Quinn Blackshere is a Milwaukee-based illustrator whose interests span a range of artistic avenues from animation, to comics, to zines! Quinn found her way to Milwaukee Zine Fest in early 2019 when she joined forces to teach zine workshops with The Bindery. 

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Quinn’s passion has always resided in storytelling through drawing. Through creating comprehensive worlds and enjoyable characters, her goal is to transport the viewer to a fantastic yet relatable new realm. Her work is whimsical, colorful, and often with a sprinkle of humor. Quinn uses her background in illustration to create image based zines, and connect with other artists within the zine community.

Hello! I’m Kelly Bolter, the Adult Programming Coordinator at Milwaukee Public Library. I have been part of the Milwaukee Zine Fest Team since 2022, serving as the onsite logistical planner, coordinator, and day-of point person at Central Library. Libraries are for everyone, and Milwaukee Zine Fest is a truly welcoming space for all. Milwaukee Public Library is proud to host this diverse, inclusive celebration of literacy, creativity, and accessible representation.

In addition to managing the Mitchell Street branch library, Maria loves reading books and drinking tea. She has a degree in Book & Paper Arts, where she learned hand bookbinding, letterpress printing, and hand papermaking. She has been working with Milwaukee Zine Fest since 2018 and this just might be her favorite event of the year, where she especially enjoys teaching workshops related to book making and paper folding. Her introduction to zines was in high school when a group of students self-published a collection of art and writing that didn’t make it into the official lit magazine.

Casey ‘KC’ Harrison (DARK AGE online) is a designer, illustrator and printmaker currently living in Milwaukee, WI. I have been creating zines and zine-like objects for as long as I can remember. I have been involved in the local zine community since 2017 and have participated in dozens of zine fests. I joined the Milwaukee Zine Team around 2019 as a way to become more involved in the community that is so dear to me. I am the curator of the quarterly (maga)zine WYRD, and am proud to be the very first recipient of Lion Tooth’s Dandelion Residency, ’22-23.

Hi, I'm Zach and I'm the Managing Director of The Bindery where I work with a small team of artisans to help folks design, craft, bind, and publish new works of all kinds (especially zines)! I love teaching Letterpress for Queers as well as our various zine classes for students and after school programs. You can find me at zine fest, running around sweating, or standing on a chair yelling about the next workshop happening day-of!

I attended Zine Fest for the first time in 2023 and was amazed by all of the vendor's creativity. I didn’t have enough money on me, but I’ll be better prepared in 2024 and in the future! As a staff member at Milwaukee Public Library, I’m happy to be a part of the planning team for Zine Fest. There’s something for everyone to enjoy. I also hope to create a Zine of my own in the future.

Cris Siqueira and Shelly McClone-Carriere are co-owners of Lion's Tooth, a bookstore café and art space specializing in zines, small press books and comics for kids and adults.

• Shelly (she/her) is one of the founders of the Riverwest Co-Op Grocery & Café and former School Café coordinator at Highland Community School.

• Cris (she/her) is a Brazilian-born artist and 2023/24 Ruth Arts Mary Nohl Alumni Fellow, currently working on her first graphic novel.

Mike Wendt is the Programming Director at Woodland Pattern, a poet- and artist-run nonprofit book center, gallery, and performance space, where he helps to plan and facilitate hundreds of events and activities each year. In previous lives he's worked as a printmaker and an English instructor, among other things. Mike lives in Milwaukee with his wife, their three kids, a dog, a leopard gecko, and an especially demanding Tamagotchi. 

Maixia Xiong is a first generation Hmong American multidisciplinary artist, designer, and educator. She seeks to uncover the nuances that make her experience special and celebrates what she discovers through art and design for herself and others. Maixia is the creator of @the.zinemachine on Instagram. Find her also at @madebymaixia or maixiaxiong.com.