History
Burn Something Collective is rooted in the work of Burn Something Zine, a submission-based media project for women and nonbinary folks of color to claim their narratives, heal by being heard, and build community.
Burn Somthing Zine was founded by Adrienne Doyle in 2014 in response to white supremacy within Minneapolis’ cultural institutions – the lack of control Black and POCI folks have over their work, the shuck and jive we are asked to do, and the willingness of white folks to fund and consume depictions of our suffering. By the end of the project’s two-year run, it had featured work from 24 individual contributors, including 7 repeat contributors and 3 national contributors, over 6 issues released between September 2014 and December 2016.
Submissions included written and visual work. Written pieces were paired with graphic design and collage work by Doyle. Copies of the zine were printed and sold at local independent bookstores and zine fairs, and were distributed in cultural spaces for queer and trans folks and people of color for free. In the spirit of DIY zine culture, printing costs were financed by zine sales, by Doyle herself, or by her unknowing employers. Issues of the zine were also uploaded to issuu.com, a digital publication platform, for free viewing. The submission-based nature of the project facilitated the documentation of hyper-local happenings, personal reflections, and political movements that impacted contributors and
Burn Somthing Zine was founded by Adrienne Doyle in 2014 in response to white supremacy within Minneapolis’ cultural institutions – the lack of control Black and POCI folks have over their work, the shuck and jive we are asked to do, and the willingness of white folks to fund and consume depictions of our suffering. By the end of the project’s two-year run, it had featured work from 24 individual contributors, including 7 repeat contributors and 3 national contributors, over 6 issues released between September 2014 and December 2016.
Submissions included written and visual work. Written pieces were paired with graphic design and collage work by Doyle. Copies of the zine were printed and sold at local independent bookstores and zine fairs, and were distributed in cultural spaces for queer and trans folks and people of color for free. In the spirit of DIY zine culture, printing costs were financed by zine sales, by Doyle herself, or by her unknowing employers. Issues of the zine were also uploaded to issuu.com, a digital publication platform, for free viewing. The submission-based nature of the project facilitated the documentation of hyper-local happenings, personal reflections, and political movements that impacted contributors and
their communities. Examples include the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement in the Twin Cities, the experience of being othered in predominantly white queer spaces, and the grief of losing a beloved community member.
Due to her limited capacity to maintain the project, Doyle ceased activities for Burn Something Zine in June 2017 without holding any intentional acknowledgement or celebration of what the project did and what it meant to its community. In 2019, Gabby Coll and Doyle were awarded a year-long collaborative fellowship with the Emerging Curators Institute to produce a project that honored the creative and documentary work of Burn Something Zine and its contributors.
There is still an overwhelming need for the space that Burn Something Zine created. In the 4 years since the project’s end, Minneapolis’ Black and brown queer and trans communities have lost vital, brick-and-mortar cultural spaces used to create, question, celebrate, and witness each other. Yet, this community is practiced in carving out our own spaces to feel safe and seen, if not by those in power, then by each other. How else would we survive?
View past issues of Burn Something Zine here.
Due to her limited capacity to maintain the project, Doyle ceased activities for Burn Something Zine in June 2017 without holding any intentional acknowledgement or celebration of what the project did and what it meant to its community. In 2019, Gabby Coll and Doyle were awarded a year-long collaborative fellowship with the Emerging Curators Institute to produce a project that honored the creative and documentary work of Burn Something Zine and its contributors.
There is still an overwhelming need for the space that Burn Something Zine created. In the 4 years since the project’s end, Minneapolis’ Black and brown queer and trans communities have lost vital, brick-and-mortar cultural spaces used to create, question, celebrate, and witness each other. Yet, this community is practiced in carving out our own spaces to feel safe and seen, if not by those in power, then by each other. How else would we survive?
View past issues of Burn Something Zine here.