Queering the Archive: Who Gets To Tell Our Stories?
Join zine-makers and archivists Aghh Zine and Erin James for a dynamic and hands-on workshop that brings grassroots creativity into conversation with an archive.
With support from Danny Millum of Sussex Library and Sussex University researcher Dr Sam Solomon, this session invites you to reimagine who gets to record history—and why it’s important we do it together, within community.
Together, we’ll explore the tension between traditional archiving and DIY, community-led storytelling. We seek to investigate what shifts when those with the lived experience of a story are the ones who get ownership over how to tell it. Together, we will ask what dominant forces have historically stood in the way of self-publishing and citizen media, and what creative strategies we can use to overcome this.
Participants will have rare access to selected archival materials from Sussex Library, using these as inspiration to weave their own narratives into this historical moment. Guided by the rich practice of zine-making, you’ll create your own zine centred on a story you’re passionate about sharing.
If you care about self-representation, grassroots media, and pushing back against the growing censorship of citizen voices, this workshop is for you."