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wp2 Metacognitive Reflection 1

The document summarizes the process of translating an academic article about modern mandala meditation into a zine format. Key points: 1) The author focused on staying true to zine conventions like an informal tone and low production costs while including mandalas and notes about meditative experiences. 2) Zines emphasize creative freedom and minority voices, unlike academic articles which have strict conventions. 3) The author considered relevant discourse communities for the zine like artists, yogis, and meditators to understand the goals and language.

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28 views4 pages

wp2 Metacognitive Reflection 1

The document summarizes the process of translating an academic article about modern mandala meditation into a zine format. Key points: 1) The author focused on staying true to zine conventions like an informal tone and low production costs while including mandalas and notes about meditative experiences. 2) Zines emphasize creative freedom and minority voices, unlike academic articles which have strict conventions. 3) The author considered relevant discourse communities for the zine like artists, yogis, and meditators to understand the goals and language.

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You are on page 1/ 4

Sophie Berls

Allison Boccino

Writing 2

3/4/24

Modern Mandala Meditation: Observation Versus Practice

When considering my original article, entitled "Modern Mandala Meditation: Some

Observations," in creating my translation of the content into a zine, I focused on staying true to

the genre conventions of the zine, reflecting on how they differ from those of an academic

article, and what information was important to include in the translation versus what I felt could

be left out. I titled my translation "Modern Mandala Meditations: In Practice." The University of

Texas, Austin defines a zine as "a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts

and images." I decided to focus on the contemporary usage of these mandalas as an aid for

meditation. As the author writes, “in the popular literature, the term maṇḍala is now broadly used

to designate a geometric pattern, variously said to represent or relate to the cosmos, the

subconscious or unconscious.” I attempted to delve into my subconscious using these mandalas,

and the notes that I include in addition to the mandalas detail what I was thinking about, how I

felt, and some facts from the academic journal to demonstrate how, precisely, I was inspired by

the content.

My primary text was written according to the genre conventions of an academic article,

specifically with Chicago style endnotes and a formal tone. The academic genre is religious

history, and the intended audience for this piece includes scholars and historians in religious

studies, anthropology, psychology, and history. I know this because these are the broad, major

topics discussed in the text. As author Gudrun Bühnemann writes, there is a highly
“trans-sectarian and trans-regional” nature of mandalas, as they were used in a variety of

different traditions, rituals and spiritual practices across history1. This allows them to appeal to a

wide variety of discourse communities. Its topic is sort of to compare and contrast historical and

modern usages of the mandala, and its overall purpose is to inform audiences. The writing

conventions of the piece help it to stay more organized. The author uses subheadings and

headings, as well as an abstract, to make sure that the reader can recognize the main points of the

article. The article also uses bullet points along with full paragraphs to organize information and

ensure that the content is concise.

Decidedly different than those of an academic journal, the main conventions of the zine

genre include (but are not limited to): an informal tone and language, a cover page, an

explanation/biography on the inside cover, small pages (usually 8.5” by 11”), being

self-published independently, low budget, representative of minority voices or a niche interest,

and (often, yet not always) the use of collage techniques. I followed all of these conventions, as

my zine was super low cost, involving cutting and pasting together pages, and covered a

relatively niche topic. I also included a cover page and explanation of the zine, as well as a brief

biography. My tone was informal and the translation is not very text heavy, which falls in the

genre conventions. The conventions of a zine are very loose to allow for a wide variety of

creative freedom. However, I am not reproducing or publishing my zine, so in a way I am

breaking this convention. I believe the rules of a zine are quite bendable since they are an artistic,

emotional endeavor, made to fit the ideas that the publisher/artist/creator/writer has about a

particular subject they may cover. It is important to note that zines historically include diverse

content, ranging from narrative pieces, art, photographs, poetry, and even the publisher's

1
Bühnemann, Gudrun. “Modern Maṇḍala Meditation: Some Observations.” Contemporary Buddhism 18, no. 2
(2017): 263–276.
thoughts. Moreover, they often amplify voices from minority groups and/or people who feel

othered. For illustration, a zine fad exploded in the 90s among punks and the queer community,

to share information and experiences with the hopes of feeling less isolated from one another.

For illustration, a zine fad exploded in the 90s among punks and the queer community, to share

information and experiences with the hopes of feeling less isolated from one another.2 I looked at

several zines from the 1990s, created by lgbt+ artists and writers, to glean inspiration and define

the genre for myself.

I needed to make sure that I was utilizing the content in the article, allowing myself to be

inspired by it. Simultaneously, a challenge I faced was tending to the genre conventions while

also staying true to my own style and creativity. It was helpful to rely on what author Bickmore

wrote: “genres evolve and change over time, and each user taking up a genre takes it up just a

little bit differently”3. This reminded me that I didn’t need to follow a specific formula, and that I

could rely on creativity to make my translation. Additionally, it was necessary to pay attention to

what the discourse communities that may be interested in my zine are. As writing professor Dan

Melzer writes, discourse communities have the following six characteristics:

“1. A broadly agreed upon set of common public goals

2. Mechanisms of intercommunication among members

3. Use of these communication mechanisms to provide information

and feedback

4. One or more genres that help further the goals of the dis-

course community

2
“Queer Zine Archive,” QZAP, 2014, https://archive.qzap.org/index.php/Splash/Index.
3
Lisa Bickmore, “Genre in the Wild: Understanding Genre within Rhetorical (Eco)Systems,” Open English SLCC,
August 1, 2016,
https://pressbooks.pub/openenglishatslcc/chapter/genre-in-the-wild-understanding-genre-within-rhetorical-ecosyste
ms/.
5. A specific lexis (specialized language)

6. A threshold level of expert members (24-26)”4.

Based on this definition, the discourse communities who may be interested in my zine

include artists or people with artistic sensibilities, yogis, and people who like meditation.

Mandalas can be a fun, creative, and simple way to relax, and the overall goal of my zine is to

illustrate this without saying too many words.

4
Dan Melzer, “Understanding Discourse Communities,” essay, in Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing (Anderson,
SC: Parlor Press , 2020), 100–115.

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