West Philly Zine Fest to showcase art, books and comics by local artists

Independent artists will show off their unique and self-printed works later this month at the West Philly Zine Fest.

The event returns to the Rotunda, at 4014 Walnut St. in University City, starting at noon on Saturday, June 22. There also will be a zine reading the night before from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Soapbox, the nonprofit community print shop at 4700 Kingsessing Ave. in Southwest Philly.

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About 40 artists will be set up at the Rotunda, displaying original works and zines, books, prints, comics and more. Organizers from the Soapbox prioritized BIPOC and LGBTQ artists when evaluating vendor applications.

Zines are short-form and generally self-published. The word zine is short for magazine or “fanzine,” It widely became part of the lexicon in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but the history of zines dates back decades earlier.

Zines can include written stories, pictures, comics, artwork and any types of content and they are generally dedicated to niche topics and subcultures.

The Soapbox hosted Philly Zine Fest 2023 in December at Temple University’s Mitten Hall. The event had over 170 artists and around 1,200 attendees.

West Philly Zine Fest

Saturday, June 22
12 to 5 p.m. | pay-as-you-go
The Rotunda
4041 Walnut St., Philadelphia