Hello again from the GEOZONe collective! Three months ago, we convened in Detroit to hold our first in-person zine fair in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers. The fair was a huge success: special shout out to Jillian Cain, Lisa Schamess, Rae Baker, Claire Fitch, Elin Thorlund, and all our printing assistants and on-site volunteers for their help!! We couldn’t have done it without y’all. Below, the collective reflects on the zine fair and discusses what’s next for GEOZONe.
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The zine fair
We held our zine fair for three days at the AAG conference held in the place some call Detroit: but whose true name is Waawiyatanong. People connected with the materials we had on offer on our tables – they poured over how-tos, local histories, angry rants, anti-pipeline spiels, and novelty folds. Despite the lively energy of the fair, we are conscious that this conference where we met was predicated on violence: it took place on stolen Anishanaabe lands, at the very place where the French first claimed the city of Detroit. Within this contradictory context, those of us who are in geography despite its mainstream culture – those who share the dream of an other geography – came together, connected and schemed together.
We were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm we received at the zine fair, and we thank everyone who showed up to deliver supplies, fold paper, and read zines! We gave away countless copies of more than 50 different zines, ranging from nightlife ethnographies to critical political ecologies to abolition pedagogies. The most common feeling that we noticed in people who visited our zine fair was relief: finally, a place away from the stifling bustle of this huge conference and somewhere to hang out with other radical geographers! For those of us who find ourselves on the margin of the academy, fighting to stay in and get a share of resources, the zine fair was like a breath of fresh air. There have been glimpses of radical geographic placemaking at the few AAG conferences we’ve been to, but it felt like we really grounded and planted ourselves at the zine fair where the people who eternally question our place in academic spaces can share such a wide array of gray literature and dream for more just futures for geography and beyond.
The panel
The collective also organized a panel on teaching with zines, bringing together Drs. Niiyokamigaabaw Deondre Smiles, Teona Williams, Carrie Chennault, and our own Eden Kinkaid to discuss the challenges and potential of zine pedagogy.
The panel discussion centred on the zines that panelists were making with their students and collaborators and the tangible effects these zines were having on teaching. We shared ideas and resources to help bring zines to the classroom. This led into a deep discussion of how we can covertly teach important pedagogies—like critical race studies and gender studies—that have been vilified in recent years by conservative and fascist forces. We loved the idea of pooling resources around how to teach radical ideas, and we hope GEOZONe can help to facilitate this work in the future. The consensus from panelists was that zines offer a sanctuary and a retreat from more official types of pedagogy that also allow us to engage our students with these ideas and inspire them to raise their voices about issues they care about.
Community building
We were so delighted by the opportunity to meet critical, creative geographers in person and were especially touched by those who came all the way to Anishinaabe homelands just to visit our zine fair. The AAG has the effect of reminding us that – though many of us feel isolated in our departments and professional spaces – there is community to be found in this discipline. It was a delight to see geographers of all stripes browse, discuss, and hang out at the zine fair!
Our location at the opposite end of the exhibit hall from the ESRI booth was an ironic reminder of the tensions that divide our field—but also an indicator of what the academy could become. We were delighted that the zine fair became a hub for other activities, like Palestine Solidarity organizing, impromptu hang outs, and distribution of free supplies, snacks, and literature. Every time we stopped in to visit, something new had appeared in the space. We hope that the community that we felt around grassroots knowledge production and dissemination will continue to grow into alternative spaces for geography.
Not only did the conference provide opportunities to connect avid zine-makers and geographers from North America and beyond, it also allowed the GEOZONe team time to meet, brainstorm, and scheme together. In an ice-bound cabin upstate, we cooked up plans for an article, a website expansion, and future zine fairs on the other side of the Atlantic. Since then, we’ve also made some appearances, including at the Punk Palouse Zine fest in Idaho, and are planning to be on a podcast soon. Watch this space!!