One of the greatest parts of the zine community at large is the zine fest. They can be large or small, one day or five, three tables or three hundred. Zine fests come in all forms and are still one of the best ways to not only pick up tons of great self published ephemera in one location, but meet tons of fantastic people.
If you're into traveling to get your zines, there's no better time than the spring and summer. Every year seems to bring more amazing zine events all over the country. Even if you don't have time or money to road trip it to all of them, you should at least get to two - or at the very least, one that's closest to wherever you call home.
2008 marks year 10 for the AMC. Started by the good folks from the now defunct Clamor Magazine, the AMC has been running strong and isn't stopping anytime soon. Recently relocated from Bowling Green, OH to Detroit, MI - this weekend long conference has zines, workshops, lectures, performances, and much much more.
From the organizers: Since 1999, the AMC has brought together students, journalists, artists, educators and activists to push the boundaries of participatory media. We are intergenerational with a focus on youth. We all share in the teaching and learning of practical skills for making media and using media to organize for change. This June, we'll come together to share tactics for living in the world that is and for shaping the world that we want. Please join us.
From the organizers:The Twin Cities Zinefest is sponsored by Stevens Square Center for the Arts, an artist-run community arts center, located south of downtown Minneapolis.
Since 2004, Stevens Square Center for the Arts (SSCA) volunteers have welcomed zinesters and indie music fans to Minneapolis for a two-day celebration of DIY culture ubiquitously called the Twin Cities Zinefest. The event features an art show, craft demonstrations, live music, guest speakers and panel discussions. Most importantly, Zinefest plays host to some of the Midwest?s best self-made talent.
Brought to you by the Midwest Zine Collective, the Milwaukee Zine Fest is the first of its kind. These are the same organziers that brought you the Madison Zine Fest in Madison, WI. The Midwest Zine Collective has put together a three day event including bands, workshops, a potluck, and kickball.
August 23rd and 24th: Portland Zine Symposium: Portland, OR.
www.pdxzines.com
For the past 8 years, PDX has been one of the biggest and best zine bashes ever. Put together by a fantastic team of volunteers, PDX has always been destination for people across the country to get together and share zines.
From the organizers: The Portland Zine Symposium aims to create greater communication and community between diverse creators of independent media and art. This fun and free event helps people promote their work and to share skills and information related to zines and zine culture. Through hands-on workshops, panels and discussions, the Portland Zine Symposium explores the role and effect of all types of zines in undergound and mainstream culture.
This is by no means a definitive list of fests going on over the next few months, but these are some great ones. If you know of something happening that you think should be on the list, please send us an e-mail at
and we'll be happy to put it in this article. If you end up going to some of these, keep your eyes open - FOA just might have a table somewhere.
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