From the Houston Press.

“Zine Fest Houston has been growing, but their mission remains as punk rock as ever – ‘that attendees discover new zines and are inspired to create their own art and media projects.’”

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/artattack/2011/05/print_is_not_dead_zine_fest_ho.php

Jeremy Hart, a long-time pillar of the Houston alternative music and zine scenes, talks about Zine Fest Houston and local zine history on his blog, Space City Rock.

From the article: ” … this is one of the few little corners of the creative world that has yet to be completely mainstreamed (hopefully it never will be), and I was blown away when I last attended one of the earlier Zinefests, back in 2008.”

Check out the interview about Zine Fest Houston on the Free Press website.

4:oo pm: Zine Fest Houston 2011 begins!

4:30 pm: Zine reading by Kirk Loftin (of CatBat)

5:00 pm: The Grass Skirts

5:45 pm: Organ Failure

7:00 pm: Panel Discussion (with  Film Monitor, Robbie & Bobby, Space City Nerd, and Weak Highlights)

7:30 pm: Muzak John

8:00pm: Infant Mortality Rate

8:40 pm: Carlos Pozo

9:20 pm: Rotten Piece

10:00pm: Zine Fest Houston 2011 ends

Below is an interview with Gingham Ghost, one of the many exhibitors at the 2011 Zine Fest Houston.

What is your favorite part of ZineFest?

It’s great to sell minicomics but the best part is meeting new zinesters and trading.

What are your favorite zines/minicomics?

We’re big fans of self-published autobiographical comics likes… King Cat (John Porcellino), Big Plans (Aron Nels Steinke), Phase 7 (Alec Longstreth), Milkyboots (Virgina Paine), Clutch (Greg Means), Brainfag (Nate Beaty) and Just So You Know (Joey Alison Sayers).

What will be at your table at this years ZineFest?

We will be bringing a slew of our minicomics, highlights include…

“Okay? Okay!” - an autobiographical double comic telling the same love story from two different perspectives in two contrasting art styles.

“AOA #1″ - a huge collection of colorful hand-painted diary comics by Melinda Tracy Boyce, a twenty-something exploring Portland and hanging out with her boyfriend.

“Batcave Beach Chapter 1″ – a fictional story about an outcast who sneaks into a private school’s party, befriends an eccentric duo obsessed with death and begins a haunting and quirky adventure to discover the meaning of life… before it’s too late.

What new projects are you working on this year?

We will continue our diary comics and our monthly Digital Zine distributed by email (sign up for it for free at www.ginghamghost.com) as well as work on the exciting second chapter of Batcave Beach.

What other creative ventures do you have besides creating zines?

Besides zines and comics we create music as The Jellyfish Bandits.  Aaron Whitaker also is a painter and screenwriter.

Waste and Void is one of the many exhibitors participating in the 2011 Zine Fest Houston.  Below is an interview with the distribution group.

Why do you create zines?
To put it succinctly: We are anarchists; we desire the destruction of this society in favor of one that allows for true freedom.  Of course these are loaded terms and these things won’t occur without some sort of provocation.  So we create and distribute zines to address both of these issues: we seek to define our desires and incite others to join us in our struggles.

What will be on your table at this year’s zine fest?
Well, some of the themes our distro likes to explore are illegalism, insurrectionary and anti-civilization theory, crime, and anthropology.  So, we’ll have everything from anthropology essays and herbal medicine primers to manuals on creating secret hiding places and lockpicking guides.  We’ll also have universal handcuff keys and possibly lockpick sets for sale.

How did you become interested in zines?
When one of us was 16, they were locked up for several different felony charges, and as their time went on, the Anarchist Black Cross Federation began sending them zines every week. These zines helped them do their time and get out unaffected by the state. Zines can reach youth, prisoners, and subversives in a way that books cannot.

What other creative ventures do you have besides making zines?
Aside from zines and literature, we’re also working on creating stickers and pins to give out.  We also like graffiti (the legal kind, of course ). Though really, we aren’t too into creation; destruction is more our thing.

What is something you’re looking forward to about the 2011 zine fest Houston?
Honestly, we’re most looking forward to meeting individuals who hold some sort of interest in learning more about anarchy, criminality, and life beyond this wretched civilization.  We’re absolutely thrilled to make new friends and discuss/debate what can definitely be contentious issues.

It’s finally time to announce this year’s performers at Zine Fest Houston! We’ve selected an assortment of local musicians committed to unique sounds and DIY. Look for the finalized performance schedule next week.

Rotten Piece - solo experimental/industrial/noise

Infant Mortality Rate – solo experimental/industrial

Organ Failure – outsider comedy band

Carlos Pozo – ambient/experimental sound on laptop and electronics

The Grass Skirts – tropical pop band

Muzak John - solo experimental/comedy/electronica

A piece by noted Houston street artist Give Up will be on display at this year’s Zine Fest Houston.  Stop by Khon’s rooftop (2808 Milam St) from 4pm to 10pm, May 21st, to view the art work and check out all of the zines, minicomics, and other small press/self-published work for sale.

Dave Nelson is one of the many exhibitors participating in the 2011 Zine Fest Houston. Below is an interview with him.

What will be on your table at this year’s zine fest?

My Finding Elim collection and LOTS of random character sketches.

What is the concept behind your zine?

Finding Elim is just a newspaper-style comic centered around a small-town pastor and his family. Mostly gags.

How did you become interested in zines?

My first experience with mini-comics was the Chick tracts at my church. As a kid, a comic was a comic and I didn’t care if they were mass produced “propaganda”. The concept of making tiny comics stuck and I started making my first minis for specific events like birthdays and fundraisers.

Why do you like zines?

A zine or journal comic is an intimate window into the minds and lives of creative artists. Like any good story, they allow me to experience things I’d never do on my own like dumpster diving, hanging in the hood, or simply skating through downtown at 3 in the morning.

Why does self-publishing appeal to you?

There’s no one to say you can’t do it. And I do love to see the finished product.

What is your favorite part of zine fests?

The people that come to zine fests are so unique; it’s got to be the best party of the year for a homebody like myself.

What is something you’re looking forward to about the 2011 Zine Fest Houston?

Meeting the zinesters and collecting some great local comics.

What are your favorite zines/minicomics/etc?

“Dreams of Donuts” by Heather Wreckage or anything by Jarrod L Perez. 

 What is something you think people should know about DIY in Houston?

There is no standard of quality. If you have something to say, just get it down on paper and put it out there.

Zine Fest is participating in the Houston Indie Book Festival on April 2nd. It’s from 11am-5pm and will be on the Menil lawn. We’ll be handing out information about the 2011 zine fest & selling zines.

Would you like us to sell your zine on consignment? If so, please send us an email at info@zinefesthouston.org or contact us on facebook.  We’d love to have an assortment of zines to display and sell on our table!