Warda Mustafa-Quintana, an artist and visitor services professional at a national museum dedicated to civil and human rights, emphasizes the significance of zines in both personal and professional contexts.
Zines offer a platform that educates individuals about crucial topics like community engagement, while also allowing Mustafa-Quintana to share her family’s stories steeped in Colombian and Palestinian history.
“It’s nice to be able to use the zines to talk about that journey,” she states.
“Zines are easy to create and use as a form of self-expression that you can share with others.”
The world of zine culture has been thriving for decades, referred to as self-published magazine-type publications that typically focus on a specific topic, made in a DIY style using paper, photocopiers, and staplers.
This October marks the launch of Book//Zine, an inaugural art publication and zine fair hosted at Goat Farm.
This event promises a gathering of vendors, programming, and a plethora of indie publishers, small presses, writers, and artists from Atlanta and its neighboring regions.
For those who have engaged with Atlanta’s DIY arts scene, memories of events put on by groups like the Atlanta Zine Library and Atlanta Zine Fest may come flooding back.
Newer organizations such as Atlanta Zine Club, ATL Radical Art Collective, and atlfreefair have emerged to foster community among zine enthusiasts and creators.
Book//Zine is organized by Burnaway, a nonprofit publication based in Atlanta that focuses on contemporary art and criticism within the American South and the Caribbean.
Brandon Sheats, executive director at Burnaway, highlighted the opportunity to present print-based artists and creators on a scale comparable to major cities like Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles.
“It’s not your typical market,” he remarked, emphasizing that every vendor at Book//Zine is engaged in producing work related to print.
The majority of the vendors will hail from Georgia and adjacent states.
“We were very intentional about making sure that this was geographically diverse, so that we were able to reflect the entire region, as opposed to just Atlanta,” Sheats added.
The rise of print art and media underscores a national trend as individuals seek entertainment and creative expressions that exist outside of digital platforms and algorithms.
Local artist and zine creator Tazza Moon remarked, “A zine feels very analog; it’s something you can touch and hold.”
In Little Five Points, Sarah Martin, the owner of the queer-centered sexual wellness shop Kiss & Ride, notes the excitement around zines among newcomers.
“Many people come into this space who have never heard of zines,” Martin shared.
“They get really jazzed about them.
They’re also a great way to offer bite-sized information to engage people with various movements.”
Sheats stresses that events like Book//Zine showcase the vital contributions of artists and makers, which are essential to Atlanta’s reputation as a creative hub.
Suhani Patel, an artist and member of the ATL Radical Art Collective alongside Mustafa-Quintana, highlighted the accessibility of zines, stating, “A lot of art forms can be intimidating.
Anyone can make art.
You just have to find what works for you, and zines are a really accessible way to do that.”
This exciting event represents both a celebration of creativity and an invitation for inclusivity in the arts.
image source from：atlantamagazine
