At Durham Food Hall, a new vending machine has become the subject of much intrigue – instead of chips and candies, it offers to feed patrons in a different way: by sharing knowledge about the city of Durham through zines.
The Hyperlocal Durham vending machine, installed in late October, sells a variety of shortform works that are mostly made by artist and bike advocate Kelsey Graywill. Zines, which have surged in popularity in recent years, are often self-published pieces of literature that can display the maker’s artwork and also convey useful information.
The vending machine offers zines that span a variety of topics. They include maps of local ice cream and coffee shops, urban foraging spots, places important to the area’s Indigenous history, queer historical landmarks, and even locations around town to have a good cry…