Hosted by Queer Asian Pride Ireland & Pradeep Mahadeshwar
15 September 2025 | TU Dublin, City Campus
On 15th September 2025, Queer Asian Pride Ireland (QAPI) and artist Pradeep Mahadeshwar will host a zine-making workshop titled “Queers Beyond Borders” at TU Dublin, City Campus. The workshop invites queer people of colour and their allies to come together, share stories, and experiment with self-publishing as a tool for community building.
This workshop is designed especially for individuals who may not see themselves as artists or come from a creative background. The aim is simple: to bring Queer People of Colour (QPoC) together and nurture creativity as a tool for connection and community.
For this session, I am drawing from my personal collection of activism posters spanning the 1980s to 2025. By recycling and reimagining these posters, we honour the activism ancestors who shaped the world we live in today — keeping their spirit alive while creating something new together.
At its heart, the workshop seeks to bring queer immigrants together — creating a safe, creative space where lived experiences, desires, and challenges can be expressed beyond the constraints of mainstream narratives.
What is a Zine?
A zine is a self-published, small-circulation work of texts and images, often handmade, photocopied, or printed cheaply, and circulated outside of corporate or commercial publishing. Historically tied to activism and underground culture, zines are an accessible medium for anyone with something to say.
Why Zines Matter
Zines are more than just booklets. They are tools of self-expression, cultural resistance, and community survival. While the rise of blogs and social media once led some to declare the “death of the zine,” the opposite happened: zines adapted. PDF zines, digital distribution, and online communities flourished — but physical zines remain treasured for their tactile intimacy and permanence.
Zines endure because they:
- Democratize publishing: anyone can make one.
- Resist algorithms: content is not filtered by commercial platforms.
- Create archives: tangible artifacts of subcultures and counter-histories.
From the underground press of the Vietnam War and civil rights era, to feminist titles like It Ain’t Me Babe and queer liberation publications like Gay Sunshine, zines have always been vital in movements for justice. Punk zines such as Sniffin’ Glue (UK) and Search & Destroy (US) shaped an anti-mainstream design aesthetic that still influences DIY culture today.
Who is this Workshop For?
This workshop is open to everyone — no art or design background needed. Just bring your ideas, curiosity, and willingness to create. It’s for those who:
🌟 Are passionate about LGBTQIA+ rights & social justice
🌟 Want to tell stories that matter
🌟 Are curious about communication & advocacy
🌟 Believe in intersectional approaches
🌟 Are 18+ years old
All materials will be supplied. Seats are limited to seven participants.
Why Join?
In making zines together, we resist isolation. We build community. We document our voices as queer immigrants, not as footnotes to mainstream culture but as creators of our own narratives.
