A zine (pronounced like “zeen”) is a small-run, often handmade and photocopied publication of art, stories, poems, photographs, lists, instructions, recipes, reviews, or any form of expression on any subject. Zines can be made by one person or many. They can be any size and can be displayed or found anywhere…but what if zines could be used as a tool to advance health equity?

This unique, interactive workshop invites attendees to experience the impact of zines first-hand. Led by Jess Walters, a Deaf-Queer multiply neurodivergent Disability Justice advocate who turned their lived experiences recovering from dialysis and kidney transplant into a lifelong pursuit to better understand the intersections of art and health, this workshop explores how the medium of zines can be used to form community connections and zine-making as a therapeutic activity for introspection and creative expression. 

Jess will share resources, provide examples of zines from a variety of perspectives, and lead the audience in a collaborative zine-making activity culminating in an opportunity to exchange zines and discuss their experiences.

Jess Walters (they/them), (UVA '14) is an inaugural Virginia Health Equity and Justice Fellow at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where they are currently researching health-system applications of a Disability Justice framework while working to expand accessibility accommodations in local creative spaces. As an artist and Disability Justice advocate, Jess articulates their lived experiences through collage, film, zines, and other mixed media to illustrate inequities in the healthcare system and guide others navigating similar circumstances. They serve on the Rare Disease Advisory Panel at PCORI as well as the Diversity & Health Equity Committee at the National Kidney Foundation.