The first annual Sacramento Zine Symposium delivered what it promised in the program: it breathed new life into the Sacto D.I.Y. & alternative press scene.

A fluctuating 100 zinesters, collectors, authors, writers and people without titles gathered in the Brickhouse Gallery for a day of workshops, networking, and discussion. Tables lined the main room of the gallery and came alive with colorful displays of zines, literature, pamphlets and fliers. Event-goers perused the selection of alternative publications and, in most cases, were able to discuss their purchases with the authors.

Outside, a D.J. spun live music all day. Adjacent was a food table that served free lunch and dinner. Event-goers milled around the grassy area to talk, eat and read.

The day's events kicked off with a how-to workshop on screenprinting in which event-goers could screen a logo onto a donated T-shirt for a wearable souvenir.

The second workshop featured a Distro-the middle man between zinesters and their buyers-panel with San Francisco-based Mae Undead of Gimme Brains Distro. Undead fielded questions from workshop attendees about her role as a distributor, or distro, of zines. She explained the process of a creator sending her a letter about their zine and why they'd like to have it distributed. Distros provide access to a multitude of different zines, Undead said, which helps foster and promote the community.

"It's really just about doing something that feels good," Undead said. "It [making zines] allows you to feel OK about trusting yourself and advocating for yourself."

The third and final workshop was an alternative press panel with founders and Editor-At-Large Kaelan Smith, Elijah Jenkins and Andy Jones of Flatmancrooked, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to "identifying, recording and disseminating good stories." The panel discussed the difficulties and exciting potentials of D.I.Y. publishing in the current era of print uncertainty, using their experiences at Flatmancrooked as examples.

Smith explained his belief that the wavering reputation of print's sustainability is not because it faces total annihilation; it is in a transitional period. A modernization of literature is taking place, he said, one in which the art may be consumed but one where the company producing said art will make enough money to pay the writers.

Jenkins and Jones spoke on the freedoms that a D.I.Y. publication like Flatmancrooked have.

"What if you wanted to do anything creative, how hard would it be?" Jones asked. "With a working computer, and some start-up money for equipment, you really can do anything. It's very exciting, but it also comes with responsibilities."

The event was sponsored by KDVS 90.3FM, Raja's Indian Cuisine, Woodstock's Pizza, the Yolo County Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Queen Sheba, The Brickhouse Gallery and organized by UC Davis student Sharmi Basu. Basu is a fourth-year political science major, was inspired by Portland's Zine Symposium and believed that the Sacramento area should have one of its own. She researched Livejournal zine communities and started posting, asking about holding a symposium in Sacramento.

"I work with an educational reform research group, and I would help organize symposiums," Basu said. "I thought I could probably do something like that for my friends, for people like this. I just took my experiences with different conferences and conventions and put a D.I.Y. twist on it."

With help from friends, Basu organized a fundrasier when one of her sponsors dropped out. Planning began in January, and around April, Basu described the subsequent months as "troubleshooting."

"Basically everything that could have went wrong did," Basu said. "Luckily, I received a lot of help from my friends."

"It's [zine culture] all awesome. There is no format, and it's a nice form of expression," Basu said. "Problem is, it needs to be available, a resource to have access to."

Sacramento's Zine Symposium provided the spaces for challenges such as availability and print uncertainty to be negotiated and discussed. The work displayed, however, spoke for itself.

"There is a great array of creativity and accomplishment," Jones said. "It's really the crucible of D.I.Y. culture."
 

Click here for Mae Undead's website

Click here for Flatmancrooked's website

To learn how you can help for next year's Symposium click here