The 8th Annual Portland Zine Symposium will be on AUGUST 23rd & 24th, 2008 in Portland, Oregon at Portland State University in the Smith Memorial Ballroom.
This year's theme is:
Back to DIY
Back to Community
Back to Roots
Tabling will be held in the Ballroom at Smith Memorial Center, PSU Campus on Aug 23 & 24.

Half tables (3 ft x 2 ft) are available for individuals and are reserved for a $10 deposit.

Full tables (6 ft x 2 ft) are available for distributors, publishers, organizations, groups, or individuals with a lot of zines for a $25 deposit.
In order to maintain the DIY spirit of the Portland Zine Symposium, at least 51% of merchandise at any table must be handmade (i.e. zines, crafts, food), with the exception of literature (i.e. mass-published books) or supplies used for DIY/art projects.

PZS asks that you only register up to ONE full table per person / organization. This will help us ensure that we have more room for everyone this year, thank you for understanding as we try to keep PZS as diverse and inclusive as possible.

Once you have filled out the online registration form, you will receive an e-mail to confirm that your table request has been received and there are still tables available. At this time, you will be asked to mail in your donation or pay via PayPal. Also, we would love non-monetary donations for our raffle (like a copy of your zine, or art, or anything fun) and will have a box for these donations at the Symposium.

Donations must be made in the form of a check, money order, or via Paypal. If you must make a donation with cash, please do so in person or mail it inside the registration form. Cancellations must be made by August 1, 2008 for a refund.

Portland Zine Symposium
Attn: Tabling
PO Box 5901
Portland, OR 97228-5901

Note: Donations are made to ensure attendance, your table will not be guaranteed until we receive the donation (at which point you will receive a confirmation from us). Donations should be made to the Portland Zine Symposium. Thank you for your support.

Questions? We've got some too. E-mail: -email-

In a stunning victory for comic creators and sellers everywhere, prosecutors have dismissed all charges against comic shop owner Gordon Lee after a three year battle of distributing harmful and obscene materials to a minor. As reported in Ka-Whump #2, Lee was accused of knowingly giving a 9 year old boy a copy of ALTERNATIVE COMICS #2 featuring a story entitled The Salon by Nick Bertozzi and featuring a nude Pablo Picasso in a free Halloween comic giveaway. The book was unintentionally in the free giveaway pile, but the parents of the boy still took legal action against Gordon Lee and his shop Legends. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has been assisting Lee in his legal battles and the outcome came as a great relief to Mr. Lee and the CBLDF."This is a victory for Gordon, and a victory for comics," says CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein. "For more than three years, the comics world has stood behind Gordon's innocence and now we are vindicated."

The outcome of the case was announced at The New York City Comic Con on April 18th by comics legend Neil Gaiman.

Portland Oregon based SPARK PLUG COMICS has just released six new titles just in time for an appearance at Heroes Con in North Carolina. Among the releases are Inkweed by Chris Wright, Windy Corner #2 edited by Austin English with work by
Fiona Logusch, Onsmith, Juliacks, Mollie Goldstrom, Elisabeth Timpone, John Hankiewicz, Dylan Williams
and Austin English, The Hot Breath of War by Trevor Alixopulos, Reich #4 by Elijah Brubaker, Nerd Burglar, a free anthology of Portland, OR comic artists co-published by Teenage Dinosaur and Tugboat Press with work by Aron Nels Steinke, Chris Cilla, Tim
Root, Jennifer Parks, Shawn Granton, Bobby Madness, Sarah Oleksyk, and Elijah Brubaker and Aron Nels Steinke's amazing new self-published book Super Crazy Cat Dance.

For more information on these books and how to get your hands on them, visit the Spark Plug website at http://www.sparkplugcomicbooks.com/ and tell 'em Ka-Whump sent ya!

Alan Bennett, head cheese at Black Box Comics has relocated to Portland Oregon and is hard at work on the second all color issue of JOHNNY VEGA: Man Of The Future. Bennett has simplified the process of illustrating and producing his comics by bypassing the inking stage and going straight to the colors for Johnny's adventures.

"Currently I am trying to adapt a method of illustrating without the usage of a solid black eclipse line around the figure or anything else. The idea comes from watching Samurai Jack for the last couple years and the collected DVD sets.
Disney had been pioneering this method for animation for years. It makes the animation sequences look and feel seamless. And ultimately that is what I am wanting Johnny Vega to be. A CGI animated feature. And I said it here first, so mark my words when he gets popular." says Bennett, who has had a busy last couple of months by attending Portland's Stumptown Comics Fest as well as the Emerald City Con in Seattle.

To catch up on what Black Box is up to next, zip on over to the Black Box blog website at http://blackboxcomix.blogspot.com/[/color]

This is from jerianne, the hard working editor of the small press/underground press reviewzine ZINEWORLD:

We're working on a new issue, to be released later this summer. Zine World wants to be a great resource for all zine publishers and readers; we need your help to make that happen. The information you give us will be shared with all of Zine World's readers, plus with visitors to our website.

Please send us:
* Updates for our zine library / infoshop list. The next issue will include our full list (U.S. and international). Email info on new locations, closed locations, or changes to -email-. Please include as much contact info as possible and a brief description about your collection / services.

* Listings and recommendations for our stores & distros list. Share your recommendations on what distros or stores have done you right, either as a publisher or as a purchaser. Or tell us what places to stay away from -- which ones are unreliable, don't pay promptly, etc. Or, if you have a distro or a store that sells zines and you want to be on our list, email us with your distro's name, website, mailing address, and a one-sentence description.

* Updates for our zine review zines list (including websites). Tell us about new review sources or ones that have stopped publishing. Please include contact information.

* Event listings, for events happening August 2008 or later. Or, if you've recently attended a zine event, we'd love to hear your report about how it went. (Event organizers -- we'd love to hear from you, too! Share your knowledge and experience about planning, organizing, or hosting an event.)

* Other zine resources or advice -- experiences with print shops; advice on or experiences with postage & mailing; deadbeat zines; advice on diy printing or equipment; online resources; or anything else you think other zinesters would want to know.

* Moved? Share youre zine's new mailing address. Send info to -email-.

We also take advertising! You can submit a free classified ad (up to 50 words) for your zine, distro, diy project or group, as well as for calls-for-submissions, personals, or whatever else. Please be sure to include contact information -- that means a mailing address, unless you're just hawking a website. Display ads are super affordable, starting at just $15. Buying an ad helps us pay for printing the zine, so we can keep the cover price affordable. Email -email- for ad rates or to submit your classified.


Zine World wants to put you to work! Help us get the next issue out, and we'll give you free zines and whatnot. Volunteers are needed for:

* ad rep - We need someone to coordinate advertising for ZW, including answering advertising queries and seeking new advertisers.

* distribution / order fulfillment - We need someone to take over distribution of ZW to stores; it would be great to have someone help out with filling orders.

* art coordinator - We need someone to keep up with the art submissions and to stay in contact with artists to line up artwork for each issue.

* writers & artists - We need someone to make a cover for the next issue, as well as interior art submission. We're also looking for a column for the next issue. Email with your ideas.

* general grunt work - typing, checking addresses, online research, etc.

A lot of work goes into each issue of Zine World. The more volunteers we have, the quicker it will get done, and the quicker we can release a new issue. Email -email- for more details.

thanks,
Jerianne

According to WCG Comics frontman Randy Reynaldo, his jet-setting super spy Rob Hanes will be returning to action in the 11th issue of ROB HANES ADVENTURES due out in July. Here's Randy's post on comicspace:

I've just posted the latest Rob Hanes Adventures Update newsletter at

http://wcgcomics.com/wcgupdate/35update.html

Included in the newsletter is the full color cover to the issue, as well as a link to sample pages from the issue. The newsletter also includes information about my plans for the San Diego Comic-Con.


Randy Reynaldo
WCG Comics

Dennis Dread, publisher of the Underground artrock metal zine DESTROYING ANGELS is hosting a month-long exhibition of some of the finest (and goriest) underground art around. The exhibition entitled "ENTARTETE KUNTS" featured the work of Dread, J. Petagno, Chris Reifert, Drew Elliott, Rev. Criss Hades, Conny Cobra, Glenn Smith and more. The exhibit continues from now until July 21st at Optic Nerve Arts 1223 NE Alberta Street in Portland, Oregon 97211 and has been featured in JUXTAPOZ magazine online!

Here's a brief explanation of how the exhibit got it's name according to Dread, ""Entartete Kunts” is a bastardization of the German term “degenerate art” and a snide reference to the 1937 Nazi purging of all art deemed objectionable by "Der Führer." This unfortunate pun seems somehow appropriate for a bunch of drooling degenerates that consistently crank out uncompromising eyesores with seemingly little regard for commercial viability or good taste. As it turns out, the title also insures that many local businesses will refuse to display the flyer or otherwise promote this annual optic apocalypse. Entartete Kunts is in fact a very special exhibition that assembles some of the most devoted artists from around the world for a rare glimpse into a thriving and still largely renegade culture!'

All proceeds from the sale of any artwork on display goes straight to the artist....so how can you go wrong with that?
For more information check out Dennis' blog at http://dennisdread.blogspot.com/