The application to table at the 2nd annual South Side Zine Fest + Carnival will open on June 15! Find it here: tinyurl.com/ApplySSZF2026

Applications will be accepted 11 a.m. CT Monday, June 15 through 11 p.m. CT Sunday, June 21, 2026. Only fully completed applications will be considered. In our decision-making process, we will be prioritizing zinemakers, distros, and collectives that have strong ties to the South Side of Chicago and/or make significant contributions to their communities.

We are asking tablers to make sure that at least 75% of your items will be zines. Work made using generative artificial intelligence (AI) is not welcome at our fest.

South Side Zine Fest + Carnival will be held at 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, August 15, 2026 at the Richard J. Daley Branch of the Chicago Public Library, 3400 S. Halsted St. in Bridgeport, Chicago IL 60608. Admission is free!

Our tables are 6 feet long. Each tabler will be offered a 3-foot table space. There is no cost to vend; however, we are asking each tabler to donate $5 worth of zines to be given away as part of our free raffle for festgoers.

Please note that we are a very small fest! We appreciate your understanding that we will not be able to offer a table to everyone who applies. We will be hosting a zine swap and encouraging trading at the fest, so we hope you’ll join us even if you’re not tabling.

We will notify all applicants as to whether they’ve been accepted or waitlisted by 11 p.m. CT Monday, July 6, 2026. All applicants who are offered a table must confirm their registration by 11 p.m. CT July 10, 2026, so please keep an eye on your email.

South Side Zine Fest + Carnival is presented by Zine Club Chicago. Jamie Kadas (Curvy Girl Comics) and Cynthia E. Hanifin (Zine Club Chicago producer/founder), both native South Siders, are the fest’s volunteer co-organizers. This free community event is made possible by support from the Richard J. Daley Branch of the Chicago Public Library and individual donations from Zine Club Chicago members.

The South Side Zine Fest + Carnival 2026 logo was designed by Jamie Kadas, with inspiration from the 2025 logo created by Aim Ren Beland.

SAVE THE DATE! South Side Zine Fest returns this summer with even more fun! This year, Zine Club Chicago is bringing a carnival vibe to our annual celebration of zine community on the South Side of Chicago.

We’re planning some amazing workshops, programming, and zine-themed carnival activities, along with community-focused tabling by local zine distros and artists, stations for zine- and button-making, and more. Free! All ages!

South Side Zine Fest + Carnival will be held at 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, August 15, 2026 at the Richard J. Daley branch of the Chicago Public Library, 3400 S. Halsted St. in Bridgeport. More info coming soon!

We had an amazing time with y’all at our Southwest Side Zine Library Launch Party on May 23! Thank you to everyone who joined us to check out our new collection of self-published titles at the Archer Heights branch of the Chicago Public Library.

We’re grateful to our very own Zine Doctor, Liz Mason, for offering sage self-publishing advice and lollipops to attendees, and to the awesome zinemakers who joined Liz in donating entire collections of their work to the zine library: Keidra Chaney and the Wild Ramp Publishing artists, Jeff of Around Town With the Ten Eighty-Six (happy 3^rd anniversary!), and Ed Kemp of The Word Distro. Rosamund Lannin, Lazer Attack, branch manager Jami, and several anonymous donors generously helped stack our shelves with great titles, as well.

We’d also like to thank Jeannine, Marissa, Jami, and the rest of the Archer Heights branch staff for hosting us. Anna Jo Beck of Zine-a-Month, who designed our gorgeous logo for the zine library, is our forever fave.

The Southwest Side Zine Library is permanently housed at the Archer Heights branch, 5505 S. Archer Ave., so feel free to stop in anytime to browse the zines and make your own!

Got a sweet tooth for perzines? Don’t miss the very first event by Sugar Hijinx, Chicago’s brand-new zine distro!

Zine Club Chicago will be teaming up with Sugar Hijinx for a pop-up event on Sunday, March 29 at Ridman’s Coffee, 4758 N. Clark St. Zine shopping will be open from 12 to 3 p.m., and we’ll be co-hosting a free zinemaking hangout from 3 to 5 p.m.

Drop in anytime to browse some great titles and make zines with us! You might get the chance to meet some of the artists whose work Sugar Hijinx will be featuring, as well.

Sugar Hijinx is a Chicago-based pop-up distro specializing in perzines, with a selection is curated by Liz Mason (Caboose) and Cynthia E. Hanifin (Zine Club Chicago).

Zine Club Chicago Online: Show Us Your Stacks
7 p.m. CT Thursday, February 19, 2026
Online! Free!
Zoom info at zineclubchicago.com

Show Us Your Stacks is BACK! Our annual exploration of how we self-publishing enthusiasts organize our personal collections returns online this month. Whether you’re a meticulous cataloguer, a creator of haphazard piles, or something in between, we want to know about the ways you arrange, display, and categorize your zines.

Get your home stash in order (or leave it messy), BYOS(tacks + Snax) and join us on Zoom for Zine Club Chicago Online: Show Us Your Stacks at 7 p.m. CT Thursday, February 19, 2026!

** RSVP required ** We want to make sure that our online Zine Club Chicago events are a safe space, so we won’t be releasing the Zoom link publicly. If you’d like to attend, please email zineclubchicago@gmail.com to RSVP by 5 p.m. CT Wednesday, February 18 (the evening before our event). We’ll email you the Zoom link by 5 p.m. CT on Thursday, February 19.

Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago. This free community event series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin. Anna Jo Beck is the creative force behind our visuals. Liz Mason is our indispensable co-conspirator.

Image description: A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with the image of a binder with plastic pockets filled with mini zines, and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Show Us Your Stacks; Online! Free! Zoom info on zineclubchicago.com; 7 p.m. CT Thursday, February 19, 2026”

Zine Club Chicago Online: It’s Been a Year — Our Annual Zinemaking Workshop with Liz Mason
7:30 p.m. CT Thursday, December 18, 2025
Online! Free!
* RSVP to zineclubchicago.com required for Zoom link *

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! That is, it’s the time Liz Mason brings her annual Zine Club Chicago year in review zinemaking workshop to Zoom. For the third year in a row, join us online for this thoughtful and fun opportunity to make a time capsule that captures your own personal 2025.

Did you come to the past years of this ZCC workshop? If so, bring the zines you’ve made and see how things in your life have changed. And of course, happy to see you if you’ve never attended in the past. Grab your paper, a pen and some scissors, and we’ll show this year the door!

Please join us on Zoom for Zine Club Chicago Online: It’s Been a Year —Our Annual Zinemaking Workshop with Liz Mason at 7:30 p.m. CT Thursday, December 18, 2025!

** RSVP required ** We want to make sure that our online Zine Club Chicago events are a safe space, so we won’t be releasing the Zoom link publicly. If you’d like to attend, please email zineclubchicago@gmail.com to RSVP by 6 p.m. CT Wednesday, December 17 (the evening before our event). We’ll email you the Zoom link by 6 p.m. CT on Thursday, December 18.

Liz Mason, who is a founding member of Zine Club Chicago, has been self-publishing zines for almost three decades. Recent works include Caboose #15 I Was There, Awesome Things #4, Cul-de-sac #9and The Most Unwanted Zine. Her work has also been published in such publications as The Chicago Tribune, Broken Pencil, Punk Planet, The Zine Yearbook, Third Coast Review and more. She managed Quimby’s Bookstore, home of wild and weird reading material in Chicago, from 2001-2025. In January 2025 she enrolled in the Master of Science in Library & Information Science program with a specialization in Archives and Records Management at Chicago State University. Catch her on 107.1 FM CHIRP Radio in Chicago, Wednesday mornings 6-9AM CT or co-hosting the podcast Rough Draft with Keidra and Liz. Find out more about Liz at lizmasonisawesome.com

Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago. This free community event series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin. Anna Jo Beck is the creative force behind our visuals. Liz Mason is our indispensable co-conspirator.

Image description #1: A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with a photo of zinester Liz Mason standing next to an open file cabinet drawer and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: It’s Been a Year; Our Annual Zinemaking Workshop with Liz Mason; Online! Free! Zoom info on quimbys.com; 7:30 p.m. CT Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025”

Image description #2: A full-color photo of zinester Liz Mason inside a white cardboard booth with lettering that reads: Self-Publishing Help; Free!; The Zine Doctor is In”

We had a tremendous time at our Bodies on the Page Panel & Zine Release Party this month! Thank you to everyone who made the event such an inspiring and empowering experience. Our appreciation goes out to our panelists, all of the zine’s contributors, our curator Jamie Kadas, Jeremy Kitchen and the staff of the Richard J. Daley branch of the Chicago Public Library, Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center, and all of the attendees who joined in on our discussion and zinemaking activities.

If you’d like to watch a recording of our panel discussion, you can find it here: tinyurl.com/BOTP2panel

If you want to read Bodies on the Page 2 (and believe us, you do!), pop over to jamiekadas.com to snag your own copy or visit the South Side Zine Library located inside the Richard J. Daley branch.

We’re planning some fun Zine Club Chicago events to close out the year! Keep an eye on this space and Instagram for announcements about our upcoming in-person and online gatherings.

Image #1 description: A photo of Bodies on the Page 2 contributors posing around a table featuring copies of the collaborative zine.

Image #2 description: A photo of the Bodies on the Page 2 panelists and moderator talking while seated at a long table.

Image #3 description: A full-color photo featuring the cover of the zine Bodies on the Page 2 in top of a stack of zines.

Here’s a sneak peek at the cover of the amazing new collaborative zine Bodies on the Page 2, which will be released TOMORROW at our event curated by editor and publisher Jamie Kadas! We’ll be celebrating with a panel discussion and tabling featuring the zine’s contributing artists, community zinemaking for adults and kids, storytime for children, and snax!

Please join us at Bodies on the Page Panel + Zine Release Event presented by Zine Club Chicago, 1-4 p.m. Saturday, October 18, 2025 at the Richard J. Daley branch of the Chicago Public Library, 3400 S. Halsted St. in Bridgeport. Free!

After our event wraps, we’ll be heading down the street to Bernice’s Tavern for Maco Soto’s October Comix Reading! Everyone is invited to our informal afterparty as we keep the self-publishing party going in Bridgeport. The reading begins at 6 p.m.

Image #1 description: A full-color photo featuring the cover of the zine Bodies on the Page 2 in top of a stack of zines.

Image #2 description: A full-color flyer featuring illustrations of four commix artists and this text: “October Comix Reading featuring Maco Soto, Wren Ambrose, Darya Foroohar, and Ruby Carter, with vending by Luz Chains; Bernice’s Tavern, 3238 S Halsted, 10/18/25, 6 pm, 21+, cash only bar”

Robin Carnilius (they/them) is a Chicago-based multimedia artist and storyteller who creates pop culture media with a focus on LGBTQ+ and PoC representation and nerd culture. Follow @robincarnilius

Robin will be in conversation with fellow panelists will be in conversation with fellow panelists Clau Rocha, Katie Armentrout, and Megan Kirby, along with moderator Jamie Kadas, for a discussion about how these artists choose to express the joys and challenges of living in their bodies through their work.

Please join us for Bodies on the Page Panel + Zine Release Event presented by Zine Club Chicago, 1-4 p.m. Saturday, October 18, 2025 at the Richard J. Daley branch of the Chicago Public Library, 3400 S. Halsted St. in Bridgeport. Free!

Image description: A full-color flyer featuring a drawing of zinemaker Robin Carnilius, the image of a sheet of notebook paper and a No. 2 pencil, and this text: “Bodies on the Page; Presented by Zine Club Chicago; Panelist Robin Carnilius; Join us for a panel & zine release event!; Join us for a panel & zine release event!; 1 pm-4 pm Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025; Chicago Public Library, Bridgeport.”