“NY Zine Fest 2024,” one of eight programs selected as part of the National Humanities Center’s first “Being Human” Festival, will be held at Hamilton College’s Burke Library and the Kirkland Town Library from April 18 to April 21. Everyone is welcome: K-12 and college students, teachers and faculty, families, and anyone in the community with a creative spirit. The Zine Fest series of events are all free and open to the public.
What is a zine? A zine is a small, self-made and published, cheap, and easy-to-read magazine meant to convey personal and political views of the day. In this digital age, zines continue to be the medium for self-expression and the mode for self-publishing across socio-economic backgrounds, identities, and communities.
The Zine Fest will offer four separate events led by esteemed zine practitioners and cartoon artists. Attendees will learn how to create many different kinds of zines for their own self-expression in four different sessions. The schedule of events is listed below. For complete information and to register for programs, go to https://www.hamilton.edu/offices/lits/zinefest.
“Libraries are all about stories expressed in a variety of forms,” said Kirkland Town Library Director Anne Debraggio. “We are thrilled to partner again with the Hamilton College Burke Library to bring such a unique program to our community.”
The creative works produced during the event will be displayed at Burke Library and the Kirkland Town Library through May 2024, with a permanent digital showcase in Burke Library’s Digital Commons. Select handmade zines will also be added to Burke Library’s Special Collections and the Kirkland Town Library’s browsing section for future exploration.
“These expert-led workshops by three renowned cartoonists will create an immense opportunity for our community to learn how to express themselves and how to transform their ideas into a drawn format. By bringing together the greater Kirkland community, Burke Library and the Kirkland Town Library hope to share in the joy of making zines,” said Hamilton’s Burke Library Director of Learning and Research Services Nhora Serrano.
The Upstate, NY Zine Fest 2024 is part of the broader Being Human Festival, an international initiative celebrating the humanities. This year, the festival will feature events in eight locations across the country, each highlighting the importance of the humanities in understanding ourselves and the world around us. For more information, visit National Humanities Center – Being Human Festival.
Here are the free Zine Fest offerings:
- Science of Zinemaking – Thursday, April 18 at 11 a.m. – Burke Library, Hamilton College
Learn the process of making three different styles of zines, each out of a single piece of paper. Walk away with three ready-to-draw or write zine “dummies” and handy zine-styled instructions for each form.
Instructor: Center for Cartoon Studies Adjunct Professor and freelance cartoonist Kori Michele Handwerker has drawn hundreds of pages of comics and printed dozens of weird little zines. Their work focuses on format, Identity, mundanity, process, and queerness. - Drawing Characters for Cartoons – Saturday, April 20, 10:30 a.m. – Kirkland Town Library
In a hands-on introduction to comic character design appropriate for ages 8 and up, cartoonist Ira Marcks will share a step-by-step process for creating a cartoon face, followed by an insightful look at the power of facial expressions in effective comic storytelling.
Instructor: Ira Marcks is the award-winning cartoonist behind the creepy kid mysteries SPIRIT WEEK and New York Times recommended SHARK SUMMER. His online courses have inspired 100,000+ students. - Telling Stories with Comics – Saturday, April 20, 3 p.m. – Burke Library, Hamilton College
In a hands-on introduction to creating comics geared towards the college-aged audience, Marcks will share the process of creating comics using the three essential elements of storytelling — characters, setting, and theme.
Instructor: Ira Marcks is the award-winning cartoonist behind the creepy kid mysteries SPIRIT WEEK and New York Times recommended SHARK SUMMER. His online courses have inspired 100,000+ students.
- Making Your Zines Come Alive: A Hands-on Workshop – Sunday, April 21, 1:30 p.m. – Kirkland Town Library
Colleen AF Venable, the creator of Katie the Catsitter will share techniques for making zines while you make your own.
Instructor: Colleen AF Venable is the co-creator of the National Book Award Longlisted Kiss Number 8, a graphic novel. Her other books include the Katie the Catsitter series, Mervin the Sloth is About to Do the Best Thing in The World, The Oboe Goes Boom Boom Boom, and Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye.
