When asked about print media, some people say it’s dead. Zine Fest proves the opposite. 

GLAZE, an independent Austin-based publication, hosted the Eulogy of the Independent Zine event on Saturday at Hotel Vegas, an Austin music venue, bar and patio.

Bringing different publications together, Zine Fest provides an opportunity for citizens to learn more about different publications, including independent magazines that allow journalists and creators to express themselves by covering local music and art. 

Skyler Burk, co-editor-in-chief and co-founder of GLAZE, said she was “sick of the competitive nature” of journalism and created this event to bring local publications together, fostering support and bonding over their shared craft. 

“There’s this really weird thing that has come into Austin, post-pandemic, that feels like this dog-eat-dog thing that didn’t used to be there,” Burk said. “We wanted to have a sense of, ‘We are all here, doing the same niche thing that people are trying to kill off, and we should be supporting each other.’”

The multitude of magazine publications located in Austin bring many outlets of creativity for both journalists and readers. Burk said people constantly ask questions about competition and angst between publications, when there’s nothing but support.

“There’s a lot of uplifting happening between all of the magazines,” Mariam Ali, co-editor-in-chief and co-founder of GLAZE said. “Especially with this event, it’s a lot clearer that we all support each other.”

GLAZE strives to provide for the community. Ali said the publication focuses on the visual aspects of journalism, creating and providing media representing their values. 

“We’re all about uplifting our community,” Ali said. “Giving them a space to be creative and giving them a space to explore their art.” 

Patrick Duggan, editor-in-chief and co-founder of Sidecar Junkaroo, another Austin print magazine, said Zine Fest allows people to physically flip through magazines to understand the unique aspect of print. Duggan said print media gives people endorphins through physical objects that can’t be easily dismissed.

“It’s sharing stories,” Duggan said. “Every magazine … will have such a, not only unique, but really strong perspective on what they like to cover, what drives them and what motivates them to write stories.”

The event not only brought journalists and creators together, but allowed the community to read each publication. Anyone could attend the event, look through publications and learn about their ambitions.

“A lot of (people) probably are into journalism or print media of some sort,” Burk said. “A lot of it is also just art. People who are artistic, or people who want to be in that scene and are unsure how to do it or … just need to be introduced into that community.”

Zine Fest provides an opportunity for publications to get together and bond over their passion for what some would call a dying art. Print is permanent and gives creators opportunities to express themselves through different media, whether it’s through writing, designing or photography. 

“The whole theme of the (event) is to remind people that print’s not going anywhere anytime soon,” Burk said. “All of the magazines that I know, all the publications that I know of, we’re all growing inside. People are proud to be a part of it. They’re proud to be producing these really incredible, immortalized things that we can keep forever.”