Tenacious zine box set catalog

“Zines provide individuals with an opportunity and a medium to tell their stories, share their ideas, and engage in creative expression."

Zines, which began to emerge as early as the 1930s, are small, self-published pieces that are usually produced using a photocopier. The principal goal of publication is not profit, meaning that there are often fewer than 5,000 copies of a given zine in circulation at any time. Intended audiences tend to be niche groups, so the content of a zine is usually of interest to a specific portion of the population. Zines provide individuals with an opportunity and a medium to tell their stories, share their ideas, and engage in creative expression (Purdue University: Libraries and School of Information Studies, University of Texas Libraries, UNC University Libraries).

Santa Clara University’s Archives & Special Collections holds in its collections the Tenacious Zine Box Set: Art & Writings By Women in Prison. The set includes 44 issues, a complete run of every issue starting in 2002 and ending in 2020. The zines contain poems, images, essays, letters, and other contributions created by women who were either incarcerated or formerly incarcerated at the time of their submission. Victoria Law, an American author and prison abolitionist, spent two decades compiling the writings of incarcerated women that ultimately culminated in the quarterly (fall, winter, spring, summer) publication of the 44 zines.

Many women from across the United States contributed to the zines. Because the project began in Oregon, a large portion of the included works are written by women incarcerated in the Oregon prison system. However, the zines also offer a variety of works by women from all around the U.S. and from different correctional facilities within a given state. For example, several women discuss their experiences in one Oregon facility before being moved to another, from where they continued to publish subsequent pieces. The women whose stories and experiences are contained within the zines come from varying backgrounds and range from young adults to seniors. The women wrote letters, essays, and poems to submit for inclusion in the zines, often detailing experiences within the prison system as well as offering autobiographical accounts of their own lives. They also compiled lists and statistics in order to raise awareness about issues such as deplorable living conditions, violence within prison, and staff misconduct. Some created word searches, artwork, and images that revealed the struggles of being incarcerated.

Throughout the zines that I examined, I encountered several authors and themes frequently. In the Mother’s Day issues, themes of motherhood and parenting from within prison are particularly prevalent. Tragically, themes of staff and administrative misconduct as well as lack of support for mental and medical health care arise often and are written about by many different women. In a large number of the works, women also allude to their own personal journeys to find peace inside of prison and to overcome the multitude of obstacles they face daily. In the first 14 zines that I cataloged, I encountered 30 separate works by Barrilee Bannister and numerous others written about her. As I progressed through the years, I became well acquainted with Bannister and her work as an activist and advocate for all incarcerated women. Bannister’s tenacity and unwillingness to give up or back down were both inspiring and endearing. I was elated when, towards the end of my research, I learned of Bannister’s release via the zines. I felt as if I knew her intimately through the many personal accounts she included and through her detailed and emotional descriptions of prison conditions, daily life, and critique. I also read several works by Yraida Guanipa, a mother of two boys whose dedication to her family was unwavering throughout her period of incarceration. As a reader, I shared intimate moments with Guanipa, during which she recalls reuniting with her sons and husband. Guanipa went on to create a podcast with the intention of raising awareness about the unjust prison system in the United States and the adversity that incarcerated women must overcome.