Famous Ladies Vol. I-III by Alexandra Beguez

Charming illustrations and excellent production make this series a perfect fit for incarcerated and detained youth, and school librarians may wish to order several sets to share with students.  

Each volume is printed on a single sheet of 11 x 17 lightweight cardstock and features fine-lined portraits of six historical female figures, some long since dead and some contemporary heroines.  The only text between the covers is  the names of the women, making the content fun to browse and giving the developing reader plenty of space.  The back covers feature three to four lines of handwritten text summarizing each woman’s accomplishments.

Younger readers may be confused as the descriptions are written in the present tense, however the educator can use this possible confusion to spark an inquiry project.  Highly recommended.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

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Tags: art, women’s history, zines

How to Overthrow the Illuminati by Will, Chino, Saudade and Mamos

At least once a week I have a student ask for a book about the Illuminati, or I hear them intensely talking about the group’s existence.  For those students, the zine How to Overthrow the Illuminati is a good place to start looking at information about the group.  It is written in a format that won’t overwhelm them and the style of writing is accessible to most.  The authors clearly explain how the Illuminati theory came to be and how the belief in the power of the Illuminati moved from high socioeconomic circles to low income communities, specifically African American ones. Even if you don’t believe in conspiracy theories, the title provides a concise history lesson around factors that have contributed to the growth of the Illuminati theory.  The authors also encourage readers to do their own research by pointing out, “most of their [The Illuminati] secrets are actually ‘open secrets’: information is available in public libraries and websites…” School librarians might be as giddy as I am to use this text to teach research skills to students.

Some of the historical references in the zine will likely go over many students’ heads, but for some it may spark interest into other topics mentioned such as the Knights Templars, the Ku Klux Klan and maybe even Karl Marx.  There is a lot of information in this zine and for those that have been asking to learn about conspiracy theories, this could be a good place to start before moving on to actual conspiracies as it asks the reader to question and prod at the holes and gaps in many theories. --Claudio Leon

Whatcha Mean, What’s a Zine?: The Art of Making Zines and Minicomics, by Mark Todd and Esther Watson Pearl

Looking for a unique and engaging way for your students to publish their work?  Offering a brief history of zines as well as step-by-step how-to instructions, Whatcha Mean, What’s a Zine? is the perfect volume for teachers interested in leading a zine-making project.  The entire zine-making process is broken down into easily digestible bites, with great potential for application to individual lesson plans.  From brainstorming a topic to write about to distribution methods, each section serves as an example of zine design and layout.  Noteworthy are the photocopier tricks and tips for getting a wow factor from a low budget production method.--Anne Lotito Schuh

Todd, Mark, and Esther Watson Pearl. Whatcha Mean, What’s a Zine?: The Art of Making Zines and Minicomics. Boston: Graphia, 2006. Print.

Programming Spotlight: Soner Ön Visits Summit

Please accept our apologies for such infrequent posting this month! February was a whirlwind of programs for us, and we just returned from our mid-winter recess. We'll try to update you this week on programs past.

Soner conferences with a student

On February 6th and 7th, Brooklyn artist Soner Ön visited students at Summit and led a zine-making workshop.  Students used used original and appropriated images and text, mainly found in our school library books, to create something personal to them. The finished zines are beautiful! Thank you, Soner, for inspiring our students to create such meaningful work. --Anja Kennedy

Students found source material in library books

Completed zines

Angry Black White Girl: reflections on my mixed race identity by Nia

In five photocopied pieces of 8.5 x 11’’ paper, Nia’s zine is a breath of fresh air for readers looking for a short, honest, non-fiction perspective of what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes. Two pages are quotes, two pages are Aaron McGruder comic strips, and the balance of this half-size zine (no staples! thank you!) is full of direct talk from a woman who knows how to speak her mind in a zine, and some anecdotes detailing her self-imposed silencing in real life. Informative and instructive in both form and content. Coming to Summit Friday. --Jessica Fenster-Sparber