Litchfield County Zine Fest 2018

The first Litchfield County Zine Fest (and the first zine fest in Connecticut) is coming to Kent, CT! The fest is a free, all-ages, public arts event where self-publishers of all stripes will be able to interact, trade, and sell their wares to the public, as well as teach the public about writing and small scale self-publishing through workshops. There will also be a zine reading where anyone, from featured artists to members of the public, can read from their self-published writings in front of a crowd. Over 40 vending artists will be present, most of whom are from New England and New York, but with some coming from as far away as Missouri.The focus of the event is zines, which are small self-published booklets on topics as varied as prose, poetry, comics, personal narratives, non-fiction, photography, and other visual arts. Zines are generally produced with a printer or photocopier and distributed by the same person or small group of people who created them, with a print run of 1000 or less. Zines have their own underground subculture and have traditionally created a space for the voices of those who are underprivileged or misrepresented in society.Although zines are the focus of the fest, artists who create art books, poetry chapbooks, independent comics, self-published books, and handmade journals will also be present. Some of these artists may also be interested in trading their art for other handmade self-published items. It’s best to ask before you initiate a trade though!Members of the public will come away from the event with some knowledge of self-publishing and underground self-publishing subcultures, potentially having added some works by independent artist to their collections.While this event is open to all ages, some vendors may have some self-published material containing adult content, but nothing explicit will be visible to those casually browsing. The Litchfield County Zine Fest is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive “safer” space. The chosen venue is wheelchair accessible with gender-neutral bathroom availability. Additionally, the event will be fragrance-free and prohibit flash photography to be as accessible as possible to those with sensory sensitivities.For more information, please visit the LCZF's website at https://litchfieldcountyzinefest.wordpress.com/Or the event's Facebook page: https://bit.ly/lczf2018This event is made possible with support from the Department of Economic and Community Development, Connecticut Office of the Arts, which also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.