Print is definitely not dead, and the proof of that was in Paradise Plaza. The Miami Zine Fair returned to the neighborhood. The event was completely free to attend and brought together more than 150 artists, writers, illustrators, and poets from South Florida and beyond.
A DECADE OF INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING
Founded back in 2015 by EXILE Projects as part of O, Miami Poetry Month, the fair has grown into a massive celebration of self publishing. Guests spent the afternoon browsing through hundreds of zines ranging from experimental handmade booklets to meticulously crafted publications. It was a rare chance to actually meet the makers and buy their work directly without a middleman.
HANDS ON WORKSHOPS
Beyond the exhibitor tables, the schedule was packed with interactive programming. The workshop lineup included a session on circular storytelling where teaching artist Alex B. Kostiw showed guests how to make a never ending kaleidocycle zine.
They also joined community historian Nadege Green from Black Miami-Dade as they created collages inspired by the 1959 civil rights trainings in Overtown. For something more meditative, the craft collective ENTRE hosted a mending workshop where they created bookmarks using fabric scraps and traditional stitches.
EXCLUSIVE LAUNCHES AND TRADES
There were exclusive drops throughout the afternoon. Miami legend Michele Oka Doner is released a new zine called “An Immersive World” based on her recent excursion to Alaska. Laura Paresky Gould launched “Chromatic Reflections,” a zine capturing how murals reflect on cars and windows around the city. For those who wanted to learn more about local plants, Forager authors Tiffany Noé, George Echevarria, and Nick Vagnoni signed copies of their expanded 2025 edition. Over at the O, Miami table, they ran a brilliant poetry exchange, trading original poems for a Materva, Jupiña, or Cawy soda while supplies lasted.
The entire event was held ground level with wide walkways, making it fully wheelchair accessible and family friendly.