Spotlight on Fellow Artists and Writers at LA Zine Fest
Anjelica Colliard and I made the trek from Oakland to Los Angeles to join over 200 exhibitors at Los Angeles Zine Fest last weekend. A huge reason why comic book artists and writers like myself exhibit is to meet other freaks like ourselves because, goddamn, writing and making comics is lonely as hell as you become more and more obsessive about your weird shit.
It’s definitely a primal, psychological, find-your-tribe sort of pull that joins us at these events. Holy shit, it is so nice to see everyone’s happy and relieved faces – realizing that they weren’t the only ones who were plugging along late at night or piecing together the funds to see their work through. But thank GOD, we torture ourselves in such a unique and productive way! Self-published literature and alternative comics are vital to share the stories that corporate America loves to ignore in this sick society.
Thus, it is important for me to share the work of other artists who are making this same push.
Come Find Out set up shop at table 141 on the first floor of The Majestic between Pensive Proletariat Press, based out of Bakersfield, CA and Angi Brzycki, who traded me her book, Love Letter for my Bill Murray: Axis of Love poster. Before the crowds started pouring in, I took the chance to run around our ‘alley’ at LA Zine Fest and meet our neighbors. Cheers to the beautiful human faces behind these alternative home-brewed publishers.
Table 134 – Stumble on Tapes
Table 135 – Carmen Monoxide
Table 136 – Suicidal Goldfish
Table 137 – Music We Hate & Your Unfriendly Neighbor
Table 138 – PoP OOK!!
Table 139 – Gracie CT
Table 140 – Angi Brzycki
Table 141 – COME FIND OUT
Table 142 – Pensive Proletariat Press
Table 143 – Not Shit: Skateboarding Zine
Table 144 – Alma Rosa, Honda & Gloria Rivera
Here, some of the zinesters respond to my question: What was your favorite part of LAZF and what were you most excited to exhibit?
“The best part of LAZF was saying “hi” to many zinesters that I follow on Instagram and Tumblr. I was happy to meet the ladies that create Stumble on Tapes, because I truly love watching their YouTube videos with the cool musicians that they select for their acoustic sets. I was really excited to debut issue 9 of Suicidal Goldfish, because the front cover was a stencil.”
Music We Hate & Your Unfriendly Neighbor
“As always, the best part of the LA Zine Fest or any other zinefest is having the ability to meet people who share the same interests and goals that me and PopOok are generating…its amazing to find out how many people are interested in the things we do!! I don’t publish that often and the yearly zinefests also provide me with a deadline that allows me to push myself to get things done. 2. The most exciting thing i exhibited was the newest issue i just published!! i just released PopOok #3 and its the biggest and best yet!! ha! no, i’m really happy and so glad to share it with the world..each issue is an anthology that includes a lot of great art and music and i’m really proud of all the people involved!!”
“The best part of LA Zine Fest: Truly all of it. I know that sounds cliche, but between how insane it was, to someone asking me to sign my business card, every minute of it was totally magickal.
I was really excited to exhibit my brand new zine “worn as directed”, as well as my higher-end zines such as “this consciousness that is aware” and the “unusual photo zine”. Worn as Directed had been made only days previous and it was really well received. I’m going to be printing a screenprinted and letterpressed version next week. In terms of my other zines, it was just great to put out zines that I made during my undergraduate schooling at SFAI. They felt really personal to who I am and were also printed on really nice paper :^)”
“Best part was the crowd….so many people. it was great to meet a bunch of people and find out what they are interested in.
I was excited to about zucker fairey…although, i didn’t feel like people were that into them. i was away from my table but apparently someone that worked for Shepard Fairey came by and said something about it. I kind of wish I was there for that.”
COME FIND OUT: Pure bliss from Sayuri, Anjelica, and the spirit of Krusty Wheatfield as we celebrate the release of Hot Magic, Come Find Out‘s 13th zine issue
My name is Andrew M. Timmerman. I write Radical Science Fiction, Poetry, and Essays. I have Schizophrenia and ADHD, so I write a lot about Mental Health. My monthly Zine, “Spaceships & Schizophrenia” is the culmination of those two components. You should check it out. On the first Blackstar LP, one of my favorite Rappers Talib Kweli exclaims, “Stop acting like a Bitch already, be a Visionary”. LA Zinefest was a big part of my doing precisely that. In doing so, I embraced the vulnerability and precarity that comes with any serious, worthwhile creative or intellectual endeavor. It was earnestly one of the best days of my life as well as one of the scariest. I met so many talented, wonderful people whom I admire deeply. I also forged what will surely be a lifelong bond with the friends who tagged along and assisted me. Pensive Proletariat Press is me printing the things that I want to. It’s modest but growing and LAZF was pivotal to that growth. Thus far it’s been only Zines and Chapbooks, but I have a few Book-length works I plan to release when my readership has grown a bit. I also have some collaborative projects in the work with friends and relatives. I’m also trying to convince a good friend to let me print her Poetry. www.pensiveprolepress.com has a lot of material to read as well as the webstore, check it out or don’t. I can’t wait for next year’s Festival.
Alma Rosa, Honda & Gloria Rivera
