ZINE FEST SNAGS A BIG WORLD INTO THE FOLD
Whether staple-bound and copied, full color and hand-stitched, a collection of poems or a manifesto, zines hold a special, insider-outsider place in the book world — independently produced and distributed, they’re a place for experimentation and discovery, and this year’s L.A. Zine Fest will have the joy of the medium on full display.
The volunteer-run festival returns to downtown L.A. on Sunday, when more than 200 exhibitors will take over the California Market Center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to share ideas and sell zines.
The L.A. Zine Fest started in 2012 as a way for artists and zine makers to connect. Rhea Tepp, who’s been involved from the start, said the need arose from “feeling a little like our creative experiences were a little bit isolating, creating work in our bedrooms.” Paradise Khanmalek, one of this year’s exhibitors and the artist who created the festival’s 2017 design, said the event’s ability to bring zine makers together is just as relevant now.
“For the promotional art this year, I literally drew a woman crafting in her bedroom,” says Khanmalek, who’s amazed at how closely the organizers’ mission and experience reflect her own. At Zine Fest, she can congregate with “all these other people that for some reason aren’t necessarily working in a creative industry… either we’re young or we’re making really radical work… There’s so many people making art or zines along the lines of social justice, feminism, antiracism.” The Zine Fest is inclusive and uplifting, she says, with something for everyone, not just zine makers and aficionados, attracting “teenagers, children, adults, any age range, every race.”
Tepp, who, along with Bianca Barragan, Daisy Gomez and Kenzo Martinez, organized this year’s fest, said the space was designed so that participants “can really decide what kind of experience you want to have,” including multiple ways to interact with zines and their makers. Here’s a primer of a few things to look out for at this free event:
Zine Library
The classic Zine Fest rookie mistake: Show up with $20 to spend, then fall in love with everything at the first two tables; by the time it comes to the 200th vendor, you’ve got nothing left. Enter the Zine Library, “where you can interact with work away from the rush of a crowd,” says Tepp. Exhibitors donate copies of their works to the library, where attendees can browse pressure-free. Find one you can’t live without? Labels on the back list the zine vendor’s space.
Wonderspace
Lead by J.T. Steiny, a professor at the Otis College of Art and Design, the Wonderspace is the place to go for hands-on activities “from creating art to buttons to an actual zine,” says Tepp. Wonderspace’s free workshops, are a great place to get a feel for DIY zine-making.
Playdate Pop-up Arcade
The Playdate arcade returns for its second year. Last year’s offerings included a parkour video game with a young heroine and an “interactive storytelling plush octopus companion for children.” Are video games the zines of the future? Not quite. According to Tepp, Playdate “explores how digital media and this printed, very hands-on tactile media … start to become in conversation.”
DJs
KChung Radio, KXLU (88.9 FM) and more will be DJing throughout the day, and although its set time isn’t posted, the Chulita Vinyl Club is worth sticking around for. It’s a vinyl club for self-identifying womyn of color; the music spun runs the gamut of twee to Tejano to dance hall to Mexican punk.
Zines!
Books, now has a book (“The Little Book of Life Hacks”). Khanmalek recommends the Los Angeles Queer Resistance. Then there’s L.A. GOAL, an organization that provides programs for adults with developmental disabilities, which will be selling described as “represent[ing] the fearless pursuit of the creative endeavors of our artists.” And Tony Hoang, the artist behind mutedtalks, will be donating proceeds from his 84-page “community zine” to charitable endeavors, including the Eastside Café in El Sereno, to help the community buy the building it’s been housed in for 15 years.