WordxWord: Self-Publishing Roundtable

The Word by Word Creative Writing Lecture Series Presents: A Roundtable on Local Arts & Self-Publishing (Moderated by Professor Brendan Steffan)

Join us at the University of North Florida on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at 6:00 PM (Eastern Time) in the English Department Commons Room (Building 8, 2nd Floor) for an engaging roundtable discussion with some of Jacksonville’s most dynamic local arts organizers, zinesters, self-publishers, and creative activists.

This event brings together a diverse group of makers who are reimagining how stories are told, shared, and distributed, often outside traditional publishing structures. Whether you're a seasoned writer, artist, or just starting to explore your creative voice, this conversation will offer real-world insights into the power of independent publishing and its role in shaping communities and movements. Moderated discussion and a public Q&A will be followed by a mini zine market where you can explore the work of these creatives firsthand.

Topics will include:

• Building Creative Communities: How grassroots art and publishing projects can foster local connection and collective action.
• The Self-Publishing Process: Tools, platforms, and approaches for getting your work into the world without waiting for permission.
• Marketing with Integrity: Navigating visibility, audience-building, and promotion in ways that align with your values.
• Activism Through Art: How zines and self-publishing have historically supported activist movements—and how they continue to challenge dominant narratives.
• Ethics of DIY Publishing: Who gets to publish? What responsibilities do independent creators carry when representing communities, identities, or political struggles? How can self-publishing avoid replicating exclusionary practices?

Why It Matters:In an era of increasing media consolidation and algorithmic gatekeeping, self-publishing remains a vital tool for artistic freedom, political expression, and community storytelling. This roundtable will explore not just how to self-publish, but why, and how to do it ethically, inclusively, and with intention.

In Conversation:

Al Cassada loves how welcoming the zine community is. They found out about zines when their manager at the public library put them on the planning team for DCAZ Fest, and they haven't looked back! They love to read all kinds of zines but especially the ones with weird topics, and they love to make cut-and-paste zines about the library and their personal experiences.

Andrew Kozlowski is a cartoonist, printmaker, writer, small press publisher, and art educator who has been living and working in Jacksonville Florida since 2017. Prior to 2020, his work consisted of prints on paper and large scale site specific installations using wheat pasted prints. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic began he was unable to work in the studio and traveling for exhibitions was not feasible. Quarantined at home, he dove deep into his practice of journaling and writing, reigniting his first artistic impulse: comics. While he’s been a practicing artist for many years, 2020 provided a monumental shift in his work. Writing and drawing comics has helped him say things that his artwork had otherwise buried or ignored, and has offered him a chance to share a different part of his life. Since 2021 he has been sharing weekly comics via Instagram @andrew.kozlowski. In 2023, he opened Paper City Publishing- an imprint to self-publish his work, and the work of other cartoonists, artists, writers, poets, and zinesters. You can see more of his work at www.papercitypublishing.com.

Emily (Em) Malo (she/they) is an artist-organizer based in Jacksonville, FL. Born in Jacksonville and raised in Northeast Ohio, Em received her BFA in Theater Performance from Ohio University and returned to Jacksonville in 2015. Now, they work at Cool Stuff Vintage in Riverside, where they curate a zine and comic stand featuring local artists. In their spare time, Em organizes for Duval Comic & Zine Festival (DCAZ Fest) and local NAARPR affiliate, Jacksonville Community Action Committee (JCAC), and serves as a Board Member for The Friends of Willow Branch Library. Em is fortunate to share life with their spouse and partner, Phillip, and cats, Minerva and Gilbert.

Charlie Shuck started City Bus Print in 2024 (after nearly 20 years in the music and arts scene in Jacksonville) as a way to produce books and zines of his poetry and photography. The operation quickly expanded to publishing other local authors as well. To date City Bus Print has produced 5 photo books, 8 chapbooks, 5 lyric books, 4 issues of the literary zine Alternate Routes, and a monthly zine called School Paper put together by Joshua Chitty.

Brendan Steffen (Moderator) is a writer who lives in Jacksonville, Florida. He was recently a contributor at the Sewanee Writers' Conference. You can read his comic book work at brendansteffen.com.

Dan Waily is a Jacksonville-based comics maker and mental health professional who is involved in helping to organize all things DCAZ! Rooted in mental health care, Dan’s comics use cartoon personification and abstraction to create teachable narratives on weighty subjects. It is their desire to make tangible works of art that can aid a multitude of folks on their mental health journeys toward healing.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Lassiter Hall-Building 8, UNF (English Department Commons Room, 2nd Floor), 1 U N F Drive, Jacksonville, United States