zine fests usa

The workshop component of February's upcoming LA Zine Fest makes me wish I got off my ass more...

Not half as gutting though as realising that I'm gonna fleetingly be in New York missing the Feminist Zinefest NYC by two weeks. Bah. Rubbish timing on my part.

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LA Zine Fest

Panel Discussion: DIY Artspaces

Moderator: Mark Allen of Machine Project

“Los Angeles is a rich environment for creating low cost, grassroots venues of all kinds,” says moderator Mark Allen. Do our six experienced panelists agree with him? Participants will discuss starting your own DIY/alternative art space or venue, and how to keep it going. The panel includes Jim Smith of The Smell, Walt Gorecki and Shaddy Zeineddine of Home Room, Pauline Lay of Pehrspace, Sean Carnage, and Katie Vonderheide of Synchronicity Space.

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Workshop: Zines As Agents Of Social Change

Presented by Grrrl Zines A-Go-Go

A discussion on expanding the scope of zines to provide community support and social change though zine creation. Topics will include: framing zine workshops for different audiences, partnering with community organizations or activist affinity groups, acquiring grant monies and other support options, the importance of collaboration, and, of course, why zine makers are needed as culture workers.

Margarat Nee & Kim Schwenk of Grrrl Zines A-Go-Go have been teaching zine workshops for nearly a decade and will facilitate the discussion using the GZAGG Manifesto as a starting point.

About Grrrl Zines A-Go-Go: “Grrrl Zines A-Go-Go is an all-women workshop group based in Southern California. Since 2002 we have been facilitating workshops in community venues and college campuses in our region. We focus on the empowerment of young women through the production of fanzines and self published works.”

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Workshop: Making And Selling Your Minicomic!

Presented by Jim Higgins of Meltdown University

Comics editor Jim Higgins will discuss the basics of writing and drawing a minicomic and how to sell it to stores, distributors, and your soon-to-be adoring fans. He’ll talk about the creative process, finding and working with collaborators, production and printing, and the best ways to market and sell your independently produced comic book.

About Jim Higgins: Jim has been a writer and editor in the comics business for 18 years. He was an editor and assistant editor at DC Comics in the Paradox Press division (The Big Book of Grimm, Hoaxes, and The ’70s, plus the graphic novels Road to Perdition, and Stuck Rubber Baby) and is the editor and publisher of New Thing, an international anthology of comics. He taught comic book storytelling for eight years at The School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and cinema studies at The City University of New York for four and a half. He is presently teaching Graphic Novel Development at CalArts and various comics classes at Otis College of Art and Design. He is also the Program Director for the Meltdown University classes at Meltdown Comics.

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