Black Zine Fair
| Black Zine Fair | |
|---|---|
| Status | active |
| Genre | literary festival |
| Frequency | annually |
| Location | New York City |
| Years active | 2024-present |
| Founders | Neta Bomani and Mariame Kaba |
Most recent | May 9, 2026 |
| Organised by | Sojourners for Justice Press |
| Website | https://blackzinefair.org/ |
Black Zine Fair is an annual event focusing on Black publishing.
The inaugural Black Zine Fair was on May 11, 2024, at Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn, New York.[1] The fair, founded by Mariame Kaba and co-directed by Neta Bomani,[1] was developed by the Sojourners for Justice Press,[2] emerging out of an academic fellowship project for Binding Our Stories: Black DIY Publishing into the Future,[3][4] and launched as a celebration of all things Black and independent publishing[5] (especially those "led by Black people and/or focus on subject matter surrounding Blackness")[6] and featured 30 to 50 exhibitors.[1] The Schomburg Center Literary Festival also hosted a mini Black Zine Fair in June of that year.[7] The second Black Zine Fair was also held at Powerhouse Arts on May 3, 2025.[8] It was reported that the second fair drew over 1,000 attendees.[9] The third fair was again held at Powerhouse Arts on May 9, 2026.[10][11][12] The fair has remained free for all attendees since its inception.
During each fair, independent publishers sell or trade zines, and lead workshops.[1] Recent Black Zine Fairs have included "the Black Reading Room, a site-specific installation which brings together historical and contemporary zines, pamphlets, and small press publications into a shared space for reading".[11]
Health Stellium has supplied the fair with N95 grade masks for all attendees and air purifiers throughout the Powerhouse Arts venue since the fair's inception.
Reports on the rise of zines and zine fairs, including those that cater to specific groups, mention Black Zine Fair as an example.[13][14][9][15] The fair has served as a spark for research into the history of Black publishing more broadly, such as in Detroit.[16]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Black zine community comes together to share and learn". New York Amsterdam News. 2024-05-13. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
- ↑ x, anastazia (2025-05-01). "Black Zine Fair 2025". Black Star Reviews. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ↑ "Announcing our newest Assembling Voices Fellows". Incite at Columbia University. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ↑ "Sojourners for Justice Press". Incite at Columbia University. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ↑ "black zine fair". Powerhouse Arts. Archived from the original on 2025-03-25. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ↑ "Black Zine Fair by Sojourners for Justice Press". Barnard College. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ↑ "Look Back 2024 SCHEDULE". SchomburgLitFest. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
mini BLACK ZINE FAIR: Presented by Soujourners for Social Justice Press.
- ↑ Ogbunu, C. Brandon. "Social Media Replaced Zines. Now Zines Are Taking the Power Back". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
- 1 2 Wu, Jenny (2026-02-06). "Notes from New York: Writing into Oblivion". ArtReview. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
- ↑ "Black Zine Fair Forever". ÀROKÒ.WORLD. 2026-06-24. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- 1 2 Bomani, Neta; Kaba, Mariame (2026-04-29). "The City in Our Hands". Urban Omnibus. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ↑ Events (2026-04-17). "Black Zine Fair". People of Print. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ↑ Schneider, Rachel (2026-06-17). "DIY zines are helping queer communities tell their own stories and craft their own culture". The Conversation. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ↑ "Gen Z and Zine Culture: The Return of Print". Istituto Marangoni. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ↑ "Emerson Students Bring Zine Culture Back To Boston On The T". WBZ NewsRadio 1030. 2025-09-27. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ↑ Jones, Aalillian (2025-05-05). "Midnight Care Collective Black Salt Press". Mirror News. Dearborn, Michigan, USA: Henry Ford Community College – via University Wire.