About the House of Catharsis
The House of Catharsis hosts free, dry, and all-ages zine library events that are open to the public on a bi-monthly (ish) basis. We are a private residence in New Castle County, Delaware and have a collection of over 500 zines!
COVID guidelines:
Masks are required inside the house. KN95s will be provided but bring your own if you’ve got one! We’ll also run our Corsi-Rosenthal box fan air filter. Please stay home if you’re feeling sick!
Accessibility information:
₍^. .^₎⟆ ₍^. .^₎⟆ ₍^. .^₎⟆ Three cats live here! And there is a 2 stair stoop to enter the house (with a shaky hand rail).
Besides the reading room, we have a craft table with everything you’d need to make a zine of your own! You’re welcome to bring your own supplies if you’d like ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧ There is a silent reading room for bookworms, and a private respite room for those in need of alone time (blackout curtains, earplugs, water, and a weighted blanket are available for ur regulating needs).
𓅯 𓅮 𓅭 𓅬 𓅰 See you there! 𓅰 𓅬 𓅭 𓅮 𓅯
What is a zine?
A zine (pronounced “zeen,” like “magazine”) is a self-published, small circulation, work that challenges traditional publishing norms. Most zines are created and distributed by an individual or a small cooperative either for free, trade, or a small printing and mailing fee. Creators, or zinesters, are often members of marginalized communities motivated by a desire to constribute knowledge or experience to a specific community (e.g. anarchists, art enthusiasts, teenagers, parents, punks, wrestling fans), or use zines as a medium for creative expression. Zines, therefore, are inherently diverse and typically resist strict categorization in terms of subject, format, and even content, which can include a mix of both handwritten and typed text, drawings, photos, clip art, and more. The best thing about zines is this: There are no rules.
About your librarian
Hi! I'm Carina (they/them), your resident librarian, zine event host, and webmeister. I've been making and collecting zines since 2018 and have been hosting these library events since 2023.