Zines are the opposite of everything I learned in graphic design about being pristine and clean, iterating, and refining. Zines are riddled with typos and have crooked staples. Zines are about as far away from commercial art as you can get. Hooray! There were over 200 uncommercial artists at this year’s SF Zine Fest. That’s a lot of tables to peruse in a single day and I didn’t get to them all. I wanted to focus on connecting with the artists versus trying to see ALL THE ZINES.
BPD & ME by @stephanie.hov
One of the things I love about zine fests is that the artist is right there, ready to answer questions and willing to talk to you about their work and themselves. Stephanie Hovden’s zine BPD & ME is a great example of how brave some zinesters are when it comes to sharing their most personal stories and engaging with the public about those experiences. I was able to briefly talk with Stephanie about BPD and mental illness, which is not normally something you’d talk about with a stranger. Stephanie writes, “When a situation becomes too painful or simply unbearable we dissociate. Separating our mind & body from the raw vulnerability or violation we feel in that moment.” I really like their drawing style and palette of pink, orange, purple and gold.
Quiver by @sock.princess
I asked @sock.princess why she makes zines and she answered that if there is something she’s too shy to talk about, sometimes she’ll make a zine. “In conversation with my friends masturbation doesn’t come up,” she said. I bought her zine about masturbation called Quiver. My purchase came with a free banana and condom. You’ll have to read the zine to find out why.
Vegan Citrus “Cheese” Cake by beatsofeden a.k.a. Maddy Woodson
I learned about aquafaba from Maddy Woodson. Apparently this bean water can be used as a substitute for egg whites. I bought her recipe zine for Vegan Citrus “Cheese” Cake, because her illustrations remind me of my beloved Moosewood Cookbook.
Eva’s Travel Zine was part of Aptos Tiger Zines
Clock Tower Nine Issue 11 by Danny Noonan
I bought Clock Tower Nine Issue 11 by Danny Noonan. This review from zine distro Antiquated Future sums it up nicely, “The Seattle zine Clock Tower Nine is a perfect assortment of oddities. Pinball history, Cleveland novelty shirts, postcard lessons, jukebox stories. All I can say is I want every issue from here on out.”
The Life of an Iphone by Iyyah Mustafa
In The Life of an Iphone, Iyyah Mustafa sympathizes with the life of an iPhone, which is not an easy life. “Hands are always squeezing me. People expect me to do everything.” Alongside an illustration of a person with an iPhone in their back pocket, “People are always farting on me.”
iApologize.
Zine created as a workshop conducted by Jennie Hinchcliff in honor of International Zine Month
I enjoyed connecting with Jennie Hinchcliff of Red Letter Day. Her handy guideYou Are What You Zine (Or: A brief guide to making your own zine, your own way) goes into a little bit of zine history, offers ideas for zines as well as practical advice on how to start and what to do and how to connect with other zinesters. I like this quote, “Open to interpretation, no two zines will ever be the same; this is one of the awesome things about being a zine creator.” Jennie teaches at San Francisco Center for the Book.
Peter from Rock Paper Scissors Collective in Oakland told me about the Ara Jo Memorial Fund, created in memory of Ara Jo, who died in the 2016 Ghost Ship Fire. This fund gives out grants to East Bay artists to do new work (it can be something as simple as $100 for zine printing costs). From the website, “As a visual artist, graphic designer, curator, and musician, Ara linked many of the diverse communities in the Bay Area. She personified pure, unconditional love, supporting and encouraging those around her however she could. We hope to keep Ara's collaborative energy and caring spirit alive by supporting projects that align with her life's pursuits.”
A Dog Called Amber by acardellart
Alicia Cardell made a, “A quiet wordless zine about a dog named Amber.” I like the line work (achieved by Pentel Pigment Ink brush pen if I’m not mistaken).
Dear Diary, We’re eating in Red Lopster by sparklebutch
So much love for sparklebutch. Using a found diary kept between the ages of 7 and 12, sparklebutch writes letters from their 36 year old self to their child self. The results are funny, of course, but what resonates with me is the tender compassion for that past self (unlike, let’s say Mortified, where it feels like it’s more about making fun of that past self). I also purchased sparklebutch’s Fuck Off and Leave Me Alone! An activity Book for Dealing with Jerks. They had me at hello and the cut-out ribbon that says “#1 Shitlord.” I didn’t get a copy of Jurassic Dark, but I want it, so I may have to order one from etsy.
Koreangry is brilliant. Creator Eunsoo Jeong uses a puppet (although that sounds too whimsical) to tell us some hard truths. I picked up issue 6 at the Portland Zine Symposium in mid-July and was overjoyed when I heard she’d be at the SF Zine Fest, where I got issue 7. Along with cursing profusely and having sex with various objects, Koreangry gives practical advice on what to do if ICE shows up at your door.
Beautiful illustration throughout Maia Kobabe’s zine
The cover of Harry Potter and the Problematic Author caught my eye, because Maia Kobabe is a wonderful illustrator. Was I going to have to cancel J.K. Rowling, though? This zine is well researched and asks a lot of good questions. Kobabe embraces the complexity of loving an author’s work and not agreeing with everything the author stands for. Towards the end of the zine, there is a salient quote from “Diversity Is Not Enough: Race, Power, Publishing” by Daniel José Older, “We can love a thing and still critique it. In fact, that's the only way to really love a thing.” 50% of print sales & 100% of digital sales of this zine are donated to the Native American Rights Fund.
Trinidad Escobar knows I can’t resist a glossary of creatures
I said a quick hello to Trinidad Escobar. I took a class called Comics Craft from her at California College of the Arts and there I learned that making a graphic novel is a lot of work (and my appreciation for a good graphic novel increased by 1000%). I’m looking forward to her Of Sea And Venom, which will be published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux/Macmillan and comes out in 2021.
Gabriel Edwards draws the various objects from Child’s Play 2.
The Stuff of Horror Movies is a project by Gabriel Edwards. He draws the items in a particular horror movie and makes a one sheet print with subjects like Halloween (1978) or The Conjuring 2. He’s planning to create 18 volumes of 37 drawings each. That equals 666 (cue ominous music).
2019 SF Zine Fest program with drawing by Lawrence Lindell
Lawrence Lindell was guest of honor at the 2019 SF Zine Fest. I bought his well-known zine Couldn’t Afford Therapy, So I Made This. I’ll wrap things up with a quote from his instagram, “Zine Fest is home. Zines are freedom. Zines are love.”
❤️