Tonight! King-Cat/Blammo Reading at Comic Relief!

The folks over at the venerable Comic Relief in Berkeley are hosting a crackerjack comics reading tonight: John Porcellino (King-Cat Comics) and Noah van Sciver (Blammo) will be reading from their work tonight as part of their cross-country tour! Both of these gentlemen are nominees for Ignatz awards this year, it's sure to be awesome! Oh, and don't forget that they'll both also be reading the the "Now See This" SFZF benefit reading at the Cartoon Art Museum tomorrow!

• King-Cat/Blammo Reading - Comic Relief - 2026 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley - Thursday, 9/2 7:00pm - RSVP on Facebook!

Tonight in Davis: "Our Other Weapon is a Zine"

Some of our favorite zinesters are spreading the Zine Fest energy with a week-long, six-city reading tour of the greater Bay Area. "Our Other Weapon is a Zine" features contribution from terrific creators such as Tomas Moniz (Rad Dad), Dani Burlison & Leilani Clark (Petals & Bones), Renee Cashmere, and Katie McCleary (Biomythography). The whole tour wraps up with a big homecoming to San Francisco's Needles and Pens the night before the Fest!

• Wednesday, September 1, 7 pm to 9 pm - The Avid Reader - 617 Second Street, Davis

Creator Q+A | Rani Goel

Throughout the month leading up the the SFZF we will be running daily mini-profiles of some of the many zinesters, cartoonists, and other creative types who make the Zine Fest what it is. Today's creator is Rani Goel of Rani Goel Art & Design. Stay tuned for more!

Q. What inspired you to get into small-press/DIY publishing?
A. Coming from a very structured client-driven graphic design background, my messy, more expressive repressed artist wanted to come out and play. I adore the soulful expressive quality of small press and DIY publishing. It's so important to keep it alive!

Q. When did you create your first zine or similar project? Can you describe it for us? When you look back, are you proud, embarrassed, both?
A. I created my first zine in 2003 called "Servings." It was a very personal project that dealt with some painful issues around body image and creating it was very cathartic. I made it for myself and took a chance on sharing it with others at SF Zine Fest in 2003. I'm proud that I took the risk and expressed myself in that way. I think my work has certainly matured since then-so I wouldn't say embarrassed, but that zine doesn't reflect where I am at today. I'm proud that I took the leap and just did it.

Q. What is your all-time favorite zine/comic/etc (by someone other than you)? Who is your DIY hero?
A. Andrew Goldfarb who creates the comic "Ogner Stump's 1,000 sorrows" and he paints, illustrates and does other original artwork. He truly IS DIY. He's been faithfully dedicated to his art for most of his life and he's a one-man band who makes his own miracle tonic that he sells at shows. I know since he also happens to be my husband, that may seem cheesy to mention him, but he honestly is my DIY hero. If I had to pick someone other than him, I'd say the Cubby. They are a collective which came out of the band the Cubby Creatures and the spirit of their work is full of authenticity, humor and a call for bringing out a little more depth and beauty in the world.

Q. What would you like to see more of in the small-press world?
A. More courageous experimenting with images, technique and format, and more personal zines!

Q. If you could give advice to an aspiring DIY creator, what would it be? What advice do you wish you had gotten when you were starting out?
A. The most important thing is to have fun and let the voice that rarely gets to be heard come out and freak out. Zines and DIY are a safe place to let your freak flag fly and if you've got one, I'd really, really love to see it.

Q. What are you working on now? What are you gonna do next?
A. I'm remixing a book called "the Mind" which was an educational book from Time Life from 1964. The images in there are crazy and inspiring for a group online art show. I made kits of 5-10 images from the book plus some text and am inviting others to create 5x7 pieces to send me for an online show. I think it'll be interesting to show these images remixed since a lot has changed since 1964 in the way that science, psychology and our culture relates to "the Mind." After that I will remix a book called "the Body" which is also from that series.

Tonight in Oakland: "Our Other Weapon is a Zine"

Some of our favorite zinesters are spreading the Zine Fest energy with a week-long, six-city reading tour of the greater Bay Area. "Our Other Weapon is a Zine" features contribution from terrific creators such as Tomas Moniz (Rad Dad), Dani Burlison & Leilani Clark (Petals & Bones), Capella Parish and Ava Anderson, Anna Reutinger, & Roxie Perkins of Crosshatch Zine. The whole tour wraps up with a big homecoming to San Francisco's Needles and Pens the night before the Fest!

• Tuesday, August 31, 7 pm to 9 pm - Rock Paper Scissors Collective - 2278 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland

Creator Q+A | Mary Van Note

Throughout the month leading up the the SFZF we will be running daily mini-profiles of some of the many zinesters, cartoonists, and other creative types who make the Zine Fest what it is. Today's creator is Mary Van Note. Stay tuned for more!

Q. What inspired you to get into small-press/DIY publishing?
A. I wrote a novel before I got into comedy and shopped it around to a lot of micro-presses. It was close to getting published, but it didn’t happen. I wanted immediate gratification and small-press/DIY publishing could do that for me. There’s no middle man - just me, my ideas and a copier.

Q. When did you create your first zine or similar project? Can you describe it for us? When you look back, are you proud, embarrassed, both?
A. I made my first zine the first year I did stand-up comedy in San Francisco. I would read from my zine onstage and sell them after shows. I’m still proud of my first zine. It’s kind of a Mary Van Note classic. It’s called Mary Van Note’s Experiences (of the sexual variety) by Mary Van Note Volume 1. It details several funny and sordid MVN sexual experiences with accompanying stick-figure illustrations.

Q. What is your all-time favorite zine/comic/etc (by someone other than you)? Who is your DIY hero?
A. That’s hard to say, there’s so many who I think are amazing. I like a lot of San Francisco based underground zines/comics. From R. Crumb to V. Vale’s RE/SEARCH, and John Marr’s Murder Can Be Fun. It’s neat to see people who started in underground publishing move on to getting their work published and recognized like John Porcellino’s Map of My Heart, Julia Wertz’ The Fart Party, and even Broke Ass Stuart.

Q. Do you have a favorite memory of the SF Zine Fest?
A. I have great memories of doing Zine Fest. I loved meeting and being tablemates with such interesting and diverse artists and writers. The first year I sat next to Julia Wertz, which was awesome. She came to my comedy show and drew a comic inspired by sitting at the table with me. She had all these fans coming up to our table and she graciously pimped out my zine to her fans.

Q. In addition to the kind of work you will be showing at Zine Fest, what other creative pursuits do you have? Hobbies? Passions?
A. Along with performing stand-up comedy I make short films and webisodes.
My short film Papercuts won an IFC short film contest. I also fill my time with learning how to sew and knit so I can one day make my own clothes from vintage patterns. I’m a vintage addict and love
going to flea markets and swap meets.

Q. What are you working on now? What are you gonna do next?
A. Currently I’m working on things I’ll have for sale at zine fest like handmade zine holders/totes, and a new zine that’s a collection of my comic strips. I’m also starting pre-production on two new short films.

Tonight in San Jose: "Our Other Weapon is a Zine"

Some of our favorite zinesters are spreading the Zine Fest energy with a week-long, six-city reading tour of the greater Bay Area. "Our Other Weapon is a Zine" features contribution from terrific creators such as Tomas Moniz (Rad Dad), Dani Burlison & Leilani Clark (Petals & Bones) Andria Alefhi (We’ll Never Have Paris), and John Bobst (I’m a Silly Bitch Zine). The whole tour wraps up with a big homecoming to San Francisco's Needles and Pens the night before the Fest!

• Sunday, August 29th, 5 pm to 7 pm - SLG Art Boutiki - 577 South Market Street, San Jose

Tonight in Santa Cruz: "Our Other Weapon is a Zine"

First stop in the "Our Other Weapon is a Zine" Reading Tour!

Some of our favorite zinesters are spreading the Zine Fest energy with a week-long, six-city reading tour of the greater Bay Area. "Our Other Weapon is a Zine" features contribution from terrific creators such as Tomas Moniz (Rad Dad), Dani Burlison & Leilani Clark (Petals & Bones) Andria Alefhi (We’ll Never Have Paris), and John Bobst (I’m a Silly Bitch Zine). The whole tour wraps up with a big homecoming to San Francisco's Needles and Pens the night before the Fest!
• Saturday, August 28th, 7 pm to 9 pm - SubRosa - 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz

Creator Q+A | Malachi Ward

Throughout the month leading up the the SFZF we will be running daily mini-profiles of some of the many zinesters, cartoonists, and other creative types who make the Zine Fest what it is. Today's creator is Malachi Ward. Stay tuned for more!

Q. When did you create your first zine or similar project? Can you describe it for us? When you look back, are you proud, embarrassed, both?
A. My first comic was called Utu. It's a science fiction story, half of which takes place in early Sumeria, and half in sometime in the far future. I printed it up and brought it to last year's Alternative Press Expo. I'm still proud of it, but my learning curve is pretty steep right now, so the new work is a lot better, even though it wasn't that long ago.

Q. What is your all-time favorite zine/comic/etc (by someone other than you)? Who is your DIY hero?
A. Jordan Crane makes some really beautifully crafted comics. His NON anthology had incredible DIY production. He also has scary/mesmerizing eyes.

Q. In addition to the kind of work you will be showing at Zine Fest, what other creative pursuits do you have? Hobbies? Passions?
A. I'm a particularly boring person, and my interests reflect that. I'm really into history, especially history of the ancient world, and I'm also into science. That makes it sound like I'm a lot smarter and sophisticated than I actually am, though. As far as other creative pursuits, I'm in a band called The Denouement... or at least that's what it's called right now. We're probably going to change the name, because The Denouement is hard to spell.

Q. What are you working on now? What are you gonna do next?
A. I'm going to have a new full color comic called "King Saul" at A.P.E. as well as a two-part collaborative comic called "Expansion" with my pal Matt Sheean. I'm also working on a longer comic called River Rock, but that won't be done for awhile.

TONIGHT!

featuring

UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS (Record Release!)
SLEEPTALKS (unveiling their new drummer)
COLORING (w/ Nathan Moomaw & Duty DiMercurio – Record Release!)
UNI AND HER UKELELE and MIGUEL ZELAYA of The Harbours

DJ Neil Martinson (SMiLE!)

$5-$20 Sliding Scale
21+

Amnesia 853 Valencia Street

Band Q+A | Upstairs Downstairs

As you probably know, the SF Zine Fest is having a terrific Benefit Show this Thursday at Amnesia, with some great indy bands contributing their time, energy, and musical awesomeness to the Zine Fest cause! Just as we've been been highlighting our amazing exhibitors in a series of Creator Q+As this month, over the next few days we'll be giving you a peek into the lives and thoughts of these great musicians. Today we're checking in with Tory Ford and Kyle McGraw of Upstairs Downstairs! Stay tuned for more, and we'll see you at the show!

Q. What inspired your current musical project? Influences?
TF: I think overall, it's inspired by a desire to participate in something I love. As far as influences go, if we're talking about writing material, it's a wide, wide range from disappointments and failures to successes in my life and those of others. Musically, again it's a wide range, from Erasure to Black Flag to the Carter Family; Go Sailor to the Wu Tang; Johnny Cash to Juno. For example, two people I would cite as influences, James Mercer and Slick Rick, can tell a damn good story. I'd love to achieve that level of prowess.

Q. What is your all-time favorite band/album/zine/etc (by someone other than you)? Who is your DIY hero?
TF: Sorry, I have a few...in the band-land, I have a rotating cast of 5 to 10 favorite bands and albums and it just depends on the situation. For example: long drive/problem-solving situation all time favorites are Built To Spill's "Perfect From Now On" and Juno's "This is the Way it Goes and Goes and Goes." But, let's say I'm just walking home from BART, I might need to rock Tilly and the Wall's "Wild Like Children" and sing along. As far as DIY heroes - Calvin Johnson is up there and so is my friend James. His work is super amazing.
KM: Outlaw con Bandana and Simon Joyner are my favorite, both are my DIY heroes as well.

Q. Do you have a personal connection to the DIY/small-press world? Did you ever do a zine or similar project? Can you describe it for us?
TF: We're in the midst of a DIY project at the moment - our album packaging - and it's pretty much done!! With the help of my buddy Kellie McCool, I silkscreened all of our CD packages. It was super fun and rewarding, but man, you don't know how many 400 of something is until you print two colors on each and every one.
Also, My friend John Trippe runs Fecal Face dot com which started out ten years ago as a zine and became a website. He and his awesome wife Jessica now have a gallery and giant website and a cat named Poo. Success! I had attended a lot of his FF Arty Parties and there were always amazing zines, mini-comics and works of art to enjoy.
KM- my good friend Pod in Portland has the best skateboarding zine called Sauce.

Q. If you have been to the SF Zine Fest before, do you have a favorite memory?
TF: Last year during SF Zine Fest, I saw my friend Ric Carrasquillo (SquilloIllo) do a visual comic reading at the Cartoon Art Museum and was completely blown away by his prowess. I've seen people read from novels, I've seen people's art, graphic novels and comics, but this was all that in one plus a stand-up bass player.

Q. What would you like to see more of in the indy-music world? What similarities do you see (if any) between the music scene and the small-press world?
TF: I'd like to see more house shows...and more free time! As far as similarities go, it seems like the one thing most of us have in common is that we are all pursuing these things in addition to maintaining a "real" job. That shows dedication. There are those who have been able to make their passion their "real" job and I'm super impressed.

Q. If you could give advice to an aspiring musician or other creator, what would it be? What advice do you wish you had gotten when you were starting out?
TF: My advice would be to work as hard as you can, then double that effort. I can't say I always follow that, but when I do, awesome stuff happens. Also - don't be afraid to ask others for help.
I think I DID get the advice I needed when I was starting out in creative pursuits - basically it is "fail faster: " Don't be crippled by your attempts to create something perfect your first try...or ever. Don't be afraid to fail or make something bad, the sooner you get through those "failures", the sooner you'll arrive at something satisfying.


Q. In addition to the kind of music you will be playing at the SFZF Benefit Show, what other creative pursuits do you have? Hobbies? Passions?
TF: I used to do a lot of drawing and painting and would love to free up some time to get back into it someday. I also snowboard and surf...not so great at the surfing though!
As for the rest of the band's hobbies and passions, all 3 of the guys skateboard (I try to sometimes), one is a major record collector. There's also a lot of sound recording and photography awesomeness.

KM- I record bands and photograph things.


Q. What are you working on now? What are you gonna do next?
TF: tshirts! We're trying to get them done in time for the show on Thursday! I'm hitting the Mission Grafica tonight. Long-term, we're just writing some more songs and trying to keep the momentum going. Doug's other band AM Magic is working on a new album. They are rad. And Kyle and James are working on some new material in their other band They Drive By Night so stay tuned for that.

KM- writing songs for a project of mine that james and I are working on.

Band Q+A | Harbours + Uni & Her Ukelele

As you probably know, the SF Zine Fest is having a terrific Benefit Show this Thursday at Amnesia, with some great indy bands contributing their time, energy, and musical awesomeness to the Zine Fest cause! Just as we've been been highlighting our amazing exhibitors in a series of Creator Q+As this month, over the next few days we'll be giving you a peek into the lives and thoughts of these great musicians. Today we're checking in with M Zelaya (Harbours) & Heather Marie (Uni & Her Ukelele), who will be playing a special combo performance at the Show! Stay tuned for more, and we'll see you at the show!

Q. What inspired your current musical project? Influences?
MZ: Sailing at the Attic on Tuesday nights. Electricty. The Faces. Years of riding MUNI. Gino Washington. Most everything DJ Neil Martinson plays for SMiLE! Michael Zapruder. Littlejoy. The Zombies and all the other usual suspects.
Uni: My latest album is inspired by Lite-Rock and Mom Rockers.

Q. What is your all-time favorite band/album/zine/etc (by someone other than you)? Who is your DIY hero?
MZ: DIY hero & album Kelley Stoltz - Antique Glow
Uni: Daniel Johnston is my personal DIY hero

Q. Do you have a personal connection to the DIY/small-press world? Did you ever do a zine or similar project? Can you describe it for us?
Uni: I am a big fan of DIY pressing. I screen all my band t-shirts, tote bags, and cut-paste-glue-sew and burn all my cds.

Q. What would you like to see more of in the indy-music world? What similarities do you see (if any) between the music scene and the small-press world?
MZ: We are broke.
Uni: We are broke too. I like DIY style because it's more personal and has more personality.

Q. If you could give advice to an aspiring musician or other creator, what would it be? What advice do you wish you had gotten when you were starting out?
MZ: Do something with the craft you're working on everyday.
Uni: I don't remember getting any advice. Maybe I need to clean my ears out. My story is I'm lucky I have a strong will. I would say to always do what U love, and not get hung up on what other people are doing.

Q. In addition to the kind of music you will be playing at the SFZF Benefit Show, what other creative pursuits do you have? Hobbies? Passions?
Uni: I just joined Crossfit. And I love traveling. I love wigs and Lee press on nails.

Q. What are you working on now? What are you gonna do next?
MZ: Recording a new album, which will be the Harbours' thrid release.
Uni: I am about to mix and master my next album. It has been two years in the making.

"Zines on Toast" Tour Coming to SFZF

The fantastic UK zinesters of the "Zines on Toast" tour are going to be making a two-day long stopover at the San Francisco Zine Fest! The tour features UK creators Isy Morgenmuffel, Edd Baldry, Steve Larder, Tom Fiction, Natalie Last Hours and is lead by the intrepid Alex Wrekk (Stolen Sharpie Revolution)! Make sure that you catch their reading and panel discussion on Sunday at 4:00pm, where they'll recount tales of the London Zine Symposium, failing to punch Tony Blair, ideas for radical health, creating a UK social centre, bike punks, regional dialects and much more!

Plus! Don't forget to check in on the "Zines on Toast" tour page for updates on the rest of their tour, which stretches over a whole month and wanders from Portland OR to New York City!

• "Zine on Toast" Tour - 8/25 thru 9/30

Band Q+A | Coloring

As you probably know, the SF Zine Fest is having a terrific Benefit Show this Thursday at Amnesia, with some great indy bands contributing their time, energy, and musical awesomeness to the Zine Fest cause! Just as we've been been highlighting our amazing exhibitors in a series of Creator Q+As this month, over the next few days we'll be giving you a peek into the lives and thoughts of these great musicians. Today we're checking in with Nathan Moomaw, one half of the band Coloring! Stay tuned for more, and we'll see you at the show!

Q. What inspired your current musical project? Influences?
A. Coloring is a product of the joint energies of Dusty DiMercurio and myself (N. Moomaw). Influenced by melodies all twined, red wine and thoughtful times.

Q. What would you like to see more of in the indy-music world? What similarities do you see (if any) between the music scene and the small-press world?
A. I want to see more people making for the sake of making, something that seems a bit more embraced by the small-press world than maybe the general indie-music scene.

Q. If you could give advice to an aspiring musician or other creator, what would it be? What advice do you wish you had gotten when you were starting out?
A. Make something for yourself and finish it with only the concept of the project in your mind. Stand strong as to only be tainted, in direction, by your own passions.

Q. What are you working on now? What are you gonna do next?
A. The Zine Fest show will be an EP release for Coloring's debut "Start Coloring". Limited hand-pressed CDs will be available at the show and digital versions are available online and through Gazebo Music directly. Upstairs Downstairs will also be putting their new CD out at the show, released on Gazebo Music as well. Dusty continues to write and perform with his band B and Not B in SF. They released a lovely album earlier this year and it's groovy (music.bandnotb.com). My project, Moomaw is currently based in Oakland, released a full-length, Aminalia, earlier this year and working on a new one as well as planning a November US tour with Gravid Wives. Coloring is also discovering the future of space country music.

Creator Q+A | François Vigneault

Throughout the month leading up the the SFZF we will be running daily mini-profiles of some of the many zinesters, cartoonists, and other creative types who make the Zine Fest what it is. Today's creator is François Vigneault. Stay tuned for more!

Q. When did you create your first zine or similar project? Can you describe it for us? When you look back, are you proud, embarrassed, both?
A. My first zine was called "The Comics Review," which I published when I was 16. It had started because my first girlfriend had put an ad in the back of "The Maxx," a quirky superhero comic, asking for contributions to a Maxx fanzine that never came together, but did attract a certain amount of attention from the fans. I took the project over, taking it waaaay too seriously! I was trying to make a really "professional" publication, which makes it all the more cringe-worthy when I look at it now! I did manage to interview Paul Pope (THB) and Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo), two of my then-favorite creators, with the intention of featuring them in the second and third issues, but the project folded after just a single issue!

Q. Do you have a favorite memory of the SF Zine Fest?
A. This is my fifth year organizing the Fest (!!!), and at this point I've got too many wonderful memories to narrow it down to one or two anecdotes. The best thing about the Fest has doubtlessly been all the wonderful people whom I have gotten to know over the years through the Fest... It's been such an honor to meet and become friends with so many amazing creators, volunteers, and fans!

Q. What subjects do you wish there were more comics about?
A. I’d like to see more non-fiction and journalism-oriented comics. It seems that there could be some really great work done in that field, either on the web or in print. Also, on the other end of the spectrum, some more indy-oriented fantasy and science fiction comics!

Q. What do you think the general public knows or thinks about small-press? How can the zine/comics community reach a greater segment of the public? Or is it better to keep the small-press scene more tightly knit?
A. Since I am one of the organizers of the SF Zine Fest, I obviously think a lot about ways to expand the audience for small-press. One of the main things I'd like to see is more mini-fests cropping up around the nation; small, single-day regional shows with maybe only a dozen or so creators. If you set up a show that's fun, unique, and free (this last point can't be stressed enough! Don't charge the audience to come to your show!), then I think that the public will come out to it, and that is a tremendous boon to the small-press world in general.


Q. In addition to the kind of work you will be showing at Zine Fest, what other creative pursuits do you have? Hobbies? Passions?
A. In the last year I've gotten into bird-watching, which I have been able to dovetail (no pun intended) with my self-publishing by doing a zine on the subject, Bird Brain.

Q. What are you working on now? What are you gonna do next?
A. I am working on the latest issue of Bird Brain, which will feature lots of stuff from a recent trip to the Gulf Coast. That should hopefully be out for the Zine Fest; a month or so later, at APE, I'll be bringing out the first issue of volume 2 of Elfworld, my alt-fantasy comics anthology! I'm incredibly excited about that, since it has been so long since the first volume came out.

This Thursday! SFZF Benefit Show!

We are super pumped to be hosting our second annual SFZF Benefit Show this Thursday! The night is jam packed with excellent bands, DJ Neil Martinson is gonna be spinning lovely records all night, and we'll be selling limited edition SFZF 2010 posters and raffling of great prizes... This is a great chance to hang out with your pals, have a few beers, listen to great music, and give the Zine Fest some much-needed fiscal support! The door is $5-$10 sliding scale, which is a great deal for this full evening of entertainment... see you there!

featuring

UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS (Record Release!)
SLEEPTALKS (unveiling their new drummer)
COLORING (w/ Nathan Moomaw & Duty DiMercurio – Record Release!)
UNI AND HER UKELELE and MIGUEL ZELAYA of The Harbours

DJ Neil Martinson (SMiLE!)

$5-$20 Sliding Scale
21+

Amnesia 853 Valencia Street

Creator Q+A | Susie Cagle

Throughout the month leading up the the SFZF we will be running daily mini-profiles of some of the many zinesters, cartoonists, and other creative types who make the Zine Fest what it is. Today's creator is Susie Cagle. Stay tuned for more!

Q. Do you have a favorite memory of the SF Zine Fest?
A. Jesse Reklaw's watercolor tutorial a couple years ago was really great -- it was awesome watching everyone work, and cringe-worthy realizing how terrible I was myself. I hope he's planning another one this year! I won't try to follow along this time with my own paints and brushes, though; I kept missing all the best action.

Q. What subjects do you wish there were more comics about?
A. I'd love to see more non-fiction comics on the whole. I think comics and journalism are really a perfect match: a lot of true stories are complicated and boring, and comics can not only elucidate the narrative but illuminate the story and characters with art. I'd say it's a spoon full of sugar for the medicine, though reportage doesn't taste bitter to me (I realize it does to some). Anything to bring broader and different attentions to real things. I like fiction too, it just doesn't hold the same power for me as a true story.

Q. What do you think the general public knows or thinks about small-press? How can the zine/comics community reach a greater segment of the public? Or is it better to keep the small-press scene more tightly knit?
A. Events like the SF Zine Fest are absolutely central to the continued success of small press. Especially when it comes to literary comics, which still don't really have mainstream acceptance or success, I think free events that expose people to new work are immensely important. Keeping things small doesn't benefit anyone; it's in our best interests as creators and consumers of small press to always be expanding our audience -- not by changing our work, but by finding new and creative ways of reaching more people. I think we're at a perfect point for this now: on the flip side of the economic collapse and the still-rising popularity of DIY, people want cheap entertainment and they want to know where their money is going. Now's our chance!

Q. In addition to the kind of work you will be showing at Zine Fest, what other creative pursuits do you have? Hobbies? Passions?
A. I'm a journalist by trade, and I guess a simple question asker/friendly harasser by passion.

Q. What are you working on now? What are you gonna do next?
A. Besides the run of Nine Gallons (next issue out really soon, and then two more after that!), my next projects include some illustrated obituaries and a book of real-life gags from my time working with the Decennial Census.

Creator Q+A | Amy Martin

Throughout the month leading up the the SFZF we will be running daily mini-profiles of some of the many zinesters, cartoonists, and other creative types who make the Zine Fest what it is. Today's creator is Amy Martin. Stay tuned for more!

Q. When did you create your first zine or similar project? Can you describe it for us? When you look back, are you proud, embarrassed, both?
A. I made my first self-published book when I was six or so. It was called "Lin the Pin." Its hero was an anthropomorphic diaper pin (I have a lot of younger siblings). I stapled it backwards.
In adult life.... you can still read my first mini comics at the Isotope. They were 8-page stories written by my then-boyfriend, drawn by me. They were fantasy, not at all my kind of stories, but it got me going! Publishing my first book I created all by myself was one of my proudest moments. I still love that book.

Q. What is your all-time favorite zine/comic/etc (by someone other than you)? Who is your DIY hero?
A. I am such a big fan of Team Atrox. Everything they do is pure comedy gold. And they don't waste time or energy on fancy printing or binding---stapled with a card stock cover, thank you! Though, that is changing, now that they are doing the world's first ever sculpted comics (the first I've ever seen anyway).

Q. If you have been to the SF Zine Fest before, do you have a favorite/exciting/cringe-worthy memory?
A. 2009, with a half hour to go before his live reading at the Cartoon Art Museum, my friend suffered complete brain crash at Kinko's. I took over and worked absolute copier fucking magic and printed the entire book in time. Double-sided pages, correctly aligned (they were an odd size), collated, stapled and I almost got 'em trimmed as well. I think they had the copier gilded.

Q. What would you like to see more of in the small-press world?
A. Mini comics with good, solid stories. There's a lot of beautiful art being done in minis, but substantial, well-developed stories are rare. Books that come out regularly and are consistently fun to read and engaging would also be swell.

Q. If you could give advice to an aspiring DIY creator, what would it be? What advice do you wish you had gotten when you were starting out?
A. Definitely get to know other people. Make yourself a community. Don't create in a vacuum! It'll take you ten times as long to figure out how to do the things you want to do.
Also, done is better than perfect. Seriously, just get it done and print it up---what on earth's stopping you?!

Q. What do you think the general public knows or thinks about small-press? How can the zine/comics community reach a greater segment of the public? Or is it better to keep the small-press scene more tightly knit?
A. Meh, I don't really care about getting the general public into small press. Then it's not really small press anymore, is it? It's fun when it's our. little. secret. Also I like when it's small and personal. I like that it's not an easy scene to crack. There's more reward for those who do.

Q. In addition to the kind of work you will be showing at Zine Fest, what other creative pursuits do you have? Hobbies? Passions?
A. I knit like crazy!! I love to knit toys. Toys are such wonderful things, capable of holding so much significance and representing so much about us. Plus, soooofffft. I love soft things. They calm me down.

Band Q+A | Sleeptalks

As you probably know, the SF Zine Fest is having a terrific Benefit Show this Thursday at Amnesia, with some great indy bands contributing their time, energy, and musical awesomeness to the Zine Fest cause! Just as we've been been highlighting our amazing exhibitors in a series of Creator Q+As this month, over the next few days we'll be giving you a peek into the lives and thoughts of these great musicians. First up are Jim, MaryAnn, Jas, Will & Dan of Sleeptalks! Stay tuned for more, and we'll see you at the show!

Q. What inspired your current musical project? Influences?
A: Life in general and our good friendship. Of the musical influences we list here, these are some of the stereotypes: AIR, StereoLab, Broadcast, the Stranglers, the Pixies, the Zombies, Black Moth Super Rainbow, KptMichigan, Pinback & Yo La Tengo to name a few. However, our musical backgrounds are a mixed bag ranging from electro psychedelic pop to oldies to punk rock to classic hip hop, etc. All of these have directly influenced our approach as musicians and creators.

Q. What is your all-time favorite band/album/zine/etc (by someone other than you)? Who is your DIY hero?
A: There are just too many great bands to declare a personal favorite and that's a positive thing. We live in an era with so many creative outlets it's almost overwhelming. Though I will say with out artists such as Andy Warhol, Richard Kern, Haruki Murakami, Melvins, Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo and the Pixies our world would be very very grey
My personal DIY hero: Thurston Moore

Q. Do you have a personal connection to the DIY/small-press world? Did you ever do a zine or similar project? Can you describe it for us?
A: Well our ages range from 21 to 32… some of us have been playing in the local scene for over 15 years and for some of us, this is our first band. All of us have a personal passion for music & art and it is who we are. Will has hosted a radio a show called Scatterbrain Radio on 90.1fm KZSU for the past 6 years and has hosted an annual 2 day benefit called 'The Scatterbrain Jamboree' for the past 4 years for the SF AIDS Foundation.

Q. What would you like to see more of in the indy-music world? What similarities do you see (if any) between the music scene and the small-press world?
A: More youth… you could never have too much of that and more connections between the art/music scenes within the Bay Area (ie SF, Oakland and SJ). All three areas have a host of bands that are amazing and we should be doing more to play & work together. The members of Sleeptalks all live in SF and there are so many great places to play, but what Todd is doing at the Gingerbread House in SJ and what Larry is doing at the Uptown in Oakland have been very positive contributions to the Bay Area music scene. The biggest similarity between the music scene (DIY specific) and the small-press world is freedom of expression and a genuine passion with out the influence of greed.

Q. If you could give advice to an aspiring musician or other creator, what would it be? What advice do you wish you had gotten when you were starting out?
A: Stick to your guns and believe in yourself. Don't take things personal when you fail, thicken your skin and keep working. Good projects come from hard work and dedication.

Q. In addition to the kind of music you will be playing at the SFZF Benefit Show, what other creative pursuits do you have? Hobbies? Passions?
A: Well music is pretty much the objective of our lives. I think it's safe to say we are who are as a direct result of the music we've surrounded ourselves with through out the years. As previously stated Will does college radio, but he as well as MaryAnn have done some low budget short films, while Jim & Jas have spent hours at their computers creating tones and new songs.

Q. What are you working on now? What are you gonna do next?
A: We've just mastered our debut EP and are looking to release it in the Fall. We've just worked in a new drummer Dan and we're already working on our next release and should be heading back into the studio in November.

Creator Q+A | Chris C. Cilla

Throughout the month leading up the the SFZF we will be running daily mini-profiles of some of the many zinesters, cartoonists, and other creative types who make the Zine Fest what it is. Today's creator is Chris C. Cilla. Stay tuned for more!

Q. What inspired you to get into small-press/DIY publishing?
A. In high school ('87?) I met a kid, Kevin Byrd who was xeroxing a comic book and selling it at punk shows & record stores; I was drawing comics & stuff in sketchbooks, and he asked for some contributions. After helping to copy, fold & staple a couple of issues of his comic digest, I realized that this was easy & fun, and I started to meet other people who were doing interesting things (thanks to Trevor Blake [ovo] for giving me a copy of Factsheet Five), and I've been photocopying booklets ever since.

Q. When did you create your first zine or similar project? Can you describe it for us? When you look back, are you proud, embarrassed, both?
A. I made proto-zine things as a kid, whenever I had opportunities to play around with xerox machines, but after 1988 or so, I started to make 8 page minicomics which I would sell for a quarter around town, then I got a job at a xerox shop & cranked out tons of different format zines by myself and others. The early comics & zines are pretty embarrassing, but I can see some good things here & there, and you have to do the work to make any progress.

Q. What is your all-time favorite zine/comic/etc (by someone other than you)? Who is your DIY hero?
A. I don't have one favorite; I love all of Ryan Iverson's different sized zines, Zak Sally's Recidivist and John P's King Cat get re-read a lot, and Tom Hart & Jon Lewis' minicomics were (& still are) inspiring. I could go on & on with a list like this! I don't have a single zine hero, but I'd like to make special note of Jeff Zenick, his zines are grappling with the world around & within him, with comics & reviews and art.

Q. What would you like to see more of in the small-press world?
A. More home made comics.

Q. What are you working on now? What are you gonna do next?
A. My full length book The Heavy Hand was just published by Sparkplug Comic Books, I have been working on that for several years. I just finished the cover & some gags for Tom Neely's Bound & Gagged, a couple of drawings for a show at Pony Club in Portland, some illustrations for The Pork Torta website, and Stun Nuts #7. I'm drawing more comics, on different sizes of paper, for books of various sizes. I'll also be making some novelty t-shirts soon.

Creator Q+A | Drippy Bone Books

Throughout the month leading up the the SFZF we will be running daily mini-profiles of some of the many zinesters, cartoonists, and other creative types who make the Zine Fest what it is. Today's creator is Keenan Marshall Keller of Drippy Bone Books. Stay tuned for more!

Q. When did you create your first zine or similar project? Can you describe it for us? When you look back, are you proud, embarrassed, both?
A. I hated zines all through life until I was much older. Everyone I knew whom made them through high school & college were poets or punkers and that shit was real boring…
It wasn’t until I was older and focusing on my own drawing and art that I started thinking about publishing, then started to think realistically about that and turned my focus to zines. The 1st zine I actually made was with a large group of people and it came out pretty lame, but it was only a year from then that I made Whore Eyes #1 & #2 (my first zines as part of DBB) and I’m very proud of those….

Q. What is your all-time favorite zine/comic/etc (by someone other than you)? Who is
your DIY hero?
A. Well my partners, Mario Zoots & Kristy Foom are 2 of my art heros…. They do it all,
art, publishing, curating, music and zines…. They’re like mini-mutant-moguls… Also
people like fore mentioned David Magdaleno, Mike Diana, Le Dernier Cri, Victor Cayro, and Gary Panter all whom endlessly inspires me.

Q. What would you like to see more of in the small-press world?
A. “Support Weird, Create Havoc, and Stay Savage.” Really, just keep it weird.

Q. In addition to the kind of work you will be showing at Zine Fest, what other creative pursuits do you have? Hobbies? Passions?
A. Art. Books. Comix. Music. Everything we (DBB) love as a group, works it’s way into
our publishing. There isn’t really a separation between myself and what I do…. Oh
yeah, I also like weed.

Q. What are you working on now? What are you gonna do next?
A. A shit-ton of stuff going down! We will have 4 new titles for SF ZINE Fest:
Galactic Breakdown #2, I Gotta Grunt, The Best Things in Life Are Free if You Are Rich, and Pushing It with Roids: a special SF Zine Fest release only!!! A life guide to bad-ass-ary.

Plus later in September, we are releasing our biggest book to date. Grawlix Comix #1 featuring the works of: Victor Cayro/Bald Eagles, Michael DeForge, Derek M Ballard, Matheiu Desjardins, Becca Kacanda, Evan Meister, and myself. A full color, uncensored collection of the best underground commix artists working today! Raw, deranged, graphic beauty for the enlightened savage in all of us.