Coven Hunt!

Zine Explanation

Coven Hunt! — Zine Explanation

Coven Hunt! is an independent, collaborative feminist zine that publishes new issues biweekly on Thursdays. The zine covers a variety of different mediums, categories, and topics, and can change a little or completely in the formatting and order of content every two weeks, such as a news section that both reports local and world news, art—like drawings, comic strips, coloring pages, poetry, writing (vent pieces are allowed to be sent in!), book and music recommendations, and a Q&A section where readers can submit questions every week to potentially get their question answered in the next issue. Coven Hunt!’s purpose is to educate readers about feminism and its movement through a cheeky, fun, but informational way while providing a safe space that welcomes everyone (except TERFs).

Some things that Coven Hunt! requires in order to publish a page is that each page of the zine must be tied back to feminism in some way, that the questions submitted relate to feminism, and that at least one page in each issue is dedicated to teaching readers something new about the movement. This could be as simple as defining a term, like trans-exclusionary radical feminist, or TERF (which Coven Hunt! makes very clear that they do not tolerate TERFs and will never consider them feminists in the slightest), or as detailed as a short essay in regards to the movement. Even hate pages from those that are not big fans of the zine can send something in as long as it follows the guidelines—most likely, Coven Hunt! will ‘edit’ or make ‘corrections’ to the page with a red marker and add it in the next issue as a joke and/or to be made fun of.

The name Coven Hunt! is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the parallels between the Salem Witch Trials and feminists today—a lot of people don’t like us simply for existing. But on a sweeter note, Coven Hunt! is actually very much like a coven, in the sense that it is a gathering of like-minded individuals and we always want to ensure the safety of everyone that’s in it. Our dedication in protecting the ‘coven’ is very much similar to the idea that true feminism defends all marginalized groups, not just women.

Brainstorm Ideas

Zine requirements:

• organization, band, club, or just because

• include at least first 5 pages

• an explanation of what would be forthcoming in this project if you had time

Zine brainstorm ideas:

• Bottoms (2023) inspired fight club for feminists

  • Why is a fight club necessary (explain that it isn’t actually a fight club)

  • How to start a fight club

• alt/punk AANHPI women club

• 1) How to be a feminist? (Is there a correct way? The short answer is YES)

  • 2) What’s a feminist (in today’s context)?

    • First, what is feminism?

    • explain how the ideals of feminism have changed overtime to accommodate the changing times

    • real feminists aren’t TERFs; they are inclusive of all marginalized communities

    • “Why would I want to be a feminist?”

      • cheeky but smart/academic response?

    • Being a feminist should be the bare minimum. It’s a no-brainer to care about other people, especially if they are constantly silenced. “At the very bare minimum, your innate job as a human being is to be a decent one.”

  • 3) Pride Month Edition: History of Pride Month and its importance and relation to feminist ideology

    • explain how queer people have always existed and will continue to exist despite the blatant silencing and violence

    • Stonewall Riots 1969 -> tie into Civil Rights Movement, start of Feminist Movement, anti-war sentiments

      • Stonewall Riots -> AIDS epidemic, ties into safe healthcare for everyone, not just queer people

      • even after multiple protests, violence continues to pervade queer populations (PULSE, The Cuff)

      • “This is why we have Pride Month…have fun this month and remember to always look out for one another and keep each other safe…”

  • 4) Funny/cheeky short comic about self-defense when being objectified & fetishized

    • “Has This Ever Happened To You?”

      • panel 1: Asian fem chilling outside alone, smoking

      • panel 2: annoying, rude yt guy walks up to them: “*Kiss kiss sounds* Hey Lucy Liu, what are you doing out here alone?”

      • panel 3: Asian fem: *silence, death glare*

      • panel 4: yt guy: “Oh, do you not speak English, sweetheart? That’s okay, I’m into quiet Asian girls like you. I bet you’re real submissive in the bedroom, too.”

      • panel 5: Asian fem: *Kubrick stare*

      • panel 6: yt guy: *mocking tone* “Hey, I’ll *rove you rong ti—*”

      • panel 7: Asian fem: *high kicks (in heels) guy’s head clean off)

      • panel 8: (black and white photo of O-Ren Ishii/Lucy Liu in Kill Bill) “Now if any of you sons of b*tches got anything else to say…NOW’S THE F***ING TIME!!!”

      • aside: Don’t give into the model minority myth. Raise hell: be loud, be assertive, TAKE UP SPACE NOW!

      • This comic was brought to you by the #StopAsianHate movement.

  • 5) Perks of being a feminist

    • “Okay, well a lot of people seem to hate on feminists. Are there any perks to being one?”

      • Tell me honestly: do you know anyone prominent in history that fought for the benefit of everyone and was completely loved by the world? And before you answer: no, sadly and somehow, Dolly Parton is not loved by every person on earth. While embodying feminist ideals is not something radical (remember when we talked about being a decent human being?), feminists do get a lot of hate because society cannot fathom change in the status quo. The world only cares to believe that it can only function if there is a group that gains, and a group that loses. This is just simply not true—there can most definitely be a world that exists where people are treated equally and fairly without worrying about being punished for who they are. The hard part is just getting the people to wake up and break out of their sheltered bubbles. So how can we remedy this?

        • By provoking people. No, not by intimidation or physical force, but initiate a dialogue that centers feminism. Ask people why they believe the outdated things they do—get to the root of it. Again, this is not easy and this will take time, but contrary to popular belief, people can change. It’s just a matter of if they acknowledge and want to put the effort in making a change.

      • Being a feminist isn’t an easy job (we can thank patriarchy and white supremacy for that) and most of the time if not all the time it is highly unrewarding, but one thing I will say is that it is wholeheartedly 100% meaningful work. To know that there are activists around the world who also want to see a difference in the world for the betterment of others now and in the future is uniting and comforting. The indomitable human spirit pushes us to remain hopeful and is what has enabled people to keep fighting for what’s right for centuries—by the end of this zine, if you are still not convinced that you are or should be a feminist, maybe you’re not living at all.

      • Closing comments: I hope that this zine either educated you, spoke to you, or at the very least maybe made you mad so you can complain about it with your other friends—that would be good publicity for the zine. Plus, you would actually be helping me and other feminists in starting conversations about collective justice that centers feminism. Either way, feminists win and will continue to win—we refuse to be silenced.