Definition is the setting in stone of a word, a term, or practically any real or imagined thing. On the other hand, connotation is more flexible and brings a certain fluidity to meaning. The abbreviated term litmag evolved from having one connotation that became its dictionary definition to be balanced by a second, activist connotation in the political underground.

Long ago, the term litmag appeared as an abbreviation of literary magazine and was usually applied to small publications of limited circulation, often hand-made and self-published. This was and remains the accepted definition of the term.

A new connotation was born amid the strife of the 20th Century. The term litmag was appropriated by activist artists throughout North America, revised to abbreviate little magazine. This was the birth of politicized little volumes of poetry, short fiction, and protest. They were usually typed (yes, on a manual typewriter), printed on Mimeograph or Gestetner presses, assembled by hand, and delivered through the mail.

Many of my poems and articles in the Seventies were published in these left-leaning, sometimes communist or socialist, litmags originating in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. During the final decades of the last century, these litmags gradually vanished. Born of the new digital technology, a renewed form of self-published magazine appeared, the fanzine or ‘zine.

Similar to the litmag, the ‘zine is defined as, “a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via a copy machine. ‘Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very small group, and are popularly photocopied into physical prints for circulation.” (Wikipedia)

Fanzines, like Litmags, had gained a foothold during the early 20th Century, many becoming a forum for activists. However, with the advent of the World Wide Web, politicized ‘zines moved out from under-the-radar to express their activism more publicly. More recently, there’s a tendency for ‘zines to be less political, though there certainly are still political ‘zines.

I believe the ‘zine’s adaption to the new technology has had a positive impact, bringing its activism to important new audiences. I miss the political litmags that had once published me, and sometimes wish they had made the same successful transition as the zines had.

The anti-war and other political content once at home in the litmags seems now to have been relegated to Facebook and Twitter posts or comments. This once vital underground community has been sorely watered down. In these troubled and uncertain times, this is a great loss.

The new book footsteps in the garden, new and selected poetry by Bob MacKenzie is now available from the publisher, Cyberwit.net, or at Amazon worldwide.

Ask your local bookstore or public library to order this book for you.