Sonja Ahlers is a visual artist and writer from the unceded territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) speaking peoples, now known as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations (Victoria, BC, Canada). Her books are challenging to classify and can be found in several different sections of the library. 1994’s A Wandering Eye was the first of many self-published books that circulated mainly through the underground “penpal” network of DIY punk rock and Riot Grrrl zines. Ahlers attracted national attention with Temper, Temper, published by Insomniac Press in 1998, followed by Fatal Distraction in 2004. In 2010, Drawn & Quarterly published The Selves, and in 2021, Conundrum Press published Swan Song. Ahlers’ art has been exhibited across Canada, as well as in the United States, Japan, and Australia. She helped create the visual identity of Rookie Mag and from 2011 to 2015 and was a frequent contributor to the influential online publication, as well as lead artist/designer of its four print anthologies.

Ro Diamant  is an artist and librarian who creates comics, illustrations, and zines focused on themes of identity, often conveying experiences and ideas using elements of the surreal and magical. For the past three years, they have self-published a series of mini comics called Cute Nose. Their most recent project is a graphic novel exploration of Jewish identity and mythologies, through a lens of queerness and experiences of illness, with support from The Canada Council for the Arts.

Madeline Mouse is a comics creator, storyteller, and part-time gardener. They create quick narratives and busy illustrations about queer love stories, alleyway junk, and connection beyond the human form. They currently reside in the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh territories of the Pacific Northwest. In 2022 they published their first collection of comics, Madeline’s Good Dirt and Junk Collection, with Cloudscape Comics. In 2024 they’ll be publishing Belly Full of Heart with Silver Sprocket.

Christine Walde is an artist, poet, and academic librarian whose work combines library and archival research with interests in artist books and multiples, experimental prose, poetry, visual poetry, performance, and the visual arts. Her work has been published in print and online journals in Canada, the US, the UK and Germany and she has exhibited both locally and internationally. Walde lives and works on the traditional territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples in the Cascadia Bioregion of the Pacific Northwest.

Erik Volet (b. 1980) is an artist based in the West Coast of Canada and is a member of the Inner Island Surrealist Group. He has shown in Canada, the United States and France. His primary focus is on painting and drawing. He has also produced and illustrated books, zines and has been active in outdoor mural painting. Influences which continue to be important to his process of art making are early twentieth century art movements, comic book art, graffiti, and an ongoing engagement with Surrealism.

Meagan Berlin is a printmaker, illustrator, and tattoo artist working on the territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən peoples. Among other publications, their work has appeared in ROOM magazine, Poetry is Dead, Salt Hill Journal, TRAINS magazine, and DYKE NEWS, and is forthcoming in PRISM International. Their printmaking work was included in this year's RBSA Print Prize exhibition and long listed for the Jackson’s Art Prize.

Kerri Flannigan is an interdisciplinary artist and educator currently based on Lkwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ Territories (Victoria, BC), who experiments with methods of research and storytelling through installation, video, and performance. Flannigan’s practice has focused on experimental narrative and documentary formats that are rooted in wider social, cultural, and political contexts. This work frequently takes a collaborative form, working individually and collectively to create responses to ubiquitous themes. Family mythologies, coming-of-age confessions, queer experiences of place, fire, and swimming have all been subjects of recent works. Flannigan has shown locally and internationally, receiving funding from the Canada Council for the Arts in 2023, and the BC Arts Council in 2022, and was an inaugural OUTstages resident in 2020/2021. Flannigan is currently developing two projection-based performances, Slow Dive and Wild Flame.

I am an artist situated on the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, or ‘Vancouver’. My work mostly takes the form of comic books/zines, as well as occasional paintings and multi-media works. In life I'm constantly fascinated by the ways people communicate with one another; the ways we open up or shut down, and the silly missteps we make in flailing around for connection. My comics vary from stories about lovelorn mice attempting to win back their exes, first kisses experienced during an alien invasion, to neo-noir car chases in taco bell parking lots. Underlying it all is a fascination with our human desire to relate to each other.

The Dirty Dishes Collective is a curatorial project co-founded by Dani Neira and Cassia Powell. Inspired by the piles of dishes that remain after gathering, we center collaboration, care, and community. Emphasizing queer methodologies and research-based practices, our projects take many forms including exhibitions, residencies, community libraries, workshops, publications, and dinner parties. 

The DDC was founded in 2022 on the unceded territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) peoples, now known as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. As of 2024, the DDC is now based on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

 I am a comic artist exploring being a weird girl in her 20's who has way too many emotions and loves Garfield. I graduated from the Camosun Comics and Graphic Novels program in 2023 and have since then focused on self publishing my zines and working towards an ongoing series 'Fork and Halo', releasing this September.  I make art that's emotionally raw and inspired by my own experiences or gag bits that my 00's baby brain finds funny.

Print-based artist Julie McIntyre studied at the Banff Centre, Alberta in 1986 and received her BFA from Queen’s University with a major in printmaking. She has had solo shows in over 20 public galleries in Canada and participated in well over 45 juried exhibitions, including 22 international credits to date. Her series have always included hand-printed and bound artist books in tiny editions or as one-of-a-kinds since 1992. This would be the first time they would be front and center.

Ro Farmer is a multidisciplinary creative specializing in illustration, mural art, and graphic design. She is from the UK and currently resides in “Victoria”, BC. She warmly acknowledges that she works within the unceded territories of the W̱SÁNEĆ nations and the lək̓ʷəŋən speaking peoples. Roanna’s work has a naive quality, creating playful narratives. Color theory and the way it evokes a feeling are integral to her practice. She likes to use bright colours or an unexpected palette to elicit warmth and happiness. Through themes of community, friendship, nature, and nostalgia, she strives to create a sense of joy and play in her work. She loves illustrating people and coming up with worlds that emphasise the small details in life that captivate and invite delight. Roanna specialises in printmaking, including risograph print, lino relief and screen-printing.

"DOWNLOOSE" (aka Eli Bagnall) is trans/queer freelance illustrator, heavily influenced by vintage advertising, turn of the century animation, tattoo history and all things ephemera. His work primarily focuses on bringing those analog references together within a digital framework to create something that feels classic yet modern. Make it fun, make it weird, make it "The opposite of uptight!"

Tortilla Press (aka Juan Cisneros Neumann), born in Mexico City and based in Vancouver, is an artist specializing in computer animation and storytelling. His work explores Mexican identity, cultural adaptation, and biculturalism. He founded "The Tortilla Press" to promote Mexican identity and support emerging artists, fostering a community that celebrates cultural intersections.

Austin (Print Hole) is a relief printmaker with a strong interest in artistic publications and printed matter. He created Spatial Matter, a zine showcasing local artists to promote community in the Greater Victoria art scene. His relief print work explores themes of life and death through the genre of ukiyo-e. As of September 2024, he is working on getting two risograph duplicators operational to offer risograph services in Victoria. He is particularly interested in the dissemination of knowledge within arts communities and the barriers artists face when accessing facilities and resources.

Go 够 Studio is a screen printing studio in Vancouver, BC and operated by Tajliya Jamal.

Primarily printing on paper, Go 够 produces both prints and books, and seeks to collaborative with local artists and small businesses. The studio supports and values: 1) Slow-making and recognition of art as labour, 2) Collaborative processes and de-centering individualism in art-making, 3) Increasing accessibility to fine art printing for artists, and fine art purchase for people, and 4) Promoting the work of local artists of various backgrounds and practices.

Weird Load Projects is a publisher of artist-designed books, clothing & ephemera. Original works, collaborations and small-run commissioned projects by local and international artists. Owned and operated by Liam Hogan.

Eavesdrop Magazine is a nonprofit multimedia association founded on Canada’s West Coast that supports queer, disabled, BIPOC, and other marginalized artists to showcase their work. We publish poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, plays, comics, visual art, and spoken word. Through anthologies, podcasts, audio editions, and other content, Eavesdrop cuts through the industry’s status quo by making literature more accessible fiscally, visually, and audibly. We never create paywalls for patrons or artists to consume or submit to our open calls as we strongly believe financial barriers should not determine someone’s access to art. Our unique promise is to put all written work into audio, from the artist’s own voice when possible, which is available on major streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, iHeart Radio, and Youtube. Eavesdrop’s mission is to connect artists with audiences who care through a multimedia exploration of self, art, and belonging; we aim to challenge elitism at every turn and grow alongside our community as we untangle what it means to be artists in the modern world.

Sizequeen Magazine is a queer publication inspired by teen-magazines, wet-dreams, and the rich history of dissident queer print. We recently launched our very first issue in May, and are hard at work on issue 2! Written, designed, & printed on the island.

The Malahat Review established in 1967, is dedicated to excellence in writing. Published quarterly, it features contemporary Canadian and international works of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction as well as reviews of recently published Canadian poetry, fiction, and literary nonfiction books. Its aim is to showcase the most promising of the new writers alongside the best established writers, and to present work accurately and attractively to readers.

Dædu makes unusual books. With an award-winning catalogue of collaborative works made between artists of different generations and vocations, Dædu is a crossway for creative connection. The archaisms of bookmaking are given voice around a table fitted with modern imaginations of the art.

Established in 2023, the Book Arts Space at the University of Victoria Libraries featuring equipment and supplies supporting research and learning on contemporary and historical book arts such as letterpress printing, bookbinding, zines, printed ephemera, paleography, papermaking, graphic design, and other media.

Publication Studio Guelph is a micro-publisher of original books distributing through a global network (of Publication Studios), a printer and binder that can make books one at a time and a social gathering place for those interested in publication or publishing their own work. PS Guelph's roster of books includes both Guelph-centric and internationally-focused works, including books of poetry, art books, graphic works, collections of essays, an abécédaire on improvisation, a musical workbook, an early Gothic novel, and books that explore queer culture in different communities.

JLRB Press is a small-run imprint that specia­lizes in poetry, with a strong emphasis on queer and neuro­divergent voices and emerg­ing writers.

Moniker Press is a small risograph print studio and publishing project that works collaboratively with artists to produce small editions of books, zines and print ephemera. Located in Vancouver, Canada on the unceded and ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

The Ministry of Casual Living is an artist-run Center has many members who craft zines, chapbooks, poetry, graphic novels and other printed works. Last year we included artwork prints however this year we would focus on literary works almost exclusively.