Zine Library Highlight

Hello Sunshine

A hand holds four zines with various illustrated covers in front of purple flowers. The first booklet on the left is pink with a sun sketch. The second booklet, titled "FIX-A-FLAT," is white with a partial image of a bike wheel visible. The third booklet is mainly black and white, with detailed drawings and a partially visible title. The fourth booklet says "SAVOR the SUMMER" in a stylized sun above two stick figure drawings.

Hello Sunshine: Summertime Zines

Just in time for the first day of summer, this zine selection celebrates the magic of the warmest season. From the first signs of new growth in the garden to spontaneous camping trips with friends, the return of birds and bugs to afternoons spent swimming in the sun, these zines capture the joy, wonder, and warmth of summer.

A hand-drawn cover of a zine features a sun with the words "SAVOR the SUMMER" and two stick figures holding a sign with the names "Rebecca Minifie and Katie Kulla."

Rebecca Minifie & Katie Kulla

A seasonal scavenger hunt with small but powerful moments of summer, this small zine helps us notice the best parts of summer like summer veggies, insect friends, and the feeling of dipping your toes into cold water. Created by writer and illustrator Katie Kulla with artist and herbalist Rebecca Minifie, this zine is part of series for all the seasons.

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On the cover of this zine "Camp" is written with a backwards C above a drawing of a fire. On the inside pages, "We are going camping," and "We always toast marshmallows by the fire" is written above drawings of two people and a marshmallow on a stick near a fire.

Dorothée
2015

Written by a young comic maker, this zine chronicles the best parts of a summer camping trip including toasting marshmallows by the fire, setting up a tent, and playing with siblings, before it’s time to sleep under the stars.

A white paper cover of the zine "Birds I Saw This Summer: migratory ruminations" is fastened with decorative red yarn tied along the left side. The text is set in a large, bold, serif typeface.

Emily McDonald
2023

Migratory ruminations about a red-winged blackbird, mourning dove, rooster and crows are paired with drawings of feathered friends collected over a summer by Emily McDonald.

On the cover of this zine "Fix-A-Flat" is written above an illustration of a bike tire being punctured by a nail.

Sam Scipio and Ayesha McGowan
2020

As the weather improves, and we can all spend more time outside, this pocket sized zine is the perfect resource for any cyclists. Keep a copy in you pack or pannier, in case you ever need to fix a flat tire for with tubes or tubeless systems. Drawn by Sam Scipio, a designer and bike mechanic living and working in Detroit, MI in collaboration with Ayesha McGowan, the first African-American woman pro road cyclist, ever.

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On the cover of a zine, a curved section of the pool is visible, with the words "POOL PARTY" written along the edge. In the interior view, a person lies back on a floating pool chair holding a drink, smiling. A donut-shaped tube and a noodle float nearby.

Lisa Theriault
2015

A summer highlight, Theriault captures a playful afternoon splashing, lounging and being with friends poolside.

On the cover of a novella titled "Summer Shade", numerous line drawings appear on a cream background. The title is inside a plaque like shape.

Lee

In this novella, Lee creates a world where a group of trans folks with magical powers come together to take care of one another and build a community called Summer Shade.

A black and white illustrated cover of the zine "Name and Know Your Insects". It features various insect illustrations, including a butterfly at the top, a ladybug on a plant stalk, a bee, and other insects on the ground.

Sae Kim
2010

As all the insects emerge from hibernation, Sae Kim’s zine acts a handy guide to learn about the 10 insect orders: Coleoptera (beetles), Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), Diptera (flies), Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants), Hemiptera (true bugs), Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, katydids), Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), Blattodea (cockroaches), Isoptera (termites), and Mantodea (praying mantises).

This zine is part of the Small Science Collective.

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On the cover of this zine, the title "fireflies in the moonlight" is surrounded fireflies made from collaged elements.

Claire Sherwood
2016

Do fireflies ever light up your backyard in the summer? Montreal writer, visual poet and oral storyteller, Claire Sherwood’s collage-poems invite us to follow her words across multiple pages, flashing and pulsing like the eponymous glowing insects.

Displayed side-by-side, two booklets titled "Plant Propagation for the People," Vol 1: Seeds and Vol 2: Cuttings, each feature plant illustrations on the covers.

Erin Despard

As you begin your summer garden dreaming, check out Plant Propagation for the People (Vol. 1 Seeds) and (Vol. 2 Cuttings), created by UBC Botanical Garden’s Artist in Residence Dr. Erin Despard, which contain everything you need to know to start multiplying plants and make new friends! Beyond the practical knowledge in these small zines pages, Dr. Despard also emphasizes the importance of creating local connections by sharing seeds and cuttings, stating: “If propagating your own plants is a way of multiplying local connections, maybe we should think of it as an act of friendly communication as well as gardening…”

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On the cover of a pink zine, a cartoon sun wears sunglasses. Inside the pink pages, a person lays on a towel.

Claire Hunter
2019

A cautionary tale, this zine is a good reminder to always reapply your sunscreen every few hours to protect against the sun’s harsh rays.