I founded the Dublin Zine Fair in 2011 and ran the fair annually for 5 years. I had visited international zine fairs selling my own work and wanted to foster this community at home. DZF's mission was to support, promote and celebrate zines, artist books and DIY publishing. It showcased the best of independent publishing, both from Ireland and around the world with many international stall holders. The Dublin Zine Fair provided a platform for people to buy and sell independent publications and it helped zinesters meet like-minded people and form a creative community. The fair helped to grow the scene in Ireland, sparking off new fairs in its wake and it inspired people to celebrate the handmade in a digital world. DZF received a glowing review in the culture section of The Irish Times and received great feedback from participants and extensive press coverage. Lots of love, time, blood, sweat, tears, staples, prit-stick, printing, sewing and photocopying went into the original and inventive publications at the fair. The zinesters that exhibited were people from all walks of life that want to share something of themselves with the world. Every year we held workshops, talks, zine readings and live music. We also collaborated with The Forgotten Zine Archive showcasing exhibitions of zines from the collection. I had an amazing group of friends and volunteers that helped make these fairs happen, I met so many talented artists who are still part of my creative community and continuing to inspire and collaborate with me. This video was made by John Clerkin at the 2014 fair. Here I talk about the fair and why zines are important.
