Five years ago, two Bay Area zinesters decided it was high time for the East Bay to have its own celebration of indie media, and in true East Bay fashion, DIY-ed the first East Bay Alternative Press Book Fair. What began with roughly fifty participants has since mushroomed into a mega zine fest, with more than 120 zine authors and small presses tabling this year. Renamed in 2012 as the “East Bay Alternative Book and Zine Festival,” or EBABZ for short (pronounced “e-babes”), this year’s event on December 12 at Berkeley City College (2050 Center St.) will include a panel discussion with Rad American Women A-Z author Kate Schatz and illustrator Miriam Klein Stahl, an exhibit by Milvia Street (Berkeley City College’s art and literary journal), a book binding workshop with local artist Soleil Summers, and a panel on DIY zine- and book-making. “ZZ Tops,” a free reading party at E.M. Wolfman General Interest Small Bookstore (410 13th St., Oakland) will be kicking off the festival on December 11. Presenters at the pre-fest include Nia King, author of the zines Angry Black-White Girl and The First 7-Inch Was Better: How I Became an Ex-Punk; Enola Dismay of No Gods No Mattress; musician and comic creator Andrew Goldfarb; the Queer Anxiety Babiez Distro, a zine that focuses on queerness, gender, and mental health; and Mujeres al Frente, a collective of teachers, artists, and healers.
.East Bay Alternative Book and Zine Fest
An extravaganza at Berkeley City College.