We could not have had a more perfect and joyful day at our inaugural South Side Zine Fest. We appreciate each of the amazing zinemakers who tabled, our wonderful community partners, and the festgoers — about 400 of you! — who joined us in Bridgeport on Saturday from all over Chicago (and even a few far-flung states)! The positive vibes and connections that flowed throughout the day were inspiring. Thank YOU for making this fest so special!

We’d also like to shout out the folks who helped make SSZF possible behind the scenes: Branch manager Jeremy Kitchen and his staff at the Richard J. Daley branch of the Chicago Public Library; our Fandom and Zines panelists Liz Mason and Keidra Chaney; #SSZF2025 logo designer Aim Ren Beland; afterparty flyer artist Katie Armentrout; South Side Zine Library visuals creator Anna Jo Beck; Wes Kadas, Marc Lazar, Katie Kiesewetter, and all of our awesome volunteers; patron Lucinda J. Williams; and our community partners: Tangible Books, Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center, and Bright Void Coffee Roasters.

We hope to see y’all at another Zine Club Chicago event soon! Watch this space for announcements about our late-summer and fall programming.