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2022 Denver Zine Library Calendar
Limited Availability: Online orders are now closed.
What a response! The calendars are almost sold out and the remaining stock is only available in these Denver locations ($15 each):
- BookBar: 4280 Tennyson St, Denver, CO 80212
- Broadway Book Mall: 200 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80209
- Kilgore Books: 624 E 13th Ave, Denver, CO 80203
- Mutiny Information Cafe: 2 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80209
Check out the calendar artists below!
Check out this year’s calendar artists!
Nan Cran: Denver based spooky gay illustrator and co-creator of Mermaid Ink comics. Fan of horror, medical illustrations, chonky cats, and making scary comics with positive LGBTQ+ and diverse representation. Most time is spent collaborating long distance with Rosa A.on comics, and creating LGBTQ+ watercolor paintings of monsters and gore. Check out mermaidinkcomics.com, @mermaid.ink.comics, and @nancran
Finley Baker: Finley Baker (she/they) is an interdisciplinary artist and amateur naturalist. They use printmaking, fibers, sculpture and time-based media to explore environmental beauty/crisis and queer identity. Check out @finnotaur
Charly Fasano: Charly Fasano is a writer, filmmaker, painter and block printer from Denver, Colorado. His drawings and poems have appeared in Suspect Press Magazine, Yellow Rake Magazine, and Birdy Magazine. His latest project, Walk Off Hot, is a zine series that features his drawings and short films. Check out walkoffhot.com and @charlyfasanoart
Jeff Washenberger: Jeff works in a library and likes to draw cute pictures. He loves dogs and sunsets and pizza. He believes art and love will save the world. Check out @ferret250 and @jeffdraws
Kayla Wence: The name of my zine is “Flores de Un Campo Santo.” My name is Kayla Wence, I’m a Denver based tattoo artist and you can contact me at @kaylawence, Kayla Wence, or via kaylawence@gmail.com
JENNMU: JENNMU is a Colorado grown artist who is constantly inspired by the state’s colorful beauty. She loves to paint watercolor animals, experiment with other media, and make zines. Check out @jennmu
Michael Dee: Michael Dee left his family farm on the plains, and followed his artist dreams to the jagged city-scapes of the metropolis. There he fell into the seedy underbelly of corporate America, chained to a desk with only his pens and his wild imagination to keep him company. He walks the streets as a freelance illustrator and designer working for those who are in need of an unbridled creative mind. Check out michaeldee.com
Thane Benson: Thane Benson is an award-winning comic book artist and writer. He is the creator of the adventure comic book series Quick The Clockwork Knight and the infernal mystery graphic novel Burnt. Known for his hyper-detailed art, humor, and creative storytelling, Thane is passionate about making comics as fun as possible. Check out www.thanebenson.com and @thanebenson
Jaromir Stoll: Jaromir Stoll (he/they) is a comics creator, researcher, and professor of social science and comics history in Columbus, Ohio. They craft stories about the ineffable in life and publish scholarship on comics history and culture, with a focus on India. You may spot them in the woods, hiking and foraging for forest treats.
Denise Zubizarreta: Denise “The Vamp DeVille” Zubizarreta is a Puerto Rican and Cuban American Mixed Media Interdisciplinary Artist currently attending the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design where she is completing her BFA in Fine Art. Recently in The Modern Borikén, her artwork focuses on her connection to self through exploring childhood angst, chronic illness, PTSD, and cultural identity. Her work has been exhibited in gallery and in performance with Microtheater Miami, the Fort Lauderdale Fringe Festival, Emmanuel Art Gallery, Las Laguna Gallery, RedLine, CORE New Art Space, EDGE Gallery, and the Providence Art Club. A small collection of her digital works are presently included in Cicada Magazine Issue 4: (neg)entropy.
Cori Redford: Cori Redford is the illustrator for the editorial comic, What’d I Miss? which is published weekly in The Colorado Sun. She is also the colorist for The Specialists webcomic, and a freelance artist and illustrator. She really hopes that 2022 is a better year than the two preceding it.
Jessica Kneefel: My name is Jessica Kneefel, I am a recent graduate from the University of Northern Colorado! I have always used collage as a way to journal since I’m not too good at expressing myself through words. As this year finally comes to a close, I wanted to center the last month around the good things that have come out of something so strenuous. Being together as a community, making it where we are now, and enjoying the little things. Check out @JessicaKneefel or contact Jessicathekneefel@gmail.com
Lonnie MF Allen: Lonnie MF Allen made his start in comics in the ’90s DIY zine culture. Since then, his work has appeared in: The Westword, Birdy, Denverite, Colorado Sun, Suspect Press, and Out Front magazine. He has done commissioned work for History Colorado and the Denver Art Museum as well as comic book writing for Image Comics, and was named one of Westword’s “100 Colorado Creatives.” He has won a DiNKy award for the best comic, and was called one of the best by the Denver Post. His latest project, Chrome Seoul is a Korean cyberpunk comic book series. Check out lonniemfallen.com and @lonniemfallen
Order your 2022 Denver Zine Library Calendar today by filling out this form!
Lonnie MF Allen
How would you describe your work?
Early on, my work was more focused on autobiographical and slice of life. As time moved on and as of current, I am more moved by the surreal and sociological.
What do you enjoy most about making zines/comics/art?
The freedom to whatever my muse takes me as opposed to what the market dictates.
What’s your favorite medium to use?
Pen and paper.
What drew you to zine culture?
The diversity of voices, the purity of those voices, and lack of gatekeeping.
What other artists should we check out? What is inspiring you right now?
Adrienne Norris is doing some cool stuff.
What is your favorite zine / zine publisher?
Warm Cookies for Revolution is pretty awesome
What music or films have influenced your work?
Really bad 80s movies.
What is a dream zine project you’d love to undertake if time and money wasn’t an option?
A giant sized zine newspaper
What are you working on right now?
Comics and art then some art and comics.
Favorite thing about Denver and/or Colorado?
How supportive this city is
Check out Lonnie MF Allen’s work here:
lonniemfallen.com
fb & insta @lonniemfallen
JENNMU
How would you describe your work?
Happy, colorful, cute animals
What do you enjoy most about making zines/comics/art?
I love creating because it is such a pure form of expression and it’s an easy way to converse.
What’s your favorite medium to use?
Watercolor
What drew you to zine culture?
I was drawn to zine culture because of how inviting it is to everyone, it is safe, and it’s just such a great medium!
What other artists should we check out? What is inspiring you right now?
Ahhh there are so many! I love and draw inspiration from all of the other Denver Zine folks.
What are you working on right now?
I am trying to make another comic zine.
Check out JENNMU’s work here:
The Vamp DeVille
How would you describe your work?
Mixed Media Interdisciplinary Artist with a focus on political art.
What do you enjoy most about making zines/comics/art?
The connection it creates with the viewer. I think we often feel alone as we express ourselves through our creations. When viewers can connect with your work it immediately makes you realize we are all having intense experiences.
What’s your favorite medium to use?
Digital Mixed Media
What drew you to zine culture?
The ability to create without restrictions, something accessible and affordable in the artistic community.
What other artists should we check out? What is inspiring you right now?
@feedthywizard
@samanthacecilia
@shylanvance
What is your favorite zine / zine publisher?
Hey Ladies – Collection Five – Samantha Tang
What music or films have influenced your work?
Everything! I know that sounds insane but I’m obsessed with music and movies so each one has left a mark. “Naked Lunch” is one of my favorite movies and when it comes to music, I listen to everything I can. I create a lot of my work with suggested songs that I’ve been listening to on repeat as I create. The connection between visual art and music has always been a huge part of my creative process which is why I get so excited when I’m asked to create album art.
What is a dream zine project you’d love to undertake if time and money wasn’t an option?
Something political for sure! I’d love to see a collective of artists working to describe their experience with race and politics in America.
What are you working on right now?
I’ve been rebuilding my website, writing a memoir, and preparing to present my paper on Puerto Rican reclamation and the statehood movement at the HERA (Humanities Education Research Association) conference in March.
Favorite thing about Denver and/or Colorado?
300 days of shine!
Check out The Vamp DeVille’s work here:
Thane Benson
How would you describe your work?
Comic Books, Interactive Narratives, Adventure, Humor, Highly Detailed Art.
What do you enjoy most about making zines/comics/art?
I love that there are no gate-keepers to self-publishing. You can make whatever crazy thing you want! That being said, self-publishing is hard. It’s a lot of work. You have to really love and believe in what you’re doing. That passion and commitment shows in the work.
What’s your favorite medium to use?
This is a hard question to answer. I like lots of mediums and I am also constantly frustrated by my own limitations in different mediums. My favorite medium is going to be a future Science Fiction medium which will allow me to just think of stuff and it’ll be instantaneously created without me having to fight with a pencil or brush or chisel to try and make what is in my head appear in the real world. I’m naming this future medium (which I am formally claiming copyright on right now) “Thinkieanditsdoneium” (all rights reserved).
What drew you to zine culture?
Freedom of expression coupled with a DIY punk atheistic.
What other artists should we check out? What is inspiring you right now?
My holy trinity of inspiration is Mike Mignola, Sergio Aragones, and Geoff Darrow. Those three artists have very disparate styles, but if you look at my work you can see its basically an attempt to mash those three styles together.
What is your favorite zine / zine publisher?
Jon Chad is an artist who began by making zines and mini comics. His book, Leo Geo and His Miraculous Journey Through the Center of the Earth was published by Roaring Brook Press, so it’s not technically a zine. But it is, none the less, the greatest work in human literature. If you have not read this book, stop whatever you are doing right now and go find it!
What music or films have influenced your work?
Everything is an influence. Most recently, I’ve been impressed with the storytelling in the cartoon series Gravity Falls.
What is a dream zine project you’d love to undertake if time and money wasn’t an option?
I would pour billions into developing my proprietary Thinkieanditsdoneium technology.
What are you working on right now?
I am currently working on a 3D comic book. The working title is Quick the Clockwork Knight and the Incredible 3D Time Travel Adventure.
Favorite thing about Denver and/or Colorado?
The vibrant indie art scene, the people, and nature.
Check out Thane Benson’s work here:
www.thanebenson.com
@thanebenson
Jaromir Stoll
How would you describe your work?
Comics and zines on the ineffable in life, often autobiographical in nature – plus occasional experimental detective fiction, free-verse poetry, and queer X-men, sci-fi, and wrestling fan art.
What do you enjoy most about making zines/comics/art?
Building an image out of the emotions, memories, textures, colors, and lines drawn by my mind. It’s a kind of remarkable witnessing of a moment of communication that is as close to clarity as I seem able to get.
That and the friendships that have come out of trying to communicate through comics and zines.
What’s your favorite medium to use?
Ballpoint pen for autobio comics – or pencil and copic pens and markers for minicomics. But my favorite medium is oral storytelling – the things that only a conversation can make you feel and understand.
What drew you to zine culture?
I fell for X-men: The Animated Series and then tried to love comics but felt a bit alienated from mainstream comics like Marvel. Indie comics and zines felt much more like home, with such a wide array of voices and the strong support for folks doing stuff similar or different to your own. There’s often a sense of being seen and appreciated and engaged on your own terms that is difficult to find in this world.
What other artists should we check out? What is inspiring you right now?
I really dig comics by Penina Gal (especially Drift & Orbiting), Sam Beck (I looove Winter Parting), Madhav Nair (surreal stories as deadtheduck), Kruttika Susarla (just everything), Mike Freiheit (most recently Woods & Indoor Boy), and Vreni Stollberger (whose anti-capitalist posters I covet) – and I highly recommend the comics of Jon Cairns, Blue Delliquanti, JB Roe, Cori Redford, Craig Campbell, and Mel Gillman. Dailen Ogden is perhaps my favorite comics artist, due to their regular combo of wolves, blue/pink, and space, as well as being generally a rad human and friend. Wendy Xu and Steenz are both key figures – and inspirations – in the comics industry, not to mention their fantastic storytelling projects.
Multimedia comics and zine folks are especially inspiring of late – folks like Pam Wishbow, who makes a huge range of visual narratives and mystical objects, Shing Yin Khor who combines visual storytelling with games and installation pieces, and Abby Howard, whose Scarlet Hollow has been all that I desire from video games. I am similarly inspired by the work of the international Kadak Collective, especially researcher, writer, and filmmaker Aarthi Parthasarathy and educator & artist Shreyas Krishnan. I’m also inspired by my former collaborator and fantastic comics editor, creator, and researcher/journalist Vidyun Sabhaney.
I’m inspired by people who wear many hats, as a comics maker, teacher, researcher, editor, and event organizer myself, so I’d also recommend the work of comics pros like Orijit Sen, Phoebe Gloeckner, Mari Naomi, Parismita Singh, Eleanor Davis, Ed Luce, Thi Bui, Appupen, Bharath Murthy, Breena Nunez, Sreejita Biswas, T. Edward Bak, & Lawrence Lindell. There’s also a lot of autobio work from that group, too!
In short, there’s too many folks / comics / zines to recommend! Shoot me an email or chat with me at some future event and ask for more particular recs, eh?
What is your favorite zine / zine publisher?
My favorite zine is Vreni Stollberger’s A Date with Data – though I also adore Larissa Zageris & Kitty Curran’s How Ill Is Your Repute? and the innovative format of Unfolding the Saree by Mira Malhotra, Aarthi Parthasarathy, Pear D’Souza, and Vrushali Somavanshi (which unfolds from a hanger like an actual saree).
Zine publisher-wise, I’d recommend you check out publications from Pagal Canvas, the Gaysi Zine series, and comics from Studio Kokaachi, all very innovative and based in India – thus perhaps a bit tough to find in the US. For North America, check out Ad Astra Comix, whose publications include some very rad anti-capitalist work.
What music or films have influenced your work?
That’s tough – There’s far too many. I guess Camera Obscura, CHVRCHES, Doves, and REM are probably at the top of the list of music, plus maybe Morvern Callar, Under the Sand, and Miyazaki for films – Those probably reflect my love for mood in storytelling. A big film influence for my autobio work is maybe My Life Without Me.
What is a dream zine project you’d love to undertake if time and money wasn’t an option?
I’d like to make something interactive, combining weaving and comics and nature – so that you’d walk down a forest path and forage for wild foods while learning about the history of that place and also exploring a fictional story that feels like letting go of all the burdens the world has put upon you. Something like the incredible installation work of folks like Shing Yin Khor.
That, or finally finishing an old superhero murder mystery anti-capitalist comic I started forever ago – and then discarded because the plot was over-complicated.
What are you working on right now?
I’m starting tiny autobio comics about grieving the death of my father in November (Tiny Deaths), revising a queer romance minicomic, pencilling a comic for an academic volume on X-men: The Animated Series, collaborating with Zak Kinsella on a second X-men fan zine (first was Previously, on X-men) but on mental health, and drawing indie wrestlers I’d like to consensually cuddle for a possible zine.
I also teach social science at Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio – and am working on a couple articles / volumes on comics culture in India.
Favorite thing about Denver and/or Colorado?
The people and the ecosystems. Since moving to Ohio, I very much miss wandering over to Mutiny Information Cafe on Broadway or St. Mark’s Coffee House on 17th to draw the evening away with friends from Denver Drink & Draw – or going for hikes and reminding myself to drink water all the time.
Check out Jaromir Stoll’s work here:
https://www.jaromirstoll.com/
https://greatbearcomics.wordpress.com/
@GreatBearComics on Twitter and Instagram
Dylan Edwards
How would you describe your work?
I make all-ages monster art (Feeping Creatures) and queer & trans comics of various sorts (autobio, sci-fi/fantasy, contemporary fiction, etc.).
What do you enjoy most about making zines/comics/art?
I enjoy creating works that are personally meaningful to me, whether it’s a silly monster or an autobiographical comic about my experiences as a trans person, and sharing those creations with others.
What’s your favorite medium to use?
My comics are usually done with natural media (bristol board, ink, marker, gouache). The monsters take many forms, from original art made of polymer clay or ink on paper, to merch like enamel pins, stickers, buttons, and socks.
What drew you to zine culture?
It’s often difficult for marginalized creators to find a platform for their creations. Zine culture strives for a level of inclusion that’s frequently missing from mainstream publishing.
What other artists should we check out? What is inspiring you right now?
Reading comics by other queer & trans creators like Blue Delliquanti, Melanie Gillman, and Taneka Stotts. I’m also inspired by the variety of nature in general, from bats to bears to bizarre creatures from the deep sea.
What is your favorite zine / zine publisher?
MariNaomi makes a lot of great zines.
What music or films have influenced your work?
Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Japanese metal and punk (Mejibray, Oz, Stance Punks). I did a comic about going to a heavy metal show in Japan a few years ago.
What is a dream zine project you’d love to undertake if time and money wasn’t an option?
Something with die cut pages where the nature of the art changes each time you turn the page.
What are you working on right now?
Glow-in-the-dark rat stickers, my queer YA sci-fi webcomic Valley of the Silk Sky.
Favorite thing about Denver and/or Colorado?
I love that there are so many queer and trans folks here in Denver. As for Colorado in general, the mountains and the animals.
Check out Dylan Edwards’ work here:
http://www.studiondr.com/
https://twitter.com/DylanNDREdwards
https://dylanndr.tumblr.com/
https://www.instagram.com/dylanndredwards/
https://www.instagram.com/feepingcreatures/
https://www.facebook.com/FeepingCreatures
Photos from the 2019 Denver Zine Fest
Many thanks to our friends at From the Hip Photo for these incredible pictures!
2017 Denver Zine Fest
logo by John Porcellino
Check out these photos from the 2017 Denver Zine Fest!
DZF PRE-PARTY FEAT. DOODLE FIGHTS
Friday, June 16
8-11pm
Ratio Beerworks
2920 Larimer Street, Denver
Free to Attend
Zine Fest is almost here! We’re super excited to be partnering with our friends at Ratio Beerworks to host a special party celebrating the zine culture of Denver while kicking off the festivities for Denver’s annual Zine Fest. There will be a special edition of Doodle Fights!, zines to read, prizes to win, and the best beer in town. Special prizes donated by our friends at Illegal Pete’s and more.
Explosive things can happen when Denver’s talented cartoonists’ community gets together to jam, and now, you can take a ringside seat and get a taste of the zany action
at Doodle Fights! A friendly elimination competition and comics reading showcasing a crew of local artists, the event will be hosted by Damian Alexander Bur-ford. And if you go, you’ll be more than an innocent bystander: “Doodle fighters” will take subject cues from audience members and work madly behind the scenes while their cohorts read comic excerpts on stage, and winners will be determined by a vote from the crowd. Imagine a mash-up of poetry readings and WWE for the nerdset. There’s a high possibility of inadvertent adult material!
DENVER ZINE FEST
Saturday, June 17
10am-5pm
Cervantes’ Masterpiece & The Other Side
2635 Welton St, Denver
Free to attend
Exhibitors
We have really incredible zinesters and artists who will be joining us this year. Check out the growing list of confirmed exhibitors!
Workshops
See our fantastic workshop schedule below. Workshops will run from 12-4pm.
Volunteer
We need your help to make this event a success! If you’re interested in volunteering, please fill out this quick form. We’ll also have a volunteer orientation on Tuesday, June 13 from 6:30-7:30pm at Europa Coffeehouse (76 S. Pennsylvania Street).
Help us spread the word
You won’t want to miss the exciting updates! Be sure to check out our website, RSVP and share our Facebook event, and follow us on Twitter.
SCREEN PRINTING
AT THE DENVER ZINE FEST
11am – 12pm
Custom-made t-shirts will be available to commemorate the Denver Zine Fest. Then you can wear your zine pride year-round! It’s only $5 if you bring your own shirt (between 11am-12pm) for screenprinting, and $10 if you want to buy one of ours (available throughout the show). Sizes and colors will be limited.
WORKSHOPS
AT THE DENVER ZINE FEST
12-4pm
12-12:45pm
Zine Making 101
Facilitated Kaitlyn Lafferty, Denver Zine Librarian
Are you excited about the zine fest but aren’t quite sure what zines are? Are you a zine enthusiast and want to give your friends a crash course in why they’re so amazing? This workshop will share examples of zines to demonstrate the wide variety of formatting, binding, sizes, and subject matter. Participants will learn how to make a 8-page mini-zine to take home!
1-1:45pm
Our Stories: Representation Celebrating Intersectionality
Facilitated by Olivia Hunte, co-publisher of Intersections Zines
This workshop is designed to examine the ways in which various forms of artistic expressions, especially zine making, have been used to create the necessary space to explore the multidimensionality that exists within all of us and the identities we hold. In addition, we will discuss how art is used by members of the QTPoC community to counter the single story narratives. Specifically, we will highlight examples from our zine, Intersections, to demonstrate how some QTPoC use narratives as radical acts of resistance to promote healing. Using the “Where I’m From” poem format, the audience will have the opportunity to create a story, potentially in a form of a mini zine, that depicts them and their identities. The goal of the workshop is to show the importance of having identity affirming spaces that embraces intersectionality and representation.
2-2:45pm
Podcasting – Zines on Tape
Facilitated by Bruce Otter, producer of Print, Fold, Staple
A workshop designed to explore how and why to start a podcast. How podcasting and RSS have democratized the distribution of DIY audio programming, similar to the way that zines democratized print distribution. Bruce has been involved with several podcast projects since 2013 producing a hundreds of hours of content. Topics discussed will include:
- Should I even start a podcast?
- Choosing a podcast topic or theme?
- How long should each show be?
- How often should I release episodes?
- Do I need a co-host or guests?
- What tools are required to get up and running?
3-3:45pm
Self-Care for Tough Times
Facilitated by Emilie Luckett, co-owner of Far Out Zine Distr. & local fiber artist
To better help individuals manage the stresses and problems that come up in our worlds, Emilie will be going over the five dimensions of Self-Care and teaching how to incorporate them into our everyday lives. She will also be going over how to create a ‘grounding box’ and how to bring ourselves back to Earth after especially hard days.
ZINE FEST AFTER PARTY
Saturday, June 17
6-10pm
Pon Pon
2528 Walnut St, Denver, CO 80205
21+, free to attend
Don’t want the excitement to end? Our friends at Pollux Zine are throwing an after party at Pon Pon bar with more zines, art, clothes and more! Come hang out, continue those conversations and relax with us! RSVP to the Facebook event to stay in the loop
LOCAL SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
MANY THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO CAME TO OUR LEAD-UP EVENTS:
ZINES AND CEREAL$2 for a bowl of cereal and $1 for a cup of coffee. Vegan milk and gluten-free cereals will be available.
Local zinesters will be selling their zines, so be sure to bring some cash to pick up some awesome reading.
If you bring an unopened box/bag of cereal, you can eat and drink for free!
Zinesters, are you interested in selling your zines at this event? Tables are $7 each and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact us at denverzinelibrary@gmail.com ASAP. Space is limited!
Confirmed exhibitors include: Cosmic BE-ING, is Press, Jeremy Stoll, Perpetual Ambivalence, Pollux, Shortandqueer, Way Out Magazine
Stay up to date on our Facebook event.
THE NARRATORS PRESENTS: FIRSTSTuesday, April 11
8pm
Buntport Theater
717 Lipan St, Denver
$5-10 suggested donation
We’re thrilled to announce a special collaboration with The Narrators. Come hear zinesters tell true stories on the theme of Firsts, create your own mini zine, and then have the opportunity to take the stage to share your zine with the audience. Plus, there will be free beer from Renegade Brewing Company and also wine available.
Stay up to date on our Facebook event.
Stay up to date on our Facebook event.
MY FIRST SHOW SHOW
Thursday, May 18
Doors at 6:30pm, show at 7pm
Mercury Cafe
2199 California St, Denver
$5-10 suggested donation
Calling all Colorado musicians! Mercury Cafe is hosting a show highlighting first time musical performances to benefit the upcoming Denver Zine Fest.
Never played in front of a crowd? Already in a band but want to play something new with some rad new friends? Now’s your chance! Sign up quick because we’re taking bands on a first come first serve basis. Get in touch With Melissa Black at melissa.rae.black@gmail.com by May 8th to grab your spot and then come out on May 18th to dance your butts off and support your friends.
We did one of these last year and it was a blast. Don’t be a ding dong and miss out.