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  • Zine Makers: Crafting A Peer Poetry Zine (Summer 2026)

Summer 2026

Zine Makers: Crafting A Peer Poetry Zine

This Journey invites you to step into the role of editor and designer to transform poetry from the spring Poetry Rising Journey into a compelling, collaborative zine. You will move through the stages of publishing, beginning with a deep editorial dive to refine existing verses inspired by heritage and created by your peers. As you master visual composition and multimedia design, you will learn to pair these powerful voices with a cohesive aesthetic, ultimately gaining the technical skills and creative vision needed to produce and share a high-impact, independent publication.

Ready to Apply?

Learn more below or get started now. If you do not already have a Girls Write Now Portal account, you will be asked to create one in order to apply.

Apply Now

Ready to Apply?

Learn more below or get started now. If you do not already have a Girls Write Now Portal account, you will be asked to create one in order to apply.

 

 

Apply Now
  • JOURNEY REQUIREMENTS
  • Cycle(s) One cycle (July 1 to September 30).
  • Time Commitment A minimum of three hours per month.
  • Journey Meetings Attend monthly Journey Meetings. See dates listed below.
  • Mentoring Have a minimum of two one-hour pair sessions per month.
  • Journey Project Create a collaborative zine.

Zine Makers: Crafting A Peer Poetry Zine Community Experiences

Mentees and mentors must attend one Journey Live Meetings each month. 

Summer Cycle Journey Meetings:

  • Saturday, July 11 , 2026, 4 – 6 PM ET
  • Saturday, August 8, 2026, 4 – 6 PM ET
  • Saturday, September 12, 2026, 4 – 6 PM ET

If you’re unable to attend a Journey meeting, you must notify your Staff Lead in advance and attend a community event to make up for it—recommended options for this journey include Community Studios and Career Chats.

Journey Circle: Community

Zine Makers: Crafting A Peer Poetry Zine Course

Crafting A Zine
In this integrated coursework, you will deepen your understanding of the editorial and design process while building practical publishing skills you can apply beyond this Journey. Designed to directly support and extend your live Journey meetings, the coursework provides guided lessons, tools, and practice that strengthen the collaborative zine-making happening in real time.

Writing

Zine Makers: Crafting A Peer Poetry Zine Mentoring

Mentees and mentors in this Journey will be matched for a minimum of one cycle. Pairs will meet for at least two hour-long sessions each month. This Journey is open to both traditional pairs and peer-to-peer pairs.

Journey Teaching Artists

Kenna DeValor

(they/them) Mentor

Kenna DeValor (they/them) is a nonbinary + queer writer and current graduate student based in Northeast Pennsylvania. They hold a B.A. in English Literature with a minor in Creative Writing from Bloomsburg University. Currently, they attend Wilkes University's Maslow Family Creative Writing MA/MFA program for Fiction, and they are writing their MA Thesis: a debut YA dark academia novel while working under the incredible YA author Allison Saft as their mentor.

In DeValor's career, they have been published 70+ times in various art/literary journals and magazines around the US, UK, and Australia. They have been nominated twice in 2025 for Best of the Net (1x for visual art & 1x for short fiction) and once for Best Short Fictions 2026. They have their poetry collection DISCOFRUIT available at certain indie bookshops in Pennsylvania! (Friendly Alien Bookstores etc.) They also started their very own nonprofit (501c3) literary arts magazine in 2019 called FlowerMouth Press that uplifts diverse voices, which has amassed over 4,000 followers.

When DeValor is not writing, reading, making zines, drawing, analyzing banned books, or performing onstage, they are a journalist for a local newspaper, a professional tattoo artist in their hometown of Bethlehem, PA, and a professional typewriter poet contracted with the Poetry Society of New York. They also spend their time making music with their indie alt band ARACHNYX, supporting their local library as a programs coordinator, occasionally performing their writing live, and going on adventures with their fiancé, Drew.

Learn more about Kenna: www.kennadevalor.com Kenna's Main Instagram @teadragonz Kenna's Writer Instagram @kennadevalorwrites FlowerMouth Press

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Kayla Dudley

(she/her) Mentee

Kayla Dudley (she/her) is a poet, educator, and artivist dedicated to using storytelling as a tool for social change. A recent graduate from John Jay College with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Africana Studies, she explores the intersections of identity, justice, and healing through her work. She is the CEO/Founder of Healotry, a workshop series that invites participants to confront silence and reclaim their voices through creative expression. Her poetry often centers on love, resilience, and the lived experiences of Black women and queer communities. She aspires to continue blending art and advocacy as she pursues her graduates in creative writing and Africana Studies.

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Publish 360

Journeys in the Publish 360 Adventure focus on the process of producing and publishing creative work. It is perfect for mentees and mentors who want to learn more about the publishing world.

Zine Makers: Crafting A Peer Poetry Zine is a Journey in the Publish 360 Adventure.

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