About the project

CAM is creating a collection of zines by local artists and writers that celebrate the secret histories and overlooked stories of Seattle’s pocket neighborhoods. We’re looking for those hyperspecific tales from small, often overlooked pockets around the city - those things that don’t always get reported in the news or recorded in the history books. Think of those hyper-specific touch points in your community, a street corner, a local haunt, the parking lot that you spent your summers playing in, and the stories that surround them.

You are invited to interpret this idea in your own way - tracing threads of resistance, migration, industry, loss, celebration, and reinvention, and documenting the people, places, moments, and memories that give our city life. Secret stories! Hidden histories! Neighborhood lore! Hyper-local celebrities!

The collection of zines will be shared with the public through activations at King Street Station, at our brick-and-mortar bookstore, and at traveling zine workshops in neighborhoods around the city. 

SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED!

What’s a pocket neighborhood story?

• the karaoke bar that’s been open since the 70s

• the house where backyard shows used to happen

• the unofficial neighborhood mascot

• a ghost that haunts the convenience store

Compensation

$300 - $500

Timeline:

  • Proposal submission deadline: MAR 24th

  • Selected artists announced: MAR 31st

  • Neighborhood zine PDFs due: APR 30th

  • CAM begins printing: MAY 1st

  • Activations at King Street Station: MAY 7th - SEPT 3rd

  • Final celebration of the collection: OCT 9th (Belltown Art Walk)

SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED!

Call for Zine Makers!

We’re looking for artists and writers to create zines about their own experiences and memories of a pocket neighborhood in Seattle. All zines must fit within our template, which will be provided to the zine makers who are selected for the project. Here are the parameters for the zines:

  • 8 interior pages + trifold cover and BINGO sheet

  • 8.5” x 5.5” pages (finished zines will be printed on 8.5” x 11” paper, folded in half, and staple-bound)

  • Submit the final zine as a PDF

Please direct any questions to: community@camseattle.org

Frequently Asked Questions

  • We’re looking for hyper-local stories that don’t make the news or history books. Think about the Secret histories, neighborhood lore, hidden landmarks, and local legends.

  • Artists are asked to submit a proposal for their Pocket Neighborhood zine—not the final version. This is an opportunity to share your idea, concept, and direction for the zine.

    The final zine will be developed after proposals are reviewed and selected.

  • Printing will be handled by CAM (Common Area Maintenance) for all selected artists. This ensures a consistent level of quality across the zine collection.

    If your zine is selected, you won’t need to worry about production—CAM will take care of printing so you can focus on creating your work.

  • We’re using a shared zine template to help unify the overall collection while still leaving room for individual expression. Since each zine is created by a different contributor, the template provides a consistent structure and visual rhythm that ties everything together as a cohesive set.