Dos Pueblos High School offers a wide range of creative clubs on campus, from the Creative Writing Club to the National Art Honor Society. Zine Club president, Lizzie Medina (11), formed the club in September of 2025 as an opportunity for students to showcase their creative abilities. A zine, short for “fanzine,” is a do-it-yourself, small-scale publication. Zines are often pamphlet-like and can explore any topic their creators choose.
“[A zine is] a homemade booklet or magazine, it can be about basically any topic, it can have any formatting,” Medina said. “It’s very centered on self-expression, instead of regular magazines which are usually made for profit [and] filled with ads.”
Medina said she became interested in zines after a project in her Mexican-American Literature class.
“I had discovered zines a year before [forming zine club,” Medina said. “And I had totally gotten obsessed with them.”
According to Medina, that project sparked ongoing interest in zines.
“It’s a really amazing outlet for creativity and self-expression for me. I love getting my ideas out in the world to other like-minded people,” Medina said. “I just think they are so personal, and they are very specific to the individual. Every time you read someone else’s zin,e you are getting a glimpse into their life, and that’s what I keep in mind when I’m making my own.”
Beyond the club’s artistic focus, Zine Club Vice President Sydney Masterson (11) said the club’s community is what makes Zine Club particularly unique.
“Having a community doesn’t mean rules and being really formal with each other, it’s about expressing yourself and making those friendships with one another [which the zine club provides],” Masterson said.
Zine Club Treasurer and Manager, Rose Corral (11), also emphasized the club’s supportive, close-knit community.
“It’s a safe space for anyone to go to just be themselves and create something that’s completely their own,” Corral said.
Masterson, who is also a member of the National Art Honor Society, said that Zine Club offers a distinctly different environment and experience.
“[I love] National Art Honors Society … but it’s a lot of work, there’s deadlines, we’re always doing something for something, there’s themes,” Masterson said. “Zine Club, it’s really just about being there and having fun.”
Masterson added that zines are highly versatile, with the ability to cover topics ranging from art to current political events.
“A lot of students with everything going on with ICE in our community right now,” Masterson said. “I’ve seen a lot of students express themselves about that and speak out about that using a zine. [Zines can be used] not only to educate someone else, it can also be used to speak out about things, to express what you want to do.”
Like Masterson, Corral also appreciates the flexibility of zines, using them to demonstrate her artistic abilities and explore her passions.
“I mostly make them about my interests, like my favorite movies, nature, or just put cute things in there,” Corral said.
Looking ahead, Medina shared that she hopes to share both her own zines and the club’s work with the larger DPHS and Santa Barbara community.
“I have plans of collaborating with the DP library and then maybe the Santa Barbara Public library to get zine displays out there,” Medina said. “I want to spread more awareness and knowledge about zines … I think they’re a really powerful medium.”
In leading the club, Medina has emphasized artistic independence, reflected in the structure of the club’s flexible meetings.
“I wanted to let people have individual time to work on their zines. Just freedom, because zines are very centered on creative freedom,” Medina said. “So I wanted a lot of time in [the] club for people to create what they want to make.”
The club meets in H-12 on Fridays during lunch, and Medina recommends joining the zine club because, Zine Club “gives people a space to be creative and share ideas.”
