12-1 p.m. Panel Discussion on a cartoonist’s education with John Porcellino, Drew Damron and Sam Carbaugh.
1 - 2 p.m. Workshop led by Rachel Foss “Jam Comics: collaborate with others on an improvisational comic”
2 – 3 p.m. Workshop led by The Bandit Zine
3 – 4 p.m. Workshop led by Karen Heeringa “Scriptwriting 106"
4 – 5 p.m. Workshop led by Beth Hetland
5 – 6 p.m. Readings by exhibitors
Calvin College's (106) Gallery on S. Division /Ryan Collins
On Saturday, August 24 local organizers and zine makers will gather for the first Grand Rapids Zine Fest. The free festival will be held 12-6 p.m. at the (106) Gallery (106 South Division). Throughout the day, Grand Rapids Zine Fest will feature workshops and discussions led by various zine makers.
“A zine can be easily explained as a blog on paper,” says Drew Damron, co-organizer for the upcoming Zine Fest, “which is ironic because zines have been around much longer, and blogs were heavily influenced by zine culture.”
Grand Rapids Zine Fest seeks to connect zine-makers as well as introduce the concept of a zine to anyone unfamiliar with zine culture. Around 40 zine makers/vendors are expected to take part in the festival, which is the first of its kind for the Grand Rapids area, says Damron.
“A Zine Fest is important because it cultivates the community of zine makers in the city, provides a large platform for zine makers to distribute their zines to a large audience, connects local zinesters with others from around the country and provides a safe space where everyone is respected and cared for,” says Damron.
Zines are emerging as a popular creative and intellectual outlet that Grand Rapids should embrace, Damron says. He notes the appeal of a zine compared to the more widely appreciated blog.
“The physicality of a printed zine connects the reader to the writer on a much more personal level than internet blogs do; they're very easy and fun to put together [and] there is a much larger visual aspect to zines than most blogs or books,” explains Damron.
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