By Alexandra Savage
On Sunday, October 9th, I visited D.C. Zinefest at Brookland Arts Walk near Catholic University. As somebody with little artistic knowledge, I conducted some research beforehand and discovered that a zine is essentially a small, self-published DIY magazine about any possible topic. According to the Creative Independent, zines have a long and varied history. They can be used for artistic expression, spreading political thought, or for something as low-key as displaying recipes. Armed with my newfound knowledge (and my notepad), I took the metro to Brookland to purchase some zines and to interview their authors.
When I arrived at Zinefest, I was surprised to see how many artists were there to sell their zines. I was also pleased to see that the artform had such a large following, and I had no idea where to start. As a hockey fan, I was drawn to a booth covered in red and white. This table belonged to Rachel Cohen, a D.C. based artist who can be found at her website, RLCohenArt.com. She draws inspiration from anime, comics, and sports. Born and raised in the D.C. area, Rachel often features aspects of the city in her work. I purchased a copy of her zine Proven Wrong, which chronicles the end of the Capital’s 2018 season. I’m hoping it will serve as a good luck charm for this year. Rachel can also be reached at her gmail, RLCohen26@gmail.com, or her etsy studio, redkatstudios.etsy.com.
As I continued my walk through Zinefest, I decided to stop at a booth filled with swirly designs and soft color palettes. Adrianna, a Maryland-based artist that goes by the name P-Curly, explained that she finds inspiration from movement and designs that flow. Looking at her artwork, which can be found at p-curly.carrd.co, I can’t help but feel comforted by the soft qualities of her characters. My personal favorite design is the array of cows on the front page. I also received a cow sticker when I bought a zine, which will undoubtedly go right on my laptop. As a former pokémon fanatic, I knew I had to buy her zine Moonlillie, a collection of pokémon drawings from the most recent game. P-Curly can also be reached by email at p-curly@live.com.
Next, I stopped by a booth covered with drawings displaying landscapes and nature. Camryn Simms (found at Camrynsimms.com) used her work to showcase a mix of nature and nostalgic characters. Indeed, when I read her zine Shell, which takes place over the Summer of 2018, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu for the Summer months. Camryn, who graduated from VCU Arts in 2021, explained that she uses shapes to guide her work. Many of her comics feature curly lines and circles, creating a feeling of comfort for the viewer. Camryn has a myriad of books, comics, and other illustrations on her website, which I greatly encourage you to check out.
When I visited Zinefest, I knew I just had to walk away with a gift for a friend of mine who loves comic book stories. I found this gift in Linda Kuo’s The Brightest Star under the Eastern Seaboard. Linda, an illustrator from D.C., manages to capture a complex story about the adventures of two chemists searching for a mysterious alien in a remarkably small number of pages. Something I love about this comic is the color palette she employs. She uses a mixture of blues and purples to create her scenery, and the colors blend together in an extremely satisfying way. More of her work is available on her website, buppletea.com, and her email can be found at lindakuo42@gmail.com.
Learning more about the D.C. art scene was certainly an exhilarating experience. I had no idea that zines could have such a wide variety of styles, and I can’t wait to reread the ones I purchased. Zinefest is held every Autumn, and most of the artists (including the ones listed above) are available for commissions and general inquiries. Given my newly discovered appreciation of zines, I’ll be sure to attend next year as well.
