Appeti-zine

I have no affiliation with, nor do I receive any special treatment from, the Charlottetown Library Learning Centre. It’s just a fact that lots of really stellar and fun things happen to take place there. I actually spent two full days last weekend attending functions in the Rotary Room, one of which was for the fourth annual Zine Fest.

I’ve been to every Zine Fest, either as a patron, a tabler, or as a tabler’s guardian. One of my wee folk is super into making zines, predominantly at the time featuring talking foods. This is the beauty of the zine (pronounced zeen): they are lawless! The origin is slightly debated but generally agreed to have originated with sci-fi fans in the 20s or 30s. They made pamphlet-like stories to share about characters and other aspects of the genre that they liked. This is the main consistency across the various categories that have since emerged: the creator cares about, likes, or believes the topic to be important to share. This  is why I believe there is in fact a zine out there for every preference. They can be silly or political, hyper specific or vaguely conceptual, and the people making them span just as much of the spectrum too. 

There are way too many cool things in that room! It is a merging of a variety of artists, all with independently produced creations and content. You end up in a sort of time warp because there is so much to look at and consider. Of course, there are the zines themselves, in various shapes, sizes, and folds, but also art, buttons, stickers, shirts, crochet, and undeadies. You might not be familiar with that last one, but they are these unique upcycled stuffed animal creations. They come from the imagination of a child and are brought into existence by their father. We came home with one we are dubbing a “snakemingo”—head and tail of a snake, body and legs of a flamingo. Frankly, I think it would be quite a useful body structure to inhabit. 

The first hour is always a bit more sparsely attended in case you happen to not be a big fan of crowds or may require some more space for mobility. Midday the attendance can get as thick as a Slowcoaster show at Baba’s circa 2007 though. This is another reason not to be in a rush when coming out to see what’s up for sale or perhaps trade. There are a few folks I’ve seen each time, but I would guess the majority are different every year.

The low barrier entry ensures a fun variety of attendees and participants where you get to experience a broad range of art forms and viewpoints, the culmination of which is truly inspiring. You might come away with an empty wallet, but your brain will be pleasantly saturated, as will your walls and shelves. It’s like being immersed in a revolving cabinet of curiosities. I love this not so little fair celebrating DIY publishing.