INFO
| Name | GEN M |
| Year | 2017 |
| Publisher | Migrant Zine Collective |
| Type of Text | Zine |
| Artform | Zines |
ABOUT
GEN M was a 2017–2018 zine series by Migrant Zine Collective that platformed the personal stories of diasporic youth in Tāmaki Makaurau. The series was self-published and curated by Migrant Zine Collective founder, Helen Yeung. GEN M #1: Generation Migrant was the inaugural Migrant Zine Collective zine that notably led to the formation of the Collective.
The idea for GEN M #1 came from Yeung’s own experiences as a 1.5-generation Hong Kong Chinese migrant who moved to Aotearoa in the mid-90s with her parents. Intending to spotlight the lived experiences of migrants, Yeung collected the stories of her own migrant friends living in Tāmaki Makaurau and collated them into the first issue of GEN M. In a 2022 interview with Salient Magazine, Yeung comments that GEN M did intend to be a series, but because GEN M #1 received such positive and supportive feedback, Yeung “was inspired to start MZC to respond to the necessity of featuring more migrants of colour in Aotearoa’s publishing landscape”. This marked the beginning of the Migrant Zine Collective and established the collective’s ethos in forming an independent publishing space for “voices of migrants of colour [who are] often unheard, stereotyped or misrepresented in mainstream media”.
While GEN M #1 contributors were sourced from Yeung’s personal connections, GEN M #2: 移民一族 (2017) and GEN M #3: Migration, Feminism & Diaspora (2018) were created out of more explicit collaborations and open calls in Tāmaki Makaurau. For GEN M #2, Yeung worked with theatre-maker Alice Canton to publish an accompanying zine for Canton’s award-winning “live documentary” theatre show, OTHER [chinese]. GEN M #2 featured writing solely from Chinese migrants and reflected on “the shared experiences between the contributions…[and] the emotions behind alienation, displacement and a longing for home”. The works in GEN M #3: Migration, Feminism & Diaspora (2018) were created at a community zine workshop organised by Migrant Zine Collective and Auckland Central City Library’s Makerspace. The workshop centered on “personal experiences around feminism, migration and being in diaspora”. GEN M #3: Migration, Feminism & Diaspora focused on more intersectional, gendered and racialised conversations than the previous two zines.
The GEN M zines platformed a range of languages and cultures from Filipino to Chinese to Arabic. The writing sits within a space of personal essays and lyrical anecdotes, with each contributor sharing individual experiences and memories of immigration, family, language, and culture. Stylistically, the zines have a consistent and recognisable aesthetic, combining elements of scrapbook collage, line-art illustration, and personal photographs. Leaning into the DIY aesthetic is a deliberate choice, emphasising the community roots of zinemaking and the collaborative capabilities of this medium. Referring to the collage style of GEN M, Yeung comments that: “the cut and paste style felt so accessible and community friendly”.
GEN M has been instrumental in emphasizing the way zines and self-publishing allow for agency over the way underrepresented stories are told. The release of GEN M #1 illuminated the urgency for zinemaking in migrant communities and, more broadly, “the necessity of featuring more migrants of colour in Aotearoa’s publishing landscape”.
LINKS
Key works / presentations
2018 — GEN M #3: Migration, Feminism & Diaspora
2018 — Feminism, Migration & Diaspora: Zine-Making Workshop, invited workshop with Makerspace, Auckland Central City Library, Auckland
2017 — GEN M #2: 移民一族
2017 — GEN M #1: Generation Migrant
