In its second year, Grid Zine Fest almost doubled in size and filled the event space attached to Publik Coffee at 975 S. West Temple on April 14. The fest included 68 exhibitors from across Utah and from six different states. Organizers included Bonnie Cooper, Juli Huddleston, Molly Barnewitz, and Sarah Morton Taggart.
This free event offered kid-friendly tables, a make-a-zine table and a ‘Shy Guy’ table for zinesters who preferred to publish anonymously. Silver Moon Taqueria served tacos from a truck parked just north of Publik Coffee, and baristas hand poured one cup after another to fuel the festival. The event space at Publik featured a bare-brick décor that reinforced the zine gallery’s DIY aesthetic. Saddle staplers and buttons machines peppered the tables as exhibitors continued to manufacture messages throughout the afternoon.
“We formed Grid Zine Fest to create a zine and comix-centric space in Salt Lake, and for folks to come together and showcase their work. Making zines can sometimes be isolating, or it can be hard to find an audience, but we hope that GZF is able to create a space for that to happen,” Juli Huddleston said. After tabling at fests in other states, Huddleston wanted to start something similar in her hometown. “I’ve been making zines since I was in high school, mostly about water parks and train trips, and I love to table at zine fests across the country. It is a great way to meet new folks, and learn from them, and to see the world in a different way,” she said.
Bonnie Cooper’s love for zines led her to team up with Huddleston when they founded Grid Zine Fest in 2017. “I’m working at the downtown Salt Lake City Public Library on Level 2 where their zine collection is located. I was instantly drawn to zines because I had been unwittingly making my own zine like mini comics, essays and collages since high school without realizing they fit into an actual genre. It was so exciting to see that kind of creativity appreciated and celebrated by a community, and I’m still constantly inspired by all of the creators who are making their own unique zines. While I still love to create my own zines I’ve spent most of my time in the last few years teaching zine making to kids and teens in after-school classes and summer camp workshop,” Cooper said.
Sarah Morton Taggart’s comics feature ghost towns and her personal history. “I’ve been drawing comics for almost 10 years, and it’s such a rare delight to be able to share them with people. This year I was able to spend more time going around to the other tables and getting to know other zinesters a little better. I’m still buzzing with inspiration. I think it’s so important for people to be have a forum to present their unique point of view in a way that is much more nuanced than sharing opinions through social media,” she said.
Molly Barnewitz earned an MA from the University of Utah in part through her work examining how LGBTQ+ stories can be told between the pages of comics with a freedom that isn’t available in literature or art. “I studied LGBTQ+ representation in comics during my MA program at the U of U. I also have some friends who make their own zines and comics, which I have always admired. After I graduated, I wanted to be involved with something more creative rather than analytical,” Barnewitz said.
Grid Zine Fest established a set of safe space criteria to allow participants to enjoy the event regardless of “race, ethnicity, gender, sex, socio-economic status, education, religion, immigration status, language and cultural backgrounds, physical and mental health.” This led to an inclusive atmosphere in which diversity flourished and creativity blossomed.
Sponsors included the Utah Arts Alliance and SLUG Magazine. There’s contact information for the exhibitors and organizers at the Grid Zine Fest website.
(L-R) Teannie and Marko attended in 2017, and now they’re tabling. Teannie’s Different Kinds of Cats is a Sharpie-zine classic.
Elaina Court from thepoempros.com typed short messages on string-tie tags intended for postal delivery. She was surprised by how many of her bicycle friends stopped for bike-related haikus.
(L-R) Mariana, Andrea, and Jess were impressed by all the creativity on display. “I didn’t even know what this would be,” Mariana said. She particularly liked the F is for Fuck Trump coloring book.
(L-R) Bonnie Cooper, Sarah Morton Taggart, Juli Huddleston and Molly Barnewitz organized the second annual Grid Zine Fest 2018 which took place at Publik Coffee on 975 S. West Temple on April 14.
(L-R) Brinley Froelich and Eliza McKinney collaborated on their decarcerate zine. It calls attention to law enforcement abuses and the lasting impact of prison sentences/culture. McKinney has been interested in zines for five years, and she discovered independent publishing through teenage girl comics on Tumblr.
(L-R) Guerilla Artfare is a collaboration between Jordan Stoddard and Zakk Reynolds. They met after Reynolds saw Stoddard’s art at Café on 1st. The Guerrilla Artfare zine is available as a $25 subscription or at random distribution points around the valley. Location clues are distributed after zines are hidden, and issue #4 just hit the streets.
(L-R) Ricky Vigil and Donna Ramone head up the entrance table at Grid Zine Fest. Vigil’s Super Cool and Stuff goes back to 2011, and Ramone has contributed to Razorcake for more than eight years.
Rebecca Baker is proud of the Salt Lake City Public Library’s zine collection. “It’s the largest collection in the intermountain west,” she said. Zines are available for checkout, and the library also hosts an Alt Press Fest in October.
(L-R) Amy Lou from Wasted Ink Zine Distro in Phoenix and Andy Cooper from Viva Vox Press in Tempe talk zines and buttons at Grid Zine Fest at Publik Coffee on April 14.
USU’s college radio station has a zine! Music Director Mekenna Malen tabled for Aggie Radio KBLU, and she passed out zines that includes art, programming guides and information about Logan’s local bands.
(L-R) Stephanie Novak and Xan Hutcheon are promoting their monthly When She Speaks I Hear the Revolution open mic series at Jitterbug Café. All ages are welcome at the open mic events, but expect to hear liberating variety of diverse viewpoints.
Self-published zines and self-pressed buttons complement one another—both offer bite-size opportunities for creative expression.
Kenneth Mailo considers zines a gateway to self-acceptance, self-care and self-awareness. “I appreciate how people choose to express themselves in zines in Salt Lake, and I like how people narrate their zines,” he said.
Erika Church covers the circulation desk for the Marriott Library’s zine collection. Any Utah resident is invited to view the collection on the University of Utah campus, though some restrictions apply to non-students.
(L-R) Heidi Qin and Jae Miner wander from table to table. Qin loves independent publishing and she’s studying education. Miner is a fan of letterpress techniques.
Ellita designed the festival flyer art with Jorge Arrellano (not pictured). They’re in the Nopalera Artist Collective, “a cooperative of people of color, and migrant artists, in SLC, whose work relates to culture, resistance, and the resilience of our people,” as stated on the gridzinefest.com website.
Grid Zine Fest participants tabled from 11-5pm at Publik Coffee on 975 S. West Temple.
Madisyn DelPorto writes “stories and comix about turmoil and triumph,” as stated on the gridzinefest.com website. “Topics include mental health, queerness, existential angst, and trash-life.”
Karl Liechty’s Matchbook Press focuses on Yetis and tiny zines. His green flag marks his table as a kid-friendly destination.
Ryan Sanford concentrates on photo prints and zines of photography—no huge photo books. He a 35mm film shooter, and some of his latest work is black and white.
Brent Rowland has been a member of the Halophyte Collective (@hallophytecollective), a local group of artists and writers, for two years. It’s a collective that hosts readings and shows, and the members are very supportive.
(L-R) Jordan Youngberg and Jordan Duke called their table Maurice von Margoza and Associates™. Youngberg is from Provo, and his horse-themed offerings drew a steady crowd.
Future Press’s Cory Weeks recently moved to Ogden from New Orleans. She brings a sci-fi mentality to her zines, and she has a young adult novel coming out in the spring of 2019.
Jamie Coates is totally inspired to make a zine. Now she just needs a topic—perhaps insider tips for life in Salt Lake. She lives in
an art space and worked with Trent Call on some Even Stevens branding projects. Now all she needs is that spark….
Rebecca Williams’s Marks of Wayfinding is a curated selection of maps and letters she exchanges with a collaborator in Tokyo. It highlights displacement and site-specific anxiety.
Danelle Cheney from Salt Lake Lettering Club hosts Meetups and produces zines of local artists’ lettering work. Follow @saltlakeletteringclub to learn about upcoming events.
(L-R) Harlie and Chance take a smoke break during Grid Zine Fest at Publik Coffee. Chance delivers Guerilla Artfare for his brother, Zakk.
(L-R) Athena Naylor’s autobiographical comics were a hit with Callan and Ataya. “I like all of it. It’s way different, unique and cool,” Callan said.
(L-R) Amanda Swain, Jayma Ostler, August Thirkill and Ashton Widdison table together. They all met through connections to Ostler, and they’re having a great time.
The Grid Zine Fest 2018 filled Publik Coffee’s event space with 68 zine vendors and hundreds of guests. This free event included kid-friendly designations, a make-a-zine table and a ‘Shy Guy’ table for zinesters who prefer to publish anonymously.
Photos by John Barkiple
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