Z Train Gazette

The Z Train Gazette is a zine dedicated to the NYC Subway's Z train line.  We accept both written word and visual art exploring the theme of the Z train.

Submission form: Z Train Gazette Submission Form

Submissions will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, but the deadline for the first issue is January 23, 2026.

The Z train is...

  • An express subway service that runs with the J during rush hour in one direction only. In the morning it only goes one way from Jamaica to Broad St, and in the afternoon it goes the other way.
  • Travels between the Financial District and Jamaica through Chinatown, the Bowery, the Lower East Side, across the Williamsburg Bridge to Williamsburg, then down Broadway between Bed-Stuy & Bushwick, into Cypress Hills, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, and a connection to JFK at Sutphin Boulevard.
  • Many people have never seen a Z train. Some believe the Z train isn't real. However we can assure you that the Z train really exists.

Some ideas for submissions:

  • Riding the Z train for the first time, riding the Z train every day, or never seeing a Z train. If you have never been on or seen a Z, try it and share your experience?
  • Z train sightings
  • Local news, coverage of events, photographs of places that you can get to on the Z
  • A short review of somewhere you can get to on the Z
  • Places that the Z skips over
  • Personal experiences along the Z line
  • Zohran, the new mayor in City Hall (near the Chambers St Z). Are you on the Zohran train? Is he living up to expectations?
  • What is your Z train? The Z train as a metaphor for everyday experiences for you that are unheard of for everyone else; short-lived experiences that are only around for a little bit and then disappear as quickly as they came; or wherever else your mind goes
  • Explorations of the letter Z

Guidelines:

  • Written work can be any genre: essays, articles, short stories, poetry, interviews, reviews, opinions, classifieds, personal ads
  • Images up to 5"x8": 2D artwork (digital or scanned), photographs or video stills. Note: we will Riso print this zine in two colors, so color images will be turned either black & white or into a duotone
  • Or a combination of both written and visual art.
  • Text should be in .doc or Google Docs format. Images should preferably be in .jpeg or .png
  • Submissions will be reviewed primarily based on relevance to the theme

Submissions:

  • Accepted contributors will receive $25 and 2 copies of the zine
  • There is no fee to submit
  • This zine will be Riso printed, and may also have a digital version
  • If you submit more than one piece, we may select one to print per issue based on space constraints