Once a year, independent writers and publishers come together for a weekend filled with workshops, panel discussions, classes and the choice to network and collaborate. Adding a little bit of love to Chicago’s cruel March weather, Zine Fest 2012 opens March 9 for a chance to indulge in Chicago’s indie literature community.

Zine Fest, now in its third year, features local and not-so-local independent publishing houses at locations around the Chicago area. The festival takes place at Columbia’s Conaway Center, 1104 S. Wabash Ave., where exhibitors have tables to provide visitors with a taste of the city’s independent literary scene.

“It’s a great opportunity for people to be exposed to a lot of different forms of writing and art that they generally wouldn’t be exposed to,” said Leslie Perrine, a festival organizer.

To create a bigger and more interesting festival, Perrine said they looked at feedback from last year’s attendees and exhibitors. This year’s newest additions include a panel discussion on March 9 focusing on women in self-publishing. More than simply offerring new events to accompany the festival, Perrine said they expanded certain elements like a children’s area, workshops and panels. They’re also opening up discussions on issues in the zine community that aren’t being discussed as they should, she said.

“We try to have as much insight in the community as possible,” Perrine said. “After each year, we’ve had an open meeting where anyone can come and give us feedback on the past year’s event.”

While the festival will retain the same number of exhibitors—topping out at approximately 110 tables—Perrine said this year organizers hope to attract almost 1,500—2,000 attendees compared to 1,000 in 2011 and approximately 600 in 2010.

This year also highlighted the festival’s growing popularity, as all of the tables sold out in just one day, she said.

March might seem like a strange time for Chicago to host a festival considering its track record for terrible weather, but organizer Neil Brideau said it is being held now so it wouldn’t conflict with other festivals. Perinne added that March bridges winter and spring, giving everyone something to do in the winter months.

Alex Fuller of 5×7, a small Chicago-based independent publisher of art books and Zine Fest exhibitor, said it’s a great opportunity to see what people are making in the city. This is 5×7’s first year in Zine Fest, but after hearing all the hype and positive things about it, he said he was convinced it was something he wanted to experience.

“Last year I went to the New York Art Book Fair for the first time, and I started getting really excited about the community around it and wanted to engage [more] in the community in Chicago,” Fuller said.

He said 5×7 recently released a Chicago series of art books featuring three local artists that the publisher is excited about sharing with the city.

In addition to getting work into readers’ hands, Zine Fest is also a great outlet for writers, readers and publishers to collaborate on new projects, Brideau said.

According to him, Zine Fest does a lot of good for Chicago’s zine community, but one of the most valuable aspects is the important face-to-face interaction it gives “zinesters” in a time when most communication happens digitally. Brideau said because zines often end up in people’s hands through direct contact, they ensure that the audience is aware of the writer or artist’s work.

Aside from other zinesters becoming familiar with different work in the area, Perrine said Zine Fest is a great way for average people to gain awareness of the community and what’s coming out of it.

“Self-publishing, in general, is a great way for people to be able to express whatever they want to in written or drawn form,” she said. “Zine Fest is a great opportunity for people to experience something new and read something different.”