REED COLLEGE, OR (2026): The Reed College Zine Festival

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What was the first thing that happened, when we arrived at the Reed College Zine Festival?

They handed us COVID masks.

I took mine. Not knowing what else to do. My friend and I were in a crowded entrance area. There were banners and tables set up, and lots of Reed student organizers greeting people as they came in.

They handed us other stuff: a map of the festival, a WELCOME flyer, a printed schedule of the talks, workshops, and a Key Note Lecture we could attend.

We gathered all these materials and moved toward the big exhibition area, where the zine tables were.

I was hoping we could just ignore the masks, but glancing around, I saw that everyone was wearing theirs.

And these weren’t the cheap paper surgical masks you saw during the COVID times. Those masks you could “adjust” in different ways so that you could actually breathe.

No, these were expensive K-95 masks that fit perfectly around your nose and mouth, so that there was little possibility of microbes escaping, or of any fresh air getting in or out.

Meanwhile, all around us, young people were excitedly hurrying around, most of them dressed in unusual outfits: Self-knitted sweaters. Vintage dresses. Overalls, bucket hats, giant sunglasses. Other random thrift store garb.

It was mostly girls at the event. But everyone was dressed up. It was all very clever, very creative, the mixing and matching. So much so, that I felt surprised and challenged and thrilled to be in such an environment.

I love it when people wear interesting clothes. Especially young people. So I was very happy to be here. This was probably a very special event in the lives of Reed’s cool-kid creative community.

And yet, despite this explosion of creativity and self-expression, everyone was wearing a K-95 COVID mask. So I put mine on too.