Zine is an unfiltered means of communication with the power to amplify marginalized voices. This DIY, non-commercial, self-published publication captures a culture in a way that mainstream conventional and often exclusionary publishing models cannot achieve.
There are many types of zines, such as art and photography, literary, social and political, music, perzines (personal zines), travel, health, food, etc. It is a highly flexible medium - any topic can be presented in any format, whether text only, original drawings, collage, photography, interviews, poetry, or any combination. Zines could also be an online publication.
According to Purdue University, Zines have been around since the 1500s when Martin Luther published the 95 Theses. Still, zines began to flourish in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century, and in the 1930s, science fiction zines circulated among fans to build a community in a pre-digital age. By the 1970s, zines gained popularity in punk circles as creators shared information about bands and punk culture and promoted nonconformity. The punk feminist movement Riot Grrrl continued this legacy of zine production in the 1990s and published zines as part of an activist movement against sexism.
Robert Daniel, the Gallery Coordinator of the Lowe Mill, is also the founder of the Gobble Gobble Hey! Zine and Small Press Fest in Huntsville, Alabama. Even though he was not in attendance last year because he was quarantined at home, he did say that the feedback he received from vendors, patrons, and Lowe Mill A&E employees was almost all positive.
"It seemed to go very smoothly even though I wasn't there. There was a little confusion regarding the additional programming in the classroom as some folks didn't know it was happening or where it was going on," he explains. "There won't be any additional programming/panels like last year since it was a bit of a confusion. It will just be the market," he says.
In the days before the internet, zines were primarily created to spread a message the creator was passionate about and find a community of like-minded people. Although the internet has largely taken over those responsibilities, zines are a nostalgic means of communication.
“There are many talented writers and creators in the area,” Robert tells me. “I created Gobble Gobble Hey! Zine and Small Press Fest because I wanted a market focused on the zine makers, bookmakers, and printmakers, and I felt this was a group that didn't have its event unto itself, except the folks who fit into the world of "Cons," he explains. He hopes this zine fest will lead to creators getting known by the general public and each other. "Lots of bigger cities have events that celebrate zines and independent comics and small presses, but Alabama doesn't have anything to my knowledge, so hopefully this will grow and become a destination for folks, both vendors and patrons, in the future," Robert says.
Gobble Gobble Hey! Zine and Small Press Fest is a free event held at the Lowe Mill on Saturday, November 18th, from 11 am to 7 pm. Robert said that his favorite part of organizing the event was finding other people who were just as interested in something like this as he was.
