In Art and Words, a Celebration of a Downtown Las Vegas Childhood

Chantal Chandler is an artist and writer who grew up near downtown Las Vegas, and she shares some of her childhood experiences in this issue’s “Zine Within a Zine.” Zines have a 90-year heritage as a small-circulation vessel for niche interests and individual expression; the handmade object is usually photocopied and distributed as a booklet, but here Chandler has created what she calls a “para-zine,” a single spread representing the art of the zine. Chandler’s zines have been featured at Writer’s Block, Art Box, and have been sold and traded worldwide. The mother of four is currently studying art, music and media at UNLV, where she was the co-winner of the 2023 Lance and Elena Calvert Undergraduate Research Award for Creative Work.