Zinester Interview: Justin Guthrie is No Poser

ABQ Zine Fest is TWO WEEKS AWAY! From now until the fest, we’ll be highlighting some of the zinesters exhibiting at The Tannex, The Tan, and Small Engine Gallery on Saturday, October 5th. NEXT: Justin Guthrie

How long have you been writing zines, and how did you get started?

I’ve been doing zines for 2 years now and I started cause me and my friends all got super hyped on photography and decided to make zines together and hand them out to people. My first one was called Cuban Linx, a Raekwon The Chef rip off haha.

Please tell us about the zines you’ll be tabling at ABQZF!

I’ll be tabling some zines I made and that I’ve had published. I made one zine about early 2000s skate fashion called “No Posers” that I’m really stoked on, other zines are more 35mm photography of sublime findings in the great state of New Mexico. I might throw in a doodle zine too.

What do you say when someone asks you,  “What are zines?”

In my context I usually tell them it’s a photo series printed out and assembled into a mini magazine or a magazine version of a photobook. It’s a way to showcase your art in a physical way rather than an online way or a capitalized way by having your art in a real sponsored magazine.

What do you enjoy most about making zines?

That my photos are out in the open world and physical and that hopefully people will pay attention and read deeper into them rather than on online when people just scroll to the next photo instantly. That’s what I do with zines, I pay attention to every detail and respect what it has to offer so I hope people can do that for me, that’s what would make me enjoy the zine.

What’s the most challenging thing about zine making?

Money.

Roughly how many zines do you archive in your personal collection?

I have probably like 45 zines of zines I have made and by trading zines with people across the world for my zines and then buying zines I really want to own. If I had a lot more money I would definitely have a lot more zines, I love em’.

Do you have a zine crush? If so, are you willing to reveal the object of your zine affection?

Peter Sutherland, because he makes the best zines I’ve ever seen. If you ever get a chance to go to Family bookstore on Fairfax in LA make sure to check out Peter Sutherland’s zines.

So much of the written word we now experience via digital media. Why are zines important?

To keep pushing physical art in the real world, rather than everything just going digital. It’s going to a point, personally, that I feel lack of depth for art or photo series that goes straight to the internet. Zines keep the underground alive in a way.

Thanks, Justin!

Photos by Justin Guthrie

Share this: