Kirkland Zine Fest
April 18-21, 2024
In April 2024, Hamilton College joined nine institutions across the nation to host events for the National Humanities Center’s inaugural “Being Human” festival. The College partnered with the Kirkland Town Library to provide workshops where students and teachers, families, and other members of the community could work side-by-side with zine practitioners and cartoon artists to learn about zines and how to make them.
Check out the schedule below to learn more about our featured speakers. And be sure to listen to the Zine Fest podcast and view the photo gallery.
Science of Zinemaking
Kori Michele Handwerker (they/them)
Thursday, April 18 at 11 a.m.
Burke Library, Hamilton College
Thursday, April 18 at 2 p.m.
Burke Library, Hamilton College
In these workshops, Kori will walk you through the process of making three different styles of zines, each out of a single piece of paper. Walk away with three ready-to-draw or write zine “dummies” and handy zine-styled instructions for each form. Learn the vocabulary of zine formats while creating a 16-page saddle stitched zine, a 14-page triple accordion, and a classic 8-page one-sheet (and a couple bonus styles, too!) You'll leave with tools and training to make all manner of zine dreams come true! Learn how easy it is to express yourself with tiny, self-made publications! Kori’s zines will be available for purchase after the events.
Cartoonist Bio
Kori is a zinester, professor, and freelance cartoonist working out of Brunswick, Maine. Kori has drawn hundreds of pages of comics and printed dozens of weird little zines, and their work focuses on format, identity, mundanity, process, and queerness. Kori is an adjunct professor at the Center for Cartoon Studies, teaching Publication and Professional Practices, along with workshops in Queer Comics, Color in Comics, and screen printing.
Drawing Characters for Comics
Ira Marcks (he/him)
Saturday, April 20 at 10:30 a.m.
Kirkland Town Library
In a hands-on introduction to comic character design appropriate for ages 8 and up, Ira will share a step-by-step process for creating a cartoon face, followed by an insightful look at the power of facial expressions in effective comic storytelling. Ira's books will be available for sale after the event.
Telling Stories with Comics
Ira Marcks (he/him)
Saturday, April 20 at 3 p.m.
Burke Library, Hamilton College
In a hands-on introduction to creating comics geared towards the college-aged audience, Ira will share the process of creating comics using the three essential elements of storytelling — characters, setting, and theme.
Cartoonist Bio
Ira is the award-winning cartoonist behind the creepy kid mysteries SPIRIT WEEK and New York Times recommended SHARK SUMMER. His online courses have inspired 100,000+ students. Ira loves strange fiction and scientific research equally which has led to an unlikely list of collaborators including the Hugo Award-winning magazine Weird Tales, European Research Council, and a White House Fellowship Scientist.
Making Your Zines Come Alive
Colleen AF Venable (she/her/they)
Sunday, April 21 at 1:30 p.m.
Kirkland Town Library
Anyone can make a zine! Did you know a lot of your favorite cartoonists all got their start making photocopied pamphlets called zines or mini-comics? Come join Colleen AF Venable, the creator of Katie the Catsitter and a huge zine fan, to learn fun techniques and make your own! Colleen's books will be available for sale after the event.
Cartoonist Bio
Colleen is the author of the National Book Award Longlisted Kiss Number 8, a graphic novel co-created with Ellen T. Crenshaw. Her other books include the Katie the Catsitter series with Stephanie Yue, Mervin the Sloth is About to Do the Best Thing in The World with Ruth Chan, The Oboe Goes Boom Boom Boom with Lian Cho, and the Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye series, also with Stephanie Yue and nominated for the Best Publication for Kids Eisner.
Taking their name from “fanzine,” an abbreviated name for a fan magazine that was popular in the 1930s, a zine is a small, self-made/published, cheap, and easy to read magazine meant to convey personal and political views of the day. In this digital age, zines continue to be the medium par excellence for self-expression and the mode for self-publishing across socio-economic backgrounds, identities, and communities.
Sponsors
Kirkland Zine Fest is funded by a generous grant from the National Humanities Center with additional funding from Hamilton College's Kirkland Endowment and Library & IT Services. Workshops are hosted by the Library & IT Services at Hamilton College and the Kirkland Town Library. Additional support from Hamilton College's Humanities Center & Dean of Faculty Office.
- National Humanities Center
- Humanities Center, Hamilton College
- Kirkland Endowment, Hamilton College
- Library & IT Services, Hamilton College
- Kirkland Town Library
Thanks also to the Kirkland Zine Fest Planning Committee:
- Lula Dalupang ’26, LITS Research Intern
- Elizabeth Gee ’24, LITS Research Intern
- Ruth Gilbert, Kirkland Town Library Youth Services Librarian
- Reid Larson, LITS Research Librarian for Scholarly Communication and Digital Initiatives
- Bret Olsen, LITS Instructional Designer, Digital Arts
- Nhora Lucía Serrano, LITS Director of Learning and Research Services
- Forrest Warner, LITS Instructional Designer
- Alexandra Wohnsen, LITS Research Librarian for Digital Initiatives & Experiential Learning
Special thanks to Joe Shelley, Vice President for Libraries and Information Technology; Anne Debraggio, Kirkland Town Library Director; Tina Hall, Associate Dean of Faculty and Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Professor of Literature and Creative Writing; Abhishek Amar, Director of Humanities Center and Associate Professor of Asian Studies; Christian Goodwillie, Director & Curator of Special Collections & Archives; Rebecca Miller, Authors Unbound; and Jared Snow, Manager, Campus Bookstore
Being Human Festival
Kirkland Zine Fest is part of the inaugural USA edition of the Being Human Festival with events in eight locations across the country, each of which will be held between April 15 and April 29, 2024.
These community-focused events, organized and presented by local artists, scholars, and educators, highlight the incredible breadth of the humanities and demonstrate the innumerable ways that they add depth and meaning to our lives, help us understand ourselves and one another, and provide context for the complex world around us.
Contact
Alexandra Wohnsen
LITS Research Librarian for Digital Initiatives and Experiential Learning
