Zine Symposium Returns to Portland

Zines have been around for decades, and the current zinester culture for at least the last 20 years. But at the Portland Zine Symposium, fans of the independent publications say they still get the same old question: Isn't what you print a magazine?

“There’s definitely a relationship between the word magazine and zine, but zines have been around for a few decades now as its own crazy little thing,” said Blue Crow, an event organizer of the Portland Zine Symposium.

Added Zine author Hopskotch SunDAY, “It’s anything you can make on your own,” he said. “You get the paper, you print it out, you fold it, you staple it, you cut it, you trim it, all with you own hands.”

In case you missed it, the 13th annual zine gathering, held Aug 10-11, brought together authors and artists to talk about their work, give advice to aspiring zine-makers, and trade their publications with one another. WW brought back this video that shows the range of work on display.

Julie Sabatier, creator, producer and host of radio show "Destination DIY," which airs on Oregon Public Broadcasting, had a table, complete with golden headphones for passerby to listen to the program’s latest edition, about a local man DIY-ing his own spacesuit. She also brought her own zines, including “How to Make Radio (And a Little Bit About How to Make Beer).”

“Zines are like currency here,” she said. “If you have a zine, you have access to almost everyone else’s. So when I go on a big trip, I don’t bring a book, I bring a bunch of zines.”

Portland Zine Symposium from wweek.vimeo on Vimeo.