Richmond Zine Fest programs start at 12 p.m. and end at 5 p.m. in the basement of the Main Branch of Richmond Public Library. These programs are free to the public and open to all ages. All programs require masks. Richmond Zine Fest will have n95 masks available for attendees as needed.
12 pm: “Imagining Radical Vietnamese Futures”: A Zine-Making Workshop
“Superblooom*” (stylized with three o’s and an asterisk) is a Vietnamese multimedia collective of Vietnamese-Americans helping to foster a dialogue on the Vietnamese/Asian diaspora and the Global South through photography, text, mixed media, and design. As a group, the Superblooom* collective has been on an exploration of artistic collaboration within our communities found not only in New York City and Richmond, Virginia where our founders reside, but also in Vietnamese across the diaspora and Americans sharing our diasporic experiences.
This interactive workshop will provide attendees with a space to tackle the complicated ideas surrounding “diaspora art,” American exceptionalism, and Vietnamese futurity 50 years after reunification. The workshop will include a panel discussion, Q&A, and interactive zine making using the Social Change Ecosystem Map developed by Deepa Iyer (2017).
2 pm: Zines as tools for political education
The Virginia Defenders is an organization that fights for racial, social, and economic justice in our community and for people globally. We print a quarterly newspaper, The Virginia Defender, and create zines for more timely campaigns and projects, as well as for political education. In this workshop, we’ll talk about using zines for political education, to show some of the zines we have made throughout the years, and to discuss upcoming zines and how we will use them to promote political discussions and campaigns that are important to us.
3 pm: From Resilience to Representation: Why the World Needs Your Story!
Have you ever considered writing your memoir, only to question if your story is compelling, interesting, or unique enough? In this session, we will uncover just how enough your story is and why it needs to be told. Behind each memoir is the bravery of a writer whose vulnerability allowed its readers to expand their worldview or feel less alone, effects that can ripple into waves of understanding and compassion. Developed with an intersectional framework, this workshop offers empowering resources and hands-on identity exercises to explore the ways our commonalities (and differences) create more interesting bookshelves and stronger, more diverse communities.
4 pm: Handbound Notebooks
Learn to make a simple saddle stitch notebook using waxed thread, an awl and bookbinding needles.
Richmond Zine Fest 