the BEAT of the week: L.A. Zine Fest

In this day and age of blogs and Twitters, Tumblrs and Pinterest boards, there's still nothing more D.I.Y. than the classic 'zine. "A broad form, zines can contain anything and are not limited to text or graphics. In Los Angeles in the 1940s, zines contained the writings of science-fiction fans and recorded essential elements of the early days of the culture; in the 1970s and 80s, punk zines like Flipside and Slash reviewed records, shows, and told stories of the punk scene from Hollywood and the South Bay to East L.A."

That's a description given by the L.A. Zine Fest, a new event created in order to celebrate the beloved form. Taking place at The Last Bookstore (what an appropriate name) this Sunday, the fest will feature a number of zinemakers and artists, showing off works that are old and new. There will also be panels that'll explore the culture and history of the zines, like Meltdown Comics giving a talk on making and selling minicomics in 'Meltdown University' and the Machine Project discussing how to create your own D.I.Y. space. The ever-entertaining Henry Rollins will also be on hand to interview documentarian V. Vale.

Being surrounded by all this D.I.Y. energy is enough to get anyone inspired. Who knows what you might be able to create yourself? Long live the zine!

The L.A. Zine Fest takes place this Sunday, Feb. 19 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the second floor or the Spring Arts Tower and in The Last Bookstore, located at 453 S. Spring St. in downtown. The entire event is free.

-- Chau Tu