Highlights from Milwaukee Zine Fest

It was an awesome celebration of DIY publishing!

Last weekend I had the privilege of being a vendor at Milwaukee Zine Fest! This is my second time sharing work at the fest, but… (and I know this is silly) I was a little nervous because it was such a great event last year. I worried… ”What if this year isn’t as good?!” Well, I worried for nothing because this year was even better. Here are some of the highlights.

More vendors and more space!

This year there were more than 100 vendors at the Milwaukee Central Library! The spacing was wonderful this year. Vendors sprawled throughout both the first and second floors and the talent was off the charts. I love being in a room with so many people who are passionate about making and sharing creative work. I had my own small table near the typewriter activity zone, which was a delightful place to be.

Ultra-Mini Zines Were a Hit

It is a joy to watch people interact with these mini zines! There is something about the tiny form factor that delights and draws people in. Maybe it feels like a secret message. Maybe it transports you to childhood. Regardless, my stock dwindled considerably, and I had to print and fold a bunch more for Madison Print and Resist this weekend!

Stink Bugs are Still a Hot Topic

I sold out of my Stink Bugs zine again! I am mesmerized by this. What is it about Stink Bugs?! It makes want to make another bug-themed zine! I’m thinking cicadas… or praying mantis? …or leaf-shaped bugs?! If you have interesting bug suggestions, please let me know! If you’d like to see inside this zine, check out my post Stink Bug Paradise. The restocked paper copy is available here.

Favorite Moments and Interactions

1. Two strangers bonded over how You Are With Me Always almost brought them to tears. “This is so sweet, I’m going to cry!” “I know! I told her I have to have a copy.” They went back and forth like this for a bit, and they both bought copies.

2. Multiple people commented on the the soft-touch cover on Stardust. Details like that are important to me, so it was wonderful hearing people say things like, “This feels like really high quality!” and “I love how this cover feels!” and “It’s so soft!”

3. After a stranger bought some of my zines, she gave me this adorable cat sticker. I quickly learned this stranger’s name is Jess Draws and yes, Draws is her actual last name! How cool is that? Check out her work on Instagram.

4. My table neighbor Adrian Morin was super nice. He bought some of my mini zines, and I bought his zine World Kitchen about explorers finding a kitchen at the center of the Earth. Check out his work on Instagram.

Art Prints!

Less Hustle More Naps, Delight Penguin, Built to Chill and were my most popular art prints! It was super encouraging to see people’s enthusiasm over these illustrations. To celebrate, Built to Chill is today’s art print download for paid subscribers at the end of this post!

Built to Chill art print

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for being here! It truly means the world to me to connect with you every week. In case you missed it, last week I shared my zine Analog Thinking, which you can check out here.

Paid subscribers, please keep scrolling to download this week’s art print Built to Chill!