2023 Chicago Zine Festival

I went to my second zine festival in Chicago today. You could feel everyone's excitement for the 2023 Chicago Zine Festival, which has been postponed for four years due to the pandemic. Over a hundred individual artists, presses, and zine distros displayed their work.

It's always interesting to talk with other artists and zine creators and see their work. I was glad to see some faces I recognized from the 2022 Midwest Perzine Festival. Such gatherings are always a great source of inspiration for me as I consider what products I might want to sell in my store and how I might display my work in the future as I gain the confidence to do so.

I took a binding workshop with Beth Hetland and learned some new zine folding techniques, such as the meandering accordion and the never-ending book format.

I was definitely drawn to zines with comics and illustrations this year. What a great way to kick off the zine season!