“Dear zinesters, creatives, weirdos and everything in between,” reads the front webpage of the L.A. Zine Fest, inviting alternative communities to gather.
Zines, short for magazines, are physical publications that allow individuals to self-publish their interests, hobbies, and activism. People make and trade these items at zine fests and other locations, sometimes for free and sometimes for cash. They serve as an alternative outlet for content that traditional publishers and digital platforms might not touch.
Event organizer Sean Lundy explained why the organization embraces alternative labels.
“We embrace it to show solidarity for those who are different. For those who were shunned in their youth because they did not embrace the commercial collective. For those who didn’t do what they were told,” said Sean Lundy, event organizer.
For journalist and long-term zine creator Sarah Bennett, traditional journalism’s shift online pushed her back toward print. Frustrated with digital formats and seeking emotional processing, she began preserving her mother’s pregnancy journals through zines outside of conventional publishing.
“So it was really catharsis, emotional personal processing, and doing it outside of conventional journalism,” said Sarah Bennett, journalist and zine creator. “I didn’t have to ask an editor to do it.”
Bennett also turned to zines to bypass traditional outlets when food writing sparked local controversy. After food editors from Los Angeles moved down to hail Long Beach as a new culinary destination, an anonymous food zine circulated featuring the opinions of Long Beach natives.
“So I got to kind of publish the opinions that aren’t out there,” Bennett told journalists.
Physical Distribution Controls Audience Reach
Because zines require physical distribution, creators can directly manage who receives their work. Bennett experienced this dynamic when teaching Santa Ana students who produced a zine about immigration issues and chose print over online publishing to avoid unknown web traffic and public scrutiny.
“We had a big conversation about, do you want these stories online? You don’t know who’s going to see them, and they were feeling a lot of scrutiny,” Bennett said.
“We talked about print as a way to make sure you’re reaching the people who are right here and the people you want to meet. I always say zines are hand-to-hand combat. You’re handing them out to people and choosing who gets to see them. It’s algorithm-free. You are the algorithm.”
Did You Know? The L.A. Zine Fest stands as one of the largest zine events in Southern California, serving as a gathering space for creators and alt-world communities to trade self-published tokens.
In Long Beach, community print shops provide physical spaces where residents can complete creative projects and build local connections. Bennett serves as a key holder at PLACE Long Beach, a community print shop designed to foster neighborhood ties.
“People can come, create and find community. We definitely believe in community teaching community. That’s sort of the goal,” Bennett said.
Los Angeles Public Library supports zine creators
Institutional spaces in the region also support the medium through public programming and dedicated collections. The Los Angeles Public Library houses a zine library alongside regular zine workshops and a rotating Makerspace that moves to different branches each month.
What zines are and how they function
What is a zine?
Zines are short for magazines and function as a way for individuals to self-publish their interests, hobbies, and activism. They can cover nearly any topic, ranging from anarchist guidebooks to neighborhood cat photos.
How are zines distributed?
Zines rely on physical distribution rather than online publishing. Creators trade or hand them out directly at zine fests and other locations, allowing them to control who reads their work.
Where can people find zine resources in Los Angeles?
The Los Angeles Public Library features a zine library, hosts zine workshops, and runs a rotating Makerspace with a zine component across its branches. Community print shops like PLACE Long Beach offer spaces for creative projects.
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