila Wallace. (The Reader's Digest can also be requested in Room 108).
From the Encyclopedia of World Biography: "During World War I, Mr. Wallace was enlisted in the Army, was sent to France and in 1918 was seriously wounded in action near Verdun. He passed the hours in a French military hospital editing superfluous words from magazine articles, preparing himself for the Reader's Digest."
In 1920, the Library was his "personal office" where he served as the magazine's only condenser and spent "countless hours in the Periodical Room, reading and condensing articles from the Library's collection."
Founded in 1922, the Reader's Digest was initially rejected countless times by publishers. "Only William Randolph Hearst (founder of Hearst Publications) was slightly encouraging saying that the magazine might in time circulate 300,000 copies a month." (New York Times, April, 1st, 1981, p. D23).
By 1981, "its circulation is 30.5 million copies a month for more than 100 million readers in 163 countries." (Ibid).
The Reader's Digest was one of the "first major periodicals (in 1954) to link cigarette smoking and cancer, and it frequently attacked unfair business practices. The Digest's most famous article, '...And Sudden Death,' published in August 1935, graphically portrayed the hazards of reckless driving. It became the most widely reprinted article in magazine history, with four million copies in circulation." (From the Encyclopedia of World Biography, Dec. 12, 1998).
Today the magazine covers everything from health to financial tips and beyond. Mr. Wallace stated, "the final condensation" when he was asked what he thought would be the epitaph of the magazine. (New York Times, April, 1st, 1981, p. D23).
On March 30th, 1981, Mr. Wallace died of pneumonia at his house in Mount Kisco, New York. He was 91.
On April 1st, 1981, The New York Times obituary section described Mr. Wallace as a frugal person: "Memos to staff members often arrived on the back of a used envelope. He clicked off unused lights. For years he drove a rather battered car. His one travel extravagance was a private plane, which he learned to fly and in which he cruised, usually at 2,000 feet, while gathering editorial thoughts." (Ibid).
DeWitt Wallace also has a museum named after him: DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum located in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Print biographies of DeWitt Wallace.
Online biographies of DeWitt Wallace.

The First Copy of The Reader's DigestToday, the Periodical Reading Room occasionally holds Periodically Speaking, a reading series hosted by Karen Gisonny, that provides a major venue for emerging writers to present their work while emphasizing the diversity of America’s literary magazines and the magazine collections of The New York Public Library.

For 2013, Periodically Speaking will return on the second Tuesdays of April, May and June from 6 pm to 7:30 pm. Check us out on Facebook for periodic program updates and collection news!

NYPL Loves Zines and Zines Love NYPL

Karen Gisonny — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:09:36 -0400

Fall into zines and head over to Pete's Mini Zinefest this Sunday, September 25, from 2 to 7 p.m. — you'll help support the Library too! I recently met Andria Alefhi, an organizer of the zinefest event, when NYPL added her wonderful zine, We'll Never Have Paris, to the its landmark zine collection. I was so moved when Alefhi told me her idea to donate part of the zinefest proceeds to NYPL.

Since zines are frequently distributed by creators through exchange, trade, and zinefests, building community and sharing in this way is an integral part of the zine experience. I'm thrilled NYPL can be a part of it! Over 20 writers and comic artists will showcase their books and zines at Pete's Candy Store on Sunday, September 25, from 2 to 7 p.m. The zinefest kicks off Saturday evening, September 24, from 6 to 9 p.m., with readings by participants. You can also find the zinefest on Facebook.

Periodically Speaking with Katy Lederer

Karen Gisonny — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:33:57 -0500

Poetry and Thought with Fence Magazine

I'm really excited about the program for Periodically Speaking: Focus on Poetry tonight. The featured journal is Fence magazine and poetry editor Katy Lederer will be joined by poets Rodrigo Toscano, Gary Heidt, Ken Chen and Sarah Gambito for an in depth discussion of content, as distinct from form, in contemporary poetry. The program begins with brief readings by the poets followed by conversation.

Also looking forward to meeting Katy Lederer. I'm a big fan of the literary zine Explosive - the publication she edited for ten years. Each is a beautifully produced, stapled zine with original covers (Issue 6 here is my favorite) and poetry from across the country. I remember searching high and low for copies of it several years ago to add to the periodicals collection. I eventually exchanged emails with Katy and she sent me the issues she had remaining - check them out.

Join us tonight for a stimulating conversation in one of the most beautiful public spaces in the city!

The Magathon

Karen Gisonny — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:44:22 -0400

In 2002, we had our first public program in the DeWitt Wallace Periodical Room, it was a collaboration with CLMP (Council of Literary Magazines & Presses) called “the Magathon”. The Library and CLMP shared the same goal, to support and celebrate literary magazines and what better place to hold the event then a beautiful public space, that collected and housed a vast collection of contemporary literary magazines.

This event and collaboration has continued every year since and with the same goal. So come to the Library Saturday afternoon, June 19th, as the annual celebratory "marathon," or "Magathon," reading once again gets underway in the Periodicals Room.

Magazines of all shapes and sizes will be showcased. From the established Agni and New York Quarterly, to online journals Puerto del Sol, drunken boat, to the multi- platform Electric Literature, to personal favorites Canteen & Fence, to Brooklyn based Slice and A Public Space and others I look forward to discovering like MAKE, Lalitamba and Anderbo.

The event puts the spotlight on the faces behind the magazines, as editors read favorite selections from their journals. Check out the slideshow below for the full, awesome lineup.

The Library’s collection is a unique, one of a kind resource for all who love independent literary publishing and literary mags. Join us Saturday and help us celebrate it !

Don’t forget Sunday - GIANT Lit Mag Fair at Housing Works Used Bookstore & Café, 126 Crosby Street in Soho - magazines $2 each!

Rain Taxi featured at next Periodically Speaking: Focus on Poetry

Karen Gisonny — Wed, 05 May 2010 16:40:07 -0400

"The Poet as critic" is the topic for the next Periodically Speaking: Focus on Poetry event and we'll appropriately be featuring the Mineapolis-based journal Rain Taxi. Rain Taxi is an eclectic, thoughtful publication, filled to the brim four times a year with literary criticism, interviews and reviews of poetry, non fiction & graphic novels. Although it covers the spectrum of American publishing at its heart are small presses and innovative publishing.

RT Editor Eric Lorderer will moderate the conversation with poets Maureen N. McLane, Craig Morgan Teicher and Jordan Davis. Join us for brief readings by the writers, followed by an in-depth discussion on poets reviewing poetry next Tuesday, May 11, 2010 in the DeWitt Wallace Periodical Room at 6:00 pm.

(Watch past Periodically Speaking events!)

Periodically Speaking: Focus on Poetry

Karen Gisonny — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:14:56 -0400

NYPL and CLMP will kick off a new season of Periodically Speaking next Tuesday with a new format and we hope you'll join us. It's been 5 years since we began Periodically Speaking, and to celebrate we'll be launching something different for 2010. It'll be one journal, an editor and several poets in brief readings and discussions. The original ideas behind PS are the same; showcasing the Library's great literary magazine collection in the DeWitt Wallace Periodical Room and providing an opportunity for emerging writers to present their work.

"Off Topic: Poets on the subjects and cultural influences that seep into their work" is the first event and features an impressive line up (thanks to the amazing clmp!) starting with journal - A Public Space. The thing that intrigues me about A Public Space is it creates this global conversation by publishing many writers from around the world... plus I like the cool covers and graphic design. The moderator Brett Fletcher Lauer, is APS poetry editor and Managing Director of the Poetry Society of America. His poetry has appeared in Jubilat, Boston Review and La Petite Zine among others and he co-edited a favorite collections of love poems - Isn’t it Romantic: 100 Love Poems by Younger American Poets. Poet Timothy Donnelly published his first book of poetry in 2003 - Twenty-seven Props for a Production of Eine Lebenszeit and his 2nd second, Cloud Corporation, is coming this year. Jennifer Kronovet is the co-founder & co-editor of the journal Circumference: Poetry in Translation (another favorite!) and is the author of the poetry collection Awayward.

Other dates in the spring series are May 11th and June 8th. Join us on Facebook!

Premiere Issues Magazine Archive: A dream come true!

Karen Gisonny — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:29:00 -0500

Want to know when a journal’s first issue was published? What that issue # 1 looked like? Need to track down the editor for those impossible to find back issues? Discover what new titles are missing from the collection?

Premiere Issues: An Archive of Magazine Firsts answers these questions and many more that persistently plague serials librarians. The site’s mission “to provide a home for those first issues to live, be read and shared by an international audience,” was begun in 2002 by Danielle Huthart and is a growing collection of 200 or so issues. Included are the often beautiful covers (Huthart’s concentration is art, fashion, design, and culture), launch issue statement by the editor, publisher & creative director contact, frequency and on & on. Although carefully curated, it feels like a collaborative effort with Huthart encouraging submissions, information on new magazines, and comments & feedback. It's fantastic - take a look!

Periodically Speaking tonight with journals Bidoun, Many Mountains Moving and Washington Square

Karen Gisonny — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:39:16 -0500

What better way to kick off your election night then an evening in the DeWitt Wallace Periodical Room – relax, listen to great new writers introduced by their editors, join us for a glass of wine afterward, all still with plenty of time to catch the election results. The line up begins with Editor Thaddeus Rutkowski (Many Mountains Moving) introducing fiction writer Jon Swan, followed by Levi Rubeck (Washington Square) introducing poet Elisa Gabbert and wrapping up with Michael Vazquez (Bidoun) introducing non fiction writer Anand Balakrishnan. Periodically Speaking showcases NYPL’s great collection of contemporary literary magazines. Lots of librarians have worked on building the collection over the years and for awhile now I've been doing it - lucky me! So - come back (either in person or at www.nypl.org) and check out the vast holdings of literary magazines, poetry titles, small & alternative press materials of all kinds! Tonight the reading begins at 6:00 pm at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building – 5th Ave and 42nd St.

Periodically Speaking returns with Slice, Inkwell and Review: Literature and Arts of the Americas

Karen Gisonny — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:36:33 -0400

Literary magazine aficionados, myself included, will meet up in the DeWitt Wallace Periodical Room at HSSL as Periodically Speaking returns on Tuesday, October 14th. It’s a thrill to begin our 4th season hosting the series, which aims to connect editors, writers, readers, librarians, and lovers of literature & lit mags with each other, and the Library’s one-of-a-kind collection. Each evening highlights three periodicals, with editors of each introducing an emerging writer. The cool thing to me about Periodically Speaking is that not only do you get to hear some wonderful new literary voices and editor’s talk about their journals (which I love!) but that it happens in an incredibly beautiful public space – the Periodicals Room. Don’t miss it and stay afterward for the reception!

First up is Slice Magazine - in this new Brooklyn based journal, editors Maria Gagliano and Celia Johnson create dialogue between emerging and established writers. A new issue just out (# 3) titled “In translation”, includes interviews with Salman Rusdie and Kathryn Harrison and a story by Patricia Engel, an exciting (and emerging) young writer and a Periodically Speaking alum! Celia and Maria will introduce fiction writer William Giraldi. Inkwell Journal focuses on publishing emerging writers and sponsors yearly competitions in fiction & poetry. It comes out twice a year from Manhattanville College. Editor Autumn Kindelspire will introduce poet Eugenie Juliet Theall. And last (but most certainly not least) is Review: Literature and Arts of the Americas. This is the leading journal publishing Latin American writing in translation, was founded in 1968 and has published a who’s who of Latin American writers – Mario Vargas Llosa, Alejo Carpentier and Gabriel Garcia Marquez among them. Editor Daniel Shapiro will introduce the nonfiction writer Araceli Tinajero.