The event utilized the first and second floor of the SPC community library, with demos on both floors and presentations in various rooms. The demos available at the event included Lego letterpressing, block printing, zine passports, and 3D printing.
Photo by Matthew McGovern | The Crow’s Nest
By Julia Ferrara and Matthew McGovern
Zines have grown in popularity as a form of expression. In response local ‘zinester’ Caitlin Crockett, librarian and owner of Gulfport-based risograph and letterpress studio Print St. Pete, organized St. Petersburg’s third annual Zine Fest.
The third annual St. Pete Zine Fest was held on Feb. 21 at the St. Petersburg College West Community Library on the Gibbs Campus and hosted over 60 artists from all around Florida.
Zines, pronounced “zeens,” are independently crafted publications, either physical or digital, that include illustrations, writing and more on a specific topic or topics. They are often used to share one’s thoughts or opinions on a subject and can be created using everyday materials.
Crockett said that she was inspired to start a festival in St. Petersburg when she learned about the Duval Comic and Zine Fest in Jacksonville.
“At the time, I had a couple of colleagues in the library who made zines. When I pitched the idea of organizing a zine fest, they were supportive and excited to help facilitate,” Crockett told The Crow’s Nest.
Crockett organized the first St. Pete Zine Fest in 2024. Since then, it has seen steady growth with over 500 attendees in 2025 and over 700 in 2026 — the largest of any of their library events to date.
Heidi Hicks, an alum of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg’s graphic arts program and artist behind HiHeidiDesign, said that hosting the festival in the library offers people an alternative place to explore.
“We get some attendees who wouldn’t normally come to open air markets that we would have closer to downtown,” Hicks said. “I also think that the overall message of democratizing information and art either through printmaking or zine-making is really special and it creates a very special energy in the room.”
Hicks added that their favorite part of the festival experience is seeing what each artist chooses to create and bring with them.
“[I like] getting to see how local artists interpret the call for zines, because I think everyone does something else, but then they make zines for these kinds of events or are inspired by these events,” Hicks said.
Hicks has been an artist their whole life, but got into zine-making during their senior year at USF while working as an intern for Crockett at Print St. Pete.
Jeb Katsiopis, whose shop is called Jebbub, said that Zine Fest differs from other markets because of the crowd it draws in and what it asks from the vendors.
“The culture is incredible and there’s no vendor fee, so it’s really accessible,” Katsiopis said. “I just show up and I love being surrounded by the most queer, amazing artists that there are in Florida.”
Zine Fest’s accessibility and nature of showcasing home-grown artistic ability was a draw for Charles Caesar, who operates New York City based CMXXIV Print House.
Caesar, a third generation St. Petersburg native, attended Parsons School of Design before landing in New York post-graduation. Their involvement at Zine Fest 2026 was due in large part to Print St. Pete, where they print their self-published zines.
“I’m back just for this, and to see friends and family,” Caesar said.
Much like Hicks and Katsiopis, Caesar cites the community-centric nature of zine making and St. Petersburg’s pride in its LGBTQ+ community as a reason for tabling at the event.
“It’s deeply important [to be here]…St. Pete is a really cultural place, it’s a really queer place, a really cool and black place,” Caesar said. “I want to show here. I want to celebrate here and be celebrated here — it’s my hometown.”
As the organizer of another successful iteration of Zine Fest, Crockett is grateful for the artists and community members who continue to make the event possible and is anticipating more growth in the future.
“It’s so exciting that there are so many people who are making work and they want to share it,” Crockett said. “I’m just excited — next year is going to be even bigger and better.”
