By Sam Palma
It was a sunny day on August 31st at San Francisco’s Metreon, a welcome reprieve from the city’s historically cold summer. Attendees of this year’s Zine Fest fanned themselves as they meandered through an endless sea of tabling artists. The venue was filled to the brim with curious event goers who were just as unique as the zines on display.
“This is one of our favorite events of the year. It’s always such a treat. We always come with enough money in our pockets and a willingness to spend and support other artists,” said one event goer, Valerie Win Liu.
The zine community is notably diverse and welcoming. Attendees varied in age, including a mix of teenagers, young adults, older individuals, and multi-generational families. Some donned muted t-shirts, jeans, and totes, while others opted for keychains, pins, and colorful patterns.
Cultural Resurgence
First started in 2001, this year marked Zine Fest’s 24th year. The festival began as a means to support and uplift writers, creators, and artists in the Bay Area, offering participants the chance to share their work with the public. Since its founding, San Francisco’s Zine Fest has experienced significant growth, and recent reports suggest a growing popularity in zine culture nationwide.
Zines stem from the word “magazine” or “fan zine,” and are DIY, self-published booklets that are independent of big publications. They are typically low-cost and can be distributed and sold for a small fee, traded, or given away for free. Zines can include poetry, writing, photography, collages, personal memoirs, and comic strips. They provide endless options for those looking to create and serve as an outlet for escapism in a tech-dominated world.
“Anybody can make a zine. That’s what’s so beautiful about them,” Said Angie Chaparro, another event attendee. At this year’s Zine Fest, the content ranged from finding the best tiramisu spots in the city to a girl falling in love with a sentient refrigerator.
Highlighting Local Art
Throughout the event, tables were decorated with work that complemented each artist’s distinctive style. City College’s own Alum, Nadia Fathi, had zines displayed of their photography and artwork that reflected their life as a mixed, queer, South East Asian person, growing up in San Francisco.
“I think this was the first time I had to come up with descriptions for my pieces when it was all very internal before. So just sharing a part of my soul with hundreds of people walking past my table was very vulnerable, but it was really fulfilling,” Fathi said.
Inspired by a lack of representation, Fathi’s art incorporates elements of their background, such as whimsical childhood nostalgia, queer South East Asian relationships, and life in San Francisco.
While discussing their creative process, Fathi described how, “At the end of the day, this is about fun, and this is about your passion, and it should be a good stress.”
Career Stepping Stone
It could be argued that for many up-and-coming artists, Zine Fest serves as a rite of passage for those pursuing a career in art. Many of Zine Fest’s past guests of honor were individuals who first tabled at the festival, went on to secure book deals, and eventually had their work published.
At least, that was the case for Zine Fest’s 2023 guest of honor. “A couple of years ago, we had Maia Kobabe, who has been exhibiting at Zine Fest for many years, but then published the graphic novel Gender Queer, and it became the most banned book in the U.S.,” said SF Zine Fest organizer Michaela Payne.
This year’s guest of honor was Thien Pham, who wrote and illustrated “Family Style,” a graphic memoir recounting Pham’s experience immigrating to America with his family from Vietnam. He has been previously featured in KQED, The Chronicle, and more. During a live speaker panel, Thien Pham offered his one piece of advice for those interested in pursuing art: get a day job.
“Even if I didn’t love my day job, I would still keep doing comics. I do it for the love of it,” Pham said.