I got word that I’m going to be tabling at this year’s Zine Fair in Glasgow! I managed to make it along as a visitor last year at Tramway and I was overwhelmed by the entire experience. There were seemingly HUNDREDS of people at wee tables, each one jam packed with little folded paper pamphlets filled with poems or comics or stories or artwork or photos or words or… well pretty much anything you can think of.
“What’s a zine?” I hear you ask.
Well, it sounds the same as the second part of the word magazine (“zeen”)
and it refers to a homemade publication,
often with specific and unconventional content.
Online zines are also a thing, but mainly I’ve seen them as small, folded paper books or concertinas, photocopies or printed in small numbers. I think they’re a charming object. I’ve bought some in the past about medieval witches, standing stones, shells and cool animals. I really regret not buying the one I saw last year with renderings of classical art pieces, all with the heads of furbies... There are also often stickers, badges, prints, cards and even t shirts to be had, so something for everyone. My zines are mostly hand drawn comics I have made about my life and sometimes I share them online - you can see a bunch in the comics section, but they’re all on my instagram too.
This year the zine fair is being held at the Briggait over the weekend of
23-24th May 2026, but I will be there only on Saturday 23rd.
I’ll be hawking my little printed zines about funny, sad or weird things I’ve documented. Maybe there will be other things too, but I have a month or two to eke that out! The whole festival is organised by the Glasgow Zine Library (I know! A library! For ZINES!) it is more than just a bunch of folk in a room selling their artwork. It’s a whole programme of events ranging from food sovereignty to antiracism, music to LGBTQI+ events.
I cannot wait! The event is free to enter, so please stick it in your diary
and come on down to see me (and everyone else), say hello
and maybe walk home with a zine or two!
Last year I went home with a t shirt, 6 stickers, 2 badges, about 8 zines, a print and a massive smile on my silly, tired face.