Alt Press Fest 2026

Alt Press Fest returns to the Salt Lake City Public Library Main Branch on Saturday, October 17, from 12 PM to 5 PM. It's an annual celebration of zines and DIY publishing that's been running for nearly two decades, bringing together local creators who sell, share, and trade self-produced zines, prints, stickers, and other handmade works. Alongside the tables, there are panels, workshops, and hands-on demonstrations throughout the day.

This year's program centers on two sessions in the auditorium. From 1 PM to 2 PM, Chad Anderson talks about his autobiographical graphic novel, Gay Mormon Dad, with a book signing to follow. Later, from 3 PM to 4 PM, an artists panel brings together Anderson, Kruttika Susarla, Remi Germaine, and Kit Cactus. The artwork for the 2026 edition was created by Susarla, who is also one of the featured artists.

There's a bit of history behind this one. The Salt Lake City Public Library was one of the first public libraries to build a zine collection, which started in 1997 and has grown to almost 2,000 titles. That collection eventually grew into the launch of Alt Press Fest in 2008. The library supports zines year-round with zine-making clubs and workshops, and the collection can be borrowed—the main body of it is on Level 2 of the Main Library, with smaller collections at any City Library branch. This edition was made possible with the support of the Rocky Mountain Power Foundation.

If you're into zines, prints, or just seeing how people put them together, it's a good day to spend at the library. The fest runs from 12 PM to 5 PM on Saturday, October 17, at the Salt Lake City Public Library Main Branch, with the author talk at 1 PM and the artists panel at 3 PM.