Your Homegirl is Booked (and very grateful) in July!
Howdy y’all.
I’m writing this newsletter on an early Monday morning and feeling surprisingly energized.
It’s the week of Chicago Zine Fest and I’m very excited to kick off two weeks of zine fun and meeting new and old friends. Making zines has really re-ignited a creative spark that went dormant for a few years. The pandemic, career burnout, the world, and life happenings drained me of a lot of my spark.
Now, after a long period of diminished mojo, I am doing a lot of the things that make me feel most like myself: writing, fandom, indie publishing, writing about fandom.
Making zines has also helped me adopt a slower pace, for creating things and for just living. I am taking more time to read, to write, to think, to connect with others and to be by myself, and to choose my modes of self-expression more carefully. I’m really grateful for that — and for everyone who has come along for this ride. Thank you!
Some news!
Wild Ramp Publishing has a Patreon where you can get zine bundles, and other fun stuff (like totes!) I’m also doing some exclusive content over there like book reviews, so please check it out and consider becoming a Patron! Your support goes right into the zine microgrant fund, which is coming back in the fall.
As I mentioned in the last newsletter, I’ll be at Chicago Zine Fest as an organizer this coming Saturday at Harold Washington Library (400 S. State Street), come wave hello as I play various roles throughout the day.
Then the following Saturday, July 26th I’ll be tabling with all of my published zines at South Side Zine Fest at Daley Library (3400 S. Halsted St.) from 11 am-1:30pm. I will have a new collab K-pop mini-zine about K-pop producers and songwriters AND a Bob’s Burgers mini-zine that is about (you guessed it) fandom. At 2pm that same day, I’ll be participating in a panel about fandom and zines and reading one of the essays from Fangirl Confessional. The panel will be at Tangible Books, 3326 S. Halsted St, right down the street from Daley Library.
And THEN on August 16th, I’ll be taking the train over to Grand Rapids, Michigan for the Grand Rapids Zine Fest! My first out of town zine fest! More on that next newsletter. And I’ll be at the CU Small Press Fest in Champaign-Urbana on October 11.
Act Your Age 3: Submissions Wanted!
Speaking of October, I’m putting out an early call for submissions for Act Your Age: Fandom at 35+ and Beyond, Volume 3.
For Act Your Age Volume 3, we’re diving into the theme of "Generations". We're looking for stories, art, and creative work that explore how fandom connects across age, time, and family lines.
Are you a second-or third-generation fan in your family?
Maybe your love of a band, show, book, or game was inherited from a parent or grandparent—or maybe you’re the one who passed it on to your child, your sibling, your nibling, or even your neighbor.
Do you participate in fan activities that bring together people of different ages?
Have you found meaning in how fandom acts as a bridge between generations, cultures, or communities?
We’re accepting essays, stories, visual art, comics, poetry, and other creative work that fits the theme. Both personal reflections and imaginative takes are welcome.
Microsoft Word, Google Drive links and png artwork is accepted. If your work is selected for publication, you’ll receive two copies of the zine as a thank-you.
Deadline is October 24, 2025.
Anyway, that’s all for me! I would love to know what’s making you all happy right now. I have on repeat two of my (very different) favorite groups: SHINee and The Armed.
Toodles!
Keidra