Los Angeles has always been a welcoming home base for creative opportunities, and a great example of that is found at this year’s LA Zine Fest. Founded in 2012, the annual two-day event landed on Saturday Mar. 1 and Sunday Mar. 2 this year at The Broad, as it’s transformed into a main place for the indie printing scene. The event draws in founders, contributors, and supporters together to spread ideas in the name of self-publishing. The LA Zine Fest has come a long way from small gatherings to a festival including over 100 vendors, panel discussions, workshops, and a community of zine makers sharing their personal creations.
This year, the festival followed a theme related to DIY Storytelling in a Digital Age, highlighting the creative ideas that come with independent publishing. Panels talked about the ability of self-published works and how they are important to maintain artistic expression in this new digital world. For those unfamiliar, a zine, or short for magazine, is a set of pages in a booklet, a self-published, DIY booklet promoting art, writing, photography, and more, mostly centered around specific, personal, or political topics.
Organizers this year were so excited by the turnout of the festival. “This year’s event has evolved over the years, and I am happy to really see it grow based on the big turnout this year,” said organizer Julie Fiveash. The festival’s success shows how truly captivating zines can be and how they can cater to a community of diverse voices through print media.
Zines have been around for a while fostering self-expression and activism, creating a different type of publishing that isn’t as conventional as more well-known magazines. Focusing on the time we are in now and how it is controlled via digital content, these handmade zines allow for a unique and personal link between artists and supporters. “There is more dialogue, and the way we interact with the media is changing. It’s becoming more and more interactive,” said George Chen, the creator of ZumAudio, honing in on the idea that keeping physical media alive is so special and needed.
The festival space rang with new energy as visitors continued throughout the day to navigate from vendor to vendor, taking the time to appreciate the work that went into these zines covered in all different kinds of designs and bright colors. The diverse crowd filled with new visitors as well as recurring visitors brought together with lively debates of art and storytelling. “I wanted to come to Zine Fest to see all of the amazing creative works that I wouldn’t really be able to see anywhere else. This is unique,” said attendee Valeria Monge.
Past the zine filled tables, the event held workshops and panels that went deeper into the how-tos and importance of zine-making. An exceptional discussion, Queer Voices in Zine Culture, brought awareness to zines as a form of resistance. Various panelists talked about identity, and how the long past relating to the role of zines are related in LGBTQ+ movements. People attending the event held conversations about the significance behind how independent publishing can be used as a way to show people personal stories and different perspectives amidst the new publishing world. With its growing attendance and changing discussions, LA Zine Fest continues to keep its place as a necessary space for creative expression. As the festival grows moving forward, it is still a powerful demonstration to the creative abilities of indie publishing creators.
A key topic of discussion at this year’s fest was the challenge of self-publishing versus securing a traditional publisher. While self-publishing offers complete creative control and accessibility, some creators noted the difficulties of distribution and funding. Others emphasized the freedom and authenticity that comes with DIY publishing, reinforcing the zine community’s ethos of independence and self-determination.
