Zine Crafting: Memory, Future, and Expression

Some stories shimmy and wiggle, unable to stay inside the margins of just one art form. They demand colors, textures, symbols, images, and words. If you’ve been carrying an idea that feels too messy and too electric for a single medium, zinemaking invites you to experiment wildly!

Zines (pronounced ‘zeen’) are DIY booklets with one rule: there are none. Cut, paste, layer, scribble—zinemaking is a playground of visual techniques. In this beginner’s zinemaking workshop, you’ll embark on a journey of the imagination to combine mixed-media elements into a riotous megamix of self-expression.

+ Learn the foundations of zinemaking and how to tap into its never-ending possibilities.

+ Spill your thoughts onto the page through collage, texture, imagery, and experimentation.

+ Shred it, slice it, style it using imaginative techniques.

+ Be funny, vulnerable, bold, contemplative, messy, dreamlike…you’ll imagine something that’s uniquely yours.

You’ll leave with your very own zine: a bold, physical expression of who you are that you can share with others!

This is a 3-Part Workshop. Join us Wednesdays June 10, June 17, and June 24 @ 6–7:30pm. Let’s have fun!

Michael was born in Peru, raised in NJ, and grew up in North East LA. He fell in love with the city while attending Occidental College and Pasadena City College. There, his goals were set: Create a career that would use his knowledge to give back to his community. He went on to Art Center College of Design for Advertising, where he honed his craft and learned the power of creativity. 

As a Creative Director and Art Director, Michael has worked at several award-winning top-tier advertising agencies, where he has partnered with clients such as Adidas, Google, Kia, Honda, Doritos, Jack in the Box, Apartments.com, eBay, and Panda Express. He is the winner of a D&AD international award for advertising, and also the founder and creator of No Taste Like Home—a collection of recipes and stories from before the Eaton Fire.

The Summer Storytelling Studio presented by Octavia’s Bookshelf is designed for curious minds to play with a mashup of creative mediums. Get ready to tell your story your way, through cozy, three-part workshops led by local experts.

📝 Write it.

🧵 Quilt it.

💬 Trace its roots.

📸 Capture it.

🎨 Paint it.

📖 Remix it as a zine.

Thanks to the Mellon Foundation, Humanities in Place grant, this is the space for you to tap into creative, therapeutic avenues and document life before the Eaton Fire, reflect on its aftermath, and uplift your vision for the future.

No experience necessary. Just a space to try things, meet new people, follow your curiosity. Then leave with something special only you can create! Stay tuned throughout the summer for program dates.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Octavia's Bookshelf