A Chance Encounter With Papergirl

Image courtesy of  Papergirl San Francisco

A Sunday walk through Golden Gate Park brought me smack dab in the middle of a pack of bike riders distributing free rolled up art pieces called Papergirl. I had heard about this mailart distribution project through a zinester friend, and hoped to find an example of this once-a-year production for the Little Maga/Zine Collection. But I hardly knew where or when I would find them.


Now, hearing a commotion of whoops and cries from the back of the bandshell, I knew something was up: turns out I accidentally stepped into a performance ride of Papergirl San Francisco. Who could resist a cheer for the bike-riding paper girls and boys, their baskets full of color? A paper girl tossed me a roll wrapped in aquamarine tissue. I love the concept: these performance artists have updated and played with the familiar image of the neighborhood paper boy. They send out a call for artwork, gather up all the responses sent from around the world (no stretched canvas, please), then put the works on display. Finally, they assemble the pieces newspaper-style for distribution. Every roll is different: mine has a large format zine, several single artist illustrations, a photograph, and the commemorative poster showing a large map of the course traveled through the city by members of Papergirl on a single day of distribution.

Papergirl: a great idea made real on a beautiful Sunday in October; a mailart distribution project, a performance piece, bringing free art to the people using a folkloric image that everyone can relate to. Come see our copy of Papergirl San Francisco in the Little Maga/Zine Collection, part of the Book Arts & Special Collections Center. Then ask for a random assortment of zines--it's all about chance encounters!

SFPL Call for Zines

We're busy cataloging the collection, so be sure to check the online catalog (search by call number = little magazines or by title or keyword). You can also check our finding aid (listed by title only). If you'd like us to consider your San Francisco zine for the collection, please visit, call or write us.


See photographs of the Papergirl 2010 distribution and read more about the original Papergirl.