Riot Grrrl Zines Collection, 1980-2024 and undated

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Summary

Title:
Riot Grrrl Zines Collection
Dates:
1980-2024 and undated
Creators:
Wobensmith, Matt, collector
Abstract:
The collection includes zines, distro catalogs, and print ephemera from 1980-2024 and undated. Originating during in the Pacific Northwest of the United States during the 1990s, the Riot Grrrl movement combines feminism, punk music, and politics, and is often associated with third-wave feminism. The collection is primarily comprised of hand-made zines influencing, informing, and reflecting on the Riot Grrrl movement. It also features materials related to bands and record labels closely associated with the Riot Grrrl movement.
Extent:
4.7 Linear Feet (7 document boxes, 1 slim document box, 1 flat box)
Language:
Languages represented in the collection: English .
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Riot Grrrl Zines Collection (H.Mss.1145). Special Collections and Archives, The Claremont Colleges Library, The Claremont Colleges Services, Claremont, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection is primarily comprised of hand-made zines influencing, informing, and reflecting on the Riot Grrrl feminist punk movement, spanning the years 1980-2024 and undated. The zines in the collection highlight three distinct eras of the movement: "Proto-Riot Grrrl," "Riot-Grrrl," and "Post-Riot Grrrl." Publications such as "Bitch," "Rock Against Sexism," and "Teenage Gang Debs" predate the movement, but highlight women musicians and artists, while promoting activism and women's rights. As the Riot Grrrl movement grew, individuals were inspired to become active in music or self-publish personal zines to share personal stories and viewpoints, and to empower a wider group of women and allies of the movement. Zines such as "Doris" and "Fern" became influential in the third-wave feminist movement of the 1990s, and cover a range of topics such as music, politics, cooking, sexual violence, queerness. Later zines like "Skurt Cobain," "Make Me Numb," "The Escape Artist," and "Finger on the Trigger" carry on the ethos of the Riot Grrrl movement while documenting voices of a new generation and focusing on race and people of color in the punk scene.

A smaller, second series includes a selection of distros and ephemeral materials from 1992-2006 and undated. A system of sharing homemade publications, distros acted as clearinghouses and allowed for the sharing and distribution of zines, tapes, and other independently produced media. In addition to distros, a selection of catalogues and newsletters for independent record labels such as K Records and Kill Rock Stars are featured. Ephemeral materials related to bands of the Riot Grrrl movement are also included, most notably clippings and press releases about Bikini Kill and a demo cassette tape by Heavens to Betsy.

Biographical / historical:

Riot Grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that originated during the early 1990s in Olympia, Washington and greater Pacific Northwest of the United States. The movement combines feminism, punk music, and politics, and is often associated with third-wave feminism. The movement emerged to address sexism in the punk scene and encouraged women to actively engage in cultural production by creating their own music and fanzines. Homemade Riot Grrrl zines supported the growth of the movement and allowed its creators to share content and experiences related to a variety of feminist topics.

Materials originated from the personal collection of Matt Wobensmith, editor and publisher of the queer zine "Outpunk" and an authority on DIY ("do it yourself") culture in the Bay Area and beyond. Some collection context provided by Wobensmith was used for the description of materials in this collection.

Acquisition information:
Library purchase from Johnson Rare Books, November 2024.
Processing information:

Processed by Sean Stanley, Digital and Print Collections Archivist, Special Collections, The Claremont Colleges Library.Zines were grouped together and organized alphabetically primarily by title. All materials were placed into acid-free archival folders and housed in document boxes. Oversize materials were stored flat and placed into an oversize box.

Arrangement:

The collection is organized into the following series:

  • Series 1: Distros and ephemera, 1992-2006 and undated
  • Series 2: Zines, 1980-2024 and undated

Folders are arranged alphabetically by folder title within each series.

Accruals:

No additions to the collection are anticipated.

Physical location:
Please consult repository.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Sean Stanley
Date Prepared:
© 2024
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-12-10 09:55:34 -0800 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection open for research.

Terms of access:

All requests for permission to reproduce or to publish must be submitted in writing to Special Collections.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Riot Grrrl Zines Collection (H.Mss.1145). Special Collections and Archives, The Claremont Colleges Library, The Claremont Colleges Services, Claremont, California.

Location of this collection:
800 N. Dartmouth Ave.
Claremont, CA 91711, US
Contact:
(909) 607‑3977
specialcollections@claremont.edu
Website