Writing a Riot

by Rebekah J. Buchanan

Riot grrrls, punk feminists best known for their girl power activism and message, used punk ideologies and the literacy practice of zine-ing to create radical feminist sites of resistance. In what ways did zines document feminism and activism of the 1990s? How did riot grrrls use punk ideologies to participate in DIY sites? In Writing a Riot Grrl Zines and Feminist Rhetorics , Buchanan argues that zines are a form of literacy participation used to document personal, social, and political values within punk. She examines zine studies as an academic field, how riot grrrls used zines to promote punk feminism, and the ways riot grrrl zines dealt with social justice issues of rape and race. Writing a Riot is the first full-length book that examines riot grrrl zines and their role in documenting feminist history.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Art

218 pages, Paperback

Published February 12, 2018

Reviews

[lizzielee2003]

Writing a Riot is a in-depth analysis of zines created by the 90s punk feminist movement, Riot Grrrl. The Riot Grrrl movement is fascinating. While the movement was relatively short-lived, the impacts of it still reverberate through music and feminism in the present day. The Riot Grrrl tendency to control the narrative through indie publishing and zine creation is something that deserves to be studied, something that Buchanan emphasizes. Sadly, I felt that this book relied a little too much on past scholarship and focused more on the specifics of zine theories than actual Riot Grrrl zines. I also disagreed with the argument that Riot Grrrl should not be classified as a movement.

That being said, Writing a Riot is a great introduction to Riot Grrrl and the movement's complicated beliefs (especially regarding race).

[Karla Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this zine book to get a break down of riot grrrl zine history <3 <3 <3