Phoenix’s zine scene will be getting a fresh public face this Sunday thanks to the first PHX Zine Fest.
The festival includes food trucks, artist talks, workshops, panels, a kids’ table and 69 vendors selling their creations. The PHX Zine Fest is expected to become an annual event that will include artists from all over the nation sharing their do-it-yourself small press publications, comics, photo books and art in the heart of downtown Phoenix.
“Zines are self-expression to the fullest extent. Anybody can do them. All you need is something to say and a story to tell,” said Marna Kay, one of the creators of the event. “Everyone puts their heart into their work.”
Zines are independent or self-published booklets created by cutting and gluing text and images or through digital formatting. They can cover a variety of topics ranging from poetry, comics, politics, culture, music and more.
Brodie Foster Hubbard, Charissa Lucille and Marna Kay have been working on the planning and creation of PHX Zine Fest for over a year.
In April 2015, Kay and Lucille began talking about creating a stronger zine community and creating a large zine festival in Phoenix, but they needed another person familiar with organizational experience. That’s where Hubbard came in.
Hubbard was the founding organizer of the Long Beach Zine Fest in April 2015. When he visited Phoenix last July, he met with Lucille and they discussed how they might go about starting a similar event in Phoenix. Then he moved to Phoenix with his family, and by October the ball was rolling.
The artists at this year’s festival either applied to the PHX Zine Fest website, were recruited in person or heard of the festival through word of mouth.
“Everyone who was able and interested was welcomed aboard,” Hubbard said.
Out of the nearly 70 vendors, more than half are local artists. The other artists are traveling from different states scattered around the U.S.
“I think that many of our vendors are people who will be making their first zine ever,” Lucille said. “Which is amazing because that’s what we want to create in the Phoenix area. We want to inspire people to make zines.”
In the past, Phoenix has had smaller zine events at The Trunk Space venue and Roosevelt Row. But this will be the first large-scale zine event in Phoenix.
“We’ve put out our invitations, and I’m expecting at least 300 people,” Lucille said. “Last year’s Los Angeles Zine Fest had over 3,000 people show up.”
Lucille and Kay are co-owners and zine librarians of Wasted Ink Zine Distro, a Tempe hub for zines and other DIY goodies.
“Zine culture is important to me because I’m always looking for a way to challenge the narrative and mainstream media,” Lucille said.
Lucille, a former Arizona State University journalism student, credits her education as an advantage in the creation of zines. Her knowledge of magazine layout, graphic design, marketing and writing style has helped in production of her zines.
“I’m very lucky to be a part of the creation of Zine Fest,” Kay said. “I hope that as a community, we can all grow and make something beautiful. I hope that people who don’t know about zines, learn to appreciate it and be inspired.”
Local Phoenix bands Sad Kid, Sugar Skull Explosion, The Echo Bombs and The Darling Sounds will play at the Zine Fest after party from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“I hope that Phoenix is proud of themselves,” said Lucille. “We have some amazing artists and creators. I want them to be recognized for that. I hope this Zine Fest sparks creativity in the valley even further.
The event will be held on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Ice House in downtown Phoenix. It is free for all ages to attend. Zines will be available for purchase with prices ranging from $2 to $20.
Contact the reporter at Keri.Orcutt@asu.edu.
