Brontez Purnell’s Living Zine + Bay Area Queer Zine Fest

A DIY form of making and publishing, zines share stories, art, ideas, and facts — all through the personal lens of the zinemaker. This First Thursday, come experience zines in two ways: the “Living Zine” of Brontez Purnell, who brings his multifold art practices together into one singular event, and a hands-on workshop plus zine readings from Bay Area Queer Zine Fest.

Event Schedule

Zine-Making and Readings with Bay Area Queer Zine Fest
Floor 2, Koret Education Center
3–7:30 p.m.

Join the organizers of Bay Area Queer Zine Fest for zine-making and readings! As self-published, non-commercial publications, zines can take many forms and offer expansive possibilities for self-expression. In this workshop, a selection of materials and guidance from zine creators will be offered as you are prompted to follow your muse in crafting a zine of your own. Zine authors will give readings throughout the day.

 
Brontez Purnell’s Living Zine
Floor 4, Gina and Stuart Peterson White Box
6–8 p.m.

Author, poet, musician, choreographer, dancer, visual artist, curator, performer: as a cultural virtuoso, Brontez Purnell’s art embraces a multiplicity of forms of expression. Each work joins an ever-expanding nexus united by, as Purnell has said, “the common core of me.” At that core is a deep spirit of punk rock subversion, improvisation, and radical openness. Tonight, Purnell reimagines one of the forms he’s worked in since his teens — zines — in a night of performance. Incorporating readings, screenings, live music, and dance, this living zine will introduce you to the many siblings of which Purnell is a parent.

About the artists

Founded in 2017, Bay Area Queer Zine Fest strives to positively maintain, support, and contribute to the queer and creative communities it proactively represents. They design inclusive, community-oriented events that celebrate contemporary LGBTQIA+ voices in visual and literary arts, comics, and independent publishing, occupying space as a means to galvanize peers and aspiring zinesters alike to create a world reflective of themselves.

Brontez Purnell has been making art and music since the 1990s. He started in The Social Lies, a hard-core Afro-punk duo in Alabama in his teens, and later Gravy Train!!!! He then went on to lead his long-running project The Younger Lovers. He is also a dancer, filmmaker, choreographer (for the Brontez Purnell Dance Company), and author of nine books including a graphic novel, a children’s book, and most recently the memoir Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt. His novel 100 Boyfriends won the 2022 Lambda Literary Award in Gay Fiction. Born in Triana, Alabama, he’s lived in Oakland, California, for twenty years. Purnell graduated with an MFA in Conceptual Art Practice from UC Berkeley and received the 2022 Robert Rauschenberg Award from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts.

Presenting support for First Thursdays is provided by Penny S. and James G. Coulter.

Major support is provided by Concepción S. and Irwin Federman.