Print media isn’t dead. The zine scene in Utah and surrounding states is alive and well. Folded 8.5 x 11s, colored paper, fresh prints and wet ink abounded at the 2022 Grid Zine Fest. Attendees and tablers who were exhibiting their works came from all along the Wasatch Front, Southern Utah and neighboring states. Zines covered topics ranging between animals, existentialism, sexuality and semicolons.
This is the fourth in-person festival held since the event was created six years ago. Grid Zine Fest is held once yearly, usually in the spring or early summer. This year, it was held at the Salt Lake Arts Academy. I wasn’t able to capture nearly all of the wonderful attendees and tablers—there are many more zines in Utah than people realize. Artists, writers and creators converged to share their works and socialize.
About the impetus of the event, Co-founder Julie Huddleston says, “I had been tabling at zine fests around the country, and I wanted to create an environment like that in Salt Lake City where there’s a very zine-specific community that does things like workshops and events throughout the year. I thought Grid Zine Fest would help fill in that gap in Salt Lake City,” Huddleston says. “It’s been really nice because Salt Lake seems so small sometimes, but the Zine Fest now has so many people that I don’t know [who] come and table at it and attend it—it feels really good to have drawn people that maybe wouldn’t have been involved otherwise,” she says.
Grid Zine Fest organizers help facilitate a zine team program for teens every Thursday at the Salt Lake Public Library, as well as events throughout the year. People who want to keep up with Grid Zine Fest events can follow @gridzinefest on Instagram (which is their most active source of information) or go towww.gridzinefest.org.
Erika Church and the Marriott Library Zine collection as well as the Zine Machine which allows people print their own pages and get their fingers dirty. (Photo: Tyson Call)
Theo G. and Taliesin Logue with their selection of prints and zines. @gothic.vampyre. (Photo: Tyson Call)
(L–R) Attendees Kiana Pennock and Zakk Reynolds show off their findings. (Photo: Tyson Call)
(L–R) Trin-Aber Martin, Maddie Prado and Ivy Smith with the SLC Public Library promoting their many contributions to the zine scene. (Photo: Tyson Call)
(L–R) Bonne K.V. Cooper, Logan Braegger and Robyn Braegger with their zine Country Sister, City Sister. (Photo: Tyson Call)
Erin Doyle at their @rainwoodcreations booth. (Photo: Tyson Call)
(L–R) Zadie Bauman (Zine: Animals) and Laura Gee (Zine: Follow the Leader: A Ramble with Mary Leakey and Semicolon: A Love Letter to a Much Maligned Punctuation Mark). Zadie’s third favorite animal are orcas, and even though they are scary, do not talk bad about them. Zadie’s first favorite animal is zebras. (Photo: Tyson Call)
Maurya Brand with her various zines including Radiate, Neopangea and Do I Dare. (Photo: Tyson Call)
(L–R) Tilda Wilson and Claire Stucki with Kitchen Zines. (Photo: Tyson Call)
Sara Luz Jensen and her zine Wild Existential Trash. (Photo: Tyson Call)
(L–R) Thomas and Maya DeGroff with Mr. Sunday Monthly. (Photo: Tyson Call)
Caroline Alger @pozolegirl with her zine, The Botanist. (Photo: Tyson Call)
Grid Zine fest organizers Ricky Vigil, Donna Ramone, Juli Huddleston, Max Barnewitz and Bonnie K.V. Cooper. (Photo: Tyson Call)
Noelle Margetts (@noe.space) and Diego Torres with Noespace and @not_so_swiss (Photo: Tyson Call)
Rikki Longino (@mobilemooncoop) and Molly Jager. (Photo: Tyson Call)
Athena Naylor with her zines, The Checkout Counter and Dailies. (Photo: Tyson Call)
Sarah Morton Taggart and her zines Mormon or Not and Nextdoor to Gold. (Photo: Tyson Call)
Ivy Rose and dog Eli. Zines: You Got Hurt, Cat Miscall (Photo: Tyson Call)
Attendees Edith Hammond and Adam Potts. (Photo: Tyson Call)
Emma Houtz and Sarah Muller with their zines What I Wish My Gender Was and I Think I’m a Bad Lesbian. (Photo: Tyson Call)
Lillie Cummings with Clever Octopus, which is a creative reuse station. (Photo: Tyson Call)
Aranteza Penā Popo with her zines See You Onna Dark Nite and Cherry Colored Fuck. (Photo: Tyson Call)
(L-R) Liberty Gibby with her zines Meatsuit and Inspirational Quotes by Terrible People. Lindsey Merritt with her zines Mantra and Nefarious Little Creatures. (Photo: Tyson Call)
Bri Gawkoski her collage zines. (Photo: Tyson Call)
Riso Geist with zines Showerhead, Cheat Sheet, Rulers and I Wanna Leave Some Ukuleles Here. (Not pictured: Brighton and Derek Ballard) (Photo: Tyson Call)
Eliza McKinney with her zine Jane Austen Rates Your Bonnett. (Photo: Tyson Call)
Andrew Shaw with his zine, Torpor House. (Photo: Tyson Call)
imp with his zine Castle Book One. (Photo: Tyson Call)
Greg Caldwell with Pez Friendz Vol. 2. (Photo: Tyson Call)
(L-R) Kade Whittle with his zine Sad People, and D. Bradford Gambles @heartlesscorp and his zine Shred or Dead. (Photo: Tyson Call)