About the project

Common AREA Maintenance (CAM) is seeking artists, writers, researchers, illustrators, photographers, and cultural workers to create zines exploring Seattle’s hidden histories, neighborhood lore, and overlooked local stories.

Pocket Neighborhoods is a growing collection of artist-made zines documenting the people, places, events, and narratives that have shaped Seattle beyond official records. We are interested in stories that reveal the layered histories of the city and bring attention to the communities, landmarks, traditions, and moments that might otherwise go unnoticed.

We invite proposals that investigate hyper-local histories, neighborhood legends, cultural movements, vanished spaces, unofficial landmarks, community traditions, and other stories embedded within Seattle’s neighborhoods.

Submit here!

What’s a pocket neighborhood story?

  • A long-forgotten local business or gathering place

  • Neighborhood folklore, myths, or urban legends

  • Historic community spaces and cultural hubs

  • Disappeared buildings, landmarks, or institutions

  • Stories of migration, labor, activism, or resistance

  • Hyper-local public art, monuments, or memorials

  • Unofficial neighborhood mascots, characters, or celebrities

  • Overlooked moments in Seattle history

  • Community traditions, rituals, and celebrations

We encourage contributors to draw from research, archives, oral histories, public records, community knowledge, and cultural history. Projects may be documentary, investigative, illustrative, experimental, or interpretive in approach.

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

  • Centerfold

  • BINGO sheet

Timeline:

  • Proposal submission deadline: JUNE 30

  • Selected artists announced: JULY 6

  • Zine files and PDFs due: AUG 6

  • CAM begins printing: AUG 7

Compensation

$300 - $500

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.