Graphomaniacs unite!

Halifax’s zine scene’s biggest event

The Halifax Pop Explosion is October’s biggest arts and culture event. It’s not just about music, though. Alongside four days of concerts, the Halifax Pop Explosion Zine Fair will be returning for its 16th year.

For those not in the know, zines – short for fanzine – are a self-published medium. They can take any form and express any content the creator wishes. The typical zine is a black and white photocopied compilation of art and writing – although this model is only one shape the zine can take.

The Zine Fair is the product Halifax’s grunge subculture during the 90’s, and showcases the region’s independent makers of alternative published media. The fair isn’t exclusive to Zines – that’s just the majority.

It will also feature “art, small press books, comics, records, CDs, cassettes, food, posters, postcards, t-shirts, buttons, and other handmade items.” The fair is a good chance for creators to meet each other, and for the public to meet them.

“It’s all about the DIY spirit and creating your own media,” says Katy Curwin, this year’s organizer. “There’s no wrong or right way to make a zine – however you can think to [make zines] is totally right.”

Her favourite part of the event is meeting authors and artists, as well as finding out about new projects they’re working on.

“[The Zine Fair is about] giving people the chance to share what they’re doing. It’s a great place to exhibit, and for gathering people who are working creatively.”

While the Zine Fair only happens once a year, Halifax is also home to a large Zine library, another project that Curwin is involved in.

The Anchor Archive Zine Library – located in the back of Gottingen’s Plan B Merchant Co-Op – boasts over 4 000 zines in its current collection. It started out as an independent project that tried to make zines available for the public, and today it also helps zine makers.

The library’s facilities and services include The People’s Photocopier, a non-profit collective that keeps zine photocopy costs low, and a residency program that has seen zine authors from all around Canada and the world.

In the future, Curwin hopes to see the fair grow even larger and attract authors from further and further out. She remarks that in some places, Zine fairs last for days, and that perhaps one day that will be the case in Halifax.

In any case, the fair this year should definitely be amaZINE.

The Zine Fair will be from 12pm to 5pm on Oct. 25 at the Bus Stop Theatre, 2203 Gottigen Street.