Phx Zine Fest is a not for profit community event that needs support to continue. If you have the means, please consider supporting us through donations in preparation of PZF '24 and beyond. Cheers!
Phx Zine Fest is an annual gathering, started in 2016, for DIY Small Press enthusiasts who create and enjoy zines, perzines, political pamphlets, indie comics, photo zines and the like. Arizona has a lot of creativity to offer and Phx Zine Fest provides the space to show it off! The mission of Phx Zine Fest is to encourage local creators to share their unique ideas and perspectives, often ones that are underrepresented in mainstream media. This mission is more important than ever, as many media outlets prioritize divisiveness over giving voice to historically silenced groups. Phx Zine Fest welcomes everyone to join in on the excitement of DIY publishing, and especially strives to create safer spaces for Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and LGBTQIA+ creators and visitors.
With zines and invisibilized histories on our minds we would like to offer a land and labor acknowledgement. 
We acknowledge that we primarily live and work on occupied Akimel O'odham/Pee-Posh lands. We pay respects to our Yavapai and Navajo neighbors. We pay respect to their elders, past and present and thank them for their continued stewardship of the land. We recognize that land acknowledgement is simply one tiny step towards reconciliation, building right relationships with Native people and Native lands towards Land Back. If you would like to get to know more about this work and find out more about whose land you’re on to begin building relationships, check out the NDN Collective Land Back Campaign.

 We also want us to recognize that the stolen land we’re on was developed off the backs of stolen people. We acknowledge ancestors who were enslaved around the world and especially in the so-called United States. We acknowledge those who continue to labor without just compensation and those who strive for Black Liberation and equitable economic systems. We want to bring all these folks into the room with us as we move through these events. Let’s take a breath together in remembrance of all those ancestors. 

Photos by Jose Romero of our 8th PHX Zine Fest in 2024!

Meet our '24 Organizing Team

Taylor Hammett (she/they) is the BIPOC designer and illustrator behind tkhstudios. Taylor loves creating with themes revolving around science, space and ambiguity, using color and composition to make special experiences. Taylor has interned with Wasted Ink in the past and has attended/tabled multiple zine fest across the US. PZF is one of Taylor’s favorite times of the year, connection and collaboration being an essential part of the artist/zine community.
@taylorkhammett
Theo (she/they) is a queer, nonbinary illustrator and designer, with passions for publishing and community. Theo makes funky illustrated zines that run the gamut from existential crisis to overwhelming whimsy. Theo loves zines because they’re an accessible form of publishing with endless possibility, and because the zine community is so supportive and inclusive. @theoquest.jpg
Rink (they/them) is a queer designer, illustrator and educator. Their work is consistently described as vibrant and colorful and features LGBTQIA+ themes and characters. A primary motivation of the work they do is to build community and spread joy (which is why they love zines!). When they are not teaching or working on freelance projects, you can find Rink making independent comics (Let's Hangout Soon, Picnic Basket, Jupiter Boy) and collage-based zines about nothing in particular. @shelbyrinke
Moon Strangeweather (they/them) has been a staple member of the PZF volunteer team since 2016 and has served as an assistant at Wasted Ink since 2017. They’re currently collaborating with WIZD on establishing their zine library and supporting the start of another zine community in Flagstaff. “Zines create an accessible and creative space for EVERYONE. Never felt more safe and heard in our PHX zine community."  @neighborhoodmoon
ZuZu_Cartoons (they/she) is a zinester who publishes out of Tempe, AZ (O'Odham & Pee-Posh land). Their serious zines include work on securing an ADHD diagnosis, queer love, activist resources, and having mental health conversations with partners. Her much sillier ongoing comic series, Playlists for Possessed Dolls and Depressed Smokers, relies on humor and narrative to tackle heavier themes such as isolation, nihilism, interpersonal relationships, neurodivergence and mental health. zuzucartoons.com
@zuzu_cartoons
Charissa (they/them) is a queer, disabled, and neurodivergent zine maker and multi media artist currently quilting who has published over twenty zines and contributed to fifteen more. Charissa is the wizard behind Wasted Ink Zine Distro; a zine store, library, and resource center at Nurture House in Downtown Phoenix, and a community print studio called Paper Jam + Print. 
@charissalucille
​@wastedinkzinedistro

PZF History

In 2016, several Phoenix zinesters came together with a dream of a flourishing desert zine scene. This team recognized that Phoenix had incredible creatives, but lacked organized resources for self-publishing and alternative content. With diverse superpowers in the realms of publishing, community organizing, and DIY creation, these motivated zinesters put together the inaugural Phx Zine Fest at the Ice House in Downtown Phoenix. That first event was a huge success. Thanks in part to sponsors like Cut Paste Phoenix and Echo Magazine, PZF hosted 70+ vendors from around the country, and about 400 visitors. Many attendees picked up their very first zines that day. Phx Zine Fest 2016 proved that our desert dwellers were ready for events that showcase local self-publishing, and for a community that promotes creativity and inclusion. 
In 2017, the fest found a new home at Unexpected Gallery, and stayed there annually through 2019. Phx Zine Fest hosted a two-day virtual fest in 2021, hosted a mask-required and in-person event at The Nile in 2022. Currently, they are organizing an in-person fest for 2024.  
 If you have been a vendor, volunteer, attendee, or sponsor, thank you for being part of the history of Phx Zine Fest!
Phx Zine Fest will always be a not for profit community event. If you have the means, please consider supporting us through donating today. Everything we receive directly contributes to running our fav fest!
"A zine - pronounced zeen - derived from magazine - is an independently- or self-published booklet, often created by a single person. Zines are customarily created by physically cutting and gluing text and images together onto a master flat for photocopying, but it is also common to produce the master by typing and formatting pages on a computer. The end product is usually folded and stapled. Zines can be printed and bound in any manner. Offset printing is a relatively common alternative to photocopying, though there is some controversy among zine writers as to whether professionally printed products may be defined as zines." - ZineWiki.com