Date: Friday, February 7, 2025

Time: 3-5 p.m.

Where: University of Arizona Main Library, 1510 E. University Blvd., Tucson

Amber McCrary leads a zine workshop at the CATalyst Studios in the University of Arizona Main Library. See examples of her zines here. A zine (short for “fanzine” or “magazine”) is a small, self-published booklet or magazine, typically created by individuals or small groups, often for niche or alternative audiences. Zines can cover a wide variety of topics, including art, music, politics, personal experiences, and subcultures. Zine-making is open to everyone, no matter your skill level. Zines are for fun, self-expression, or learning. There’s no right or wrong way to make a zine—it’s all about experimenting and enjoying the process! McCrary will guide participants through layout design and demonstrate how to bind a zine with folds, staples, and other methods. All materials will be provided, so drop in any time between 3 and 5 p.m.

Example of zine layout from Amber McCrary

McCrary is the author of Blue Corn Tongue: Poems in the Mouth of the Desert.   McCrary is of the Kin Łichíí’nii clan, born for the Naakaii Dine’é clan. Her maternal grandfather is the Áshįįhí clan and her paternal grandfather is the Ta’neeszahnii clan. McCrary was born in Tuba City, Arizona, and raised in Flagstaff, Arizona. She is a poet, zinester, dog (and cat) mom, and tea lover.

About the book:

In a voice that is jubilant, irreverent, sometimes scouring, sometimes heartfelt, and always unmistakably her own, Amber McCrary remaps the deserts of Arizona through the blue corn story of a young Diné woman figuring out love and life with an O’odham man. Reflecting experiences of Indigenous joy, pain, and family, these shapeshifting poems celebrate the love between two Native partners, a love that flourishes alongside the traumas they face in the present and the past. From her ethereal connection with her saguaro muse, Hosh, to the intricate tapestry of her relationships with Diné relatives and her awakening to the complex world of toxic masculinity, McCrary brings together DIY zine aesthetics, life forms of juniper and mountains, and the beauty of Diné Bizaad to tell of the enduring bonds between people and place.