Mojave Zine Fest continues today at Corner 62 in Twentynine Palms
The inaugural Mojave Zine Fest will take place throughout the Morongo Basin this upcoming weekend (May 15 and 16).
Founded by desert dwellers Natalie Raymond and Rita Lilly, the event is a celebration of the handmade, DIY craft and culture of zines, or fan magazines. The festival will begin on Friday (May 15) with an opening party and reading at Más o Menos, followed by a full day of events on Saturday (May 16) at Corner 62 in Twentynine Palms.
“There is going to be a really cool opening party and reading at Más o Menos on the 15th, starting at 6:00 p.m. Then Zine Fest will happen all day Saturday, starting with a workshop with Jillian Sandell, a local zine maker and artist, on getting started with zines. We have a lineup of over 20 zine makers from across the West Coast, as far away as Washington State, and locals as well, sharing and having zines and other goodies for sale at the tabling event at Corner 62. We are also having a little conversation, one to two, about queer zines, queer zine history, and the queer culture of zine making that I am moderating.”
In addition to the two hosting locations, Mojave Zine Fest is also sponsored by Hi Desert Times Magazines, Roadrunner Print and Ship, and Jackrabbit Journal. The hands-on workshop with local artist Jillian Sandell will be an opportunity for attendees to dip their toes into the world of zine-making. Sandell will share projects from her own 30 years of experience, and guide participants along the journey of expressing an idea through the handmade creative medium.
“One of the things that is always wonderful about the world of zines is that regardless of how you view the world or how you feel that you fit into the world, you can use your voice to describe it, to share it with people.”
“It’s really a medium for people to talk about the things that are important to them without the middleman of a publisher. So we are really excited to have all different kinds of people talking about all different kinds of topics and their Zines during the fest.”
One of the most beloved attributes of zines is the wide range of genres they can explore, from broad to niche. The day-long tabling event on Saturday will feature zines spanning style and topic.
“There are photography zines. There are some political and queer history zines. There are artist zines. We also have Beyond the Last Estate, which is a literary magazine-type zine. And PO Box Outer Space will be participating in the opening party and reading, which is a local zine publication for writers, sci-fi kind of stuff. It really runs the gamut.”
Both founders view the launch of Mojave Zine Fest and its community support as reflective of a gradual societal shift towards events that celebrate human connection beyond the online world.
“I’m taking a class right now at Copper Mountain College, and a word that I am thrilled to hear some of the younger students say a lot is ‘analog.’ They are talking more and more about putting screens away and actually interacting with each other. That is becoming an important part of society. I feel that so many choices are made for us in the computer age. When you pick up a piece of written material with your own hands and look at it, that gives you a lot of control and choice back.”
Mojave Zine Fest will take place this weekend (May 15 and 16). The opening reading will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday (May 15) at Más o Menos in Joshua Tree, followed by a full day of zine celebration on Saturday (May 16) at Corner 62, located at 73552 Twentynine Palms Highway in Twentynine Palms. All events are free to attend, though RSVPing is recommended.
You can find a full list of the festival events here or RSVP at this link.
