3 Zinesters To Check Out At LB Zine Fest

Apr. 8, 2015 / By

The first annual Long Beach Zine Fest will be hosted at the Museum of Latin American Art this Sunday, April 12.  This free event is the product of local zinesters who wish to celebrate and educate the public about Southern California’s independent publishing and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) culture.

Zines are a creative medium that unapologetically embrace self-expression, explore art culture, and build safe spaces for art makers. Long Beach Zine Fest (LBZF) will bring together more than 100 writers, designers, cartoonists, photographers, artists, and DIY enthusiasts from Long Beach and surrounding cities who believe in the power of DIY print in today’s web-driven world.

For more information about Long Beach Zine Fest, visit their website, which has a full schedule of workshops and live music performances.

VoiceWaves profiled three zinesters who are looking forward to this weekend’s event.


SabrinaSabrina Dropkick
Photo Courtesy of EAT Art DIY Facebook Page

Sabrina Dropkick is writer and publisher at EAT Art DIY, a zine distributor based out of the San Fernando Valley. Between working on two personal zines and distributing four others, Dropkick is a zinester force to be reckoned with.

Dropkick is the self-proclaimed “Head Bitch in Charge” (HBIC) for EAT Art DIY. She advocates for education and activism through art, which manifests in the zines she publishes, which are available for purchase at Storeenvy.

Her personal zines include Celibate Slut, an ongoing memoir series that chronicles her journey through Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, as well as The Little Fat Grrrl from Philly, a zine that addresses body image, weed, and depression.

The zines Dropkick distributes include Cute Animals, a collection of line drawings by Birdie, age 7, 9 Signs You Know You’re Near a Unicorn, a full color zine by Nanie, age 10, and Mania, Madness, and Markers, a comic series by Philadelphia-based artist Dani Bronson that takes on mental illness.

Lastly, Monochromatic Dreams is an adult coloring book which was described as “Lisa Frank porn” by Chicago-born, LA-based artist Binx.

Among other things, Dropkick is looking forward to helping with the debut of two good friends’ art works at LBZF.


NeelyNeelybat Chestnut

Photo courtesy of Mend My Dress Press Facebook Page

Co-founder and writer for Mend My Dress Press, Neelybat Chestnut is also the creative genius behind the Mend My Dress zine. She tackles a range of topics from mental and spiritual health to global travel, and everything in between. Mend My Dress Press a small publisher and zine distributor based out of Tacoma, WA.

Chestnut is a traveling zine writer who teaches workshops around the country. When she is not writing, publishing, or handling official zine business, she enjoys DIY craft and singing in her metal band, Ire Adrift.

Mend My Dress Press began out of the mutual passions its co-founders Chestnut and Colleen Borst had for riot grrrl ideology, as as well their shared interest in establishing an independent West Coast publishing houses focused on preserving zines in the form of anthologies.

The duo also helps other people collect their works into books, as well as distribute single issues of zines not bound in book form. To date, Mend My Dress Press has eleven books, seven of which are zine anthologies, and distributes nearly 200 titles in their catalog, which can be found at Bigcartel.com.

At LBZF, Chestnut will be representing her press at a table, as well as hosting a workshop, titled “Mending Your Dress: Coping with Trauma Through Writing,” from 1:30-2:20 p.m. Chestnut plans on taking her workshop on a national tour.


BrodieBrodie Foster Hubbard
Photo Courtesy of Brodie Foster Hubbard’s Writer Page via Facebook

Fair Dig Press writer and publisher, Brodie Foster Hubbard, is an organizer for the first annual LBZF. Hubbard’s creative non-fiction narrative, titled Fair Dig, covers eclectic topics ranging from growing up, self-care, to creative fiction narratives.

Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Brodie is a writer who moved to Los Angeles in 2006. It was then that Brodie expanded his talents as a reporter, podcast producer, and publisher. He works as a booker, emcee, organizer, panel moderator, and reader for storytelling shows and zine events across Southern California.

Hubbard describes zine culture as ever evolving, yet rooted in its environment and communities.

“I feel like zine culture is a big Venn diagram,” he said. “You have poetry and experimental prose, you have fiction, you have diary and memoir, you have sociopolitical writing, you have art and music and pop culture commentary, and you have people writing about miscellanea that fascinates them. You have photographers, illustrators and comic artists, you have writers. You have folks who are many of these things and doing many of these things all at once, sometimes within the same zine.”

Under Fair Dig Press, Hubbard has five different titles where he publishes the work of writers and artists he loves.  His most recent title, Dig My Dress #1, is a zine collaboration with Neelybat Chestnut of Mend My Dress Press. Chestnut says it is “a love story of two writers meeting and forming an alliance based on graveyards, beaches and zinefests. This zine is a total mushfest.”

Hubbard revealed that organizing the event has been a labor of love for him and other local zinesters.

“There was a concerted effort to make sure different voices were represented, in terms of race and gender and orientation,” he explained. “We also wanted a diverse variety of formats, from diary comics to print art to written perzines [personal zines].”

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Alexa Ramirez

Alexa Ortega-Ramirez is an aspiring journalist. Being a minority and feminist, who is influenced by her civil rights activist father, Alexa is a firm believer in social activism and justice. She is working toward her BA in journalism. In her spare time, she is enjoys photography, bike riding, reading, being a community activist and is a supporter of the arts. She is glad to join the Voicewaves team because she sees it as an opportunity for growth both personally and in her field of study.