A FANZINE LIBRARY IS BORN IN AVEIRO

“Within two months, alongside the books of Almeida Garrett, Fernando Pessoa, and Júlio Dinis that fill the shelves of the José Estêvão Secondary School library, Portuguese fanzines will also be present. This is the first Fanzineteca of Aveiro, which comes into being under a collaboration protocol signed yesterday between the school group’s administration and Miguel Correia, graphic designer (art director) at the Gula Visual Communication Agency, editor, and collector of fanzines.”

He was the one who, faced with a personal collection of fanzines that kept growing at home, came up with the idea of proposing to the school—his former school—the creation of a library for these publications, which stand out for being original, independent, and alternative. Over time, they have carved out an important space in cultural expression and the sharing of experiences around topics that lie outside the dominant cultural sphere.
Motivated by the passionate dissemination of themes such as science fiction, music, literature, or comics, a large number of publications have emerged around the world—and Aveiro has been no exception. A recent example (2019) is Ultra Violenta, launched by Miguel Correia. It already has 24 editions and contributions from over 150 artists from all continents, each offering works related to a theme proposed by the editor.
“Eating” was the first theme explored, and since then, fanzines have been made on dreams, the pandemic, poison, addiction, reflection, mystery… The most recent edition, released in November, was the result of a workshop led by the designer with students from José Estêvão Secondary School, which offers a Visual Arts course.
“It went so well that I decided to use their work to make a fanzine,” he explained to Diário de Aveiro on a particularly joyful day, as the Fanzineteca was officially established.
“It will be a space open to the school, but also to the wider community, where people can consult, photograph, or photocopy—for now—460 Portuguese fanzines, magazines, and independent publications from different eras and covering a variety of topics,” he added.

Form of Free Expression

A personal collection now becomes available (exclusively) for consultation, with the added benefit of being referenced in the Library Network of the Intermunicipal Community of the Aveiro Region, “which means that someone in Águeda, Estarreja, or Vagos can consult the Fanzineteca” and discover these alternative contents that, in his view, are highly relevant on both cultural and artistic levels and across various fields.

Alongside this space, Miguel Correia also intends to promote meetups, exhibitions, and workshops related to fanzines, and he also proposes the creation of a national network of Fanzinetecas. “There are five, from north to south of the country, and I would like to encourage the exchange of copies and the joint promotion of initiatives,” he says, having already prepared shipments for each of the five counterparts, consisting of several duplicate fanzines, as a way of initiating an exchange that he hopes will be “far-reaching and dynamic.”

Fanzine is a word formed by the combination of two terms: fan (as in enthusiast) and zine (from magazine), and it refers to non-commercial “underground” publications that serve as a vehicle for dissemination, idea exchange, and the expression of opinions. That is precisely what Miguel Correia hopes to bring into the school and public space: “a desire to create and think.”

At the same time, he expresses a personal sense of fulfillment in giving back to the school for what it provided him in terms of education and personal growth. And who knows—perhaps the fanzines will attract students to the library who otherwise would rarely set foot inside. This is also what school is about: reaching out to the community and inviting it to “come in.” This was a proposal “very well received by the administration, which immediately recognized many advantages and points of interest,” says the designer.

The inauguration of the Fanzineteca is scheduled for April, by which time the cataloging process is expected to be completed.

in: Diário de Aveiro, January 20, 2023