Archival material from the 1990s underground movement that served as a “gateway drug to feminist history” for so many. (—Kathleen Hanna, Bikini Kill) Before the rise of the Internet or desktop publishing, the zine and music culture of the Riot Grrrl movement empowered young women across the country to speak out against sexism and oppression, creating a powerful new force of liberation and unity within and outside of the women's movement. While feminist bands like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile fought for their place in a male-dominated punk scene, their members and fans developed an extensive DIY network of activism and support.  The Riot Grrrl Collection  reproduces a sampling of the original zines, posters, and printed matter for the first time since their initial distribution in the 1980s and '90s, and includes an original essay by Johanna Fateman and an introduction by Lisa Darms. “The materials in this book are more important than ever. Riot grrrl shows us that feminism isn't synonymous with consumer empowerment. Passed person to person, riot grrrl culture advances a true revolution in which ‘girl’ qualities like candor and empathy are no longer trivialized and can re-make the world."  ―Chris Kraus, author of  I Love Dick “Riot grrrl is the gateway drug that girls use to find feminist history. I love love love this book―a snapshot of what riot grrrl was and could be.”― Kathleen Hanna, musician, Bikini Kill “What an experience–this book shows a movement being born and taking form, and how revolutionary ideas move from hand to hand. The Riot Grrrl Collection is alive with intimacy, passion, anger, and fun.”― Sheila Heti, author of How Should a Person Be? “The materials in this book are more important than ever. Riot grrrl shows us that feminism isn't synonymous with consumer empowerment. Passed person to person, riot grrrl culture advances a true revolution in which ‘girl’ qualities like candor and empathy are no longer trivialized and can re-make the world."― Chris Kraus, author of I Love Dick “ The Riot Grrrl Collection preserves a vital history of feminism that will inspire scholars, artists, and activists alike.”― Ann Cvetkovich, author of Depression: A Public Feeling “Forget Andy Warhol and everyone being famous for 15 minutes. Because of riot grrrl we have new, exciting political movements every 15 minutes.”― Vaginal Davis "What zine-making taught me about writing: 1. shock yourself with honesty, 2. the truth is messy, 3. be brave like her. I use these riot grrrl skills every single day."― Miranda July, author of No One Belongs Here More Than You Lisa Darms is Senior Archivist at the Fales Library & Special Collections at New York University, and is founder of the Fales Riot Grrrl Collection. She was a member of the art collective Thin Ice, and was an organizer of the first Ladyfest Festival, held in Olympia, Washington in 2000. Darms has published articles in the American Archivist, Archivaria, Women and Performance Journal , and The Believer . The Riot Grrrl Collection By Johanna Fateman, Lisa Darms Feminist Press Copyright © 2013 Johanna Fateman All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-55861-822-0 Contents INTRODUCING THE RIOT GRRRL COLLECTION by LISA DARMS, MY RIOT GRRRL by JOHANNA FATEMAN, THE RIOT GRRRL COLLECTION, NOTES, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, CHAPTER 1 MY RIOT GRRRL JOHANNA FATEMAN "The Sylvia Plath story is told to girls who write," Kathleen Hanna sings on "Bloody Ice Cream." It's a fast, noisy track on Reject All American, Bikini Kill's final album, released in 1996 — the year the meteoric riot grrrl phenomenon seemed to have run its course, and the year used as the approximate end date for the Fales Riot Grrrl Collection. Kathleen and I had been friends for a few years then, and in a few more we would start the feminist band Le Tigre together, but to me, the burst of anguish on "Bloody Ice Cream" marked the end of an era. As riot grrrl chapters dispersed, and the militant youth movement receded in the public imagination, the short song reiterated the high stakes of girl revolution. Kathleen — an iconic figure of riot grrrl from the beginning — switches between enraged shout singing and talking, settling on a menacing, and maybe hopeful, singsong delivery for the final line. "We are turning cursive letters into knives," she proclaims, suggesting a radical alternative to Plath's grim fate. By 1996, the use of girlish script as a subversive weapon was not just a feminist fantasy; Kathleen's lyric alluded to a literary and visual style that she had helped to innovate. Riot grrrl, in a conscious response to second-wave feminists' rejection of the word "girl," reclaimed it with pride — and also in parody. Songs, performances, and fashion statements mocked the depictions of feminine innocence and compliance served to us in the face of discrimination, exploitation, and endemic sexual abuse. And in a new tradition of self-publishing, girls images (of house