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Science Fiction Zines
Science fiction fanzine s vary in content, from short stories to convention reports to fanfiction. They were one of the earliest incarnations of the zine and influenced subsequent zines in topics such as rock 'n roll and LGBT rights. "Zinesters" like Lisa Ben and Jim Kepner honed their talents in the science fiction fandom before tackling gay rights, creating zines such as “Vice Versa” and “ONE” that drew networking and distribution ideas from their SF roots. Zines were often used to publish content that would have more difficulty in the mainstream market and would not otherwise be published. This was utilized by marginalized authors as a way to share their works.

Star Trek Zines
Some of the earliest examples of academic fandom were written on Star Trek zines, specifically K/S (Kirk/Spock) slash zines. Author Joanna Russ wrote in her 1985 analysis of K/S zines that slash fandom at the time consisted of around 500 core fans and was 100% female.

She wrote that, "K/S not only speaks to my condition. It is written in Female. I don't mean that literally, of course. What I mean is that I can read it without translating it from the consensual, public world, which is sexist, and unconcerned with women per se, and managing to make it make sense to me and my condition." Unlike women authors who write "slant" against traditional (male) literature, Russ says that K/S is an art that is "truly ours."

Russ also observed that while SF fans looked down on Star Trek fans, Star Trek fans looked down on K/S writers.

Kirk/Spock zines contained fanfiction, artwork, and poetry created by fans. They were then sent to a mailing list or sold at conventions. Many of the zines had high production values and some were sold at convention auctions for hundreds of dollars.

Janus and Aurora
Janus, later called Aurora, was a science fiction feminist zine created by Janice Bogstad and Jeanne Gomoll in 1975. It contained short stories, essays, and film reviews. Among its contributors were authors such as Octavia Butler, Joanna Russ, Samuel Delaney, and Suzette Hayden Elgin. Janus/Aurora was nominated for the Hugo award for "Best Fanzine" in 1978, 1979, and 1980. Janus/Aurora was the most prominent science fiction feminist zine during its run, as well as one of the only zines that dealt with such content.