Forget the 4-color, on-demand publishing projects I was planning for my next exhibition. I want to start making low-tech zines on the copy machine instead.
And for inspiration, here are links to all the Brooklyn Zine Fest exhibitiors’ websites:
I Love Bad Movies � Essays and illustrations about great-bad films by writers, comedians, artists, and film nerds. Other zines include essays of true game show experiences from contestants & crew; real Craigslist personal ad responses; and bizarre diagrams of the human body.
The East Village Inky – Ayun Halliday�s award winning, long-running, handwritten, illustrated per-zine. Recipes! Travel! Aging Children! Horrible cats! Obscurities Reviewed! A paucity of Negative Space! Other work: Zinester�s Guide to NYC, and Peanut, a graphic novel illustrated by Paul Hoppe.
Alex Wrekk / Portland Button Works & Zine Distro � Since 1997, Brainscan has included stories of travel, reproductive health, love, emotional abuse recovery, zine culture, and even fiction all wrapped up in text and photocopier art. Alex also wrote the book Stolen Sharpie Revolution, now in its 5th printing.
Meet the Lady – Zines of found photos and reclaimed images that had been relegated to the scrap heap. MTL restores these �lost� women to their rightful place in the pantheon of notable persons by immortalizing them in print and on the web.
Lyra Hill � Comics artist and filmmaker living in Chicago. Member of Trubble Club and founder-organizer of Brain Frame (a performative comix reading series). Lyra is interested in the unconscious drives, questionable humor, and the avant-garde.
the carbon based mistake � Blasphemy, photography, writing, and printing by Marc Calvary. He wants you to go out and buy a million-dollar scratch off lottery ticket. Then put it in a frame and hang it on the wall in your studio� unscratched<
Jeremy Jusay � Poetry/comics anthology zine Karass was inspired (and praised) by Kurt Vonnegut. Jeremy has created backgrounds/storyboards for MTV�s Wonder Showzen, Adult Swim�s Superjail, and Comedy Central�s Ugly Americans.
Modern English � Created by James Aviaz and Andrew Guirguis, their flagship zine Everything is Fucked, Everything is OK showcases essays and artwork about modern life. EFEOK�s Hurricane Sandy issue was featured in Brooklyn Magazine.
Eli Brandwein � Combining his love for zines and music, Eli (who makes frenzied and noisy pop music under the name grininning) will showcase four new zines, each with a corresponding download code for a musical composition to �soundtrack� the zine.
The Runcible Spoon � Quarterly food zine based in Washington, D.C. Captures the pleasure and playfulness of eating through imaginative, delicious (and sometimes made up!) recipes, illustration, storytelling and collage.
Yumi Sakugawa � Southern CA-based illustrator and comics artist exploring interdimensional travel, reincarnation, the doomed romance of cat soul mates, meditation, the infinite universe and one-eyed blob monsters.
f666 – Photo zine covering extreme metal and punk culture in New York City. Full color photographs, spreads and posters, interviews with up and coming artists, photographer profiles from across the country, live show coverage, and columns.
Whim Quarterly � Humor publication that also moonlights as a monthly Trivia Show (Trivial Matters) and a comedy showcase (Serious Matters). With writers from The Daily Show, Cash Cab, I Love the 1880s, and more.
Rommel Wood � Crowd Fiction includes the story of a 15-year-old girl at a Patsy Cline show in 1963. Rommel also collects photos of exemplary bathrooms under the title Throne Shots.
Deafula � A sassy, informative, and comical exploration of what it�s like to be deaf. Kerri writes about identity, disability politics, everyday annoyances, and whatever else strikes her fancy.
Nowhere Place – Brooklyn-based illustrator Kelsey Short makes art and comics about cats, inky black clouds, weird worm holes and human figures melting into an ashy void.
Barnard Zine Library – An extensive collection of zines written by women (cis- and transgender) with an emphasis on women of color. Focusing on feminism and femme identity by people of all genders, with zines on activism, body image, parenting, sexual assault, trans experience, and more.
The Cowation & Lower East Side Librarian � Personal and political minicomics and zines by Barnard student Jordan Alam and zine librarian Jenna Freedman.
Lale Westvind � Absurdist/sci-fi comics featuring whackjob dynamos and charismatic vehicles; Humurous mis-adventure in the cosmic grind. Her 2011 book Hot Dog Beach #2 won an Ignatz award at SPX for Promising New Talent.
Homos in Herstory � Themes & characters in USA queer history over the 19th and 20th centuries. Gay United States presidents, �boyettes� of the 1920s, �lavender menace� political actions of the 1970s, and more. <
Vinyl Vagabonds � Sara and Eric Gordon write and draw about album quests. Sometimes traditional reviews, but mostly the ups and downs of the hunt for interesting vinyl to inhabit their tiny home in Silver Spring, MD.
The Borough is My Library � Chronicles the work of activist librarians and raises funds for Literacy for Incarcerated Teens (a NY-based non-profit working to end illiteracy among incarcerated youth). Edited by Alycia Sellie and published annually.
The Brooklyn College Library Zine Collection will be collecting new works at the BZF. Even if you�re not exhibiting, stop by and drop off a copy of your zine!
For the Birds Collective � New York City-based feminist collective promoting creative interests of gender-oppressed community members. Zine distro covers such topics as DIY feminist organizing, physical, mental, and sexual health, sexual assault support/prevention, & punk/riotgrrl.
Pegacorn Press � Using stencil duplicators and pure elbow grease, Pegacorn prints and releases �queer, feminist and total-art-freaker� publications in the form of zines, comics and small run art books. Run by visual artist & musician Caroline Paquita in Brooklyn, NY.
Lunchmeat Magazine � Celebrates the obscure and esoteric in cinema, with a focus on the wonderful and weird world of the VHS format, reviews of hard-to-find VHS tapes, and interviews & articles featuring actors, directors and other creative personalities. <
Jess Ruliffson – Currently working on a long-form graphic novel based on interviews with veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. These stories are serialized in small batch, handmade zines. Featured in The Cartoon Picayune, Digestate, Oxford American, and The NY Times.
Morgan Pielli – A serial killer stalks himself across realities. God creates the engine of His downfall in man. The animals of the world learn to speak a single terrible word. The long-running series Indestructible Universe weaves fables out of horror and science fiction.
Zine of the Month � Translates the work of Philadelphia-based painters, illustrators, printers, photographers, sculptors, and new media artists into the zine format. Combines hand-screen-printing, monoprint, and variable editions with traditional zines techniques such as photocopy.
Chris Piascik � New book 1000 Days of Drawing includes three years of illustrations about political issues, music, complaining and more. Chris� Typostruction zine makes art out of quotes (both classic and pop-cultural).
Horror Boobs � A group of perverts (ladies and gentlemen alike) uncovering the most sensational previously viewed nudes and bargin bin boobs of the home video era with zines (Blood Video) and live shows. <
The La-La Theory � Philadelphia-based Katie Haegele has made zines on language, loss, and language loss, among other topics. Her first book, White Elephants, is a memoir published by Microcosm that started life as a zine series.
Tuesday Bassen & Mirror Universe � NYC-based illustrator Bassen and MU�s Jansen Cumbie have teamed up for collaborative tapes and illustrated zines. Also featured: Tuesday�s bi-yearly Velvet Cave and new New York Zitty comics.
Gary Kachadourian � Scale drawings (dumpsters, lamp posts) and cut-and-fold three dimensional objects and scenarios (bus shelters, sno-ball stands, portable toilets) from Baltimore. Xeroxed and laser printed books, booklets, prints, posters, and wall coverings.
Omitted � Tiny notebooks, photocopied with portions omitted. Departing a loved but painful city, romance (or lack thereof), dealing with being queer, and the homesickness of traveling alone. From Philly->Brooklyn.
Dave Ortega � Historical and biographical comics drawing from the Mexican Revolution (Insurrectos) and Ortega�s grandmother�s journey from Mexico to the U.S. (Abuela y Los Dead Mexicans), among other works.
Ben Bertin � Atomic mouthpiece for a photonic entity, a UFO called Oofo. Together they make comics or, as Oofo calls them, �komsk.� Oofo lives in a universe of Pure Light; Ben lives in Chicago, and occasionally makes comics of his own.
James McPherson � Alone on Prom Night, including drawings, musings, and observations both humorous and disturbing, is now in its third issue. Other works include short stories, screenprints, and one of a kind monotypes.
Robyn Jordan � Comics & zines about teaching kids, eating food, driving cars, and being surprised, all printed on quick-to-jam elementary school copiers.
Suzan Choy – Brooklyn-based illustrator creating a collection of short stories based on living in New York.
Swingin� Meat � C Cassano�s illustrated fable, an amalgam of Greek and Native American mythology, about a Giant and flesh-eating sheep. In limited hand-bound edition.
Dretime � Ongoing comic script Dee�s Dream is about poetic bohemian Dee Fynch and her underdog garage band. Dre�s comics have been featured in The Dirty Diamonds, Dangerous Damsels, and Zine Crush.
Displaced Snail Publications � Beautiful handmade books, zines, and a few records. New works include a fresh issue of Record Collecting and an educational series on Latin roots called Tiny Robot.
Syndicate Product – Contributors write about a specific topic, such as cleaning, comics, television, etc. with a pop culture/personal angle. �The popular is personal,� so to speak. Formerly known as �Low Hug� from 1998-2004. <
Secktacular � Steve Seck makes comics about various unsavory anthropomorphic inanimate objects & animals.
Big Tee-Pee – Sara Lindo makes subtly psychedelic all-ages comics.
So What? Press � Headquartered in Brooklyn, run by Dave Kelly & Lara Antal. Publishing A Comic Guide to Brewing, Tales of the Night Watchman, Walking Into Traffic, and two new books in 2013.
FAQNP – Non-ironic publication for queer nerds and their admirers who feel outside the mainstreaming of queer culture. Themes include obsessions, personal computing, travel, science fiction & fantasy, and education.
Tom Roberts – Self-taught illustrator, painter, and shut-in. New illustrated zine �Porn� is a collection of small erotic cartoon drawings.
Eli Brandwein – Combining his love for zines and music, Eli (who makes frenzied and noisy pop music under the name grininning) will showcase four new zines, each with a corresponding download code for a musical composition to �soundtrack� the zine.
Chris Carfolite � Brooklyn-based illustrator who creates works varying from fun mythological alien creatures and goofball doodles to intricate patterns and elaborate hand-lettering. <
Martine Workman � D.C.-based artist who started making and collecting zines in the �90s. Recent projects include The Methow Mill, a series of 12 hand drawn weekly newspapers about living in a rural town, and Prince Food, a zine that lists all the food in Prince�s songs. <
Elizabeth Graeber � Talking animals, dancing strangers, and tutorials of various topics are all part of this D.C.-based illustrator�s zines and drawings. Her loyal mascot is Chickpea, a 6-pound terrier mix dog.
Kaori Mitsushima � Cat-people dance, pick mushrooms, paint, and contemplate life in imaginative drawings, collages, & daily doodles. Along with Cats I Know and Question Marks, two new zines: After Hours and Book of House Cats.
ADAMJK – Paper and plastic from Adam J. Kurtz and a handful of friends specilizing in small-run zines, art objects, writing, and miniatures.
Birdsong Micropress � Williamsburg-based publisher of art and writing whose creative practices are informed by commitments to feminism, anti-racism, queer positivity, and DIY cultural production.
Usagi Por Moi – Craft guides in the sweet style of Japanese crafting with fun and easy-to-follow illustrations, photos, and patterns. Plus travel & photo guides to Japan, chock full of neat places to go, see, and eat.
Maps and Fragments – Pocket-sized photo zines full of color photographs taken around Seoul, Yunnan, and places in between. Latest zine includes lovingly photographed home cooked meals and secret family recipes.
SubCulture – Art & culture in the subway, edited by Jowy Romano of Subway Art Blog. �Can It� is about stickers and tags found on trash cans; ��Etches and Scratches�” is about super permanent graffiti markings. Both come with unique tagged envelopes & other extras.
NOXER DOD – �No Love� is the first zine by this notorious graffiti writer. With over 20 years of work behind him, NOXER�s debut zine is packed with 20 pages of illustrations. Each copy comes with inserts like: a photo print, a Noxington dollar bill, & assorted stickers.
Quail Bell � A social and artistic experiment in the imaginary, the nostalgic & the otherworldly; located in the D.C.-Virginia-Maryland area with interests in realms far beyond the region.
The Bushwick Review – Brooklyn-based collaborative publication of short stories, essays, poetry, photography, recipes, paintings, drawings, plays, comics, and more. Each issue features around twenty contributors.
You and Neru � Illustrations, photographs, and designs inspired by grime, the macabre, body horror, and ghouls. Latest zine The Magic Death features dead warriors and magicians conjuring cosmic spells.
SLACKS � A playful exploration of contemporary masculinities. Takes delight in fey boys and fancy Dans; the droll, the antic, the whimsical; fellows both spirited and jaunty. Hopes to reveal the the dimensionality of whatever manhood is.
Sub Rosa � Collection of stories about being depressed, getting divorced, getting sober, & falling the fuck in love by Taryn Hipp, an old tattooed college lady who has been making zines for more than half her life.
Andy Gabrysiak � Absurd humor, American advertising graphics and old-timey showbiz vernacular. Andy is based in Detroit, MI (�The All-Star City�) and has contributed to Corpus Corpus, Pork Magazine, and Black Eye.
Carnage NYC � Exclusive photography and personal commentary on the human and social context in which kids write their names on things, with screen-printed covers, prints, stickers & other handmade extras. Carnage tries to make a graffiti tangible to a broader audience.
SIGNAL! – Daniel Feral�s lo-fi zine of Graffiti and Street Art with pretentions to being an intellectual journal, filled with art, photography, essays, and interviews. Strong focus on NYC, with international contributions from Germany, France and Japan. <
Robin Enrico � Comics about punk rock girls (Jam in the Band), pro wrestlers, and sex bloggers (Life of Vice), plus a mini-comic that looks like an old Nintendo game. Robin is currently curating the Ditko! Zine Library in conjunction with the Silent Barn.
Parsons Illustration � Pictorial chapbooks, illustrated pamplets, zines, comics, and artist�s books produced by students in the Illustration program at Parsons the New School for Design.
NOWORK � Anonymous, collaborative projects relating to New York City, focusing on photographic material taken, found and recirculated in public space.
Miniature Garden � A small publishing project that focuses on collaboration.
Jenipher Lyn � Happy go lucky illustrator showcases words of encouragement inspired by unhappy times using hand drawn typography and whimsical illustrations. Her favorite things to �doodle� are Jellyfish, Saves the Day lyrics, and cupcakes.
Against Debt – A drawing, a comic, an essay and a poem that explore the concept of debt in our society in creative and engaging ways. All profits from the sale of this zine will be given to the Rolling Jubilee, a debt forgiveness project.
Students for a Free Cooper Union � Bringing new and creative histories, tutorials, art, and literature about open source solutions to higher education, getting money out of education and more.
Daniel Stettner – A Richmond, VA-based dichotomy of digital art and analog photography. <
Cal Folger Day � Based on two years as a professional part-time housecleaner in NYC, �Domestic Labor Manual, A Practical Rhapsody� chronicles one worker�s pride & outrage, and revels in the reality of grime.
MTS – Cruddy junk to freak your eyeballs. Fueled by beer, video games, and kitty cat paws. Bad puns and cool dudes only.
Indulgence – In publication by Eleanor C. Whitney since 1998, featuring non-fiction, personal writing from a feminist perspective that explores life and work in New York City and travels near and far. Incorporates book arts techniques such as hand binding, letterpress, and silkscreen.
Used Gravitrons � A quarterly journal of poetry, art, fiction and non-fiction writing, and music.
Nikki DeSautelle – Small visual diaries of strangers Nikki has looked at. If you�ve ever found yourself accidentally being the worst person, she would like to remind you of what you�ve done.<
Booklyn � An experimental exhibition project under the non-profit Booklyn Artists Alliance. Run by head curator, artist, and zine maker Aimee Lusty, the current exhibition series is a platform for self-publishing artists.
Hollis Frampton Comes Alive � Texts, games, and collaborative projects by Ben Sisto. Printed in small editions for the Brooklyn Zine Fest, all works are Public Domain and priced sliding-scale.
Urban Nomad – Comics by Alisa Harris about the quirks of living in NYC, the household exploits of two crazy cats, shuttered music venues, and what the sidewalks of lower Manhattan have seen over the years.
Finite + Flammable � The definitive zine about zines.
Instigator � Limited edition black & white zines of art and photography, with an emphasis on street and public art.<
Desert Island � Arty comic book shop in Brooklyn and publisher of comics, books, and the free tabloid comics anthology Smoke Signal. Recent publications include Sad Sex, Kate Beaton�s Sketchbook, and a newspaper by Tony Millionaire.
Related posts:
Amy Sillman’s zine (2009)
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