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©2025 julia 해은 kim
AAPI Mental Health Zines and More
my role: event coordinator, leader, poster designer
status: in the works!
Location: PCC Rock Creek Building 3 (Arts Building)
Date: Friday, May 30th, 11am-4pm PT
1st Station: Reflect
Participants are invited to answer questions about AAPI experiences. Can share via little print-outs, sticky notes on wall, or mini collective notebooks. Free snacks in this area. Conversations driven by card games like “We’re Not Really Strangers” or “Parents Are Human” but AAPI mental health edition (I have a list of questions ready)
2nd Station: Create
Zine workshop here, with mini demonstrations on how to create zines with supplies provided. Participants asked to draw on answers from first station to create zines with whatever they desire to share. Potentially allow participants to donate their zines to the PCC Library zine collection (still working on this)!
3rd Station: Share
The plan is to host a smaller scale zine fest with 5-15 AAPI creatives who want to showcase their work. I will set up a mini zine library here with highlights on AAPI zines/books/stories. I’m hoping to showcase AAPI creatives with their own booths and possibly sell their work like a traditional zine fest OR display work as a mini exhibit.
Are you interested in participating or getting involved? Please fill out a brief google form!
FAQ
Q: Where is this happening? When is it happening?
A: The plan is to host it at PCC Rock Creek campus Building 3 (the Arts and Music building) on the first floor on Friday, May 30th 11AM-4PM PT. It’s a beautiful space! Things are still up in the air, but that is what I have down so far.
Q: How can I help?
A: Awesome :) I am organizing “volunteer committees” right now. If you are interested in getting involved, please fill out this separate form:
Q: I'm not AAPI, but I'm interested in this event. Can I still be involved somehow?
A: Of course! My priority is to involve more local AAPI creatives, but I will not reject anyone who is interested! Please fill out the form anyways and I will get in touch. We can discuss more.
Q: I'm not an artist or writer, but I'm AAPI and I'm curious to learn more. Should I still fill out the form?
A: Yes! Even if you don't feel like you create art, I still want to hear from you. And anyone can create art! As long as you're curious, then you're welcome to join :)
Q: I'm not local to Portland, OR but I want to be involved. Is that still possible?
A: You can, but just for full clarity, this event will be in-person and most planning activities will be in-person. Depending on what you want to gain from this experience, I can try my best to make sure you get what you want to put in, but there will only be so much that I can do for you if you aren't local to Portland.
BUT! I don't want to refuse anyone, especially if you really want to meet other AAPI creatives! Fill out the form and I'll get in touch with you :)
Q: How will this help me meet other AAPI creatives?
A: Good question. Here are some upcoming events to get you involved and meeting new friends!
Location: Honey Latte Cafe (1033 SE Main St.)
Join me and other new friends as we doodle, write, work on creative projects, chat about life, and more! It’s very lowkey and casual. I will bring some basic supplies.
This is also a great opportunity to get involved in the planning process of the AAPI event!
If you can’t make it to this hangout, no worries - there will be more to come in April/May :)
Q: I'm still confused what this is. Is it a zine workshop? Is it a zine fest? Is it just a community gathering?
A: Another good question. My plan is to make it a mix of everything - a mini zine fest with a mini workshop happening in the corner with a gathering space for people to hang out and chat about anything AAPI, mental health, and more.
If you have strong opinions about this and want to talk, fill out the form and I'll be in touch with more information.
Q: Will I get paid to do this? Can I sell my work?
A: Unfortunately no, you will not get paid to participate. I don't have money :(
My vision is that creatives who want to booth will be able to sell their work. I'm trying to figure out logistics with this. Fill out the form anyways if you are interested in boothing and I will keep in touch. This is really an opportunity for Portland AAPI creatives to build community and make friends.
Q: I don't make zines. I don't know what zines are. Can I still get involved?
A: Absolutely. Zines are like self-published magazines.
For a better definition, check out this link: https://www.binderymke.com/what-is-a-zine
To check out some online versions of zines, check out this link: https://archive.org/details/zines
As for boothing non-zines, there will be a priority for AAPI creatives who create zines, but it's not required. If you really want to booth and you don't have zines, we can figure something out. Maybe like a little mini exhibit or something. At the end of the day, I just want to be able to invite as many people as I can. As long as you're not displaying or selling anything dangerous or extremely offensive, then it should be fine. Just, please don't make me uncomfortable or yell at me. I'm just one person.
Q: I'm really shy. Is there a way I can just be minimally involved?
A: Don't worry, I'm shy too <3. You can show up as much as or as little as you like. No hard feelings at all. This is not mandatory. Even if you just want to participate in the event itself without getting involved in the planning process, fill out the form so I can gauge how much interest there is in this event. If no one fills this survey out, then this event will probably not happen (I'm too shy to do it on my own).
Q: Who are you? Why are you doing this?
A: I'm julia and I was born and raised in Portland. I've made a few comic zines and currently work at the PCC library. I'm doing this because I'm really bored and lonely and want to make more friends. If you want to learn more about what kind of art I make and who I am, please check my bio or my projects on the left tab (if you’re on your phone, scroll to the top and press the three horizontal lines icon).
Q: I'm having trouble filling out the form. What should I do?
A: Please contact me here with any questions or concerns you have.