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art time, and more. With each zine and each event I attempt-
ed to create welcoming, accessible, unique ways for people
Art may be one of to participate in the coffee community. In contrast to com-
petition events where only one person wins, I wanted to
the most important things foster a sense of collaboration and inclusion where everyone
could be their full creative selves and connect with other
in times of struggle. people over things other than coffee.
As the zine grew and I continued to realize how much
people valued this platform, I decided to take a step further
into the creative coffee community. I quit my job at the end
of 2019 to dedicate more time, energy, and brainpower to
Coffee People Zine. My plan was to continue to tour around
the United States (and eventually the world) to bring release
From Idea to In-Hand Publication musicians, and other artists who would lose the throwdown parties and creativity-focused events to other communities.
and go home without being appreciated for the skills and And we all know what happened early that next year.
The initial idea for Coffee People Zine came to me a talents they did have.
few months before that first release party. I was a barista in These two realizations percolated in my mind for a few Cultivating Community in a Time of Social
Denver, Colorado, USA, as were many of my friends. We months. What would it look like to create a platform for Distance
would get together at latte art throwdowns, visit each other coffee people artists to share their passions? And what kind
during barista shifts, and meet up for coffee at other shops of events was the coffee community missing? I thought about The first issue of 2020 was released in mid-March in
around town. Our conversation usually revolved around our writing a blog to share stories of coffee people artists. I con- the midst of global lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pan-
jobs, brew recipes, latte art tips, upcoming coffee events, sidered starting an Instagram page that would showcase demic. All my plans changed overnight, as did the lives and
etc. One day, my friend Breezy mentioned that she was barista artwork. However, online-based ideas didn’t feel quite livelihoods of nearly all the coffee people I knew. Coffee
going to have an art show at a local coffee shop. I had heard right. I wanted something visceral, physical, and personal. People Zine could no longer host in-person zine release
her talk about art before - she studied art and design in Eventually I decided I would create a print publication that parties, much less make a global zine tour. Additionally, I
university - but I had not seen much of her work. She invit- could be paged through again and again, passed around from had previously encouraged subscribing cafés to set the zine
ed me and a few of our other friends to the opening, so of barista to barista, and left out at a café for customers to enjoy. out for customers to browse, but this was no longer possible
course we said yes. A few months later in March of 2018, the first issue of as coffee shops pivoted to “to-go” orders only (or shuttered
When I arrived to the shop and saw her work adorning Coffee People Zine was released. altogether). The very essence of the zine had been the cel-
the café walls I was blown away by her creativity and talent. Not only did the zine exist to celebrate the creativity ebration of community, bringing together coffee people
Her drawings and paintings transformed the space from a The First Two Years, At Home and On The of the coffee community, but so did the corresponding release through in-person release parties and the physical publica-
coffee shop into an art gallery - photography integrated into Road parties. The first party (described above) was just the begin- tion. As the pandemic continued, my goal remained the same
collage, poetry transformed into dynamic designs, sketches ning. The party for Issue 02 was a unique take on a latte art but my methods had to change.
and prints imbued with meaning and feeling. Here was this That first issue of Coffee People Zine included 44 throwdown. There were two brackets - one for seasoned It was a time of uncertainty for so many and I must
person I had known for years. I knew she was knowledgeable pages with work by 24 artists, all of whom I knew person- competitors, and one for new baristas. This allowed everyone admit, I considered shutting the publication down on quite
about coffee, yet I had no idea she was so brilliant an artist! ally from the local coffee scene. However, through word of regardless of skill level to participate without feeling like they a few occasions. As the pandemic’s death toll rose higher
It was at this moment that I started wondering about my mouth (boosted significantly by the power of social media), were unworthy of entering the competition. This party had and higher, as more privileged people worked from home
other friends, the baristas in my favorite cafés, my own it didn’t take long for the zine’s reputation to grow into a supportive atmosphere, wall-to-wall people, and an all- and working class people had to put themselves at greater
coworkers. Who among them had hidden passions and skills? something far beyond anything that I initially imagined. around positive energy. For Issue 03, I coordinated a film risk, as a racial reckoning unfolded within the United States
Who had I failed to see as multifaceted, multitalented, dy- Issue 02 came three months after Issue 01, with a 50% in- festival, inviting coffee people videographers to submit short and abroad, I wondered if Coffee People Zine was important
namic individuals, and had only known them as coffee crease in artists and double the page count. I quickly rec- videos ranging from 30 seconds to 30 minutes. Again, the at all. Was this small art publication significant in the grand
people? It became my mission to discover the answer. ognized that the community of coffee people who longed house was packed as coffee people enjoyed the video creations scheme of things, or was it inconsequential?
Around the same time as this revelatory art show, I had to express their creativity extended far beyond my imme- of their peers. The last issue of that first year, Issue 04, was I wrestled with this question on and off for months,
been attending local latte art throwdowns, where baristas diate circle. Baristas, roasters, and coffee professionals released in December of 2018. We held a gift exchange and but came to the conclusion that art may be one of the most
compete to see who can pour the best latte art. Winners around the country had been waiting for an outlet to share raffle, and held space for people to relax together and enjoy important things in times of struggle. Despite the challeng-
receive prizes, cash, and acknowledgement by the local and connect on a deeper level outside of competition and each others’ company amidst the holiday rush. es and the inability to hold in-person events, I continued to
community. Throwdowns always brought a lot of people latte art. With Issue 03 (September 2018), I started receiv- The network of Coffee People Zine expanded in its publish Coffee People Zine in order to hold open this space
together, but I noticed that the same few people were winning ing submissions from international artists as well. And by second year, as I took the zine release parties on the road - for coffee people to express themselves, to connect over
time after time. This left very little room for other compet- Issue 04 (December 2018) I knew that this project has from Denver to Portland, Oregon and Austin, Texas. The something beautiful, and to maintain whatever sense of
itors (those that did not place in the top 3) to receive rec- potential to continue growing, creating a sense of commu- zine releases went from one-off parties to multi-day events community I could. So, while I no longer held in-person
ognition. As I looked around the room at the coffee people nity, and giving space to coffee people who might have been including coffee crawls, roundtable discussions about labor celebrations, I focused on the publication itself and on con-
I knew, I noticed that there were poets, photographers, overlooked otherwise. rights, art shows, coffee tastings, throwdowns, collaborative necting with people online.

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