by Jonah Barrett for OLY ARTS
Olympia Zine Fest (OZF) makes its second annual appearance this fall. The fun begins Sept. 30 with a pre-fest celebration with special New Orleans guest Osa Atoe. The main event, the tabling expo, takes place Oct. 1, and a number of workshops begin the following day. There will also be a special Saturday workshop on teaching with zines during the tabling expo at 2 p.m.
Organized by eight different “zinesters,” OZF takes around 10 months to put together, with a summertime chock full of fundraising events. (This included a café dinner, a “Diary Disclosure” reading, and a screening of Edward Scissorhands). Zinesters from around the nation flock to Olympia to showcase their work, selling zines to the public and trading volumes with other creators.
Zines are small self-published magazines, often created with a photocopier to enhance the DIY feel (though this is not an exclusive rule). A zine’s content can vary as much as its medium, so there’s a wide variety of subject matter for everyone to enjoy, from politics and comics to punk rock fanzines and poetic rambles.
Olympia has a rich and vital history with zines, and OZF hopes to keep that tradition running. Said organizer Nicki Sabalu, “I feel like there’s less zine involvement now than there used to be in the past, and that’s what we’re working to build up again.”
What: Olympia Zine Fest
Where: pre-show at Olympia Timberland Library, 313 Eighth Ave. SE, Olympia;
tabling expo at Olympia Community Center, 222 Columbia St. NW, Olympia;
Sunday workshops are held concurrently in two locations:
- MIXX-96 office, 119 Washington St. N
- Obsidian, 414 Fourth Ave. E
When: pre-show at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30;
tabling expo 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1;
workshops 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2
How much: free workshops, zines for purchase
Learn more: olympiazinefest@gmail.com | OlympiaZineFest.org
Thanks for the great article, Oly Arts! One minor correction… the Sunday workshops are being held concurrently in two locations… the MIXX 96 office at 119 N Washington St and Obsidian at 414 4th Ave E.
Thanks for the heads up — we’ve updated the online article (and we’ll make sure this change makes it into the print edition as well)