Long Live Print: 7 Resources for Regional Zine Makers
Explore resources for zine makers in Western North Carolina, from archives and indie presses to open studios and local bookshops.
Zines—short for “fan magazines”—first emerged in the 1930s as a DIY publishing format that hasn’t changed much since. In Western North Carolina, a region celebrated for traditional crafts like glass and ceramics, zine makers occupy a curious space, not quite crafters, not quite fine artists, but something uniquely their own.
Despite this, zine makers, book artists, and printmakers have carved out a community in Western North Carolina. They gather for workshops, swap stories and pages at Asheville Zine Fest, and keep independent publishing alive in a time when everyone else seems to have written print’s obituary.
Below, you’ll find a handful of places where the region’s zine-makers, book artists, and printmakers gather to create and keep the presses rolling.
Archives & Collections
Buncombe County Special Collections
Step into the BCSC Zine Collection in the basement of Pack Memorial Library and you’ll find yourself surrounded by decades of local zine-making. Many of these pieces were gathered by Asheville Zine Fest founder Jessica White, who began collecting in 1999 and has kept the archive growing ever since. Complete runs of Asheville Zine Fest zines live here too, alongside traces of past projects and resident exhibitions.
Visit the BCSC here.
Bookstores & Retail
Firestorm Books & Coffee
Firestorm Books & Coffee is a queer, feminist collective whose shelves are lined with underground and independent titles, like AK Press, PM Press, and Detritus Books. On any given week, you might stumble into a workshop, a film night, or a table of folks folding and stapling zines for the next Zine Assembly, hosted every second Tuesday.
Visit Firestorm Books & Coffee here.
Horse + Hero
With an Art Deco storefront, Horse + Hero is an excellent resource for zine-makers seeking inspiration. The downtown Asheville shop specializes in neo-Appalachian prints and paper goods that combine contemporary design with regional craft traditions.
Visit Horse + Hero here.
Downtown Books and News
Downtown Books and News, located in downtown Asheville, is an oasis for the curious and the creative. Zines nestle beside rare, oddball books on metaphysics, homesteading, and the art of DIY. The shelves are crowded with affordable finds and illustrated treasures waiting to be discovered. Since 1988, DBN has been a champion of local artists and writers, and if you ask, they’ll point you toward Asheville’s other indie book haunts, like Firestorm, Bagatelle, and Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar.
Visit Downtown Books and News here.
Events & Community
Asheville Zine Fest
Asheville Zine Fest is undoubtedly the heart of WNC’s zine scene. Dreamed up by Jessica White of Over Yonder Press as a way to connect zine-makers, comic book artists, and small-press publishers, the fest began in 2016 and continues to grow in scope and vision every fall.
Visit Asheville Zine Fest here.
Printmaking & Studios
Print House AVL
Print House AVL is more than a studio. It’s a place where printmakers of all skill levels gather for hands-on workshops, learning everything from classic relief techniques to new, sustainable methods. A green studio, Print House focuses on solvent-free methods that prioritize the health and well-being of its artists and the environment. Rent their professional-grade press by the hour to explore on your own.
Visit Print House AVL here.
Drum Machine Editions
Ready to take your zine to the next level? While most zines live and die by the hand-staple, indie publishers like Drum Machine Editions can help turn your experimental projects into something closer to a bona fide art book. Their model is built on transparency and equity, with artists negotiating everything from materials and labor to pricing and percentage splits, keeping control of their work every step of the way.
Visit Drum Machine Editions here.
All images published with permission of the artist(s). Featured graphic: Poster for 2020 Asheville Zine Fest Exchange, designed and printed by Woolly Press, courtesy of Buncombe County Special Collections.