Empanadas, Latin music and materials like magazines, newspapers and markers flooded the tables. Regarded as one of the more ‘niche’ Tufts University clubs, Somos shares its expertise in making mini zines with its latest annual “Zine Workshop” event, carrying the heartfelt fruit of Hispanic culture along with it. The event offered students an opportunity to explore artistic expression while connecting with others through a shared interest in art and culture.
Before the workshop began, the board members introduced Somos’ history and plans.
The student organization promotes pan-Latinx consciousness and solidarity in the Tufts community through creative events, including its zine workshop, fashion shows and an end-of-the-year art exhibit. Founded in 2023, Somos began as a zine created by a student completing an independent study in the Department of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora; now, Somos publishes its final zine every year. Historically, zines — small self-published booklets often combining writing and visual art — started in science fiction, then appeared throughout the punk movement and are now common in many genres, such as feminism and queer media.
Mariana Porras, co-editor-in-chief of the Somos Zine, said the club’s appeal began with its founder.
“I saw [the founder at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University], and she told me, ‘Oh, I’m printing the first issue.’ … So I started to help her through that, and then the next year she contacted me, and she was like, ‘Hey, I think we’re gonna make it a real club,’” Porras said. “I think that was the main draw, just having [the founder] who drew me in.”
Since then, Somos has provided a space for Porras to connect with other students through art and writing. She said she appreciates meeting people who share her interest and cultural background.
“It’s always nice to see new people [who] are also interested in art and writing, [who] are also part of the Latino community,” she said. “It’s nice to find people that I can relate to.”
Porras said working with different materials allows students to express themselves in different ways while bringing people together in a shared environment.
“It’s really nice to see how everyone thinks differently through materials,” she said. “The objective is for people to get together in a different environment because doing craft[s] together always unites people.”
Ramon Suzuki Lopez, co-editor-in-chief of the Somos Zine, said the club represents a significant part of today’s political ecosystem.
“It’d be really cool to just build solidarity within people of color based on art, especially with all the things that are going on in the news,” Lopez said. “I think art is very political, and so I think building [a] coalition based on art across ethnicities and racial groups is really, really important at this time.”
For future events, Somos’ co-editors plan to collaborate with other clubs to unify and build a community with a shared interest in art.
“We’re planning three different events as of now. [We’re collaborating] with the Digital Fabrication Club at SMFA, so we can make prints, and also with Print Club, so we can have a workshop on how to print. ... We’re also talking to Onyx, the literature magazine by the Black community at Tufts,” Porras said.
“One of the goals that I’ve been working on is interconnectedness with ... other [like] organizations and groups on campus,” Lopez said. “We’ve been talking about having a Black and Latinx art mixer.”
Maitane Cordova, a first-year who attended the workshop, said the event created an inviting atmosphere that allowed her to express her creativity.
“I thought it was really cool to be able to express ourselves creatively like this,” she said. “It’s something different that I haven’t done before, but it was really nice.”
Through the specific art of zine-making, Somos continues to foster creativity, cultural expression and community at Tufts.
