\u201cDuring the pandemic, people were getting themselves involved in more projects, and zine making would have been the perfect thing to do because you really don\u2019t need too much aside from your own creativity and some kind of printer,\u201d said Chris Giaco, who also spoke to an increase in popularity for zines at his local bookstore, Page Against the Machine.<\/p>\n
But now that gathering restrictions have eased, zine artists are venturing back outside.<\/p>\n
L.A. Zine Fest, one of the largest zine gatherings in the country, is returning live and in-person Sunday, May 28, and coming, for the first time, to Long Beach. Over 140 independent artists will convene at the Expo Arts Center in Bixby Knolls with a massive marketplace, workshops and panel discussions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just really excited to have a space where we can all come together again,\u201d said longtime LAZF organizer Daisy Noemi. Before Noemi would go on to volunteer for the organization, she first entered the inaugural LAZF in 2012 as an exhibitor. Immediately, she said, she fell in love with the artistry and community.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just this world that I never knew existed. Just being in a community with a lot of like-minded people was awesome. And seeing the creativity that exists, it\u2019s just bountiful,\u201d she said. \u201cEver since then I was smitten with zines and the zine community, and I volunteered after that.\u201d<\/p>\n Zines (short for \u201cmini-magazines\u201d) have historically served as an outlet for voices outside of the mainstream. Early zines, dating back to the late 1920s and \u201830s, were used in science fiction communities<\/a> to talk about things popular media wouldn\u2019t print. Social and political movements through the decades\u2014from the \u201860s counterculture to \u201890s punk feminist movements\u2014have used zines to spark conversation, speak out against oppression and create change.<\/p>\n Today, zines and their creative communities continue to be a haven for marginalized voices.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the missions the L.A. Zine Fest has always tried to carry out is making sure that we\u2019re highlighting people of color, women of color, queer, and trans people\u2014just basically any minority that exists,\u201d Noemi explained. \u201cWe just always want to make sure we’re rooting for marginalized voices to be heard, seen and connect with a lot of like-minded people.\u201d<\/p>\n L.A. Zine Fest organizers sifted through more than 400 applications for this year\u2019s event. The final lineup promises to showcase a diverse range of artists and topics, with many speaking to the collective experience of pandemic-related isolation, mental health and recent social justice movements.<\/p>\n Knock LA, a nonprofit community journalism outlet, will be attending LAZF for the first time this year. Its new debut zine is an explainer guide on the LA County Sheriff\u2019s deputy gangs, based on the award-winning reporting of journalist Cerise Castle. Panel discussions led by featured zine exhibitors will also speak on subjects such as trans activism, disability in the media and more.<\/p>\n Long Beach artists will also represent at this year\u2019s LAZF, including zinesters\u00a0 Jeromy Velasco<\/a>, Sarahe Roman<\/a>, and Bruxita Linda<\/a>. Page Against the Machine will also be exhibiting some of his best-selling zine authors including Long Beach-based zine influencer Bre Upton<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/LAZF-Helms-Zinester-1024x683.jpg\")