*Special thanks: The writer wishes to acknowledge Wilson Khor, founder of Working Desk Publishing, for his generous assistance and for contributing the photographs used in this article.

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 2013 and 2015, Penang’s literary scene shifted. Not with a bang, but with a handful of stapled booklets, scrappy covers and stories that felt real in a way mainstream publishing rarely does. This was the beginning of Penang’s English literary zine culture—a small, messy, intimate scene that would eventually claim its own place on the national map.

At the heart of it is Wilson Khor Woo Han. This was long before Working Desk Publishing (WD) became official. Back in 2013, it was just Wilson boothing at Hin Market at Hin Bus Depot. There was no fancy display and no team. It was just him sitting at a table with a stack of zines and a lot of heart. WD wasn’t officially registered until 2018, but the seeds were already being planted. Around the same time, MYWriters Penang was gathering steam, and with it came NutMag, a community-driven anthology that quickly became a space for writers to test their voice without needing permission from a publisher.[1]

Today, those early zine experiments have led to some very real literary wins. NutMag now releases a full anthology every five years, and their 2020 edition, Homegroan: A NutMag Anthology, just hit a milestone most indie writers only dream about. Two of its short stories—“The Pickpocket” and “Janaki’s Journey”—are officially being included in the 2026 STPM English Literature syllabus.[2][3] As someone who used to pore over Ratnamuni and No Visitors Allowed in school, I couldn’t help but think of Puan Suriya—my literature teacher— who made us actually care about words. I miss those days.

So, what started as a bunch of people folding paper in cafes and art markets is now part of how Malaysian literature is being taught. (Disclaimer: these weren’t the kind of zines you’d find at a punk gig or photocopied in someone’s bedroom. Not entirely, anyway.)

What WD was doing back then already leaned more towards something bookish than punk. The formatting was cleaner; the covers were more designed than doodled. Some would even argue it wasn’t a “real” zine. Maybe they’re right. But it doesn’t matter. Even if it started out as a hybrid—a book in zine form—I believe it worked. It created a space and invited people in—it made a lot of them stay.

Penang didn’t have a big publishing scene, especially for young or emerging writers. Though, with NutMag and WD suddenly popping up, you didn’t need to be “published” in the traditional sense to be taken seriously. You just needed a story and a bit of guts, and suddenly, a whole generation of home-grown writers slowly found their voice.

Besides, it wasn’t just about the writing either. Spaces like Hin Bus Depot, LUMA[4] and a long list of zine-friendly cafes gave these projects room to grow. Open mics happened. Launches happened. People met, chatted and communities formed. Even if you weren’t there for the “scene”, you still felt like you were part of something.

What’s The Culture Like?

If you think zines are a solo project, think again. Zine-making might start alone at your desk, but the culture around it is all about connection and building a community.

Events like Penang Zine Fest[5] prove that it is more than just reading. In fact, it’s more about showing up, meeting people and sharing ideas. “Zinesters”—someone who creates zines—would gather with artists, readers and curious newcomers for a day of workshops, stalls and sometimes impromptu performances. You never know if you’ll leave with a new zine or a new friend. Sometimes it’s both!

According to Wilson, zines are also present at underground festivals, where they’re passed around alongside music and art. Even when there are no festivals going on, the zine culture finds a home in Penang’s indie spaces. Bookstores like Gerakbudaya and creative spaces like Dreamer Haven and Artlane, where WD has hosted readings and workshops, have helped nurture the scene.

In Penang, a lot of zines feel like love letters to the city. They mix culture, food and everyday life in a way that just feels honest. One of WD’s zines, Bite-Sized, doesn’t just list eating spots. It pairs them with personal recommendations from local writers, tying the cafe scene to real people and real stories. It’s like a guidebook, but chill.

“Zines give people a voice,” Wilson says. “They’re a way to share stories that might not make it into mainstream media.” They’re imperfect, emotional and sometimes chaotic, just like real people—and that’s what makes them real.

By creating accessible platforms, WD and NutMag have given writers encouragement and provided them with an exposure that is often hard to find, especially outside KL. From that point of genesis, readers went on to become contributors; friends turned into collaborators. It was never about who could sell the most copies, but about who had something worth saying. Penang’s literary scene was built over time—through meetups, markets, messy drafts and a whole lot of community support.

Why Bother with Zines?

When was the last time you actually went out and touched grass? I’m kidding. What I mean to say is, in a world obsessed with likes, algorithms and going viral, zines just feel countercultural. They’re offline. They’re slow. They don’t care if your font is ugly or if your page margins are weird.

At a glance, zines might just look like folded paper and photocopied pages. But spare another look, and they tell a bigger story. One about how grassroots publishing can actually shift a city’s creative culture. This didn’t just happen because someone followed a blueprint. It happened because people cared. They made things. They showed up.

In Penang, indie doesn’t mean small, and zines are far from irrelevant—they have become part of the literary ecosystem. So, the next time you pick up a zine at a local market or sip kopi at a cafe that stocks them, remember that you’re not just holding a booklet. You’re holding a tiny piece of Penang’s ever-evolving story.

FOOTNOTES

1. https://NutMagzine.weebly.com/

2. https://asiemodel.net/wp-content/ uploads/2025/06/920LITENGLISH-Sukatan PelajaranPeperiksaan STPMYangDimurnikan.pdf

3. https://NutMagzine. weebly.com/homegroan.html

4. LUMA is the creative studio arm of LiveWire! Media, initiated in 2012 to light up arts and culture in Malaysia through media production and board game creation.

5. https://www.facebook.com/penangzinefest/