Voices of Iran Zine
Iran has suffered major atrocities in January of 2026 when the Islamic regime committed a devastating massacre against their own civilian people. The toll from this is not accurately reported, but we know that thousands lost their lives and more are continuing to. Internet blackouts, enforced silence in the streets, an overwhelming economic collapse, and war pressing in daily are more than enough reasons to support Iranians and amplify their voices.
With my online connection to the NFT space, I was able to put together this zine project with the help of my friends by collecting the voices and artwork from Iranians who live in Iran and are directly impacted by these events. My friends Scott, Yoeshi, Mal, Rubis, and Aria became my core trusted group who all share in this pursuit to help others with the power of art. If it weren't for them, I would not have been able to accomplish this project.
How it worked: Iranian artists chose to submit writing of whatever they wanted to say in the form of thoughts, feelings, stories, poetry, etc. to be paired with a volunteer artist or to submit both art and writing. We used a form and online filing system to organize this and made sure the pairing system was a good match with the art styles of each person. Many may feel a hint of cringe about the NFT space, but it is full of hundreds of Iranian artists and people all over the world trying to not only sell their work, but to also make a difference. With all that being said, this art community is incredibly rich with opportunity and connection, which is how I was able to successfully reach Iranians.
Issue 1 brought together 13 Iranian artists and 9 volunteers to create 32 pages of a beautiful, impactful, and important collaborative zine. All identities in this zine are kept anonymous for everyone's safety and protection.
We haven't stopped here at issue 1 -- there are more voices to be heard and more art to be seen.
As war continues, this project will also.
You may recognize this symbolism from the Iranian flag pre-Islamic takeover. The lion and sun motif dates back thousands of years in Persian history! This logo design is not in support of any political figure using this flag, but was designed in solidarity to the movement against the regime and as an acknowledgement to the Persian roots of Iran.
Voices of Iran Zine Issue 01 - June 2o26
When the Islamic regime massacre and first initial blackout occurred, my friends' silence really hit me in so many ways and it wasn't just me who felt it. The entire NFT art space was quiet - a space that had a lot of art flowing and activity suddenly felt really empty. I couldn't sit with the emptiness and I couldn't do nothing. I created a curation to help people discover the artwork of Iranians and support them while they were unable to connect, but I came to find that the available work was selling out, and I wanted to do more. I stumbled upon a post from an Iranian: "Be our voices" among many posts pleading to not stop talking about Iran, not forget about Iran, and not let Iran get lost in the noise of the world and all that is happening. I felt this in my core, and with the constant exposure to zines I've been receiving around me, I thought "I can take the suppressed voices of Iranians and amplify them in my own zine!"
With that, the project was born, and very quickly. My friends knew exactly who to reach out to and where I could begin getting submissions, how to spread the word, etc. They helped me with organizing, marketing, planning, and problem solving. I designed a logo, the cover, the layout, and volunteered to do artwork alongside writing as a participant. I handled a lot of the communication and pairing of the artists as well; there were so many elements to this that, on paper sounds simple, but ends up not being simple! This was my first time creating something this big, this important, and this special and I became deeply impassioned in this process.
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The late February - May internet blackouts were a challenge because I wanted to wait and wait until I received a response. I wanted to know that people were okay. I didn't hear from 15 people out of 28 Iranian submissions! What's more is that I was invited to give a presentation and distribute printed, physical versions of the zine at TezCon 2026 in Seattle, and I was met with a time crunch! I had to call issue 1 a close and released it on June 19, a day about liberation and freedom of enslaved Black people (the last to hear they were actually free) in the United States. A day of freedom calling for more freedom felt appropriate.
Pursuing something this intense and this heavy with people risking their safety to speak out against their tyrannical regime takes courage. It is not for the faint of heart. The stories that are shared coupled with the thoughts and feelings straight from the source are incredibly hard to digest. I won't sit here and lie to you as I type this and say it did not effect me, because it very much did. But while it effected me, those feelings drove me to keep going. The emotional connection was a motivational push to continue. Emotions are a powerful thing and if you can learn to wield that power, amazing things can come from it.
Below is the zine in its entirety. You are free to access it and read it.
My wish is that this zine draws attention to humanizing the people of Iran and to spark conversation around what is happening, who it is happening to, and why we must open our hearts and care about people in the Middle East.
War happens to human beings like you and me. Human beings who have dreams, laugh, cry, sleep, wake, dance, sing, make art, dream, breathe, bleed, hope...
Why should they have to live their life in fear and be silenced?
Why should we have to sit here with our voices and our privilege and not use it?
What's Next?
Issue 2 submissions are already open and running! We implemented more security by using an encrypted form service and Proton email. All communications are handled with even more care than before to ensure more anonymity, safety, and peace of mind. We are aiming to branch out beyond the community that we already know and love so that others get a chance to volunteer their artwork or participate as an Iranian author/artist. If you are interested in becoming a part of issue 2, visit my contact page and reach out!