Anna ~ Featured WIZD Zine Maker

Anna is a zine maker from Chicago who makes How-To zines under the title Biff Boff Bam Sock. Anna's zines are a staple series at Wasted Ink and provide people with easy to understand ways to manage personal finance, manage personal health, and learn how to vote. You can find Anna's zines in Wasted Ink Zine Distro!

Tell your zine story. What inspired you to make zines?
My first zine was given to me by my sister on a visit home from college: king cat. I had read comics before, but this one was different. However, I didn't think too much of it until I myself went to university, studying illustration. I come into zines from dabbling in comix and during a class, there was an option to make a zine and I took it! Thanks Tim Finn for telling me that a zine could be about anything! That was the first Biff Boff Bam Sock. The first few zines I made were kind of mod podge of drawings, comics, and short articles. Issue 4 had similar content, but on a theme: my city hall wedding. Issue 5 was when I think I hit my true stride: a how-to on personal finance. After getting out of school and being independent, I learned about personal finance by reading books on the subject (some good, some bad) and wanted to create something I wish I had had: a 20 page funny and cute guide to basic finance tips. The subjects that followed were Spanish Grammar, Cancer, Health Insurance, and Voting. Each one reflects what I was leaning at a given point in my life, and I love sharing my findings!

---

Why are zines important to you? Why do you choose zines as your outlet?
Zine culture upholds a lot of my personal views: accessible art, freedom of speech and expression, empathy, a sense of the ephemeral. I love holding an object that a single person (or small team) made, not for a huge profit, by hand, because they simply had the desire for it to exist and be shared. There's a lot of love and passion and humility that goes into zines. Zine fests are my favorite places to be, because everyone there is there because they created something and put in the work to see it live in the world. Lots of types of people makes zines, but that sense of passion is what unifies us. My zines specifically have a utilitarian bent to them, so a big motivator for me is to create a tool, resource, or guide to a complicated topic (especially one that has personally frustrated/intrigued me). Zines are incredibly direct - I write, design, print, and sell them myself - which is incredibly empowering. Also, I love the trading culture of zines; I liken it to printing my own money.

Share your favorite zine story with us.
I'm always super proud when people reach out to me from the non-zine world to use my zines for good. The NW Network (an organization that works to end LGBT abuse) has bought my personal finance and health insurance zines in bulk. The Health Autonomy group at Woodbine in Queens commissioned a low cost (non fancy cover) version of my health care zine to give away for free. And my "stuff we have from cancer" zine is out of print, but it brought about a lot of wonderful, touching encounters with survivors as well as people who have supported someone in a chronic illness. It was like the zine offered a shortcut for people to be open and supportive.

---

You can find Anna's zines at Wasted Ink Zine Distro! ​You can also follow Anna on Instagram and Twitter!