Brooklyn Zine Fest | An expo of independent, creative self-publishing from Brooklyn & beyond

One of the biggest reasons we started the Brooklyn Zine Fest three years ago was that we wanted to see all the best zines from Brooklyn and beyond in one place, and chat with their makers.  Luckily, lots of other people agreed with us.

Here’s a small sample of the zines people brought home from the Brooklyn Zine Fest 2014, via Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr (see all our collected zine hauls on the VAULT page):

http://instagram.com/p/nRvLdxtBYq

http://instagram.com/p/nWeS1btBTA
http://instagram.com/p/nRaBXQB8HT/

Video:
http://instagram.com/p/nUQgoouran

My haul from @BklynZineFest! Slowly digesting it all during my bus rides to work. pic.twitter.com/LkKM8XlARr

— Anna Jo Beck (@annajobeck) April 29, 2014

Super excited about my new acquisitions from @BklynZineFest! @msmalcriada @kwadkins @GirlGngUNDRGRND pic.twitter.com/4faopez0N1

— Nia (@ArtActivistNia) April 27, 2014

only got 4 zines at today’s @BklynZineFest but they are of exceptional quality! Stoked for tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/fC04Y8XcvX

— Julia Lipscomb (@mint_ju_lips) April 27, 2014

My haul from @BklynZineFest, with @barnlib @Microcosmmm, plus Desert Island (Smoke Signal) #zines #brooklynzinefest pic.twitter.com/o8rHxHMDcl — Gina Murrell (@GinaMurrell1) April 28, 2014

Jeremy Jusay via Facebook:

From Mindy Indy:

Studium/Punctum Day 1 via Tumblr:

Studium/Punctum Day 2 via Tumblr:

AND FINALLY, the Brooklyn Zine Fest Organizers’ haul, in two parts:

Yesterday we kicked off zine fest weekend with some amazing zines and lots of attendees and readers (see photos below to find out what you missed/saw).  Today the self-published fun continues at Brooklyn Historical Society (128 Pierrepont St. in Brooklyn Heights) with 75 NEW exhibitors (a completely different line-up!) and two panel talks.

The zine fest runs from 11am to 6pm today, with panel talks in the Othmer Library on Zine Collectives, Archives, and Libraries at 1pm, and onAnonymity in Zine Making at 3pm.  Zine exhibitors will be sprawling over two floors (half in the Great Hall on the ground floor and half downstairs), so be sure to check them all out! Here’s how to get to Brooklyn Historical Society:

See you today for a full day of zines!

At last, Brooklyn Zine Fest 2014 has arrived!  Today and tomorrow (Saturday 4/26 and Sunday 4/27) from 11am to 6pm, come see 150 exhibitors (a completely different lineup of 75 each day!) showcasing their self-published magazines on two floors in the gorgeous Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St. in Brooklyn Heights.

As always, the BZF is free to attend, all ages, and open to everyone.

Today also features a panel talk on Queer & Trans* Zinesters at 4:30pm in the Othmer Library, with Nia King, Sarah Mae Allard, Amos Mac, and moderator Jordan Alam.

Every train running through northern/Downtown Brooklyn stops nearby, so it’s an easy trip from anywhere in the city.  Here’s a handy map (click on the map  to get directions from Google).

Check out the Exhibitors page to see the full lineup for this weekend. See you today and tomorrow at Brooklyn Historical Society!

This week’s issue of Time Out New York has an excellent two-page spread featuring a bunch of Brooklyn Zine Fest exhibitors whose work you’ll be able to pick up this weekend.  Many thanks to Andrew Frisicano for picking out his favorite gems from a pile of zines, and to the whole Time Out team for putting this beautiful piece together.

Here are the writers, artists, and publishers featured in the piece. Each day of BZF 2014 features a different lineup, so come both days to see them all this weekend at Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St. in Brooklyn Heights:

The Coldest Winter of Our Hearts – Harrison Stewart (Clown-Kisses Press)
Guide to Dating Gangsters – Julia Arredondo (Vice Versa Press)
A Source Says – Shana Sadeghi-Ray (SMH Girls)
Cybermall – /Creepythread
Smoke Signal – Gabe Fowler (Desert Island)
Cats Hate Cops – Research and Destroy New York City

UPDATE: Time Out New York has put up an online supplement to their print piece, featuring 30 zine makers (fully one-fifth of this year’s exhibitors!) and their work.  See that excellent, comprehensive slideshow here.

Brooklyn Zine Fest Weekend is fast approaching, and in addition to the zine exhibitors on Saturday 4/26 and Sunday 4/27, there are lots of zine-related events at Brooklyn Historical Society this week.  Below is the full schedule, including our two days of zine makers (with a completely different lineup of 75 zinesters each day)!

All events are at Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont St. in Brooklyn Heights.

Thursday, April 24th at 7pm / FREE, All Ages:
Zines from the Borderlands: Storytelling about Mixed-Heritage
Featuring four Brooklyn Zine Fest exhibitors, this panel will discuss questions like, How can zines create new narratives and representations for mixed-heritage people, LGBTQ communities, and people of color? and, What is the role of zines, DIY and self-publishing within marginalized communities?

Friday, April 25th at 8pm / $8, All Ages (with beer for sale to 21+):
Brooklyn Brain Frame 2
Chicago’s hugely successful performative comics event returns to Brooklyn, with host Lyra Hill curating a lineup of comics artists, writers, and musicians to perform live versions of their audio and visual work. (See our recap of last year’s show here.) Featuring several zine fest exhibitors and other New York artists, this show promises wild visuals, some amateur rapping, and live musical accompaniment.

Saturday, April 26th from 11am to 6pm / Free, All Ages:
Brooklyn Zine Fest – Day 1!
We kick off the Brooklyn Zine Fest with 75 exhibitors, including a Student & Teacher section, throughout Brooklyn Historical Society. Saturday also features a panel talk on Queer & Trans* Zinesters at 4:30pm in the Othmer Library on the second floor.

Sunday, April 27th from 11am to 6pm / Free, All Ages:
Brooklyn Zine Fest – Day 2!
The zine fest continues with 75 NEW exhibitors (a completely different lineup from Saturday — come one day, or come both to see all zine makers!) from Brooklyn and beyond. Sunday features TWO panels in the Othmer Library: Zine Libraries, Archives, and Collectives at 1pm, and Anonymity in Zine Making at 3pm.

See you Thursday and Friday at our special events, and then Saturday and Sunday for a full weekend of zine makers, all at Brooklyn Historical Society!

Every year, Josh Schafer from Lunchmeat VHS Magazine whips up a great alt-poster for the Brooklyn Zine Fest, and this year’s edition is a wonder to behold. Will the poster’s predictions come true? Will the Amazing Kreskin show up to check out the Brooklyn zine scene? Only YOU can find out by attending both days of the Brooklyn Zine Fest 2014!

Lunchmeat will be tabling on Saturday, April 26th, but there will be plenty of movie and pop culture zines, along with self-published mags about every topic under the exploding sun, on Sunday, April 27th as well (see all the exhibitors here).  Stop by the I Love Bad Movies table and we’ll point you to all the goodies!

This is exciting — Brooklyn Zine Fest organizers Matt Carman and Kseniya Yarosh will be live on stage at WNYC’s Gigstock show tomorrow (Wednesday, April 9th), talking with Soundcheck host John Schaefer about the fest, the zine community in New York, and a few of our favorite music zines.  And you can watch the whole thing live via webcast!

We’ve never shared a stage with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart before (cross that one off the bucket list), and we’re excited to bring some of our zine-knowledge to a whole new audience.  And you can watch the entire show live via a free webcast here!  The show starts at 8pm on 4/9, and we’ll go on stage around 8:30pm.

See you then!

UPDATE: Thanks to Soundcheck‘s Mike Katzif for this photo of us on stage with John Schaefer, to Katie Bishop for booking us, and to Oh My Rockness, Parquet Courts, and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart for putting on a great show!

Photo of Othmer Library by Leigh Ann / LABabble

One of the exciting new developments for the Brooklyn Zine Fest 2014 is the series of panel talks we’re hosting during the fest, upstairs in Brooklyn Historical Society’s beautiful Othmer Library.  Our panel coordinator Jordan Alam of The Cowation has finalized the panel topics and schedule, which you can see below.  Stay tuned for more info about the many talented zine makers who will be taking part in these panel talks!

PANEL TALKS:

Queer & Trans* Zinesters (Saturday 4/26 at 4:30pm)
For some of us, the first time we connected with queer people was through zines. How do queer zinesters — especially queer people of color — tell their stories? How do zines build queer community (or not)? Listen to these panelists speak on how queer and trans* identities appear (or don’t appear) in their zines and how zine culture figures into the rest of their lives.
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Collecting Zines (Libraries, Archives, & Collectives) (Sunday 4/27 at 1pm)
Zines are often thought of as impermanent; most have a very limited distribution and are not expected to be distributed forever. However, there are many large and growing zine libraries, archives, and public collections that are making zines more permanent and lengthening their “shelf life.” On this panel, we will be discussing the ethics of zine collecting and how collectors go about their work.
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Anonymity (Sunday 4/27 at 3pm)
What are the benefits/drawbacks of being a “public zinester”? Some zinesters find that the material they put out might change their relationships with other people if it was put under their real name; some just find it to be part of “zine culture” to be mysterious. Do you put your real name on your zine? Come find out what our panelists have to say about and share your own experiences with anonymity.

This guest post is brought to you by Christine Stoddard of Quail Bell Magazine, Brooklyn Zine Fest exhibitor two years running.

The Fairy Punk mantra embraces the fundamental passion behind any punk movement: D.I.Y. But sometimes it takes two to make magic. That’s why The Quail Bell Crew collaborated with Brandylane Publishers for our first books—The Nest: An Anthology of The Unreal and Airborne: An Anthology of The Real. If you’re familiar with QuailBellMagazine.com and saw our ‘zines at BFZ last year, you know that fellow Quail Bell(e) Kristen Rebelo and I weren’t going to let anyone boss us around. We have our own vision for the imaginary, the nostalgic, and the otherworldly, and wanted someone to help us channel that vision.

What we found in Brandylane was a veteran press with a cooperative imprint known as Belle Isle Books. The cooperative model allows authors more editorial autonomy than traditional publishing. Unlike self-publishing, the author bears no heavy financial burden. While we received no royalty, we shall reap a higher percentage of sales than we would in a traditional agreement. (Something to entertain, ‘zinesters.)

Curious about how the end result? Check out The Nest and Airborne, compilations of the best writings published on QuailBellMagazine.com from 2010 to 2012. And don’t worry—you’ll still find our ‘zines at BZF this year.