The 2026 Buffalo Zine Fest and a Blue Bag Press reading at Fitz Books happen this Saturday in Buffalo.

Friday, Aug. 14, 7 p.m.: Gutter Pop Comics and the Western New York Book Arts Center present the 2026 Buffalo Zine Fest Pre-Party.

Featured performers:

-New Animated shorts & an exclusive first look screening with GiA Ligammari

-An experimental Anti-A.I. Drag Performance from Mister Rigormortis

-Poetry from Yamilla Tate and Mathilda Cullen..

-Comics reading from Louie Snow and Mia Weller
Gutter Pop Comics, 1421 Hertel Ave., Buffalo, NY 14216
Free and open to the public.

Saturday, Aug. 15, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: The Western New York Book Arts in conjunction with Daemen University, Gutter Pop Comics, Burning Books, and Just Buffalo Literary Center present 2026 Buffalo Zine Fest, organized and curated by Robin Lee Jordan. Western New York Book Arts Center, 468 Washington St, Buffalo, NY 14203.

This third annual event features over 50 local zine-makers, poets, and comic artists who gather to distribute, trade, & sell their creations. Adding some hands-on artmaking to the day, Book Arts will also host letterpress and screen printing demonstrations in our lower-level studio. Participants will be able to print their own zine, or screen print a commemorative t-shirt.

This event is free and open to the public.

Zines are a powerful tool for creative expression, storytelling, and arts education. Because of their accessibility and popularity among young people, zine-making has become an important part of the educational programming offered by Book Arts and partner organizations including CEPA Gallery, Squeaky Wheel, and BICA.
During the heyday of zine culture in the 1980s and 1990s, affordable photocopiers made self-publishing accessible to anyone with an idea to share. Today, while digital platforms dominate communication, opportunities for independent print publishing have become increasingly limited.

Collaborating organizations will include the Downtown Branch of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, Just Buffalo Literary Center, Gutter Pop Comics, independent bookstores, and other community partners. Together, these programs will celebrate self-publishing, literary arts, visual storytelling, and the creative communities that make Western New York’s zine culture thrive. A city with a healthy art scene provides opportunities for diverse artists who don’t necessarily have a publisher, a large budget, or a full-time art career to get their work out to the public.

As part of ZineFest 2026, Western New York Book Arts Center will present a Teen Zine Exhibition featuring work created by high school students participating in zine programs throughout Western New York. The exhibition will showcase the voices, ideas, and artistic talents of emerging young creators while highlighting the educational impact of collaborative arts programming across the region.

Teen Zine Exhibition

Sponsored by BXI Consultants, ZineFactory at WNYBAC for teens and all Zine-makers will operate from August 8 through August 14, leading up to ZineFest on August 15.

The Factory will be open: August 8 (10am-2pm), Aug 11 (4pm-6pm), Aug 12–13 (11am-8pm), Aug 14 (11am-5pm).

For one week, Book Arts will transform into a free community publishing hub where visitors can create, print, and assemble their own zines. Open to artists, writers, students, and curious first-time makers, ZineFactory will provide access to equipment, materials, and guidance, empowering participants to share their stories through the timeless medium of print.

For further information, contact: curious@wnybookarts.org

Saturday, Aug. 15, p.m.: Claire Marie Stancek will join poet Christina Vega-Westhoff at a reading sponsored by Blue Bag Press in conjunction with the release of Stancek’s book Operating Moon (Pinsapo, 2026) at 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 15th at Fitz Books and Waffles, 1462 Main St. in Buffalo. Free and open to the public.

Thom Eichelberger-Young, the publisher of Blue Bag Press, will serve host and, with Jake Sanders, provide music at the event.

About the Poets

Claire Marie Stancek is a writer, editor, and educator. She is author of five books of poetry, including Double Life (Omnidawn Publishing, forthcoming 2027), Operating Moon (Pinsapo, 2026), wyrd] bird (Omnidawn, 2020), Oil Spell (Omnidawn, 2018), and MOUTHS (Noemi, 2017). With Daniel Benjamin, she co-edited Active Aesthetics: Contemporary Australian Poetry (Tuumba/Giramondo, 2016). With Jane Gregory and the late Lyn Hejinian, she co-founded Nion Editions, a chapbook press that she and Jane now co-edit. Claire Marie earned a B.A. from the University of Toronto and holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of California, Berkeley. She lives in Philadelphia.

Christina Vega-Westhoff is a poet, translator, choreographer, and educator living in Buffalo, NY. She is the author of Suelo Tide Cement (Nightboat, 2018). She served as translator for the bilingual Stories that Cook: Art, Memories, and Recipes / Historias que Cocinan: Arte, Recuerdos, y Recetas (Genesee Valley Council on the Arts, 2024), which features recipes, stories, and art from students, teachers, and staff associated with migrant education programs in Western New York. Her poetry has recently appeared in The Capilano Review’s Speculative Feminisms issue and Black Sun Lit’s Vestiges and her work is currently being supported by a New York State Choreographers Initiative Grant and an Artpark Writer’s Residency. She teaches aerial dance at The Bird’s Nest Circus Arts and is a teaching artist with Just Buffalo Literary Center.