Not busy on Saturday and looking for some new reading material that is faster to read than, say, “Ulysses?” Well, lucky you because the annual Grand Rapids Zine Fest is rolling back into the city this weekend at KCAD’s The Fed Galleries.
This is a perfect event for those who love beautiful small, intimate works of literature with a nice touch of DIY art.
The local organizers have produced a handy link to a useful guide on what is a zine (pronounced “zeen,” as in “magazine”) and describe it “as a self-published, small circulation, non-commercial booklet or magazine, usually produced by one person or a few individuals. Zines come in all shapes, sizes, topics, and formats. Most zines are photocopied, but they can also be printed offset, like a magazine or newspaper. Zines range from handwritten and sloppy to cut-and-paste (text pasted on top of background images) to artsy with handmade touches to produced on a computer with a professional looking layout. Zines may incorporate screen printing, linoleum cuts, and hand-stitched bindings. Most zines have print runs of a couple dozen to a few hundred copies.”
Adding that the beauty of zines is their highly personal and often idiosyncratic presentation.
In addition, this event is rare because they advocate their desire to provide a safe space with a policy to back up acceptable behaviors. It may not be perfect, but it is wonderful to see such tenderness on display, making people of all backgrounds to feel welcome.
For a complete list of exhibitors this year, please visit this link:
https://grzinefest.wordpress.com/2016-exhibitors/
Admission: Free