Zines as civic engagement

At this year's Object//Project Art Book Fair, presented by Possible Worlds, I gave a talk about my journey so far as a journalist and zine-maker. Although I was incredibly nervous, preparing for the talk was so satisfying because I was finally compiling all the thoughts and values I'd been relishing in while creating and working on Mid City. My interests in journalism and magazine publishing started in high school, when I still lived in Edmonton, Alberta. I was especially inspired by The Gateway, the University of Alberta's student newspaper. At the time, it was printed as a magazine and I loved how they spotlighted incredible design and visual storytelling, without sacrificing the content, the reporting. Their magazine covers were playful and colourful, but so were the inside pages. I loved the creativity and how a news article could become something bigger. It could present facts and information, but it could also be artistic, fun, and visually engaging. The examples below are from…