What is Canzine?
Canzine is a festival of zines and underground print culture. This year, Broken Pencil Magazine is hosting the festival in four different cities: Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and — just announced — Saskatoon!
Is there an entry fee?
No! Admission to all Canzine fests is free! If you’re interested in getting the fall issue of BP, just provide a small donation at the door! Or support Canzine and Broken Pencil all year round with a Canzine-only $10 1 year subscription available at the door!
What happens at Canzine?
Hundreds of vendors and creators of comics, zines and underground art gather together to show off their stuff. You can buy, trade and meet the creators! Plus there’s all day button and zine making for all ages! There’s also readings, panel discussions, exhibits and more! In Toronto, Canzine ends with the official presentation of the Zine Awards to the year’s best zines from around the world! Learn more by clicking on any Canzine city’s event page.
How do I browse Canzine?
✿ Pick up a program to check out the vendor list and event times.
✿ Make sure you hit all the rooms — with as many as 260 vendors at a Canzine Toronto, there’s a lot of side rooms with eager creators waiting for you to visit!
✿ Don’t be shy about chatting with people, especially vendors!
✿ Make sure you bring $$$, preferably small bills and change, because most vendors won’t have credit card machines.
✿ Take a break and make a zine or button at our maker areas, or chill in the displays and pop up zine libraries available.
✿ Tweet us a photo of your swag @brokenpencilmag using the hashtag: #Canzine.
How much money should I bring to Canzine?
Whatever amount you’re comfortable spending. Some people buy just a couple of $3 zines, while some people save up all year so they can spend hundreds.
Entry is free, which helps with budgeting, but we do ask for a $5 or $10 donation at the door to keep the festival running. Just make sure you bring small bills and change!
How much time should I spend at Canzine?
There’s a panel, lots of drop in events, the Zine Awards Show, and hundreds of vendors. Plan on spending at least 2 hours at Canzine, but you could easily make a day of it! Each city’s event has a different start and end time, so make sure you check the timing in your city.
Is Canzine accessible?
Yes, all Canzine venues are fully accessible for wheelchair users and have accessible, gender neutral washrooms with bars. If you need any accommodations, or have other barriers that we can help address, please email us at [email protected].
What should I do if something happens that made me uncomfortable or should be addressed? What are your policies?
Check out our statement about our values, anti-harassment policy and anti-oppression approach
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At all of our Canzine festivals, we acknowledge that we gather on the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples and nations, and as such benefit from the horrifying, ongoing project of settler colonialism. Thus we are invested in honouring the traditional ownership of this land, learning about the treaties that govern the spaces we hold events, and supporting Indigenous leadership presently and in the future.
We aspire for Canzine to be a safer and inclusive event that makes room for the unique lived experiences of exhibitors, staff, volunteers and visitors.
We do not tolerate harassment of any kind at Canzine such as unwanted advances, intimidation, discrimination, taunts/threats, inappropriate physical contact, unwelcome sexual attention, stealing damaging people’s stuff. Anyone engaging in this behaviour will be escorted out.
We do not tolerate racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, or other forms or acts of oppression at Canzine. Anyone engaging in discriminatory conduct is unwelcome at the festival and will be escorted out.
If at any time you witness or experience something that goes against these values or makes you uncomfortable in any way, please find a Canzine staff member (look for the name tags). You can also reach out to the generic [email protected] or contact Jonathan through [email protected] and Anisa at [email protected].
Our programming aspires to prioritize the work, wisdom, and autonomy of people living on the margins in zine culture, the arts, and beyond. We want to counter historical imbalances in the zine scene especially.
We celebrate the critical importance of BIPOC, 2S/queer/trans+, disabled, feminist and anti-capitalist zine creators throughout zine history.
Our aim is to make Canzine accessible to people with disabilities and anyone facing a barrier to join in. All Canzine venues are have accessible entrances and washrooms. If you need accommodations, please reach out.
All are welcome to send thoughts, critiques, questions, ideas, suggestions to [email protected].
What are the Zine Awards?
This year marks Broken Pencil’s third-ever International Zine Awards! Over 200 zinesters submitted their work in eight categories. It was tough, but our judges managed to narrow down the entries to a shortlist. The winners of the Zine Awards will be announced at Canzine Toronto at a presentation featuring videos made by the nominees and more! Join us at the Zine Awards presentation — it’s free, but bring money to buy the winning zines, and bring some kleenex, because this event really pulls at the old heartstrings.
Are any of the shortlisters going to be at Canzine TO and the Zine Awards?
Yes! A bunch of the zinesters on the Zine Awards shortlist who are coming to Canzine Toronto for the awards.
I actually want to have a table at Canzine. Can I just show up with my stuff to sell?
Sadly no. Toronto and Vancouver are both at capacity. There is still room for a few more vendors in Ottawa so join us there!
