First and foremost — Fuck. ICE. Keep making small press publications, use your right to free speech. If you’re looking for places to donate, check out Stand With Minnesota.
Okay. Now to the regular newsletter. If you’re new to indie comics and the zine scene, it’s good to know that the biggest times for shows are spring and fall. Not to say there aren’t summer and winter shows, it’s just that the most take place when the weather is the nicest. Below is our routine run of show applications and shows to see, and some other interesting stuff for y’all to dig into.
ZineMap Spotlight
ZineMap is a fantastic new development that is a free, community-driven online resource that features an interactive map of the zine and small press/indie publishing world. Users are invited to create profiles and contribute what knowledge they have (i.e. shops that buy/sell zines, zine libraries, festivals). What’s also great about this tool is that through the profiles, you can find zinesters around the world. They’ve also recently introduced a story/behind-the-scenes/highlights section.
Developed by CJ Wu with the mindset of making independent publishers and shops visible and helping zinesters connect, this tool is exactly what the zine world needs. It’s a clean website that’s easy to use, and it’s totally free. Consider supporting ZineMap by donating via ko-fi help keep it running as it grows.
I personally love ZineMap because it’s everything I always wanted out of The Show List but could never pull off because I can’t code or develop for shit. It’s so cool to see more folks putting in the energy to make this niche scene more connected. Be sure to check it out.
Show Applications
At least, these are the applications we could find by you can find more on The Show List using the season predictor columns.
Ontario Art Walk Open Call for Zine & Print Vendors (Ontario, CA, Feb 21) apps due by Feb 6
Santa Rosa Zine Fest (Santa Rosa, CA May 2, 2026), apps due by Feb 6
Reed Zine Fest (Portland, OR, March 28), apps due by Feb 6
Thought Bubble Comic Convention (Yorkshire, UK November 9-15, 2026) apps due by Feb 8
Miami Zine Fair (Miami, FL, April 1, 2026), apps due by Feb 8
Montreal Comic Arts Festival (Montreal, CA, May 15-17), apps due by Feb 8
Tucson Zine Fest (Tucson, AZ, March 28, 2026), apps due by Feb 9
Fanzineist Vienna (Vienna, Austria, May 22-24, 2026), apps due by Feb 10
VANCAF (Vancouver, CA, July 4-5 2026), apps due by Feb 11
Luna Moth Zine Fest (Manchester, NH, April 18, 2026), apps due by Feb 13
Prairie Comics Festival (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sept 5-6, 2026), apps due by February 14
Print and Resist (Madison, WI, April 25, 2026), apps due by Feb 15
Brooklyn Art Book Fair (Brooklyn, NY, July 10-12), apps due by Feb 16
Toronto Zine Library’s Paper Jam (March 28, 2026), apps due by Feb 20
Gainesville Arts & Zine Expo (GAZE, formerly Panel Palooza, Gainesville, FL, April 11, 2026), apps due by Feb 26
Tally Zine Fest (Tallahassee, FL, March 28, 2026) apps due by Feb 28
Super Exclusive Expo (Chicago, IL, April 11, 2026) apps due by Feb 28
Heavy Manners Zine Fair (Los Angeles, CA, April 11, 12) apps due by March 2
A2CAF (Ann Arbor, MI June 13-14), call for comic vendors due by March 14 (kids & family-friendly event) A2CAF has two events, one in summer and one in fall
Street Cat Zine Fest (Chillicothe, OH, July 11) apps due by March 22
OIympia Zine Fest (Olympia, WA May 30) apps open Feb 2
Milwaukee Zine Fest (Milwaukee, WI, April 18, 2026), lottery opening soon
Shows to Attend
This definitely isn’t every show happening in the Spring of 2026, but it’s what’s currently on the radar for applications and you can find more on The Show List (button below)
Twin Cities Zine Fest (Minneapolis, MN, February 7, and FUCK ICE)
Winter Exquisite Zine Fest (Northampton, MA, February 7)
8-Ball Zine Library Valentine’s Day Zine Fair (Brooklyn, NY, February 14)
Pride in Panels: SF Queer Comics Fest (San Francisco, CA February 15)
Flemington Zine Fest (Flemington, NJ March 14)
P.I.E. (Pittsburgh, PA, March 15)
SPACE (Columbus, OH, March 28-29)
FLUKE Comics & Zine Fest (Athens, GA, March 28)
STAPLE (Austin, TX, April 11, 12)
S.P.I.C.E. (Savannah, GA, April 17, 18)
Brooklyn Independent Comics Showcase (Brooklyn, NY, April 18, 19)
Lancaster Zine Fest (Lancaster, PA, April 18)
Milwaukee Zine Fest (Milwaukee, WI, April 18)
Anchor Archive Zine Library Fest (Canada, April 18)
CAKE (Chicago, IL, May 2-3)
Olympia Zine Fest (Olympia, WA, May 30)
Bubbles Con (Richmond, VA, May 30)
Other Opportunities
Kuti magazine is taking submissions, submit by February 9
Crafting the Future 2026 Grants for Black and Brown Visual Artists, deadline February 15
2026 Cartoonist Studio Prize, deadline February 28
Ann Arbor District Library Transgender Day of Visibility Zine Call For Submissions, apply through February 15
Short Run Seattle Trailer blaze Residency application opens now, residency takes place April 12-17 (woman and non-binary comic artists may apply)
No dates set yet, but FY27 grants from the Illinois Arts Council will open this year. This is one of few state arts councils that offers grants to invidiual artists (no 501©3 required)
Ohio Arts Council grants (also available to individual artists) are open with deadlines in February, March, and April
Submit to The Pit Issue 06: The Punishment Issue by February 4
GEIST Magazine call for submissions due by March 12, 2026
Call For Publishing Nerds! Book/Zine Reviews wanted by Wild Ramp Publishing, deadline March 31, 2026
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