About FTZF

Flavortown Zine Fest (FTZF) is a zine fest located by the banks of the Scioto River. It is on the unceded territory of the living nations of the Shawnee, Miami, Wyandot, Delaware, and Seneca-Cayuga. This is otherwise known as so-called "Columbus, OH".

It is occurring on Saturday, August 26th from 12 to 6pm at the Vanderelli Room (218 Mc Dowell St, Columbus, OH 43215). FTZF is free to the public and is a fully-masked event.

Flavortown Zine Fest is a volunteer-run collective dreaming of a world where no one is left behind. We hope to create an inclusive space where people can participate with the DIY ethos and values that are a part of zine-making. We do so by providing a space for zinesters to share and sell their work. This is a not-for-profit event and relies on the support of donations and the efforts of the community to run.

We strive to empower underrepresented voices by prioritizing them as vendors, as well as having them integral to all aspects of organizing the fest. By doing so, we hope to create a collaborative understanding of what radical accessibility and a "safer space" can truly entail.

Currently, FTZF is being primarily organized by me, Samir (he/him), the creator of HEADBANGED zine, but I am being supported by a community of organizers who are offering assistance and input as they can. As this festival grows and evolves, I hope to have a non-hierarchical core group of volunteers who join me in the planning process. Both for my own sake and for the good of FTZF.

My personal intentions for this festival are:

• Create a space for people to discover and support up-and-coming publications, indie artists, zine-makers/zinesters, comix artists, and (probably) new friends.

• Prioritize and amplify the voices of underrepresented communities

• Make an environment as safe and accessible as possible

• Be a place for building connections within our community

• Run this event in a sustainable way so that it can become an annual festival here!