In The Zine House
“In The Zine House” is a series I wrote for the medical humanities website The Polyphony.
The title is a spin on Carmen Maria Machado’s In the Dream House (2019), in which a house is the holder of fragmented memory, the archive of an abusive same-sex relationship. Like all good zine puns, this one draws from the many layers of the book that inspired it.
Zines have an entwined relationship with archives, trauma, memory, narrative, queerness, the domestic, and home. This series takes you on a tour of the Zine House – using its rooms to structure and explore zines around health, illness, disability, neurodivergence and madness.
Each room was accompanied by a collage, which were a lot of fun to make alongside writing.
Thanks to all the zine makers who agreed to be included, and to associate editor at The Polyphony Aly Fixter for their work on the series!
The Bedroom
Starting where many zines start their lives, in the bedroom and in bed.
The Living Room
Encountering zines about memory and trauma.
The Bathroom
Zines and self/community care.
The Kitchen
In the Kitchen are zines that centre food.
The Garden
In The Garden, are zines that connect to plants, nature and the environment.
The Hallway and The Balcony
Finally, the Hallway and the Balcony provide a space to talk about zines, libraries and research.
