Dear You,
In Fall, 2019 New York University launched NYU Reads, a university-wide initiative to engage all members of the University community in a shared reading experience. This program builds on NYU’s many undergraduate first year programs that engage all new students in a common reading experience. Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover, was chosen by a committee of faculty, student, and administrator representatives as the inaugural book.
In response, the Division of Libraries asked the NYU Community to participate in the first ever NYU Reads: Community Zine. A zine (pronounced “zeen”) is short for fanzine or magazine. It is a DIY (do-it-yourself) publication, usually made on paper and reproduced by printer or photocopier with a variety of content that is original or appropriated. The Libraries asked community members to respond to the book and its themes through creative expression, providing the following call for participation:
Hey NYU, show us your creativity! This project invites anyone from the NYU Community to submit creative work based on four selected themes from the book (transformative power of education, storytelling, self-invention, and belonging)…Submissions can be artsy, literary, DIY, or “anything goes” as long as it can fit on a half sheet of paper…The completed Zine will be catalogued in the library as part of the University Archives. Be a part of NYU History by contributing to the first ever NYU Reads: Community Zine!
The community zine program ran for the entire Fall, 2019 semester alongside other programming that included zine making workshops, a film series at Avery Fisher Center, and a simulcast of Tara Westover’s interview with NYU’s Provost Katherine Fleming. This zine represents the submissions created and received for the first ever NYU Reads: Community Zine. Thanks for reading!
<3 NYU Community Reads Zine Team
Due to Covid, the paper publication has been delayed, but you can view the contributions to the zine to get an idea of the brilliant creativity of NYU. Interested in contributing to the 2020 edition? Submission details here.