At the 20th anniversary edition of the New York Art Book Fair, held at MoMA PS1, the unexpected was the norm. The festivity, with its over 300 exhibitors, felt like a giant, dynamic bookstore pulsing with life. Staffers handed out plastic folders adorned with lenticular prints, setting the stage for a treasure hunt of zines, flyers, and artworks.

The highlight was the outdoor zine tent, a pocket-sized universe where the marginalia of politics and queer culture freely flowed. At the courtyard, artist Precious Okoyomon’s sculpture stood as a testament to the fair’s spirit of connection and resistance.

Jenna Hamed, Aya Krisht, and Rhonda Khalifeh of the Book Arts Solidarity Network showcased flyers for their upcoming publishers' meet-up. Their initiative, born from a desire to challenge the silence of book institutions regarding the Palestinian genocide, now celebrates its third year. Their latest project, the Makeready publication, emerged as a poetic response to an era of bald imperialism and dispossession.

The trio’s process of assembling the publication was cathartic, a collective act of processing and centering artists witnessing the conflict. 'It really came out of skill,' Hamed reflected, highlighting the importance of collaboration across borders. The fair, in essence, is a celebration of the unexpected, the subversive, and the unclassifiable.