Local artist and educator Paul Collins began working with The Contributor newspaper earlier this year, and that collaboration between Nashville’s street paper and his DIY publishing venture, Stagger Press, has resulted in a chance for vendors to further show their work.
On Nov. 8, Gallery 56 will open UNZINE, a pop-up exhibition curated by Collins, running through Dec. 13. The show brings to life the eponymous zine series created through a partnership among The Contributor, Nashville Street Poetry Project, and Stagger Press — a collaboration that amplifies the voices of The Contributor’s vendor community through the art of handmade zines. Stagger Press, Collins’s advocacy publishing initiative, focuses on projects that combine art and social impact, including UNZINE Nashville, the 2025 Jones Paideia Elementary Legacy Project and the Unbannable Library Project.
Vendors of The Contributor have worked alongside local artists and writers to create low-cost, highly personal comic-style zines they sell independently. The ongoing workshops, hosted bi-weekly, have fostered creativity and connection thanks to volunteers like Melissa Willis, Benji Anderson and Joe Nolan, whose Nashville Poetry Workshop has added poetic depth to many of the works. The Nashville Street Poetry Project, founded by intermedia artist Joe Nolan, partners with Contributor vendors to develop writing skills through hands-on workshops. Nolan — author of Nowville: The Untold History of Nashville’s Contemporary Art Scene — uses poetry as a bridge to confidence and community.
The exhibition will showcase original artwork from the 2025 UNZINE series, alongside pieces by participating local artists and writings from Nolan’s poetry workshop. These efforts make UNZINE not just an art exhibition, but a movement celebrating storytelling, collaboration and the creative voices often left unheard on Nashville’s streets.
Throughout the month, Gallery 56 will also host a series of community events for UNZINE:
- Nov. 8: Exhibition opening
- Nov. 13, 20, 27: Artist and poet profiles
- Nov. 15–16: Wrapping paper parties
- Nov. 30: Children’s zine-making session