Today’s youth faces challenges that generations before have never even dreamt about. With the rise of the digital era where new sources of insecurity, anxiety, and depressing news are constantly well within their reach, emotions are often turnt up to maximum levels at all times—overwhelming their mental capacity with worry after worry. It’s no wonder that young people across the Philippines, let alone the world, often have extreme emotions in their heads that need to be let out in whatever way. For the students of the University of the Philippines’ (UP) Writers Club, a self-published zine is the way to go.

If you’re not familiar with zines, these are self-published, small-circulation, body of works that are distributed to close groups of people. As social media becomes more of an avenue for people to easily reach one another from different parts of the country, it has also allowed the promulgation of zines to grow throughout the years. From only being available to those physically nearby, it is now possible to digitally promote and distribute copies wherever you are in the world.

Because of this, you can also check out these Philippine-made zines from students, wherever you may be reading this.

The UP Writers Club in an organization within one of the country’s biggest and most respected universities that foster the talents of young writers. This year, the student-run org opened Zinedahan, a project that promotes the literary works of some of its members that focus on several important discussions among the youth. The organizers encourage interested patrons to pay what they can, with the minimum amount of P50.

Five zines are included in this project, all tackling a different theme in today’s confusing world. Here’s what you need to know for each one:

A Manual of Everyday Weaponry (2018)

Author Alexandra May Cardoso releases a set of instructions on how we can use everyday objects as weapons of self-defense against a world that’s growing to be more dangerous by the day.

Linger (2019)

Eleven individuals explore the pain of letting go in this one zine, with a particular focus on the concept of memory, and what it means to leave and return to the source of our pain, time and time again.

In the bed I cry for rest (2019)

Author Angeli Lacson takes readers on an emotional and impactful journey that’s all about various kinds of pain. The quote cited offers a glimpse into what looks to be a deeply personal depiction of the different layers of someone’s pain.

little, but certain happiness (2019)

Hope is at the heart of this particular zine with poems and other works by the author that touches on the spirit of honoring “both the familiar and the unfamiliar.”

A jogging process (2019)

The last entry on this project offers a unique look into life’s mundanity, obvious complexity, and obscure simplicity. It asks the question: Is there truly nothing simple about life anymore?

All the zines in this project are available in digital PDF format, and is open to be purchased by anyone who wishes to do so. Read the full versions of each synopsis here and order your copy before April 30 by filling up this form.

Learn more about UP Writers Club at https://www.facebook.com/upwritersclub.