“Wake, Breathe, Love”: Introducing Chantal Chandler’s zine within a zine

What’s in a zine? In the case of Las Vegas artist and writer Chantal Chandler’s “Wake, Breathe, Love,” about 35 hours of intricate work, 22 colors of ink, and one very busy pair of scissors. The zine — the word appropriates the zippy tail-end of “magazine” — has a 90-year heritage as a small-circulation vessel for niche interests and individual expression, but it’s become particularly poignant in the age of all things digital. Zines usually take the form of a photocopied booklet, but here Chandler has created what she calls a “para-zine,” a single spread representing the art of the zine. Chandler has made zines since 2012, exhibiting and selling them at The Writer’s Block, Art Box, and art fairs, as well as selling and trading them internationally. A mother of four who has returned to UNLV to study art, music and media, Chandler adds a powerful layer to her zines with original poetry that summons the viewer into her world. ◆