Zines for Social Justice: Adolescent Girls Writing on Their Own (continued)

We recognize Corgan as the central enabler and initiator of the theme of social justice and of the zine itself. When asked if she would have started a zine on her own if the others had not joined her, Corgan stated that she would not have. It was her collaboration with the other two girls, and particularly her ability to write pieces for the zine with Janene, that she enjoyed. Corgan explained that often they would discover and develop ideas for features through their conversations, and they would write at the computer together at odd hours.

Corgan's position demonstrates the power of the affinity group to initiate and sustain students' literacy practices outside of school. The content of the zine also evidenced the girls' penchant for collaborative writing. Six of the articles for issue 3 were coauthored by Corgan and Janene, with one article coauthored by all three girls. By writing collaboratively, they not only used literacy to help themselves as individuals express their identities but also aided one another in forming and representing their multiple identities as feminists, activists, vegetarians, and DIYers.

In addition to her ability to collaborate, we were impressed by Corgan's activist nature and her attempts to draw others into her efforts. Corgan had asked several of her friends to help her in creating the zine, but only Janene and Saundra both responded and continued their efforts to those who do not act, reminding others of the importance of speaking out against war.

Janene Irving

Corgan receives input (mostly by e-mail and sporadic in-person working sessions) from Janene, a former neighbor in the small town Corgan used to live in, located 95 miles from where Corgan now resides. Her town is a small, rural community composed of European Americans and a large Hispanic population, with residents of lower, lower middle, and middle class. Slight and soft spoken, wearing black-rimmed glasses with chin-length brown hair, Janene is also typically dressed in jeans and a T-shirt such as the lo-fi (low fidelity, poor sound quality), feminist, techno band Le Tigre. Janene was an Honors student in high school (her rural school did not have AP classes), and completed some college courses at a community college near her home prior to entering a state university in fall of 2002.

Janene's parents, Pamela and Matt, are both teachers in the public schools of her desert town. Unlike Janene, they are not vegetarians or vegans. A willing informant, Pamela made cookies for us when we interviewed her and spoke of her and her husband's backgrounds as those of liberal democrats from Chicago. Pamela is often involved in social causes, such as the local National Education Association. Pamela does not read her daughter's zine (although Janene's father does) due to Janene's concerns about the expletives she uses in the zine and her mother's possible reaction. Pamela has read some articles that Janene has given her to read or for advice in editing, and she did contribute a submission to Burnt Beauty. Pamela sees the zine as “a statement of identity…a statement of fact about their beliefs and their artistic creativity” (Field notes, May 9, 2002).

Janene is Corgan's closest collaborator and shares the responsibility of writing articles with Corgan. In their working sessions, Janene will often initiate ideas for features or articles, and Corgan will write them with Janene's input. At other times, Janene also will write articles of her own for the zine or create backgrounds with cut-and-paste methods, using excerpts from newspapers and magazines for illustrations, backdrops, or borders. Janene contributes ideas (often by e-mail) and equipment, such as a scanner, for the production of the zine.

Janene defines social justice as “upholding human rights” (Field notes, February 11, 2004) and criticizes the government of the United States for its lack of equitable distributions of wealth and resources. Articles like the “Gay Marriage Article” and “Money in America” are examples of these ideas in issue 2. In issue 3, Janene wrote an exposé of the FBI's counterintelligence program, COINTELPRO, describing how it discredited the American Indian Movement, and she coauthored another article, “Some Anti-Capitalist Propaganda,” that illustrated her views opposing capitalism, views that are influenced by lyrics to songs from punk rock bands such as Propaghandi. As an activist, Janene recommended a movie about Abbie Hoffman's struggle as an activist, and referred readers to a book about the Black Panther Party. As a feminist, Janene coauthored with Corgan a feminist view of a comic book character, “Catwoman Is My Role Model,” explaining how Catwoman “saved women from getting robbed by thieves and left them with the message that they shouldn't always wait for a man to save them” (issue 2, p. 6).

Like Corgan, Janene lives out the principles and values to which she subscribes. In her last year of high school, Janene started a recycling club. In her first year of college, Janene participated in a public protest, A Day Against Intolerance, by screening T-shirts and cooking for participants. As a vegan, she wrote in the zine about the protection of animals, recommending No Compromise, a newsletter about grassroots animal liberation efforts. Due to her vegan lifestyle, Janene chose to live in an apartment with friends during her first year of college rather than a dormitory so that she could cook her own food. During this time, Janene became active with the local Anarchist Coalition. Janene reported reading the commercial publication The Nation. Often participating in protests on social and political issues, such as President George W. Bush's war on Iraq or a local car dealer's ego-driven land development, Janene personifies activism. True to her belief in the rights of animals, she is careful and selective about the ingredients in the food she eats, insisting on vegan food when her mother told her she would get a honey baked ham for her high school graduation party.