Tally Zine Fest blends art and activism
Last month's Tally Zine Fest brought together local artists, writers, musicians and activists to showcase different zines and zine-making. The festival was hosted across multiple venues, including 621 Gallery, Common Ground Books, Tally Print Studio and The Bark.
A zine is a short, self-published and usually self-distributed booklet that can include a variety of topics from art, music and poetry to political activism, how-to manuals and advice writing.
Historically tied to punk, feminist and underground movements, zines have served as methods of communication and expression of ideas in various subcultures over the years, typically following a "DIY" philosophy that rejects professional design and publishing.
The Tally Zine Fest provided a space for creators and zine enthusiasts to showcase their work, exchange ideas and connect over shared interests. Attendees could browse different tables, engage in zine-related workshops, participate in clothing swaps and support live musicians.
Rei Acorn, a zine creator and a part of Willo Press, highlighted the accessibility of the format. Willo Press is a local zine initiative aimed at providing a platform for local zine-makers to write about their ideas. The project takes inspiration from other radical publications like “Slingshot,” a Berkeley-based zine that compiles activist resources and essays.
“You don’t need a phone, computer or internet connection to read them,” Acorn said. “You also don’t need any of those things to make them.”
The creative process behind zines varies, reflecting the different perspectives of their creators. Some, like Acorn, blend traditional and digital techniques, mixing collage work, hand-drawn images and digital text.
Others, such as zine creator Oliver Hunter, embrace a more physical cut-and-paste aesthetic directly inspired by punk culture.
“I’ve been making zines since I was 15, and I was really into the ‘Riot grrrl' zines,” Hunter said. “All of those zines are rooted in punk and DIY ethics, so the black-and-white and cut-and-paste aesthetics are what we use. A lot of the zine pages in [our publication] are either handmade or run through a copier machine.”
Hunter co-runs the WVFS V89 zine, a publication tied to FSU’s student-run radio station. Each issue follows a theme, blending music journalism, collages and interviews with different artists and local music venues.
Beyond artistic expression, zines can be used as tools for advocacy and community engagement. Acorn, who has been involved with the mutual aid group Food Not Bombs, explained how zines can serve an important role in outreach efforts.
“Food Not Bombs helps primarily unhomed folks, so zines make sense there because they often don’t have consistent access to their own computers, phones and things like that,” Acorn said.
For many, zines offer a way to engage with social issues. Claire King, an attendee of the festival, took notice of the intersection between zines and environmental activism.
“Especially as someone who wants to go into environmental policy, finding that people in the zine community are actively searching for solutions to overconsumption, microplastics, water pollution, fast fashion and spreading knowledge on what we can do to better the environment is just so encouraging,” King said.
As zine culture evolves, events like the Tally Zine Fest highlight the growing interest in independent publishing and self-expression. Whether used for art, activism or storytelling, zines remain a powerful medium for sharing ideas outside of traditional platforms.
“They’re an awesome group of people,” Common Ground Books owner Alex Spencer said. “We’re very happy to have them here and support them and to just build this community together.”
For many attendees, the festival reinforced the idea that zines are more than a physical booklet but also a way to build community and amplify voices.
“Just being around the zine community gave me such a boost and reminded me of how beautiful humankind can be when we all put in effort,” King said.