In 2008 I attended — as a vendor — my first Ravenswing Craft & Zine Fair, held at Minto Park in downtown Ottawa. I had met two of the organizers — Sean Zio, and Mary Ellis — earlier in the year, and the fair seemed like a good fit. Indeed, I was delighted by the crowd it drew — a mix of random passers-by, and people in the know. My first day at Ravenswing was documented in part in Stranger Things 2.

Ravenswing is one of the events that, in my mind, captures the hidden city — the Ottawa that an outsider may not expect. My friend and collaborator, Kevin, came from Montreal one year and found the crowd very interested in his esoteric zine, Four Minutes to Midnight. He was pleasantly surprised by the sizeable, engaged, alternative scene in this government town.

This year Ravenswing is held on May 29th, 12-5pm in Minto Park on Elgin Street, Ottawa. I will be there selling limited editions of my comix, and a few prints.