UMKC Special Collections Sponsors Kansas City Zine Con #2

Zine: a small magazine written by people who are not professional writers, and usually focuses on a particular subject. However, zines are a little more unique than the definition lets on.

“They’re do-it-yourself magazines that originated around the late ‘70s – early ‘80s,” said University of Missouri-Kansas City Assistant Dean of Special Collections Stuart Hinds. “They’ve evolved since then, but I remember many of them being constructed using cut-and-pasted words and images.”

According to Hinds, Zines emerged in conjunction with punk culture as a form of self-expression about a variety of topics: women’s rights, sexuality, pop culture – anything the zine maker wanted to express. As an alternative to mainstream media, makers usually don’t make many copies of their zines and they’re not widely distributed. Thus, they tend to disappear.

“It’s an interesting way of capturing a moment in time,” said Hinds. Which is why the Miller Nichols Library LaBudde Special Collections staff have taken interest in collecting zines – for preservation.

So far Hinds has collected between 50 and 60 zines from various decades, and expects to collect many more at Kansas City Zine Con #2, an annual expo for Kansas City zine makers, on Saturday, Sept. 10.

The event, organized by Kansas City zine makers Jess Hogan, Amos Leager, Marc Saviano and John Sparks, is intended to showcase local self-publishers during a day-long exhibition. According to the group of self-publishers, the zine con event is a form of community building among the Kansas City self-publishing community.

“We encourage people to stay for a long time because we have so many things in store for attendees,” said Hogan.

The zine con coordinators, whose first event, KC Zine Con #1, attracted 1,000 visitors to the Uptown Theater, are looking to raise the bar this year with the addition of more interactive programming. They have partnered with several local niche shops and small businesses including Zz School of Print Media, a printmaking focused education initiative, who will coordinate onsite zine making classes.

When asked about the success of the event, the zine con coordinators say it’s the connections they’ve made that make it possible. During the event exhibitors will display, trade, and sell their zines. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with other local zine makers and fans.

UMKC’s LaBudde Special Collections will serve as the presenting sponsor for the Kansas City Zine Con #2, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at UMKC’s Pierson Auditorium, located inside the Atterbury Student Success Center, 5000 Holmes St., Kansas City, Missouri.

“We’re hoping that by having the event on campus, it also attracts more students to attend,” said Hinds.

Each exhibitor will provide copies of their zines to donate to the Department of Special Collections. Tours of the department will also be given as a way to spike interest in the variety of collections it preserves.

Kansas City Zine Con #2 is free to attend and no registration is required.

Kelsey Haynes | Division of Strategic Marketing and Communications