Minneapolis Zine Fest (July 23-25 2004)

Hosted by the Stevens Square Center for the Arts (SSCA) and organized by Erik Farseth, the first zine fair was held in conjunction with an exhibit on “Zines and Flyer Art” held July 24-August 21, 2004.  On Friday night an art opening and reception was held at SSCA (1905 Third Avenue South). Saturday was the zine fair and tabling with guest speaker Chris Dodge from Utne Reader. Sunday evening the all-ages closing night party and concert was held at the Triple Rock Social Club featuring music by Rivethead, The Knotwells, and the Bleeding Hickeys.

Second Annual Zine Fest (July 23-24 2005)

Year two’s theme was “Freedom of the Press”. Zinesters were encouraged to bring their own card table. A reception and party was held Saturday night with live music from The Divebomb Honey, Formaldahide Junkies, Step On It, and Falcon Crest. Tabling and workshops continued at SSCA on Sunday.

Third Twin Cities Zinefest (July 14-16 2006)

Friday night consisted of the Zinefest kickoff show at The Fallout Urban Art Center with music from Aviette, Ben Glaros, Ghostband and Prokiev. Saturday included tabling at SSCA, a lecture from Tom Cassidy on mail art and zines, and a DIY bookbinding workshop from Amanda Bunyard. Tabling continued Sunday afternoon.

Fourth Twin Cities Zinefest (July 13-15 2007)

The fourth fest featured an opening kickoff party at Acadia Cafe on Friday with music from Beatrix*Jar, Bla Bla Blacksheep, Ghostband, Brown Rainbow, Gerald Prokop, Hangun Man, and Row & Crow. Saturday’s events included noise music performances from Cell Phone, a circuitbending demonstration, and a zine librarian caucus. Tabling continued at SSCA though Sunday afternoon.

Fifth Twin Cities Zinefest (July 12-13 2008)

On Saturday there was a presentation from Mr. Mike (Mayor of Mt. Holly, MN) talking about Minneapolis zine history, along with a Microcosm Publishing presentation and showing of “$100 & A T-Shirt”. Sunday included an open mic zine reading, guest Sean Carswell (editor of Razorcake) reading from his new book, and Emma Allen (from the Minnesota Center for Book Arts) demonstrating zine binding techniques.

Sixth Twin Cities Zinefest (July 11-12 2009)

Saturday’s tabling at SSCA was accompanied by an open mic zine reading, a viewing of “MPLS Zines” (a documentary by Monica Anderson) and a performance by Presentation Night (“Minneapolis’ own living zine”). The exhibition continued Sunday along with a workshop from Microcosm’s Joe Biel (“Starting a Distribution Co-op with Likeminded Publications”) and a showing of Biel’s documentary “If It Ain’t Cheap, It Ain’t Punk: 15 Years of Plan-it X Records”. The afterparty was held at Arise! Bookstore on Saturday evening with music by Teenage Moods, Bla Bla Blacksheep, Gerald Prokop, and Zombie Season.

Seventh Twin Cities Zinefest (July 10 2010)

Exhibition day at the SSCA included letterpress demonstrations with Marie-Christine Hyland from the Minnesota Center for Book Arts and a history of the Post Office talk delivered by a USPS representative. Elly Blue and Joel Biel discussed the activism & culture of Portland’s bicycle scene, followed by a panel discussion with local representatives from Transit for Livable Communities, Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota, and Browning the Green. There was an afterparty at the Seward Cafe including a zinester panel discussion with Brad Zellar, Tim Sievert, Kelly Krantz, Tiff Hockin, and Ariel Pate, moderated by Andy Sturdevant. Live music followed from The Velveteens, The Great Confinement, Young Pretenders, and DNR. (jpg copy of the 2010 program)

Eighth Twin Cities Zinefest (September 24 2011)

The eighth fest was the first to be held at the Powderhorn Park Recreational Center. Events included Dinner+Bikes talking about bikes with vegan treats by chef Josh Ploeg, the Minnesota Center for Book Arts talking about artists books, and a display from the Minneapolis Community and Technical College zine library collection. The Zinefest How-To Encyclopedia was released with contributions from exhibitors, curated by Lacey Prpic Hedtke. The Fly Away Zine Mobile was parked outside the fest as a reading lounge. On Sunday, the Zine Apothecary had open hours. (jpg copy of the 2011 program)

Ninth Twin Cities Zinefest (September 22 2012)

The ninth fest kicked off with a mixer at Boneshaker Books including a zine reading with snacks by the traveling vegan chef Josh Ploeg. Saturday’s tabling was again at the Powderhorn Park Recreation Center, with over sixty exhibitors and an appearance by the Fly Away Zine Mobile in the parking lot. The 2nd Twin Cities Zinefest Encyclopedia was released and Screenprinting on the Cheap was present. Saturday concluded with an afterparty at the Seward Cafe, with music from Diva 93, The Velveteens, and DNR.

Tenth Twin Cities Zinefest (September 21 2013)

More than 60 exhibitors showcased their cut-and-paste creations at the tenth fest, again held at the Powderhorn Park Rec Center. Traveling vegan chef Joshua Ploeg returned to feed the attendees. (jpg copy of the 2013 program)

Eleventh Twin Cities Zinefest (November 14 2015)

After skipping a year to raise funds and regroup, the eleventh fest was scaled down and held at Bryant Square Recreation Center. The fest was curated with exhibitors chosen to prioritize the voices of women, queer people, people of colour, indigenous/two-spirited folks, trans women, trans women of colour, non-binary folks, and youth who are new to zines. (pdf list of 2015 exhibitors)

Twelfth Twin Cities Zine Fest (September 24 2016)

The twelfth TCZF was bigger than ever, with a new focus on reaching out to community organizations. Over 70 tablers and organizations came together on a lovely fall day in a new, larger location (Walker Community Church near Powderhorn Park). Workshops included “Building Community with Zines in the Twin Cities,” “Fancify Your Zine!,” and “The Zine-ification of Roleplaying Games.” Find more info about TCZF 2016. (pdf copy of the 2016 program)

Thirteenth Twin Cities Zine Fest (September 30 2017)

Our lucky thirteenth year saw new growth and new commitment to the Minnesota community. Over 90 tablers and organizations came together to join us with our new partner and host, the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. Events included a history of comics by Guy Thomas, Logan K running a “Doodle Jam” workshop, and a DIY workshop on creating mini zine storage boxes. Find more info on TCZF 2017 here.

Fourteenth Twin Cities Zine Fest (September 15 2018)

Year fourteen was marked by a new partnership with our generous and gracious host, Hennepin County Library. Over 80 tablers and organizations came together to join us on fest day, held on the second floor of the atrium of the beautiful Minneapolis Central Library. An activity room held kid- and adult-friendly crafts, and a number of workshops were held on creating mini-zines and the use of “Community as a Form of Resistance.” Our pre-fest kick-off reading was held on September 14 at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. Find more info on TCZF 2018, as well as photos from the event.

Fifteenth Twin Cities Zine Fest (September 15 2019)

Our fifteenth zine fest was held at Hennepin County Library. 100 tablers and organizations came together to join us on fest day, held on the second floor of the atrium of the beautiful Minneapolis Central Library. An activity room held kid- and adult-friendly crafts downstairs, and three zinester-led workshops focused on paper crafts. Our pre-fest kick-off reading was held on September 14 at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. Find more info on TCZF 2019 and photos from day of the fest.

Sixteenth Twin Cities Zine Fest (October 19-25 2020)

The pandemic had us switching things up! The sixteenth year of TCZF was a week-long all-virtual event, featuring video releases, workshops, a live reading, and a panel. Find more info on TCZF 2020.

Seventeenth Twin Cities Zine Fest (October 15-17 2021)

2021 featured another online fest with a zine reading on our YouTube channel and interviews with zinesters on our Instagram. Workshops on zine binding and developing your writing process aimed to help zinesters create cool stuff. Check out our list of 2021 exhibitors to see who we brought together for a virtual exhibition hall.