We were recently contacted by an organizer of the Pioneer Valley Zine Fest, which will be held from April 27-28th at Food for Thought Books Collective in stunningly gorgeous Amherst, MA. I (Kate) lived in Northampton for a couple different idyllic periods in my life, and as such am very excited about this brand new Western MA zinefest.
Anyone interested in participating (volunteering, tabling, etc.) can contact the organizers at zines@foodforthoughtbooks.com.
Today’s post is a double feature, profiling both NYC-based zinester Jenna Freedman and the Barnard Zine Library, an amazing collection which she has been managing for years.
About Jenna:
Jenna Freedman has been making her annual zine, Lower East Side Librarian Winter Solstice Shout Out, since 2001 and began including a reading log in 2002. She has also made a few one-off zines, including a zine chronicling a 9-city tour she did this summer with three other librarian zinesters. By day she runs the Barnard Librarian Zine Collection and is also Director of Research & Instruction Services at Barnard. Another of her endeavors is Radical Reference, a group of library workers that see to the need of activists and independent journalists and establishes local collectives that serve as affinity groups for like-minded librarians.
Here’s one of Jenna’s most recent zines being enjoyed by a cute feline friend:
If you’ve never been to the Barnard Zine Library you should absolutely make it a point to visit. Jenna wrote the following blurb to describe the parameters of the collection:
Barnard’s zines are written by women (cis- and transgender) with an emphasis on zines by women of color. We collect zines on feminism and femme identity by people of all genders. The zines are personal and political publications on activism, anarchism, body image, third wave feminism, gender, parenting, queer community, riot grrrl, sexual assault, trans experience, and other topics.
The Barnard Zine Library even publishes its own zine!
NYC Feminist Zinefest is delighted to introduce Midge, creator of the zines LOUDMOUTH, Furr, and Riot Grrrl Revival. A recent art school graduate, Midge has a really cool Etsy store where you can check out her zines, prints, buttons, and other goodies!
Here’s an except from one of Midge’s zines:
Who is Midge? In her own words:
I’m a feminist artist/recent graphic design graduate/crafter! I make my feminist art almost solely to put in my zines. I love to make quirky drawings and collages with strong messages behind them, because of love the juxtaposition of the two. I currently live in long island, and if I’m not making zines I can guarantee I’m making another craft of some sort, using my endless abyss of ideas, while staying highly caffeinated.
Hi friends in feminist zinery! We’re delighted to announce that we have just launched a Kickstarter site to begin raising money to fund the zinefest. Specifically, we need to raise $300 to pay for our event rental, the Brooklyn Commons. We really appreciate your support in this endeavor- thanks for your solidarity. Here’s our promotional video!
NYC Feminist Zinefest 