the first l.a. Zine fest

The first L.A. Zine Fest happened on February 19, 2012 on the second floor of the Spring Arts Tower in Downtown Los Angeles. It featured over 85 exhibitors, panels, workshops, and a L.A. Record afterparty!

“The catalyst for the first L.A. Zine Fest was that we felt there was no centralized place or space for zine weirdos in LA and we wanted there to be something.

We had zero expectations that first year, but the initial Fest had a larger attendance than we ever anticipated. That kind of became the trend. 

Rather than slowly grow the event to our desired size, each year LAZF outgrew its venue the moment doors opened to let attendees inside. 

We were always pushed to think quickly, respond to new scenarios, consider many variables -- i.e. accessibility, inclusivity -- and evaluate what values guided our organizing and whether our organizers' actions aligned with those values. 

We made some really great decisions along the way; others ended up being hard lessons with understandable and necessary criticism directed at us. 

We had no real ambitions for the first L.A. Zine Fest other than for it to happen. The fest is a living thing that continues to evolve and change. Every year brings a new chapter and a chance to grow and learn, hopefully for everyone involved.” 

- Bianca, Meredith, Rhea, & Simon, L.A. Zine Fest 2012 Organizers

L.A. Zine Fest 2012

This Year’s Organizers

  • Daisy Noemi

    Daisy Noemi

    Daisy Noemi is a Los Angeles based photographer who shoots analog, predominantly on disposable cameras and Polaroid 600 film. She has been photographing landscapes, the local Los Angeles music scene and the DIY community for 10+ years. She makes photo zines, lives in a central part of Los Angeles, loves Karaoke, all things kawaii, and has a rambunctious kitty named Bruno.

  • Noah Orozco

    Noah Orozco

    Noah is a creative entrepreneur with a passion for art and technology. In 2015, he founded Zine-o-Matic, a monthly subscription box service for zines and indie art that has grown to become one of the largest distributors of zines in the world. Noah also co-developed ReadyTeddy, a virtual reality experience that helps children prepare for MRIs. In addition to his work as an entrepreneur, Noah has experience as a videographer for the Herb Alpert Foundation and as a film research engineer at the Pickfair Institute for Cinematic Studies. In his free time, Noah enjoys renovating an old house, playing Stardew Valley, and building an unreasonably large rubber band ball.

  • Ziba

    Ziba

    Ziba is a public librarian in the city of Los Angeles that was first introduced to zines at Long Beach Poly High in the late-nineties. Ziba makes ZebraRadar Zine which features her AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) screen name from the same time period. Before L.A. Zine Fest Ziba helped organize the Long Beach Zine Fest for four years. Ziba first attended L.A. Zine Fest in 2012 tabling as Three Amigos Press with two other zine makers. When Ziba is not in L.A. you can find her on the airwaves at Long Beach Public Radio.

  • Enri

    Enri

    Enri is librarian and organizer living in East LA. Zines have been a part of her life since she was a teenager making six page zines about Japanese street style and sad girl music. She also organizes for Radical Clothes Swap, a LA based clothing swap collective. When she isn’t busy shelving children’s books or working on her million-and-one side projects, Enri also enjoys tending to her plants, collecting novel keychains, and drinking bougie coffee.

  • Michelle Morataya

    Michelle Morataya

    Michelle Morataya (she/her/they/them) is an archivist born and raised in Los Angeles. They have their B.A. in Chicanx & Latinx Studies, M.A. in Latin American studies, and currently working on their second master’s in Library and Information Science. As a never-ending student, they enjoy learning about BIPOC & LGBTQ histories, theories, and stories, art and art history, libraries, and archives. Outside of academia, she enjoys stationery, reading, crafting, thrifting, and playing video games. As an avid collector of zines, books, prints, stickers, and comics, they have been going to L.A. Zine Fest since 2015 and a volunteer since 2017. She loves volunteering and being in community with people.

  • Julie Fiveash

    Julie Fiveash

    Julie Fiveash is Kinyaa’áanii born for Naakai. Their maternal grandfather’s clan is Táchii’nii and their paternal grandfather is Bilagaana. Julie is Diné and Latinx, their pronouns are they/them/theirs, and they identify as non-binary and queer. They are originally from Arizona and currently reside in LA. They create zines on being queer, Indigenous, and all their anxieties about existing on this weird and frustrating planet. Please talk to them about libraries and any cool bugs you’ve found recently.

  • Dayana

    Dayana

    Dayana is a DIY enthusiast and engineer in Los Angeles. They strive to find the intersection between art, technology, and the sciences. Their hobbies include live coding, making chainmail jewelry, music, crafting, and learning new things. Besides being an artist, Dayana also enjoys baking yummy cinnamon rolls and cakes.

  • Kaden Umaña

    Kaden Umaña

    Kaden Umaña(they/he) is queer, disabled, latinx multimedia artist in Los Angeles California. As a multimedia artist, kuulz’ work enjoys taking an interdisciplinary approach by collaging multiple disciplines into their work. They’ve worked various positions in arts access and arts education, they enjoy compound arts education with youth empowerment. Kaden loves all art disciples and considers himself a lifelong student. They make everything and anything from ceramics to beaded jewelry.

  • Mads Gobbo

    Mads Gobbo

    Mads Gobbo (they/she) is a writer and illustrator in Los Angeles. They are the supervisor of the Literally Healing program at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the co-founder of Hand Follows Eye Studios, a mobile figure drawing school with a queer and feminist focus. Mads makes comics, picture books, and smutty zines.

  • Indigo

    Indigo

    Indigo lives in Los Angeles, working in Digital Asset Management and Archives. She also maintains her creative spirit with drawing, painting, photography, and stop motion/animation. She loves the DIY scene and getting to know local artists through LAZF.

  • Sean Lundy

    Sean Lundy

    Sean Lundy (he/him) is a queer L.A. transplant originally from Texas. After graduating from Columbia College in Chicago, and growing tired of the cold windy city he settled in Southern California. Where he enjoys working amongst intellectuals and the creative scene. Sean enjoys photography, treating friends to brunch, thrifting, hiking, museums, and volunteering. 

  • Vi Hoang-Creton

    Vi Hoang-Creton

    Vi Hoang-Creton (she/her) is a Vietnamese-American educator and multidisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles, CA. Her work is rooted in equitable education, Montessori philosophy, and art therapy principles. Passionate about reimagining education beyond traditional social constructs, she collaborates with various non-profits to promote art as a catalyst for connection and healing. Vi is currently exploring the intersection of education, art, and community building to create inclusive spaces that empower marginalized BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities.

L.A. Zine Fest Archives