Zines: A love letter

This blog post was written by FEELed lab friend and UBCO Alum Lola Melchior, whose visits we always warmly welcome!

Dear zine,

I hope this letter finds you well! I am writing to you today, even though it seems counterintuitive to write instead of sketch, collage or scribble (for once). I just wanted to say thank you, and I know it has long been overdue. Thank you for being you, unapologetically. There are many things about you that I admire, and it is hard for me to express them all but I will try.

Thank you for your honesty! I admire how you are able to speak your truth, without caring too much about what others might think. Some things need to be said, and you almost always manage to convey your truth in an honest, gentle and inviting manner – you call people in, without sugarcoating what is real. This is really special, and has taught me a lot in terms of how I want to be communicating.

Thank you for giving me clarity! Sometimes I get really overwhelmed by the world and don’t know who to turn to: I feel like I get sucked into a cycle of bad news, violence, dissonance, anger, sadness and it sometimes all becomes too much. You have helped me so often to regain clarity, to express myself and sort my thoughts. It is a rare talent to be able to give people perspective in this confusing world. 

Thank you for strengthening community and hope! You are so good at building community, and at making me feel hopeful again. I have had the privilege to build really deep connections with (basically) strangers, and it was partially facilitated by you. You bring people together, and you somehow manage to make them feel comfortable as their true selves (with all their vulnerabilities, quirks, thoughts). 

Thank you for being welcoming! You really have a way of making people feel invited and welcome in your presence. You deconstruct barriers in order for spaces to be accessible and inclusive. You treat every single person and their ideas with respect, kindness and an open heart. Nobody needs to impress you with fancy words, elaborate philosophical musings or amazing art. We can all show up as we are, and trust that you will carry our stories forward with care. 

This might sound like I am a little bit obsessed with you. And yes, there might be truth in that. I just think you are really really cool!

I also wanted to share a few stories or examples of recent encounters I had that reminded me of you. Like last June, when I was trying to understand how pinkwashing works, and how that is used by companies to manufacture consent for their unethical practices (Zine here). 

Or when I got really frustrated about the lack of accessibility and care within our communities, and therefore started to distribute a guide for accessible communication with hard of hearing people (Zine here).

Or when it became noticeable that – despite the overwhelming evidence of human rights violations and genocidal violence in Palestine – universities across the world (and especially across Turtle Island) were derailing conversations about divestment by questioning the legitimacy of peaceful student protest (Zine here). You were there in spirit!

Zine, I have learned lessons for life from you and for that I will be forever grateful. I left the Okanagan in September of 2024 with a MA degree but truly one of the biggest take-aways from my studies (sorry Onyx!) is how to make a zine. I will forever be grateful that Astrida introduced me to you. I hope to be able to carry your gifts with me wherever I go, to become a more honest, more hopeful, more feisty, more welcoming and more brave person.

With love and appreciation,

Lola