Xerography Debt #17

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Editor’s Note: :p>

While this issue isn’t all that late, it is nothing short of a miracle that you are reading it. Since the last issue came out I moved, had my hard drive crash, traveled for work quite a bit, and had some life changes that I’ll address in the next issue. Huge thanks to Darlene Veverka for rescuing the files she could and Donny for keeping everything on track. :p>

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Introduction:p>

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Sniff…sniff… The scent of change is in the wind. Hopefully it doesn’t smell like Terre Haute:place>:City> is reported to smell in the morning. This issue marks the point at which Xerography Debt has two equal editors. Donny has taken on more and more and with this issue the lion’s share of the work fell on his shoulders. That XD continues to exist I owe to Donny (and also the reviewers and columnists). I couldn’t have kept up without them.:p>

Spring is my busy season at work culminating at Book Expo America (BEA). A few months ago I realized that despite the day-to-day intricacies, at heart what I do for a living is very simple – I sell books. It is of course more complicated than that…or is it? :p>

I have one foot rooted in semi-traditional publishing (although working with small presses) and one in :p>

more radically independent publishing (zines). When these two worlds overlap there are certain pleasures. I’m currently working with two publishers that also happen to publish zine writers. That pleases me. I like not having two entirely separate universes. :p>

Despite my devotion to books and book arts, once I entered the world of zines I changed as a reader. In a sense zines are like my Saturday mornings. Whenever possible I get up early on Saturday mornings to troll flea markets and yard sales for undiscovered treasures. Zines are like that for me. I might have to slog though mounds of crap, but there is always the chance of finding a gem – one overlooked by the majority of our consumer society. Those who prefer their reading life to be pre-packaged and officially sanctioned by Oprah, major publishing houses, or the NY Times will never understand this particular thrill. On occasions self-published books can offer this too. With zines the contact is much more direct and often the reasons for publishing that much more personal. The difference between self-published books and self-published zines is hard to describe, but perhaps it is because the books I work with are often seeking profit, where as with zines we are often just seeking readers. :p>

In May, Patrick and I took the home buying plunge and got a small rowhouse in Baltimore:place>:City>. We were caught between the DC/Baltimore real estate wars and being at a landlord’s mercy. It was now or never. Within the first three weeks we needed a plumber, had a window broken, and got two parking tickets. Ouch. :p>

In printing this issue I have once again drained the XD coffers and my added personal expenses mean I don’t have as much as usual to divert towards printing and postage costs. Instead of just asking the Usual Suspects to help support XD, as they always do, I’d like to try a new program called Adopt a Zine Library (or other Educational Venue). :p>

If you would like to support XD and a zine library there are three ways to give::p>

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l For $4 I’ll send a zine library of your choice (or one on our list) a copy of the current issue and a back issue:p>

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l For $9 I’ll you can buy a zine library of your choice (or one on our list) a 1 year subscription and a back issue:p>

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l For $10 I’ll send a zine library of your choice (or one on our list) an assortment of 6 back issues:p>

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This offer is flexible and zine libraries or other educational venues are welcome to take advantage directly. :p>

If you’d like to help support Xerography Debt and help build a library’s collection, please write and indicate which plan(s) you would like to support, where you would like the zines sent (or we’ll choose), and send payment as cash, check (payable to Davida Gypsy Breier, not XD) or stamps. Also, please indicate if you would like to remain anonymous. Any zine libraries, schools, or other educational programs who would like to benefit from this program, please get in touch and ask to be added to the list. :p>

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Enjoy!:p>

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Davida Gypsy Breier:p>

July 2005:p>

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Basic stuff you should know:p>

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If this is your first issue, XEROGRAPHY DEBT is a review zine for zine readers by zine writers. It is a hybrid of review zine and personal zine. Xerography Debt has its own freestyle approach. It is all about communication, so each reviewer has used the format or style most comfortable to him or her. Also, each reviewer "owns" the zine in a communal sense. We are individual artists and writers coming together to collaborate and help keep small press flourishing. :p>

Do your part by ordering a few zines from the many reviewed here and, if you self-publish, please consider including some reviews in your zine.:p>

Xerography Debt’s reviews are selective. To explain the “system”: Some reviewers choose to review zines they have bought or traded with, some review zines that are sent to Xerography Debt for review, and some do both. Also, I buy zines at Atomic Books (my local zine store), as well as zine events, so if you see your zine reviewed and you didn’t send it in, that might be where I found it. Generally the only reviews you will read in here are “good reviews.” Constructive criticism is given, but basically we don’t have the time or money to print bad reviews. If you sent your zine in for review and don’t see it listed, wait a few months and see if it appears in the following issue. I read and then distribute the zines to the reviewers about two months before the print date. If the reviewer passed on reviewing your zine, it will be sent out again for the next issue. So, each zine gets two shots with two different reviewers. Ultimately, many of the review copies stay in the XD archives, but some are donated to zine libraries. Occasionally mistakes happen, postal or otherwise, so if you have a question about a zine you sent in for review, please contact Davida at PO Box 963, Havre de Grace, MD 21078 or davida@leekinginc.com. :p>

XD is available for free online (some reviews and artwork will only be available in print) or paper copies can be ordered for $3.:p>

If you have an event, announcement, or project you would like to share, please get in touch. :p>

The lack of paid advertising within these pages is deliberate. Despite reviewing our friends and lovers, we try to be somewhat objective and free to do as we please. Needless to say, this brings up the point of needing some help to keep the machine running...:p>

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Sponsors:p>

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We see Xerography Debt as the PBS of review zines. It is by us, for us, with no financial incentive - just a dedication to small press. If you have a few spare stamps or dollar bills to help support us and the zine community, it would be most appreciated. Also, let me know if you wish to remain anonymous. This issue’s sponsors are: :p>

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Darlene Veverka, Bobby Tran Dale, Donny Smith, DB Pedlar, Christopher Robin, Blair Ewing, Billy McKay, Fred Wright, Brooke Young and the Salt Lake City Zine Library, a bunch of people whose names I forgot to write down in the midst of the move, and several anonymous benefactors.:p>

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Announcements:p>

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One of the files lost when my hard drive crashed was the announcements file. I usually receive announcement emails, copy the information into a Word doc and file the email in a local directory. Yeah, well, the files and the local directory are but memories now. I tried to piece together what I could, but if I didn’t include your information and there is still time before the event or your are still seeking submissions, please resend your information. :p>

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Zine Libraries:p>

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The Baltimore County Public Library is starting a zine collection at the Cockeysville:place> branch. They will be having a reading/opening, most likely on October 13th. Please come! For more information or to donate zines please contact bcplzines@gmail.com.:p>

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The Madison County Library is seeking zines for their new zine collection. They are located in rural Georgia:country-region> about 20 minutes from Athens:place>:City>. Please contact::p>

Suzie DeGrasse:p>

Madison:PlaceName> County:PlaceName>:place> Library:p>

PO Box 38:Street>, Danielsville:City>, GA:State> 30633:PostalCode>:address>.:p>

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The New York Public Library is once again seeking to add to its zine collection. Right now they only have a couple hundred titles, mostly collected in the mid 1990’s. You can contact”:p>

Karen Gisonny - Room 108:p>

Humanities and Social Sciences Library:p>

New York:place>:State> Public Library:p>

5th Ave:address>:Street> and 42nd Street:address>:Street>:p>

New York:City>, NY:State> 10018:PostalCode>:place>:p>

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Bill Price Alert:p>

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Email received from Ayun Halliday::p>

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Hi davida :p>

I just wanted to thank you for posting the info about Bill Price. The name rang a bell and I just got an order at my PO Box from someone paying in stamps, which raised my radar since usually even the scrappiest punk rawkin box car hoppin teen can scrounge up the 2 bucks for a sample ish of The East Village Inky. Anyhoo... it also caught my eye that the return address stamp on the envelope had been embellished with some extra numbers in ballpoint pen... doesn’t look like the standard prison address but something’s up. :p>

Anyhoo, I decided to do a little search on bill price zine before filling the order and your warning was the first that popped up. I’ll keep his stamp but he ain’t getting diddly off me or - horror- my children. :p>

The return address label is a freebie from the National Parks Conservation Association and is printed :p>

Bill Price :p>

At 5 :p>

PO Box:Street> 7001:address> :p>

Atascadero:City>, CA:State> 93423-7001:PostalCode>:place> :p>

he has embellished it with ballpoint to read :p>

Bill Price Wm J U20 :p>

At 51273-1 :p>

PO Box:Street> 7001:address> :p>

Atascadero:City>, CA:State> 93423-7001:PostalCode>:place> :p>

If this is indicative of him trying to make a prisoner address look like a non-incarcerated address, please let me know. I guess the guy can order what he likes, but knowing that he’s a twice convicted child molester makes my flesh crawl.:p>

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We did some digging and the address is tied to Atascadero:PlaceName> State:PlaceType> Hospital:PlaceType>:place>, which happens to be known for its sexual predator program. We are still working on confirmation, but it is probable that Bill Price is part of that program and isn’t likely to be released any time soon. We’ll let you know what we find out in the next issue.:p>

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New Contact Info::p>

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Brooklyn:place>! And Watch the Closing Doors:p>

Fred Argoff:p>

1170 Ocean Pkwy.:address>:Street>, Penthouse L:p>

Brooklyn:City>, NY:State> 11230:PostalCode>:place>:p>

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Thoughtworm:p>

Sean Stewart:p>

3600 Buena Vista Ave.:address>:Street> :p>

Baltimore:City>, MD:State> 21211:PostalCode>:place>:p>

On a related note Malinda will no longer be publishing Grackle or writing book reviews for the Thoughtworm site.:p>

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Low Hug/Syndicated Product:p>

A.j. Michel:p>

P.O. Box:Street> 877:address>:p>

Lansdowne:City>, PA:State> 19050:PostalCode>:place>:p>

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Smile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore:place>:City>!:p>

William P. Tandy:p>

PO Box:Street> 11064:address>:p>

Baltimore:City>, MD:State> 21212:PostalCode>:place>:p>

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POOPSHEET UNITES UNDER ONE DOMAIN:p>

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Poopsheet is a website devoted to promoting the independent arts with a particular focus on comics and zines. It’s been around in one form or another since 1993 and it appears it won’t be going away anytime soon.:p>

A couple of months ago, the Poopsheet Shop was relaunched at its new domain and now the rest of Poopsheet has finally joined it!:p>

The new URL: http://www.poopsheetfoundation.com:p>

However, with this move comes a change in format. Officially, Poopsheet will no longer regularly post reviews. Instead, the new site will turn its focus towards information. The reviews have been replaced by something more like announcements and each new item noted at the site will contain all of the same information as before but with less commentary. :p>

It’s unfortunate, but I’m excited about it just the same as this means information of new releases will be much more timely than the reviews were under the previous set-up. Some will be interested to know, of course, that there will still be occasional reviews; it’s just that they’re no longer a major focus.:p>

Additionally, the site has been streamlined so that every update (excepting special features and the Links page) will be in one place, the front page. This means news, new releases, Shop updates and other site announcements will all be in the same place. No more hopping around from page to page. :p>

Incidentally, there are a few ways you can access the updates other than simply visiting the site. The updates on the front page are originally created in LiveJournal, so if you have a LiveJournal account and would rather read the updates through your Friends page, the Poopsheet journal is called “rickbradford”. Also, the RSS feed is http://www.livejournal.com/users/rickbradford/data/rss for those of you who prefer newsreaders. (The Atom feed is the same except “atom” replaces “rss” in the URL.):p>

I’d like to send out a big “thank you” to everybody who helped me troubleshoot the new site and thanks especially to Maggie McFee for saving the day.:p>

Please hop on over and check it out when you have a moment. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. And if you should have any questions, there’s a FAQ you can check at the site or feel free to drop me an e-mail.:p>

Thanks, everybody!:p>

—Ricko:p>

http://www.poopsheetfoundation.com:p>

Atomic Book Company:p>

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Atomic Books has formed a new press, Atomic Book Company. In July they will be publishing a collection of the Lulu Eightball strips by Emily Flake. Emily Flake will be at the store signing copies on Saturday August 6th from 7-9pm. For more information contact::p>

Atomic Books:p>

1100 W. 36th Street:Street>, Baltimore:City>, MD:State> 21211:PostalCode>:address>:p>

info@atomicbooks.com:p>

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Submissions Wanted:p>

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To publish in Pouèt-cafëe, send us two copies of your typed, previously unpublished creations (poems, short stories, creative non-fiction, articles and essays, photos, drawings and collages, comix, etc.) along with a short bio-bibliography (up to 35 words) and your complete contact information. Please note that we do not accept simultaneous submissions, or e-mail submissions. Submitting up to 10 literary or visual pieces will increase your chances of seeing one of them chosen; full manuscripts and portfolios are more than welcome. The authors and illustrators whose work is selected will be notified in the month following the deadline. Please include a SASE or an IRC so we can notify you and return your work. Contributors are paid in copies and receive three copies of the issue their work appears in. Copyright remains with the authors. We look forward to discovering your work!:p>

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Send your submissions by regular mail only to: :p>

Pouèt-cafëe, Christine Douville, editor:p>

6595 St. Hubert:place>, P.O. Box:Street> 59019:address>:p>

Montreal:City>, QC:State>:place>, H2S 3P5Canada:p>

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Have you ever kept a journal? Have you read anyone else’s? For all those who journal (and those who don’t) here’s your chance to share a story. Send any journal inspired creations to Julie Dorn, PO Box:Street> 438:address>, Avondale Estates, GA 30002 or to junieingeorgia@hotmail.com.:p>

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Got the creeps? THEN GIVE UP THE GHOST! Do you have a ghost story to tell? If so, the zine Baltimore City Paper calls "surprisingly fascinating, consistently absurd, and often weird as hell" is seeking your first-person encounters with the supernatural in the Baltimore/Maryland area - from restless spirits to nameless things that go bump in the night - for its first special ghost-story issue, to be published in Fall 2005. As a Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore:place>:City>! contributor, you will receive a byline credit as well as three (3) complimentary copies of the issue. Submissions/queries are preferably received via e-mail (wpt@eightstonepress.com), or snail mail William P. Tandy, c/o Eight-Stone Press, P.O. Box 11064:Street>, Baltimore:City>, MD:State> 21212:PostalCode>:address>. The deadline for Smile, Hon's special ghost-story issue is September 1, 2005.:p>

Columns:p>

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The History of Zines: Oi! Oi!:p>

A Spotty History of Non-Racist Skinhead Zines:p>

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By Sean D. Stewart:p>

3600 Buena Vista Ave.:address>:Street> :p>

Baltimore:City>, MD:State> 21211:PostalCode>:place> :p>

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Few subcultures have been as consistently maligned and misunderstood throughout their history as the skinhead movement. From their humble beginnings in Britain:country-region>’s late-1960s Jamaican reggae and ska scene to their wildly exaggerated reputation for hatred and violence in the U.S.:place>:country-region>, skinheads have always attracted attention. Their distinctive manner and style of dress, pride in their working class roots, and their occasional association with both extreme left-wing and right-wing political groups all contribute to the often negative impressions those outside of the culture have of them.:p>

Mainstream media sources throughout the over 35-year history of skinhead culture have done much in the way of furthering the stereotypes surrounding the movement. When examining why this is, it’s simple to see how skinheads became easy targets very early on. To the untrained eye, most of them look the same, and their shaved heads and severe clothing often inspires, at the very least, wariness. Also, although only a very small percentage of them commit acts of premeditated violence, they are often prone to rowdy behavior, which sometimes explodes into spontaneous violence. :p>

In Britain:place>:country-region>, an increase in this violence and the resulting pressure from police caused some skins to leave the movement a few years after it had begun in the late 60s, which led in part to its initial decline. Many skins didn’t consider the police harassment to be worth it. After briefly disappearing during the early to mid-1970s, though, skinheads reemerged in England:place>:country-region> during the first punk explosion of the late-70s. It was during this time that the skins first became linked with such political groups as the British Movement and the National Front, both of which espoused British nationalism and leaned very far to the right. Thus began a history of recruitment of skinheads as foot soldiers by people with a greater political agenda. While many British skins were patriotic and sought identity in their white ethnicity, they were not necessarily racist, nor did the majority of them have much interest in politics. Unfortunately for the subculture as a whole, though, the ones who did adopt the views of racist and fascist groups garnered the most media attention.:p>

A fair and balanced treatment of British skinhead history is difficult enough to find (although George Marshall’s two currently out-of-print books, Spirit of ’69: A Skinhead Bible and Skinhead Nation, go a long way in providing this), but eking out a history of U.S.:place>:country-region> skinhead activity is even harder to accomplish. It’s likely, though, that skins did not begin appearing in any significant numbers in the U.S.:place>:country-region> until the punk scene began flourishing in the late 70s and early 80s. Virtually from the start, they had a bad reputation. At the peak of mainstream media attention on them in the late 80s and early 90s, just about every tabloid daytime TV talk show was clamoring to expose the horrid racist violence propagated by skinhead thugs, culminating in the airing of an episode of Geraldo Rivera’s show in which a skinhead associated with the white power organization White Aryan Resistance (WAR) broke Rivera’s nose with a chair.:p>

Public perception of skins in the U.S. was not helped at all by various high-profile murder cases involving skinheads, most notable of which was probably the 1988 beating death of Ethiopian man Mulugeta Seraw in Portland, Oregon by three young skinheads, at least one of whom was proven to have been recruited and trained by John Metzger, son of Tom Metzger, leader of WAR. After the skinhead perpetrators had been convicted, the Metzgers were later sued by well-known civil rights lawyer Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and ordered to pay Seraw’s family $12.5 million in damages, effectively stripping WAR of most of its influence, at least on a financial level.:p>

The reality of the skinheads’ reputation for violence, racism, homophobia, and any of a number of other nefarious attitudes and activities is much more complex once one digs below the surface. There is no denying that some skinheads are neo-Nazis who would like nothing better than to implement race purification strategies at a national level. But there are also many skinheads who have organized against such ideas. One such group is Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice (SHARP). Originally established in 1987 in New York City:place>:City>, SHARP spread quickly to become a loosely-knit international network of anti-racist skinhead crews who battle against neo-Nazis and other proponents of racist ideas. They are typically nonpolitical, although some members certainly lean to the left on the political spectrum. A more overtly political group is Red and Anarchist Skinheads (RASH), which began in 1993, also in the New York:place>:State> area, and has since spread worldwide. RASH organized as a means of support and promotion for skinheads who share anti-fascist and radical left-wing views. :p>

Despite the existence of these groups, many skins state that throughout their history, the majority of skinheads have neither been strongly anti-racist nor politically active in any particular direction. They also feel that the introduction of politics into the movement caused a lot of unnecessary trouble for skinheads. Traditional (trad) skins these days hold true to the ideals of the original members of the movement back in 1960s England:place>:country-region>: non-racist attitudes (as opposed to actively anti-racist ones), working class pride, attention to traditional skinhead fashion, and an abiding love of authentic reggae and ska music. For them, it is a way of life, but not one charged with any radical political or social views. :p>

Whatever a skinhead’s particular personal views are, though, they all must deal with the stigma that comes with their choice of subculture. And so, in part as a reaction to the constant stereotypes pervading the mainstream media, over the years various skinheads have made an effort to inject some truth into the scattered documentation of their scene by producing their own publications. It’s within the pages of these skinhead zines, or skinzines, that one can find a much more realistic picture of the rich diversity that exists within skinhead culture. Unfortunately, skinzines are even harder to track down than the precious few books covering skinhead history that have been published.:p>

In a post to the Insurgence Records online message board, RASH member Dan Sabater lists what he considers to be the best U.S.:place>:country-region> anti-fascist skinhead zines. Not a single one is still being published, and most of them never made it past issue one or two. Sabater notes that the U.S.:country-region> anti-fascist skinhead zine scene has never been as big as it was in Europe:place>. He suggests that this may either be because there has always been less anti-fascist skinhead activity in the U.S.:place>:country-region>, or simply because “skinheads hate to read.” Publication dates on the zines in Sabater’s list range from the mid-80s to the late 90s. The list includes, among others, the first SHARP zine, Double Barrel, and Colorblind, a Chicago-area zine published by a black skinhead involved in the Chicago:place>:City> chapter of Anti-Racist Action (ARA).:p>

According to Sabater, ARA, which started as more of a “street-fighting organization,” grew out of the Baldies, an early U.S.:country-region> anti-racist skin crew based in Minneapolis:place>:City>. Later, ARA would grow beyond the bounds of the skinhead culture and become more politically focused, with chapters established worldwide, many of which began publishing their own zine-like newsletters containing announcements of and reports on anti-fascist activities. Examples of these are the ARA-Los Angeles publication Turning the Tide: Journal of Anti-Racist Action, Research & Education (now in its 18th year), the Chicago chapter’s ARA Research Bulletin and Toronto’s acclaimed but now-defunct newszine On the Prowl, published from 1993-2003.:p>

One of the more prolific American skinhead fanzine writers was Stephen Donaldson, aka Donny the Punk. A former Associated Press reporter, Donaldson contributed to a wide array of publications throughout the 80s and 90s, including punk zine Maximum RocknRoll, Long Island punk and hardcore magazine Under the Volcano, and British newspaper Skinhead Times. Donaldson was an eloquently vociferous proponent of true skinhead culture, and he often used his considerable writing skills to dispel popular myths about skinheads. In addition to writing about skinhead culture, Donaldson was also involved in gay and bisexual activism and worked tirelessly to increase prison rape awareness and to support prison rape victims. He served as assistant editor of the Encyclopedia of Homosexuality (1990) and co-editor of the thirteen-volume Studies in Homosexuality (1994). Donaldson died in 1996 of an AIDS-related illness, leaving behind an impressive legacy of written work that has since been collected and preserved by the New York Public Library’s Manuscripts and Archives Division.:p>

Although Donaldson referred to Skinhead Times as a skinzine, it was actually more of a newspaper than a zine. The paper’s editor/publisher George Marshall, also author of Spirit of ’69: A Skinhead Bible, describes it as a 12-16-page tabloid-style newspaper for skinheads. The black-and-white paper featured articles on news in the scene, music and sports information, photos, and classifieds. It was very much a standard-style newspaper, except it was targeted to skinheads. Marshall:place>:City> published Skinhead Times from 1989 to 1995; when the final issue came out, circulation had reached 5000. :p>

Certainly there were more decidedly zine-like publications for skinheads being published in Britain:country-region> and Europe:place>, though. It’s hard to track down exactly when the first skinzines appeared, however. It’s likely that it happened during the first wave of punk music in late 1970s England:place>:country-region>, when punks began documenting their own scene in zine format. This would’ve coincided with the emergence of the first wave of Oi!, a splinter genre of street punk that skinheads began gravitating toward. Oi! was different from punk in that both the band members and the fans were mostly working class, whereas many of the early punk movement founders came from middle-class backgrounds. Grittier and even more stripped-down than early punk, Oi! was a perfect fit for skins.:p>

In my own collection, I have a few British skinzines from the late 80s/early 90s, including issues of Hagl, Unwounded Victory, and Revenge. One of the more interesting ones is a triple split between Revenge (England:country-region>), Unite For Unity (Baltimore:City>, MD:State>), and Class Resistance Network (Pittsburgh:City>, PA:State>:place>). This zine neatly illustrates the spirit of collaboration and support across international borders that has been so common within the skinhead movement. The refreshing mix of contents includes discussion of anti-fascist activities, animal rights issues, rape awareness, sexism, homophobia, activism, anti-war sentiments, band interviews, and a lot more. A note in the front of the zine from Class Resistance Network editor Mucky explains that he changed the name of his newsletter forum from Skinhead Liberation Organization to Class Resistance Network because “we believe our goals stretch a lot further than the Skinhead movement.” This notable statement of inclusiveness from a skin certainly does not fit into the mass media’s stereotypical skinhead caricature.:p>

Outside of the U.K.:country-region>, skinzines also began appearing in parts of Europe:place> during the early 1980s. Germany:place>:country-region> in particular has had a long history of skinzine activity. Skinhead publications like Rote Front and KB 84/Reason Why? appeared there during the 1980s. After the German division of RASH was founded in 1995, some members began publishing their own zine called Revolution Times, which is still going strong today as a forum for left-wing skins.:p>

Jan Axelsson, a Swedish publisher and free speech activist, states on his website Flashback.net that he published Sweden:place>:country-region>’s first skinhead zine, Skins Magazine, in 1983. In an email interview, Axelsson explains that he started the zine in response to the split between punks and skins. The zine’s motto was “punks and skins, unite and fight.” At this time, some punks felt the punk movement was selling out and becoming too focused on fashion, and so they reacted by becoming skinheads. This led to friction between the two groups. Skins Magazine gave historical background on skinhead culture, as well as explaining why the movement was experiencing a resurgence in the early 80s. The zine also covered the growing Oi! scene, offering record reviews and band interviews. Axelsson says that although some punks didn’t agree with what Skins stood for, most people responded well to the zine. He affirms that zines were and continue to be important in the skinhead scene. As he notes, aside from the few books that have been written, zines have been the only alternative outlet in which to counter the bad publicity skinheads so often receive in the mainstream media.:p>

Once the web-publishing phenomenon struck, a few skinhead e-zines also began appearing online. One such publication was Skinhead As Fuck, also based out of Sweden:place>:country-region>. Publisher Jonas started his site as a result of his perception that most of the online information about or targeted toward skinheads was worthless. Skinhead As Fuck included articles, interviews, music downloads, and an online radio station playing classic ska and reggae tunes. Jonas shut the site down in 2002 due to lack of time and motivation.:p>

Most of the online skinhead publishing efforts are now gone, leaving behind a jumble of broken links and missing pages. Only a few sites survive, such as George Marshall’s web version of his out-of-print book Skinhead Nation, and Skinheads.net, which is now a discussion forum only. Sites that were spoken well of by skinhead web-publishers like Jonas simply don’t exist anymore. They’ve disappeared, just like most copies of the few balanced and comprehensive books about skinheads. :p>

As for the skinzines, they are being sought out and preserved by groups such as the New York:place>:State> chapter of RASH, which maintains an anti-fascist skinhead archive. Hopefully, with the rising prominence of zine libraries, it will become easier to acquire and provide access to these important historical documents. Because although the lack of accurate information on this subculture has always been part of what makes it so intriguing, it’s also been the main reason why skinheads have remained so stigmatized throughout their long history.:p>

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Note: White power skinzines have been deliberately left out of the scope of this article; however, it’s worth noting that they do indeed exist. A couple of titles that may or may not still be in publication are the British zine Rampage: A Skinhead Voice and the Canadian zine Sledgehammer: The Voice of the White Nations.:p>

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Sources::p>

Anti-Racist Action: Fighting Fascism in the Streets Since 1988. 2004. Anti-Racist :p>

Action. 5 June 2005. <www.antiracistaction.us/pn/>.:p>

Axelsson, Jan. Personal interview via email. 28 May 2005.:p>

Bushell, Gary. “Oi! The Truth.” Home page. 2002. 4 June 2005. <www.garry-:p>

bushell.co.uk/oi/index.asp>. :p>

Flashback: 20 Years on the Barricades of Freedom of Speech! [1983-2003]. Feb. 2003. :p>

Flashback. 22 May 2005. <http://www.flashback.net/faq/>.:p>

Knight, Nick. Skinhead. London:place>:City>: Omnibus Press, c1982.:p>

Marshall, George. Skinhead Nation. 1996. 22 May 2005.:p>

<http://www.skinheadnation.co.uk>.:p>

Moske, Jim, comp. Stephen Donaldson Papers, 1965-1996. Sept. 2000. The New York:place>:State> :p>

Public Library Humanities and Social Sciences Library Manuscripts and Archives Division. 22 May 2005. :p>

<http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/spe/rbk/faids/donaldson.pdf>.:p>

RASH United International. RASH. 22 May 2005. :p>

<http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/3475/>. :p>

Revenge with Class Resistance Network and Unite For Unity. Jan. 1992.:p>

Sabater, Dan. “The Best U.S.:place>:country-region> Anti-Fascist Skinhead Zines.” Online posting. 20 Dec. :p>

2004. Insurgence Records Message Board. 22 May 2005. :p>

<http://insurgence.proboards24.com/>. :p>

Stellan. “Skinhead As Fuck Interview.” Pissed and Proud Mar. 2002. 22 May 2005. :p>

<http://hem.passagen.se/pissedandproud/>. :p>

:p>

Traditional Skinhead FAQ. June 1999. Tradskin International: Home of the :p>

Alt.Skinheads FAQ. 22 May 2005. <http://www.tradskin.org/faq.html>.:p>

:p>

Mail Art:p>

Playing with Children:p>

:p>

By Gianni Simone:p>

3-3-23 Nagatsuta:p>

Midori-ku, Yokohama-shi:p>

226-0027 Kanagawa-ken JAPAN:place>:country-region>:p>

:p>

The international mail art network has always been divided between those who like to chronicle and/or analyze what they do and those who only want to make art and correspond with their friends without having to explain how and why they do what they do. Since the beginning, I have belonged to the former group, even though I understand that too much talking sometimes takes the joy out of the mail art experience. I have recently realized, by the way, that the more I write about mail art, the less I seem to actually do it. In this respect, the last two years have been very slow production-wise. But I digress.:p>

Those who like to talk and write about mail art are a rather small group, if compared to the total of practitioners (they are mostly men, by the way. It seems that women could not care less about these endless debates) but they argue constantly, through their articles and by joining newsgroups, mailing lists and message boards on the Internet. Since 1986 they have even organized, every six years, so-called Decentralized Networker Congresses all over Europe and North America:place>, in order to actually meet and discuss things further. Last year the fourth round of such meetings took place, ranging from informal visits to friends and improvised dinners to big festivals with plenty of events and activities. The one organized by Peter Kuestermann and Angela Pahler (a.k.a. the Netmails) in Minden:City>, Germany:country-region>:place> was particularly important and attracted many people. One of the topics that was discussed in that occasion was “the future of mail art,” or as some of the participants put it, “is mail art getting old?” or worse yet, “is mail art dying?” What seems to be true is that mail artists are getting old—especially the hardcore group that has embraced mail art as a life style. Several of the people who were in Minden:place>:City> wrote me that “you always see the same faces.” They complain that young people are not interested in this old-fashioned way to network and spend all their time in front of a computer screen or pushing frenetically the keys in their cell phones. Other people reply to these complaints that the mail artists themselves are to blame: we don’t do enough to attract outsiders and make them understand and enjoy the pleasures of mail arting. :p>

One of the more vocal critics of this “ghetto mentality” is Belgian networker Luc Fierens. As he wrote in a recent e-mail, “yes, I feel some of the network has become a closed club of blah-blah news groups and private parties. Wake up and open the field!” Always one who backs his words with facts, Fierens and partner Annina Van Sebroeck started in 1999 a workshop for children aged 8 to 11. Working in collaboration with regional integration center Foyer, they gathered a number of elementary school students, especially belonging to socially disadvantaged groups and immigrant families. At the same time, the work done between October 1999 and February 2000 in weekly meetings was linked to the international mail art network, so that the drawings, paintings, collages, stamps, etc. made during those sessions were sent out and exchanged with artists and children abroad. Thanks to the help of another Belgian networker, Guido Vermeulen, they even managed to involve the American “Children’s Art Program” of kidscommons, a children’s museum in Columbus:City>, Indiana:State>:place>. As Fierens says, “Mail art is communication art. The value of communicating prevails over the artistic value and stands above the classical knowledge of language. This is particularly important for children with language problems. Therefore the aim of this project was to offer real opportunities to communicate across all borders.” The experience was so satisfying that it was repeated four years in a row, every time with a different theme: “Living in the Mirror,” “Dance of Life,” Soul Food: Envelope Your World,” and “Play.” Instrumental to the success of the project were Fierens’s efforts to involve public institutions (something other mail artists are usually not very happy to do) such as the Queen Paola Foundation. The finished works were exhibited at the Central Post Office in Brussels:City>, the Museum:PlaceType> of Spontaneous Arts:PlaceName>, Molenbeek, the gallery of the public library in Etterbeek, and the Ministry of the French Community, Brussels:place>:City>. Of course achieving open and permanent lines of communication between the children themselves remains difficult, especially across international borders, because the extended waiting period causes them to forget about it and dropout. Nevertheless, receiving mail from another part of the world is a great, unforgettable experience that has a positive influence on their creativity and the way they think about other cultures. Once the seeds of communication are planted, they continue to grow and flourish.:p>

Fierens’s workshop has been followed by similar projects in Germany:country-region>, France:country-region>, the Netherlands:country-region>, and Belgium:place>:country-region> (“Maanschim—Exploring the Dark and Clear Side of the Moon,” that was independently curated by the children themselves), in which I had the pleasure to participate, sometimes with my 4-year-old son Luca. In some cases, the children opted to use the alter-and-return system, by sending out art to people who had previously agreed to collaborate and getting their altered works back a few weeks later. :p>

The idea to write about mail art and children in a zine like Xerography Debt first came to me when I realized that a growing number of zinesters are librarians and/or are active in grass roots activities (and there are those who publish parenting zines of course!). It would be wonderful if some of you readers had the possibility and space (did anyone say “library”?) to organize a similar project. It is needless to point out the importance of communication and getting to know “the others”—whoever they might be—especially in these dark times in which irresponsible and ignorant people talk freely about the “clash of civilizations” and other such nonsense. But of course you do not have to go international at all costs. Even a collaboration with other children and/or adults in your country would be good. Also, a project can take different shapes (as usual, imagination is the only limit). For example, how about making a collective zine/diary that gets sent around through the post? If in the last issue of XD I scared you with all that talk about the expensive task of sending out documentation to every contributor, you will be glad to hear that when kids are involved, mail artists’ hearts start to melt and they become tolerant and forgiving, even if they receive nothing in return. Fierens managed to produce a nice box with 40 color-postcards and an essay in four languages, but he had Queen Paola on his side…:p>

For more information, tips on how to organize a children’s project, etc. you can check the kidscommons Web site at www.kid-at-art.com (very colorful and fun, even if you only want to have a look) or you can contact the museum by writing to Kidscommons, The Commons Mall, 325 Washington St:Street>, Columbus:City> IN:State> 47201:PostalCode> USA:country-region>:address>.:p>

Luc Fierens’s address is Galgenberg 18, 1982 Weerde BELGIUM:place>:country-region>; fierens.mailart@belgacom.net. :p>

:p>

Gianni Simone also publishes KAIRAN, which is devoted to the discussion of mail art-related topics. Issue #9, among other things, features a mammoth index to mail art and (visual) poetry zines (more than 100 publications listed). Available for $4.00 postpaid worldwide from 3-3-23 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama-shi, 226-0027 Kanagawa-ken JAPAN:place>:country-region>.:p>

:p>

IT MEANS IT’S WANK:p>

:p>

By Jeff Somers:p>

P.O. Box 3024:Street>, Hoboken:City> NJ:State> 07030:PostalCode>:address>:p>

mreditor@innerswine.com:p>

www.innerswine.com:p>

:p>

“So what does that mean? It means it’s wank.”- Vic Flange, www.fleshmouth.co.uk [now defunct], describing my zine.:p>

:p>

A WORLD OF PEOPLE COOLER THAN ME:p>

:p>

...in which your intrepid wanky columnist wonders about all the zines and DIY projects that don’t get reviewed.:p>

I’m usually the least cool, hip person in the room. It’s okay—I’m used to it. By the time I discover a trend or fad, it’s usually been out of style for years and little kids—with whom I’ve been waging a quiet war of attrition these past few years—make fun of me, mercilessly. They call me Bathrobe Guy because I walk around in a tattered bathrobe all day, muttering and they like to throw rocks at me when I shuffle home from the liquor store—but I digress; the point is I am woefully uncool. Heck, the whole DIY publishing world should have washed its hands and left zining behind when I started publishing my little magazine, as I was obviously the last kid in the room.:p>

My brand of all-purpose ignorance is breathtaking, in a way, and extends to just about everything, including the wealth of zines out there in the world. Basically, if it isn’t mentioned on alt.zines or reviewed in Zine World or Xerography Debt or some of the other well-known review zines, I haven’t heard of it. Which means, since those august publications can’t possibly review every zine out there—and probably not even half—there is a huge cloud of Dark Matter zines out there that seem to be existing without my knowledge or approval—a previously unthinkable proposition. There could be thousands of zines out there that I’ve never heard of, and probably won’t ever hear of. There could be this whole Philip K. Dick shadow universe of zines, a doppleganger of my own zine out there, a mirror image pamphlet produced by a flabby nerd with a colorful drinking problem—why not? We’re talking Dark Matter zines, after all. Anything’s possible. And if a zine doesn’t get reviewed in the major review pubs, does that zine actually exist?:p>

Consider this: Most zines, over time, disappear. People tend to view zines as disposable, after all; they’re cheap toilet reading. Zine libraries generally—though not universally—suffer from the same transience and impermanence as the publications they aim to preserve, and fade away with a shocking suddenness all too often. The publishers themselves often print just enough to fill their orders, give a few more away, and as often as not don’t have any copies of issues left over, unless you’re like me and lack basic math skills and wildly overprint every issue in an orgy of financial ruination. And, of course, a large number of zines don’t even get to issue #2, and their publisher doesn’t consider issue #1 worth saving. Poof! The zine is gone, and after a few years it may as well have never been published.:p>

I suppose zine review zines can suffer the same fate, and a few probably have. Even major ones can disappear—Factsheet 5, anyone?—and a few years down the pike and already Factsheet 5 seems like a ghost, a memory, and there’re probably scads of zine publishers who’ve never heard of it. But at least zine-review zines concentrate a large number of zine titles into one slim publication, so if just one issue survives the microscopic traces of a hundred zines survive with it, proof of life.:p>

So what happens to Dark Matter zines that don’t get reviewed? What if they’re not even reviewed in the Dark Matter review zines? Many zine publishers are islands of perversity in the straight world, without bridges or trade routes between. Zines are born, live briefly, and die, often—maybe usually—without notice or record. Maybe people find a box of them ten, twenty years down the road—and then what? If you find at fifty something your wrote at twenty, what will your reaction be? And what about the small-run zines, where maybe twenty copies are produced and distributed by hand to people of varying reliability, varying interest?:p>

Maybe none of these Dark Matter zines are worthwhile. Maybe most of them, like most of everything, suck. But still, it bothers me that so many are potentially chum, potentially lost, never known beyond a tiny and mortal group of people. Even with all DIY publicity resources firing full blast we’ll be lucky if anyone remembers our zine a hundred years from now. If you don’t even have that going for you, who’ll ever know? There are plenty of things out there that are obscure: Novels, music, poems, political movements that have faded into the dustbin of history, and few people realize they ever existed, or care. But at least there is some record of them, some dusty old repository where their impact on the world, if any, is recorded and can be accessed if you’re curious. If a couple of kids somewhere bang out five issues of We Haven’t Learned the True Meaning of Rebellion and then slowly drift apart and never speak again and two years later their parents sell the house and a box containing the last existing issues is tossed into the garbage. . .did the zine ever actually exist?:p>

The same question, of course, can be applied to people. This is why I drink.:p>

There are, of course, no guarantees. You can get reviewed everywhere, get lots of distribution, and fill out the copyright forms and send copies of everything to the Library of Congress and every zine library around, and still you maybe forgotten, and still your zine may disappear. But the more places your work is reproduced, the more places it is mentioned, set in writing and discussed, the better chance you have, I think. And a chance is all you ever get, anyway, in anything. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to put on my bathrobe and go to the liquor store for dinner.:p>

:p>

The Reviews:p>

Donny Smith:p>

915 W 2 St, Bloomington:City> IN:State> 47403:PostalCode>:place>:p>

www.geocities.com/dwanzine:p>

dwanzine@hotmail.com:p>

:p>

Selam fanzinciler! Hey, zinesters! By the time you read this, I’ll be free from meth-addled Terre Haute:place>:City> and well on my way to being a penniless grad student (in Turkish Studies). But I’ll still be a librarian, somehow, even without a library. Speaking of which, our zine Library Urinal is now availalbe from me or Miriam DesHarnais for $2! Now to the zines… Sag olan!:p>

:p>

America:place>:country-region>? 12 (2004):p>

available from Travis, PO Box 13077:Street>, Gainesville:City> FL:State> 32604:PostalCode> USA:country-region>:address> for $1? or trade?; obscurist@hotmail.com:p>

on the cover: a weeping elephant:p>

inside: ruminations on his life, his community, his travels:p>

quote: Those hardboiled crime novels I devour don’t seem so delectable now since I couldn’t think of any way to outwit or outmuscle (yeah, right) the odds. The plots in those books never made any sense—I mostly liked them as vehicles for dissolute criticism & the awful lengths that the characters would traverse for their passions. I do still believe there is another world, a better world. There must be. Maybe I’ll see you there one day. In the meantime, take care of yourself, dear. :p>

overall: He’s always veering toward pretentiousness in his writing, but saves himself just in time with a little self-deprecating humor. I liked this a lot. :p>

:p>

BOOTY #19 (March 2005):p>

available from Anne Thalheimer, 121F Brittany Manor Dr:Street>, Amherst:City> MA:State> 01002:PostalCode> USA:country-region>:address> for $1 + 60¢ postage (or $2); contact before trading; motes@simons-rock.edu :p>

subtitle: more adventures in auto-bio:p>

inside: comics about Anne’s life, her mom’s breast cancer, her own breasts, her relationship with her mom, her many jobs, her trip to Iceland:place>:country-region>, her mandolin lessons:p>

quote: I do, however, remember my mother taunting me when I was maybe in seventh grade for not wearing “underwear”
--> i.e. I wasn’t wearing a bra or any other such garment. :p>

See, my mom wore these things—”teddies”—a bra and underwear all in one. With a snap crotch! Ugh! :p>

I would often get frustrated by her teasing me but never helping me—I honestly don’t remember her ever taking me shopping for a bra.:p>

Not even once.:p>

So I’d swipe a teddy, chop off the bottom, and wear that. :p>

overall: charming and perceptive :p>

:p>

Extranjero número Finlandia (2005?):p>

available from Kris & Lola, calle Obispo 4 bajo, Plasencia 10600, Cáceres SPAIN:place>:country-region> for cash, stamps, a zine, or a nice letter :p>

on the cover: a Finnish landscape and an elk (that is, a moose) running in front of a car:p>

inside: Lola’s thoughts on backpacking in Finland, Estonia, and Latvia; Lola’s open letter to Santa; Roman Schatz’s thoughts on sisu (Finnish toughness, also discussed by Johanna in the zine SISU, reviewed in XD 15); Kris’s experience giving a zine talk to Spanish students of English, with a footnote on Kris’s misuse of the word polla (cock); “Why Finland?”; the complexities of the Finnish language; a big letters section :p>

quote: Santa, I have to give you good news: Plasencia, my town, decorated the main square with a performance about you for the first time. We are getting very international here in Extremadura. (And losing our traditions). The performance was a robot dressed like you dancing to Christmas music on the 2nd floor balcony of the town council office. :p>

overall: engaging and clever—we need to hear more from Lola!:p>

:p>

Four star daydream issue six (2005?):p>

available from Fawne D., 104 Diane Dr:Street>, Thomaston:City> GA:State> 30286:PostalCode> USA:country-region>:address>, no price ($1?); fawneheart@charter.net:p>

inside: bits and pieces of her life, “‘one minute autobiographies’ … they are all here. they are all real and true.”:p>

quote: there were times i could’ve told you these things but your presence made my heart beat so fast i couldn’t breathe. especially when you said, “i love her so much. she’s everything to me. i just wanted to let you know that.” :p>

overall: She’s really good a capturing in a few words the excitement of a crush or a new love. And she’s good at looking back at lost love and all kinds of hurts and finding the little bit of sweetness in them. :p>

Last Laugh / Quiet Days in Saint-Denis:place>:City> The fabulous new issue! (May 2005) :p>

available from Wild Bill Blackolive & Lisa B. Falour, 1776 N McCampbell, Aransas Pass TX 78336 USA for $5 or 5; billblackolive@awesomenet.net :p>

on the cover: a woman in an “attitude passionnelle” (extase) :p>

inside: pictures of Wild Bill’s family, letters to Wild Bill from all over, Lisa’s account of her trip to Iceland:place>:country-region>, ruminations :p>

quote: I ate a puffin, and it is now my favorite bird meat. Dark as beef liver, and very sweet. :p>

:p>

Opuntia 57 (May 2005) :p>

available from Dale Speirs, Box 6830:Street>, Calgary:City> AL:State> T2P 2E7:PostalCode> CANADA:country-region>:address> for $3 cash or zine trade or a letter of comment:p>

inside: a history of offprints (those extra copies of your article you get if you publish in an academic journal); an article on “mummy wheat” and seed dormancy; letters to the editor :p>

overall: Fascinating, documented—in its quiet way, OPUNTIA has become one of my favorite zines. :p>

:p>

Philly Zine Fest Documentary (2004):p>

available from Outhouse Publications, 30 Locust Ave:Street>, Westmont:City> NJ:State> 08108:PostalCode> USA:country-region>:address> for $12; http://www.njghost.com/:p>

what it is: Bob Sheairs Jr.’s documentary about last year’s Philly Zine Fest :p>

inside: interviews with Ben T. Steckler, Sid Karp, Sheena Allen, Jim Testa, Richard “REB” Bump, Dan Taylor, Sheila Fuentes, Corpo Jones, Mythdoor Jefferson May-day May-day, Taylor Ball, Patti Moore, Lauren Skala, Natalie Corvington, Timothy Walsh, and Bob Sheairs (and in the bonus materials, Jesse Rinyu, Sean Steward, and Yuan-kwan Chan); snippets from seminars on hair cutting and desktop publishing :p>

quote: “What do you want for Christmas?” “Photocopies!” —Sheena Allen :p>

another quote: Basically just get your ideas on paper, don’t worry about writing some kind of masterpiece. Nobody’s gonna— This community’s really supportive. —Natalie Corvington:p>

overall: A good mix of zinesters of all ages. Didn’t totally capture the weird, quiet community-feeling when shy, smart, alienated people get together. Definitely didn’t capture how hot, humid, and stuffy it was there that day (except maybe in the Bob Sheairs interview). I would’ve liked more close-ups of the zines and craft projects, maybe some zinesters reading from their work. A nice addition to zinedom documentation. :p>

:p>

ROTTING FROM THE INSIDE issue #1 (2004):p>

available from Mick, PO Box 5817, West End QLD 4101 AUSTRALIA:place>:country-region> for $2 (AU or US) or trade (but email first); Prodigal_hobo@yahoo.com :p>

inside: Mick’s many stories of pulling pranks, doing dares, injuring himself, and making a fool of himself:p>

quote: Next thing I know my two friends have laid me on the back seat of the car. Then I saw why I was in so much pain. When my leg was straight I could see the bottom of my foot. That’s when consciousness became an effort. :p>

overall: Other people’s trouble is always hilarious!:p>

:p>

Urban Nature Walk: South Boston:place> Seashore (January 2005):p>

available from Jef Taylor, 423 Brookline Ave #271:Street>, Boston:City> MA:State> 02115:PostalCode> USA:country-region>:address>, no price ($3?); jefctaylor@gmail.com :p>

on the cover: a gull eating from someone's hand:p>

inside: a detailed and well-illustrated account of a January tour of a man-made beach :p>

quote: I was surprised initially by how natural it looked. We all knew that the soil from Day Boulevard to the water had been trucked in some 85 years ago, but it made little difference to the organisms that have since made it their home. :p>

overall: Jef wouldn't look at me funny when I walked into work and said, "I saw a turkey (or a kingfisher, or a grebe) on the way here this morning!" My kinda zine! Makes me want to do a similar zine for my town! :p>

:p>

ZINE FEST ZINE (December 2004):p>

maybe available from Alycia Sellie, 139 E Johnson St:address>:Street>, Madison WI 53703 USA:place>:country-region>; librarian@madisonzinefest.org:p>

subtitle1: a portfolio zine all about the madison:City> zine fest october 6-10, 2004, madison:City>, wisconsin:place>:State>:p>

subtitle2: A Summary of the Independent Study work of ALYCIA SELLIE. :p>

inside: a step-by-step guide to putting on a zine fest:p>

overall: How can you go wrong? :p>

:p>

Dan Taylor:p>

PO Box 5531:Street>, Lutherville:City>, MD:State> 21094:PostalCode>:address>:p>

www.dantenet.com:p>

dante@dantenet.com:p>

:p>

Dan Taylor is the editor of The Hungover Gourmet: The Journal of Food, Drink , Travel and Fun. You can pick up the recently released THG #9 by going to hungovergourmet.com or sending $3 (cash only) to PO Box 5531:Street>, Lutherville:City>, MD:State> 21094-5531:PostalCode>:address>.:p>

:p>

BREAKFAST: The Zine About Your Favorite Meal ($3 to Vincent Voelz, 575 12th Ave, #3:Street>, San Francisco:City>, CA:State> 94118:PostalCode>:address>.) I love the recent explosion in food zines, especially when the result is something like Vincent Voelz’s BREAKFAST. Vincent has taken a niche zine concept – breakfast, breakfast, nothing but breakfast – and turned it into a fun and friendly look at everything from donuts and diners to farmer’s markets, breakfast joint reviews and the pursuit of decent hashbrowns in San Francisco:place>:City>. It’s been awhile since the last issue but he more than makes up for it with a whopping 72-pages of low-fat fun that’s good for you! If you’re going to be traveling to San Fran anytime soon you need this issue.:p>

:p>

SHOCK CINEMA #27 and 28 ($5 per issue or $18 for a four-issue subscription; Steve Puchalski, PO Box 518, Peter Stuyvesant Station, NY, NY 10009) Even after close to twenty years I remain in awe of old pal Steve Puchalski. SLIMETIME, his drive-in newsletter, was one of my favorite publications from the last great golden age of exploitation cinema. These days, Steve keeps the sleaze train going strong with the always-impressive SHOCK CINEMA. #27 and #28 the latest in a long line of fine installments featuring top-notch interviews with cult cinema icons (Bill Duke, Sean Cunningham, Ken Russell, Clint Howard) and no-holds barred reviews from Puchalski and his reliable crew of critics like UK horror authority Kim Newman and Tavis Riker. While other B-movie rags have a tendency to cozy up to their subjects, SHOCK CINEMA delivers the straight dope:p>

:p>

MURDER CAN BE FUN #19 ($3 to John Marr, PO Box 640111, San Francisco, CA 94164) I don’t know the last time I had a happier Zine Moment ™ than a few weeks back when I wandered into Atomic Books and saw what I was sure was a new MURDER CAN BE FUN staring back at me. “Holy shit,” I thought, “that’s a new issue!” Sure enough, John Marr’s oddball mix of pop culture, true crime, sleaze history and junk paperbacks was back – and just as good as I remembered. The jam-packed 48-pager is a music ish of sorts, but don’t expect your run-of-the-mill rock star ODs and suicides. Instead, the issue is anchored by an exhaustive cover story on Western swing star Spade Cooley who was sentenced to life in prison for stomping his wife to death in front of their daughter. It’s one of those amazing true-life tales that – in the proper hands – would make an incredible movie, but we’ll have to settle for the version Dennis Quaid’s making with the future former Mrs. Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes. In typical MCBF fashion the issue is brimming with book reviews, tragic tales, and Marr’s conversational – and frequently hysterical – writing. All I can say is “welcome back” and I hope we don’t have to wait as long for #20.:p>

:p>

NARC ($1 to Narc Magazine, PO Box 820102:Street>, Portland:City>, OR:State> 97282-1102:PostalCode>:address>):p>

Sometimes I think that advances in the world of desktop publishing have done zine publishers a disservice. I know that when I’m working on an issue of THG I want the layout to look clean and professional, which might be what holds me up between issues. NARC does not have these problems. The 8-page photocopied zine is as old school as you can get without resorting to pressable type. Grainy screen shots grace the covers while the inside pages tackle such weighty issues as the fact that Wayne Twitchell is moving (if you have to ask who Twitchell is you didn’t grow up watching baseball in the 70s), and who was better, Tom Seaver or Jim Palmer. Filled out by record reviews, restaurant write-ups and random commentary, NARC is like a blog that shows up in your mailbox or an extended phone conversation with an oddball buddy. Fun and entertaining in a lo-tech kinda way.:p>

:p>

BETTY PAGINATED #28 ($5 to Dann Lennard, PO Box A1412, Sydney South, NSW, 1235, Australia) There are people – some of you may even be lurking in this zine’s readership – who believe that nothing good has ever come out of Australia. Given examples like Paul Hogan, Men at Work, Yahoo Serious and Jacko it would be easy to accept this theory. But as a fan of the first two MAD MAX flicks, Fosters Oil Can when they were still imported, and Aussie zines like CRIMSON CELLULOID, FATAL VISIONS and the long-running BETTY PAGINATED I beg to differ. BP is the most breast- and wrestling-obsessed zine in the world, yet editor Dann Lennard makes the whole thing seem goofy, good natured and charming instead of creepy and weird. #28 is the mag’s ‘Devil Women’ issue, devoted to the bad girls who make us feel so very good. The rest of the issue is jammed with BP’s typically top-notch assortment of movie and zine reviews, t&a commentary, and the latest from the worlds of rawk and wrasslin’.:p>

:p>

TOO MUCH COFFEE MAN #21 ($25 for six issues to Too Much Coffee Man, PO Box 14549:Street>, Portland:City>, OR:State> 97293:PostalCode>:address>) Reviewing TMCM in a zine about zines is a bit of a cheat. Much like the aforementioned SHOCK CINEMA this is well beyond “zine” territory. In fact, it’s an entertaining and slick-looking mag that despite a high cover price is pretty much worth every penny. This issue purports to be a “best of” except that the material is all new because, well, “who needs the frustration?” The result is a powerful and funny blend of comics (I love the Calvin & Hobbes take-off entitled Chomsky & Mailer), interviews (including a guy who was once married to a notorious bank robber), and reviews (lots of jokey takes on the whole "best of" theme). I like, but sometimes it's a bit too slick and well-done for its own good.:p>

:p>

Anne Thalheimer:p>

121 F Brittany Manor Dr:address>:Street>:p>

Amherst:City>, MA:State> 01002:PostalCode>:place>:p>

motes@simons-rock.edu:p>

:p>

So, life here in the Pioneer:PlaceName> Valley:PlaceType>:place> has become hot and sticky as summer encroaches. I’m planning to stay after all, deciding not to attend that very cool school in Vermont:place>:State> after all. I’m sure I’ll get into why I’m not going in BOOTY #20 later this year (but #19 came out in March, finally) or some of the smaller minis on the docket for coming months (email for details). Other than that, my time’s spent either at the day job, at my excellent printmaking course at Red Horse Studios in Easthampton, in the car somewhere in between (playing very loud Rainer Maria lately), or on the bike getting ready for the Massachusetts Red Ribbon Ride in August. It’s my first long fundraiser ride. I’m getting nervous.:p>

But I actually have a vaguely themed review this time, even if shorter than usual. I think the theme was intentional judging by the zines I was sent, but I like how they fit together even though they’re a fairly diverse batch.:p>

:p>

FOR THE CLERISY / GOOD WORDS FOR READERS. Issue 61, May 2005:p>

C/o Brant Kresovich:p>

PO Box:Street> 404:address>:p>

Getzville:City>, NY:State> 14068-0404:PostalCode>:place>:p>

Biggestfatporker@yahoo.com:p>

kresovich@hotmail.com:p>

??, 6 pages, full size.:p>

Brant explains that “clerisy” is a word that means “people who read for the sheer pleasure of it.” He cites Canadian writer Robertson Davies: “The clerisy are those who read for pleasure, but not for idleness; who read for pastime but not to kill time; who love books, but do not live by books.” In recent issues, he’s also chosen themes (#57 was “Japan:place>:country-region>” and #59 was “Sex”). #61 is “My Country, Right and Wrong.” This issue provides a really savvy look at a wide variety of films and books that Brant feels address this topic; he ranges across decades and genres and as a result I felt like I was reading that was smart and wry and catchy. It’s hard sometimes to still hear the author’s voice in the midst of such things, but Brant does so quite well. Interestingly, his back pages are listings for and reviews of other zines, and a letter column (which he’s titled, at least for this issue, “Constructive Engagement vs. Critical Dialogue.”) where topics range from Constantine, the zine’s last cover, and Condi Rice. (Small world dep’t: found a small letter there from Donny Smith).The layout is very clean and despite the smallish font, it’s easy to read because the composition is so precise.:p>

THE LETTER EXCHANGE, Vol. 2 , No. 6. Winter 2005:p>

“A magazine for letter writers”:p>

855 Village Center Drive, #324:address>:Street>:p>

North Oaks, MN 55127-3016:p>

www.letter-exchange.com:p>

Single issue $7.50, 3 issue subscription $18. Back issues $5. 32 pages, half-size.:p>

In keeping with the correspondence theme, THE LETTER EXCHANGE (henceforth LEX) is basically a postal resend service. They have a free forwarding service that anyone can use, subscriber or not, but do not forward letters to or from prisoners. (That said, there is a letter column where this issue is discussed and it sounds as if there are some LEX members who have identified themselves as willing to respond to inquiries sent from prisoners). Subscribers are the only folks who can have listings published in the issues; they’re anonymous and LEX bills themselves as “connect[ing] letter writers from across the country and around the world through anonymous listings in the magazine and confidential mail forwarding.” The listings themselves are fairly varied, from people who want to exchange photocopies of drawings and to trade mail art, “ghost letters” (writing in a character’s voice, not your own) to someone interested in collecting racing bike postcards and another into The Price is Right. In addition, LEX reprints articles about letter-writing and postal services from a number of different places as diverse as Emily Dickinson and the Anderson:PlaceName> Valley:PlaceType>:place> Advertiser. My favorite, however, was the story reprinted from The Traveling Post Office: History and Incidents of the Railway Mail Service by William J. Dennis in 1916, detailing the story of Owney, the dog adopted by the clerks in the Albany, N.Y. post office in 1888. Owney liked to travel, as it turned out, and kept sneaking into railway mail cars. The postmaster eventually attached a collar and tags to Owney, and every time he was sent back he came with medals, notes, and other things attached to the collar (and, later, a custom-made harness). Once he ended up in Montreal:City>, where a bill was sent for boarding the dog before he was allowed to return, and, later, landed in Yokohama:place>:City>. Owney, however, met an unfortunate end at the hands of a postmaster in Toledo:place>:City> who didn’t recognize the “stump-tailed shaggy dog.”:p>

:p>

ORANGE:place>:City> AND BLUE #15.5, “Meetings” by Iza Bourret:p>

5591 St-Laurent, Levis:City> QC G6V 3V 6 CANADA:place>:country-region>:p>

orangeblue_zine@yahoo.com:p>

www.geocities.com/orangeblue_zine:p>

“$2 per copy (Canada/US), $4 US or 4 euros overseas.” 38 pages, quarter size.:p>

Trades OK. Not free to prisoners.:p>

Iza states on her cover that this issue is “a short mini for trading, in waiting of completion of #16.” Issue #16, she writes in her intro, is in the works, but has been difficult to compose and has become a lengthy work (something around 176 pages, and that’s before translating it from French to English). In the meantime, she felt as if she was losing touch with other zines and zine-writers because she didn’t have anything new to trade because the process of writing #16 was taking so long and so much of her. So she created ORANGE:place>:City> AND BLUE 15.5 as a way to create something new, “something simple and fast like a one-night one-short, something lighter than the content of #16…” for trading. She’s written a charming introduction to three of her close friends, and has such an engaging writing style I started to feel as if it was not just an introduction to these three folks, but an introduction to Iza as well. She’s got a wicked sense of humor (just read the story about when she ‘loses’ the expensive loaner pager she’s got while waiting for the store to ship her the basic model) and while there are small moments where native English speakers can tell that Iza’s first language is French, that’s part of the allure of her writing. (I’m note sure if she composed this issue in English or wrote it first in French and then translated it as she does with her other issues). I quite liked the idea of writing a zine in tribute to one’s awesome friends, to tell the stories of how they met, particularly because Iza seems so dedicated to the idea of trading zines and building community that way as well.:p>

:p>

DWAN #45 by Donny Smith:p>

915 W 2 St. :p>

Bloomington:City>, IN:State> 47403:PostalCode>:place>:p>

$1,18 pages, half-size:p>

“free to prisoners for a personal letter”:p>

DWAN is one of those zines I’ve seen mentioned with some frequency and I always thought some variation on “huh, I ought to read an issue sometime…” It was excellent to finally have the opportunity. DWAN #45 is an assortment of varied things; evocative translations of poems, fascinating photos (with a particularly eye-catching cover), a long diary entry about and a history recap of the story of Perseus (who is invoked in some of the translated poems) and—naturally—a “My Diaries & Your Letters” section (which brings it in keeping with the theme here). The letters were particularly interesting (which isn’t to say that the rest of the zine is uninteresting, because that’s not so), particularly those of Mikki Maulsby, who writes about being incarcerated and the particulars of being in ‘the Hole.’ But I always feel a little like I’m peeking in at other people’s conversations when I read such things; I can’t help it. They’re fascinating and it’s a little weird, but I think that’s part of the charm. Anyway, I enjoyed the issue particularly because of the wide range of different elements it contains. It’s worth reading; I wish I hadn’t been so lazy in getting my hands on it!:p>

:p>

MISSIVES XX/XY? by DB Pedlar:p>

“A publication celebrating the lost art of letter writing”:p>

25727 Cherry Hill Road:address>:Street>:p>

Cambridge Springs:City>, PA:State> 16403:PostalCode>:place>:p>

$2. 32 pages, half-size.:p>

DB Pedlar’s one of those folks whose name seems really familiar to me and it took me a while to figure out that the reason it sounded so familiar is because of the sketches from Sister Friend #16 (see last issue of XD). At any rate, each issue of MISSIVES consists of a correspondence between DB and another person entered into willingly with the knowledge that the letters will comprise an issue. I was impressed with the forthrightness with which DB emphasized the importance of “be[ing] upfront with those who write to you and honor their privacy if or when they request it.” This particular issue is striking because the correspondence is between DB and a zine writer who is transsexual and writes: “I do not care who knows, really, and especially since my work has been getting out more in the small press and occasionally, elsewhere.” DB asks such thought-provoking questions of this person in such a way that readers begin to think about their own gender expression as well, and the replies are witty, heartfelt, honest, and incredible to read. The issue itself, like most correspondence, is not limited to one single topic. Issues of homelessness, traveling, and even films appear throughout the letters, and the issue closes with a page of particularly smart questions designed to get readers thinking (and maybe responding) to some of these things. Highly recommended. :p>

:p>

Fred Argoff:p>

1170 Ocean Pkwy.:address>:Street>, Penthouse L:p>

Brooklyn:City>, NY:State> 11230:PostalCode>:place>:p>

wajasay@optonline.net:p>

:p>

The time has come (the Walrus said) to talk of many things.:p>

Of shoes and ships and sealing wax,:p>

Of cabbages and kings,:p>

Of why the sea is boiling hot,:p>

And whether pigs have wings.:p>

:p>

Well, I can only guess that nobody was producing zines when Lewis Carroll invented the Walrus. Otherwise, he might have included them in that eclectic mix of topics. And much as I would like to discuss the possibilities of a boiling hot sea (to say nothing of pigs with or without wings), I believe I shall confine my scribblings to zines...at least for this outing! So, let’s not waste any more time.:p>

:p>

Let me ask you this: what’s better than breakfast? Aha—you couldn’t come up with anything better either, could you? If you want something to perk up your mailbox, rush quickly to get your copy of Breakfast. Issue #4 is the “San Francisco Issue.” Eateries all over town, hunting for hash browns, and the Two Donut Rule (it’s one your tummy will be glad you decided to follow!) and lots more. Already, I can’t wait til I wake up tomorrow morning. $3 from Vincent Voelz, 575 12th Ave.:address>:Street> (#3), San Francisco:City> CA:State> 94118:PostalCode>:place>:p>

:p>

Well, here’s Chumpire, issue 179. I’d heard of it, but never actually seen a copy. And, on seeing this one, I know why. Because it’s a music zine, and anyone who wants their music zine reviewed should really go running in the opposite direction from wherever I am at the moment. Musically, as far as I’m concerned, the clock stopped when the Beatles broke up. This zine has band photos, and a whole bunch of reviews focusing on music-related zines. If you like music stuff, get it. If you don’t, don’t. Free, 1 stamp or trade, from Greg Knowles, P.O. Box:Street> 27:address>, Annville PA 17003-0027:p>

:p>

On the other hand, lots of people know about my fascination with perzines. For sheer content, you’ll have a tough time doing better than Last Laugh/Quiet Days in Saint-Denis:place>:City>. This is a joint compilation. Bill Blackolive shares the laugh, and Lisa Falour (of whom you’re going to read a lot more in my own Brooklyn:place>! #49 later this summer) lives the quiet days. Writing, writing and more writing—with some photos thrown in for good measure. I read it through every time one lands in my mailbox. No price listed, but at 50 pages, be generous when you send for a copy. Bill Blackolive, 1776 North McCampbell, Aransas Pass:City> TX:State> 78336:PostalCode>:place>:p>

:p>

Oh, it isn’t fair to ask me to review Musea, because editor Tom Hendricks (alias Art S. Revolutionary) has already ensconced my own contributions to zinedom in his Hall of Fame. But, what the hell! This wonderful little project takes the viewpoint that the arts are important, and should be nurtured—if not actually expanded—as a part of our lives. Issue #137, which I suspect to be a slightly tongue-in-cheek issue designation, is the Annual Christmas Issue. And in its best tradition, it features an original story. Forget about Ebenezer Scrooge; how about aliens landing at Christmastime. If you think I’m going to give away the ending...well, I’m not. “Free” it says on the masthead, but don’t be a Scrooge, OK? From Tom Hendricks, 4000 Hawthorne (#5), Dallas:City> TX:State> 75219:PostalCode>:place>:p>

:p>

Hey, I don’t even drink beer. Yet I still enjoyed Free Beer Zine very much. Issue #12 is “May I Have a Refill? Please!” It tides you over during the wait. Packed full of tasty little tales and a few cartoons. It’s typewritten, which generally merits at least a silver star in my book. Mini-sized but maxi-flavorful. Good grief—let me stop before these words get all out of control. $3 from Barney at Imperfect Publications, P.O. Box 511844:Street>, Milwaukee:City> WI:State> 53203:PostalCode>:address>:p>

:p>

If I told you there’s a zine titled Burlesque, and that it’s a poetry zine, would you care to take a guess as to the contents? Well, surprise! Nothing pretentious here; just a collection of short, concise verse about burlesque. You know—the strippers, the beery dance halls, the baggy pants comedians. I usually run screaming from poetry zines, but I happened to enjoy this one quite a bit. So my recommendation is, sit down, take off your clothes, put $4 in an envelope and send for your issue—I mean, before you start doing the bump-and-grind. From Iniquity Press, P.O. Box 54:Street>, Manasquan:City> NJ:State> 08736:PostalCode>:address>:p>

Well, you know, I live in Brooklyn:place>—a borough with two and a half million people. If about 2.3 million of those people weren’t here, and I produced my own zine on newsprint, you’d probably expect to receive something from me very much like Little Village. It’s Iowa City:place>:City>’s news and culture magazine. Needless to say, I’m completely and unashamedly biased in favor of hometown-type publications. And look—this one is free! Yeah, I wish it looked more like a zine and less like a magazine, but as we say here in my hometown, waddaya gonna do? Send for your copy right away. P.O. Box 736:Street>, Iowa City:City> IA:State> 52244:PostalCode>:address>:p>

:p>

Finally out of me this time around, there’s The Die. It’s a litzine. The subtitle says, and I quote, “New Readings in Culture, Literature and Philosophy.” OK—maybe that sounds a little bit, um, dry. But it’s not; trust me. And it’s got plenty of zine reviews and letters, too. I think the Walrus (see opening stanza) would have appreciated this. Another free zine, and they accept trades, too. From Joe Smith, P.O. Box 764:Street>, College Park:City> MD:State> 20740:PostalCode>:address>.:p>

:p>

And til next time, when I promise not to be so late with my review submissions, I bit you adieu and oysters (another clever reference to that Walrus business. Stop scratching your head and start reading Lewis Carroll, for heaven’s sake!):p>

:p>

Julie Dorn:p>

P.O. Box:Street> 438:address>:p>

Avondale Estates, GA 30002:p>

junieingeorgia@hotmail.com:p>

:p>

For this issue, I hit the jackpot! I’m reviewing all of my favorite zines and whooooo weeee, I’m so excited! You kick-ass writers inspire me, and push my lazy ass toward the day when I might actually finish the next issue of my own zine. In the meantime, back issues of Junie in Georgia are available for $2 each or equitable trade at PO Box:Street> 438:address>, Avondale Estates, GA 30002.:p>

:p>

BOOTY #19 (Sept. 2003-March 2005):p>

Anne Thalheimer, 121F Brittany Manor Drive:Street>, Amherst:City>, MA:State> 01002:PostalCode>:address>:p>

motes@simons-rock.edu:p>

$1 and a 60¢ stamp, some trades, 16 pages:p>

Anne has had quite a transitional year. She’s taking time off from academia and instead she’s enjoying a much less stressful life than she did in the last few issues of Booty. Mandolin lessons, a satisfying retail job, art classes, a trip to Iceland:place>:country-region> and a writing group seem to make her really happy. Despite some of the heavy stories in this issue, you can tell that Anne is in a really great place in her life. :p>

This issue includes a rant to a bad friend, highlights from her trip to Reykjavik:place>:City> and woes of crappy customers and broken cars. My favorite comic/tale is right in the middle. Anne has always struggled with being large-chested. After her mom’s diagnosis of breast cancer and her treatment of chemo and double mastectomies, Anne struggles with all of the issues that surround loss and cancer: disconnectedness, fear, rage, self-preservation. I loved reading this comic. Despite not having any relatives with breast cancer, I absently fear the loss of my breasts at a time when I’ve finally reached a point of comfort with them. I could relate to Anne’s drawings of her breasts as ticking time bombs, and the sense that one’s body could both comfort and betray you. :p>

The drawings are simple, but emotive. Sometimes the writing can be a bit cryptic, like there are unknown, interesting stories tucked under there, but it just makes me more curious about Anne and her life. Booty is, as always, personal, thought-provoking and a good read. :p>

:p>

LADYFRIEND #8 (The Health Issue):p>

Christa/Ladyfriend Zine, 1951 South Canalport, #3F, Chicago:City>, IL:State> 60616:PostalCode>:place>:p>

ladyfriendzine@hotmail.com:p>

$3, 48 pages:p>

I love Ladyfriend. Each issue centers around a single topic and the collected writings span a vast and interesting spectrum. Besides being pro-woman, pro-art and incredibly smart, it’s so much fun to read. :p>

In this issue you’ll find tales of women’s bodies in health and illness: hymenotomy, anorexia, yeast infections, dog attacks, placentas, ADD, hypnosis, spine health and weight lifting. Each Ladyfriend also includes editor/visual artist Christa Donner’s fabulous drawings, zine/book/cd reviews, a coloring page and a great centerfold—this time a map of weird medical attractions across America:place>:country-region>. The most terrifying story was by a woman whose hallucinations and seizures are finally explained by cysticercosis, an ailment she picked up during her travels to Madagascar:place>:country-region> two years earlier. I won’t ruin the surprise for you, but after my own trip to Ghana:place>:country-region> and frequent, illogical fears of guinea worm, this story nearly made me shriek at the top of my lungs. :p>

Get your hands on Ladyfriend. Or better yet, order all eight issues. Worth every penny.:p>

:p>

BREAKFAST #4 (The San Francisco Issue):p>

Vincent Voelz, 575 12th Avenue #3:Street>, San Francisco:City>, CA:State> 94118:PostalCode>:address>:p>

vvoelz@itsa.ucsf.edu:p>

$3, 72 pages:p>

Who doesn’t love breakfast? It’s the best meal of the day! And Vince packs a powerful meal in this issue. Vince moved from Minneapolis:City> to San Francisco:place>:City> and began his quest to find the prime breakfast places that surely existed in the growing metropolis. It’s been harder than he thought, especially finding good hashbrowns, but he shares his travels (both gastronomical and geographical) with us. Besides the usual assortment of letters to the editor (including three by XD reviewers!), recipes, zine reviews (including four by XD reviewers!), diner photographs and musings on the perfection of donuts (Amen!), Vince adds an extensive listing of 40 restaurants in the Bay area where he’s eaten breakfast. Detailed, honest and enough to make you drool, this zine remains one of my favorites. Long live Breakfast!!:p>

:p>

EXTRANJERO #3 (The Finland:place>:country-region> issue):p>

Kris and Lola, Calle Obispo 4 bajo, Plasencia 10600, Caceres:place>:City>, España:p>

$2 or stamps or trades, 32 pages:p>

I’ve heard of Extranjero numerous times, but it always seemed to slip through the cracks. When I saw a copy in my envelope from Davida/Donny, I got so excited. Finally! After reading issue #3, I’m ordering every single issue for myself. Extranjero has become one of my favorite new zines. In this issue, you’ll read about backpacking, elk flies, the Finnish language, a letter to Papa Noel (the Santa of Finland) and other letters to the Editor. :p>

Kris and Lola are sweet, funny, adventurous people. They’re the kind who I wish I’d met while traveling through Africa:place>, so we could share dinner and swap stories about living in a foreign country. I admire their bravery and openness and they make me long for the days when I was free to be a foreigner (the meaning of the title in Spanish) in all of its challenging, wonderful ways. I read this issue at work, and frequently laughed out loud, or nodded my head, or felt my face grow into a huge, happy grin. Hooray for Extranjero! :p>

:p>

MIRANDA #13 (April 2005):p>

Kate Haas, 3510 SE Alder Street:Street>, Portland:City>, OR:State> 97214:PostalCode>:address>:p>

bruceandkate@juno.com:p>

www.mirandazine.com:p>

$2, 28 pages:p>

There are days at my job at the public library that cause a fiery hate for children. They screech like demons, tear books off the shelf, repeatedly open the alarm-causing emergency doors, pee on the floor and make me long for a bullhorn and a tranquilizer gun when their parents idly sit by and watch them behave like enraged animals. This troubles Jeremy, my partner, who wants children immediately and wishes I were more maternal and nurturing. Whenever I lose hope about becoming a mother, I turn to Miranda, one of the rare examples of kick-ass mamas that I have in my life. :p>

Kate is not a member of the doe-eyed cult of motherdom. While she definitely loves her kids, she has her own life, is a wonderful writer, shares stories from her years as a world traveler, includes a long list of book reviews in every issue and inspires me that someday I too can become a hip mama like her. My favorite part of Miranda is the Motel of Lost Companions, a story about a friend or lover from her past who has disappeared or drifted away. Highly recommended. :p>

:p>

DWAN #44:p>

Donny Smith, 915 West 2nd Street:Street>, Bloomington:City>, IN:State> 47403:PostalCode>:address>:p>

Trade for personal letter, 12 pages:p>

I think this issue is my favorite DWAN. As usual, Donny includes translated poetry, photographs, letters from friends and musings on his life. Number 44 centers around dreams and anxiety, and I enjoyed every page. I’ve always relished hearing other people’s dreams. Back in my high school days, I was convinced that I would become a dream analyst. Nowadays I prefer just listening to them instead of pretending to understand every symbol. Dreams mean more to the dreamer anyway. :p>

(I recently started re-reading a set of old diaries. I frequently wrote about my dreams in dramatic detail, not understanding at the time what the dreams meant. Decades later, as I read them and understood the events circling my life at the time, I completely understood what they meant. Since falling away from journaling, it’s made me remember to pick up my notebook when I have a doozy of a dream.):p>

Donny has a knack for concise, visual writing, he’s a good editor and he has highly entertaining dreams. I’ve never actually met Donny, and I’ve only seen one photograph of him (from this issue), so I don’t really KNOW him know him. But what little I do know of him makes the dreams even funnier. My favorite is one starring his partner and friend about opening a church and collecting a two-year surplus of underwear. I laughed out loud.:p>

DWAN is a changeable zine, bouncing between topics and tone. Sometimes it’s hard to pick up on the context of the correspondence, but DWAN is always interesting, smart and sensitive.:p>

:p>

TINY LIGHTS: A JOURNAL OF PERSONAL ESSAY Vol. 10, No. 2 (Close to Home):p>

Susan Bono, PO Box 928:Street>, Petaluma:City>, CA:State> 94953:PostalCode>:address>:p>

$5, 16 full-size pages:p>

Tiny Lights is a consistently solid writing journal. Geared toward working and beginning authors, Susan gathers a tight, eclectic mix of writings, worthy of savoring over multiple readings. Its support for the writing community is commendable, and each issue features well-chosen epigrams on the top of every page. This contest issue includes excerpts from five longish pieces and three very short works-in-progress. My favorite is the first selection, a wonderful piece by Zac Unger, called “Working Fired: the Making of an Accidental Fireman.” I love fiction that not only holds my attention, but that transports me into a new place, that gives me an authentic taste of someone else’s life, that flows with eloquence and humor and compassion. Tiny Lights has it all. One of the best fiction journal/zines out there.:p>

:p>

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS: New and Selected Poems from Elizabeth:City>, New Jersey:State>:place>:p>

By Joe Weil:p>

Iniquity Press/Vendetta Books, PO Box 54:Street>, Manasquan:City>, NJ:State> 08736:PostalCode>:address>:p>

iniquitypress@hotmail.com :p>

No price listed, 80 pages:p>

My heart dropped a little when I saw this mammoth book of poetry in my XD envelope. Great, I thought. More bad poetry. Boy, was I wrong. The first freaking poem knocked me on my ass. This must be a fluke, I thought. But no, the poems never got worse. In fact, they got better. Wow, Joe Weil writes well. Vivid portraits of New Jersey, raw moments in a working class childhood, tough women, factories, love and death and life—all unpretentious and honest and good. “Ode to Elizabeth:place>:City>,” “So Kiss Me Asshole” and “Paunch” are my favorites, but there’s not a bad one in the bunch. :p>

I finished the book all excited to order a copy for myself but quickly realized that there was no letter or return envelope included with TPoH. The only address listed within the book is that of Iniquity Press/Vendetta Books, however don’t list this book on their website. I would suggest emailing Iniquity Press to see if they have copies of TPoH or know who does. (Sorry! I feel strange endorsing a book that may not be available, but I really enjoyed TPoH and think it’s worth the trouble of hunting it down.) :p>

:p>

Eric Lyden:p>

224 Moraine St.:Street>, Brockton:City> MA:State> 02301:PostalCode>:address>:p>

Ericfishlegs@aol.com:p>

:p>

Hola, zine geeks! What’s up? How’s things? You keepin’ it real? Because I’m keepin’ it real. I never have anything to say in these intros. But y’know what? The other day I was in the super market and I saw a tabloid with a headline saying that Bob Barker was gravely ill and probably at death’s door. I have no idea if this is true or not, but the first thing that popped into my head was “Someone needs to do a zine about Bob Barker.” It’s days later now, but I’m still attracted to the basic idea of a Bob Barker tribute zine. ‘Cause y’know, who doesn’t like Bob Barker? Anyhow, here’s the reviews...:p>

:p>

CRAIG KINGSBURY”S TALKIN’ by Kristen Kingsbury Henshaw. :p>

We’re going to start off with something that A) wasn’t in the stack Davida & Donny sent me and B) isn’t actually a zine, but is a full fledged, honest to goodness book. But it used to be a zine so it’s OK to review it here. As a matter of fact, CRAIG KINGSBURY’S TALKIN’ was one of my favorite zines ever. It was a very simple concept- Craig’s daughter Kristy would talk to Craig, tape record his stories, and then publish them in the zine. She would also talk to people who knew Craig and include their stories as well. I think this is a wonderful idea for a zine and could probably be done with anyone in their 80’s and be quite entertaining. But when you do it with a man who led a life like Craig Kingsbury it becomes so much more than just a nice way to record the memories of someone who won’t be around for much longer just because Craig led such an interesting life. It was a wonderful zine and I was saddened when I heard that Craig passed away a few years back, partly because I thought it might be the end of the zine. But then a few months ago I got a flyer in the mail from Kristy announcing the publication of this book and my check was in the mail the next day. A week or so later I got the book and wasn’t disappointed. What can I say about a book that features characters like Benny the Bum who got his ass kicked by everyone in town? Or Cousin Doodle and his egg scam? Or stories about moonshine and bootlegging booze? Or reviews of various jails Craig spent time in? Or stories about being in the movie JAWS? Or of eating a cat food sandwich? Or stories about people with names like Three-Fingered John and One Eyed Mike? I could easily go on for pages about the stories Craig tells and pepper them with Craig’s quotes, but instead I’ll just say that if you’ve enjoyed the zine then you’ll love the book and if you’ve never read the zine then you owe it to yourself to check out the book. Hoo Rah for Craig. Send $16.95 + $6 S&H (I know it sounds like a lot, but it’s worth it.) to Tereski Presski c/o Kristin Henshaw 15 Pierce Ave. Wakefield, MA 01880-1118 www.bunchofgrapes.com:p>

HOT SEX (WHENEVER WE GET AROUND TO IT) #4 :p>

In the intro to this zine, one of the authors comments that some people find this zine offensive which... OK, people, this is a comedy zine about sex and porn. It makes me laugh and I understand if it’s not really your cup of tea, but it really does take a special kind of idiot to go and order a zine that focuses on porn and then complain that it has nasty language or naughty pictures. you’d think that the people out there who were capable of getting offended by this type of thing would be turned off by the title alone. If the title didn’t do the job you would think that the dicks on the cover would be handy little warning sign. But if you actually open the zine and still manage to get offended... sorry, kid, you got what you deserved. Yes, HOT SEX has some rather graphic images and not nice language, but you know what? It made me laugh and it might make you laugh as well. It features porn reviews (Anal Enforcers and Major Fucking Whore are the films reviewed, in case you’re wondering), an article on amputee fetishes, some poor kid who whizzed on the electric fence and lost his willie as a result, a short glossary of sex terms (The Blumpkin sounds OK, but I dunno who in their right mind would want a Chili Dog) some fun sex facts found on the internet and a serious article about a woman’s right to birth control. If it sounds like something you might like you probably will, but if it sounds like the kind of thing you might find horrible offensive, you shouldn’t check it out no matter how curious you are. Send $2 and an age statement to Dusty & Misty PO Box:Street> 2142:address> Madison WI 53701-2142 hotsexzine@yahoo.com:p>

:p>

BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED Vol. XII issue 1:p>

And here we have a rather serious porn focused zine that features no pictures of any kind and barely even features any smutty language. It’s sort of the exact opposite of HOT SEX and is just as good in an entirely different way. The issue starts off with a very good article by David Steinberg (who I assume isn’t the comedian David Steinberg, but most of you reading this probably don’t know who he is anyway so it could very well be him and you probably wouldn’t care) on politics and sex. After that there’s an interview that was conducted in 1989with porn star Nina Hartley who sure seems a lot more intelligent than the porn stars I see and hear interviewed by Howard Stern. There are also some reader letters, a few news articles and some reviews (in one of the reviews I learned that Dick Smothers Jr. is a porn star which is kind of weird. Then again, if the kid who got his tongue stuck to the flag pole in “A Christmas Story” can do porn there’s no reason why the son of a Smother’s Brother can’t.) If you’re at all interested in or curious about he sex industry this zine is a must read. Send $3 to BNI 513 N. Central Ave.:Street> Fairborn:City>, OH:State> 45324:PostalCode>:address> BNI@aol.com:p>

:p>

WENDY MAGAZINE #7 + 8:p>

This is a humor zine and as I was reading them I realized I had a problem- I think #8 (the Jesus issue) is very funny, but #7 (the Presidential Erection issue) doesn’t strike me as being funny at all. Obviously that’s going to happen with humor zines- some things fall flat with some people, some things are just funnier in the person’s head than they are on paper. Obviously this has never happened to me because I’m a God damned comedy genius, but not everyone can be me, y’know. Maybe it’s just as simple as the fact that I find making fun of Jesus to be funnier than making fun of Bush. There a few funny bits in the Presidential issue, like some letters written to PBS by an apparently crazy woman, but on the whole it just doesn’t do it for me. On the note they sent with the zine they say it “Goes great with weed” and maybe that’s my problem- I don’t indulge in these types of things because as we all know I am a role model to all the kids out there. But I do think #8- which features Confessions of a Christian Metal Fan, pictures of bizarre items taken from Christian catalogs (a “Leap for the Lord” potato sack?) and some shot Jesus fiction, including one story which guest starred Chuck Woolery... the whole thing just made me laugh. Probably because I’m just so high on life I don’t need any of the demon weed to have a good time. get #8 and if you like it you can give #7 a shot if you want. The cost is $1 and the contact info is Wendy@wendymagazine.com wendymagazine.com:p>

:p>

A.D.D. COMICS #1:p>

Hey, check it out- these dudes are from Fall River:City> MA:State>:place>. which is right next door to my grandparent’s home town of Somerset:City> MA:State>:place>. and as my grandfather would tell you, “Somerset:place>:City> and some are not.” which has nothing to do with anything, really. I gotta admit, it took me a little while to get into this comic- maybe it was the scratchy drawing style or something. I dunno, but once I got into it I really enjoyed it. I could live a long and happy life never having to read/hear/see another Janet Jackson’s nipple joke, but other than that there’s some funny stuff in here. It features some good old fashioned Jesus mockery (that Jesus sure is ripe for the pickin’.) and Michael Jackson mockery (oddly enough I can’t get enough of making fun of this freak) and a little bit of Blizzard of ‘05 mockery all fairly well drawn and mostly pretty funny. Send $3 to ADD Comics PO Box 9833 Fall River, MA 02720 It says it’s recommended for mature readers, but they don’t ask for an age statement so I’m guessing if you’re old enough to be reading this review you’re mature enough to read the comic.:p>

:p>

INCENDIARY WORDS Vol. V #2:p>

If there’s one thing people know about me it’s that there is no bigger fan of indoor soccer than I. I just thrill to the exploits of Pele and David Beckham and.... um... Socky McSockerson? OK, I don’t know a whole lot about soccer, but I know that any sport that has it’s own special brand of hooligans can’t be all bad. Oddly enough, even though I know nothing about soccer I still rather enjoyed this zine. Would I recommend it to anyone who has ever heard the word soccer? Nah, but if you’re a fan at all you’re sure to dig it. There’s an interesting article on Soccer Booster Burn out, an interview with soccer player Novica “Novi:place>” Marojevic and a few other pieces that I’m sure will be of interest to any fan of indoor soccer. Send .50 or selective trade to Steve “Pudgy” DeRose 4821 W. Fletcher St.:place> #2 Chicago IL.60641-5113 pudgum29@fastmail.fm:p>

66.33.89.179/~pudgum/ (this last bit is his website in case you couldn’t tell. There’s something to be said for a simple www.whatever.com type website, isn’t there?):p>

:p>

CHAOS #27 + 29 :p>

Don’t ask me where #28 is. Dave Gilbert, the artist behind these comics, refers to them as “Old School comix” and... yeah, I couldn’t have said it better myself.Issue #27 is about sports for the most part (my favorite piece being the “zine within a zine” at the end where the author rants about the state of sports in the year 2004 and #28 is mostly about drugs which... y’know what, drugs are funny. Making fun of druggies is funny. This comic is funny. I liked it and if you’re at all into underground type comics you’ll like it as well. Send $1 or a trade to Dave Gilbert 1711 E. Rawhide #114 Las Vegas:City> NV:State> 89119:PostalCode>:place> usurptoe@cox.net :p>

members.cox.net/usurptoe:p>

:p>

ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS & A T SHIRT:p>

Not a zine, but a documentary on zines. I picked this up at the Boston Zine Fair and to be perfectly honest I wasn’t expecting a whole lot. But I saw it at the Microcosm table and it was only $8 so I figured even if all I did was watch it and make fun of it it would be worth that much. So imagine my surprise when I watched the thing and I actually enjoyed it. I found it to be a well done, somewhat comprehensive look at the history of zines and zine culture. Obviously they can’t cover everything and everybody, but on the whole they did a really good job. The interviewees were all intelligent and well spoken (special mention should go to Moe who does the zine X-TRA TUF who impressed me so much that the day after I watched the DVD I sent away to Microcosm to order her zine. I should also mention that Shawn Granton had a semi ridiculous looking beard, but he did give wrestling fans their props for their overlooked role in the history of zines so that made up for it. And at first I thought Dave ON SUBBING Roche looked like a young Eugene Levy, but now I realize I was wrong. If he looks like anyone from the cast of SCTV it would have to be Rick Moranis, but he doesn’t really look like him either. But seeing him and remembering the incident he wrote about in his zine where one of his students called him Urkel made me laugh because I can see what the kid was thinking.) There were a few moments that made me wanna chuck my shoe at the TV (honest to God, if you’re making a documentary that’s filled with 99.999% white people you shouldn’t talk about diversity unless you’re talking about how there isn’t any) and the production can be rough at points, but it kind of adds to the charm (although there was one bit... OK, if you’re being interviewed for a documentary and there’s someone with a camera talking to you you might wanna turn off the damn stereo. I love the Eels, but I don’t wanna hear them in the background while you’re trying to pontificate) All in all I think this is the type of thing that would be of interest to any zinester or anyone who’s trying to learn about zines. It’s not perfect, but it’s as good a starting point as any. Oh, and I just love Christy C. Road:address>:Street>’s drawings. Fuck, can she draw. I am jealous. Send $8 + $1.50 postage for media mail (check www.microcosmpublishing.com if you’re interested in anything other than media mail. Because media mail sucks. You save a bit of money with it, but it’s generally pretty shitty and I should know better than to use it.) to Microcosm Publishing 5307 N Minnesota AVE:Street> Portland:City> OR:State>:address>. 97217:p>

:p>

RICK BRADFORD:p>

PO Box 343:Street>, Bedford:City>, TX:State> 76095:PostalCode>:address>:p>

www.poopsheetfoundation.com:p>

ricko@poopsheetfoundation.com:p>

:p>

Rick Bradford writes and gathers news and reviews about zines, comics and other good stuff at Poopsheet, which may be found online at http://poopsheet.blogspot.com but will have its own domain very soon. Pathetic and lonely, he often checks his mail at PO Box 2235:Street>, Fredericksburg:City>, TX:State> 78624:PostalCode> USA:country-region>:address>. Just released: a mini-zine of silly poetry written by Ricko and illustrated by Jim Siergey. 50¢ or a couple of stamps. Thanks for reading.:p>

:p>

DE ONDERGRONDSE #14:p>

edited by Marc van Elburg:p>

(de Ondergrondse / Postbus 68 / 7700AB Dedemsvaart / THE NETHERLANDS. Web: http://www.xs4all.nl/~tellab/ondergrondse/index.html):p>

This is a cool hodgepodge sort of networking zine for the underground scene in general. Lots of ads for all sorts of comix and music from around the globe plus art by Zookie, Teddy, Fluffy Malcolm and others, a couple of poems from Jack Terrible, a text piece (in Dutch) by Pieter Zandvliet and even a few doodles from yours truly.:p>

I wish more people published this sort of thing, actually. It’s nicely informal and seeing all of the little ads for various projects makes me feel all warm and gooey inside.:p>

:p>

THE GLUM:p>

by Billy McKay:p>

(Billy McKay / PO Box:Street> 542:address> / N. Olmsted:City>, OH:State> / 44070 USA:place>:country-region>):p>

Upon first read, the story in this one seems slight for a comic, but that’s not really what it is. What it really is is a children’s book in mini-comic format - in which case, it’s quite good. The story is about a downtrodden loser whose life is completely turned around by way of chance (and magic). It’s a quick read but is a good example of Billy McKay’s optimistic spirit. And that spirit seems almost contradictory to his creepy, “ugly” artstyle but I think that’s part of the work’s charm.:p>

I like Billy’s work a lot. There’s nobody else who draws like him and every page is a marvel. If you haven’t yet seen his work in more “respectable” (read: paying) venues, then you will soon. My recommendation is to ask him what’s available and buy some of his comics while you still can.:p>

:p>

THE INK #2:p>

edited by Aaron Burgess:p>

($7.00 US/world from Aaron Burgess / FlatFly Media / PO Box:Street> 193:address> / Kings Meadows, Tasmania:State> 7249 / AUSTRALIA:place>:country-region>. E-mail: comics@flatflymedia.com):p>

THE INK is a music-themed anthology which is a fine idea, and I’m always keen on reading anthologies from outside of the US:place>:country-region>. Unfortunately, there aren’t too many pieces in here that really knock my socks off. (However, I’ve been reading KRAMERS ERGOT lately so perhaps there’s a bit of unfair subliminal comparison going on.) The pieces that do stand out, for various reasons, include: Ian C. Thomas’ “Riffin’ to Oblivion”, which is a fairly well-drawn (and lettered) soap about a band trying to perfect its sound; Tonia Walden’s “The Girl and the Nightingale”, a cautionary tale about getting what you wish for; Bobby Nenadovic’s “Isolation Room” (nothing really happens but I like the look of it a lot); David Blumenstein’s “Wanky Solo”, which I’d seen before but it’s still funny; Jase’s Biffo the clown bit (nicely drawn); Dave Hodson’s “The Book of Joe”, the crazy misadventures of a band (I like that he’s clearly comfortable in his hand-drawn cartoon element); and the one that really doesn’t seem to fit, but in a good way, Daniel McKeown and Jeremy MacPherson’s “Uncredited Musicians”, a short humorous bit about musicians lost in the technological onslaught. There’s plenty more work in the issue, too, by Bernard Caleo, Doug Holgate, Edward J. Grug III, Ryan Vella and others.:p>

:p>

LIQUID SUNSHINE:p>

by various:p>

(Web: www.wideawakepress.com):p>

This is a short jam comic done at the 2004 Heroes convention in Charlotte:City>, North Carolina:State>:place>. It’s a cute little story with a few funny panels that’ll mostly interest fans of jam comics in general or the contributors specifically. Drawing one or two one-panel pages each are Andy Runton, J. Chris Campbell, Duane Ballenger, Chris Pitzer, Sam Henderson, Rob Ullman, Jacob Chabot, Chris Giarrusso and Justin Gammon.:p>

:p>

SHORT STACK 2:p>

by Duane Ballenger:p>

(Wide Awake / PO Box:Street> 14234:address> / Greenville:City>, SC:State> / 29617 USA:place>:country-region>. Web: wideawakepress.com):p>

Inserted into every copy of the fourth issue of the WIDE AWAKE anthology were original sketches by Duane Ballenger. SHORT STACK 2 is the second collection of drawings from that batch. It’s a fun idea and encourages me to just doodle, actually (I’ve got perfection and impatience issues). Being that it’s a collection of doodles, it’s a little light on content but if you’ve read this far you already know if you’d be interested or not, and if you are, then heavy content probably isn’t a priority for you. Like I said, it’s fun. My favorite bits are the deranged-looking Frankenstein, most of the pencil-drawn stuff and the muppet-y type characters that Duane’s fond of drawing. Another thing to note is the production of this mini. If the kids at Wide Awake know anything it’s how to make a swell-looking publication.:p>

:p>

SNAKE MEAT #1 & 2:p>

by Max Clotfelter:p>

($1.00 for #1, $2.00 for #2 from Max Clotfelter, www.maxclotfelter.com):p>

These minis are compilations from Max Clotfelter’s (VITTLE CHIN) sketchbooks. I’m a fan of his work and of sketchbook collections in general, so SNAKE MEAT gets a thumbs-up from me from the get-go. Max tends to focus on not-so-pleasant aspects of reality (and fantasy) in a cartoony fashion and he does it well. Every square inch of these minis is packed with texture-rich ugliness - a beautiful sort of ugliness, you understand. If you enjoy looking at artists’ sketchbooks, this work deserves your attention. And when you order these, be sure to bug Max about publishing more comics!:p>

:p>

WATUSI THE TALKING DOG #9-13:p>

by Dale Martin and pals:p>

($1.00 + a stamp each from Dale Martin / PO Box:Street> 442612:address> / Lawrence:City>, KS:State>:place> / 66044 Web: home.swbell.net/grizmart/watusi.html):p>

With the bulk of this latest batch of WATUSIs Dale Martin takes on the admirable task of combining jam comics and comics education. The WATUSI concept is this: Each four-panel, one-page strip is begun by Dale, who sets the premise with the first panel, then it’s passed on to two other artists who each do a panel and continue the narrative. After that it goes back to Dale, who then wraps it up with the final panel. It’s a fun project and one I’d like to see others try. In fact, each issue features a couple of unfinished strips to encourage readers to join in.:p>

Now, the jamming interactivity is enough for me to be interested but Dale has really doubled the value of this project by making a point of getting kids involved (in addition to younger cartoonists already a part of the small press scene). Issue 10 contains jams with students from some of Steve Peters’ (AWAKENING COMICS) cartooning classes and issues 11 and 12 feature students from Dale’s own cartooning classes at the local library. Getting kids interested in comics and drawing is pretty exciting itself but it’s even better seeing kids take a stab at advancing a story. How many comics have you read lately with work by 7- to 11-year-olds?:p>

I commend Dale for his WATUSI project and I hope he keeps it going a long while.:p>

:p>

Noemi Martinez:p>

PO Box 621, Edinburg, TX 78540:p>

noemi.mtz@gmail.com:p>

csdistro.com:p>

:p>

Working full time and teaching ESL part time, writing zines and running a distro and doing the single parent thing to Winter and J. River, all while being a superhero by night. My zine info is here: http://www.hermanaresist.com — Love letters are always nice. :p>

:p>

PASSIONS-A COOPERATIVE PRESS ASSOCIATION #24:p>

$3.50 (checks payable to Ken Bausert) 2140 Erma Drive, East Meadow, NY 11554-1120.:p>

A full size zine, the one I received was spiral bound, but I don’t think goes for everyone. Collection of articles “for people who love to write or write.” For mature readers, had me thinking that I was about to read some soft or hard porn stories. After the initial shock that I would not be, in fact reading porn, everything went okay. I had never heard of such an association, where they share the cost of printing and postage, with member submitting their work to be included. No general theme, no general audience. so check it out if you would like more info. :p>

:p>

COUGH. ART AND MUSIC ZINE:p>

December 2004, Issue 2.:p>

coughzine@yahoo.com :p>

$1Us, Trade Ok. :p>

This is mostly a music review zine with interviews, some serious some not, with artwork and photography. Some of the artwork is actually pretty good and hey, a little DIY thrown in for good measure, because a little DIY is always good. See-DIY Project: Taking in T-shirts.I’m one of “those” people who just is not into music. It’s hard to believe, a writer who’s not into music- I know. That said I found the interview with Chris Strong-a photographer interesting from a point of view I’d never thought about. “Sleeping in Class” definitely gets points, by the Austin-is hilarious. Techniques on how to get my asleep in class. And hey, something I can get into, an interview with leader singer Barb, girl fronted “I Object” Barb says, “when we show up to play sometimes the person at the door questions me to as if I am ACTUALLY in the band or if I am some girlfriend trying to sneak in without paying. Hopefully in punk it will get to the point where things like that won’t happen anymore.” But sadly as many post grrrl/punk girls know, that is not the case. All in all, I considered COUGH a good read. :p>

:p>

THE BANANA KING:p>

Issue 2, Spring 2005. :p>

ww.thebananaking.org:p>

editor@thebananaking.org:p>

$4. :p>

Surprisingly good fiction that won’t leave a bad taste in your mouth! Maybe not surprisingly had I read the first issue, that is. 11 seasoned writers, one cool looking cover amounts to an almost lit mag still able to pass as a zine due to its size. Cover designed by Jay Ryan, who runs The Bird Machine- a Chicago based screen printing company. My favorite piece was “The Levee” by Christopher Jobson. Maybe because I was born in Chicago and now, call Texas my home, but either way-it’s the first one I read while thumbing through. “Seven: A Year in Parts” by Mary McKane is bittersweet with just the right amount of sexual innocence and coming of age angst while drinking, twenty something getting fucked up and fucked with memory inducing writing. :p>

:p>

KANKAZINE, 6th issue. May 2005:p>

Price: $5:p>

trades: Yes.:p>

email: cashoup@juno.com:p>

C.Shoup:p>

448 1/2 N. Prairie Ave. Bradley, Il. 60915. :p>

I would not have gotten KANKAZINE on my own, seeing as it’s going for $5, well above my norm for zines. There is an argument, that says why pay less for a zine than say a magazine, when you’re supporting the artist directly or the writer. And isn’t $5 just about the cost of a latte or some other fancy coffee product? That said, there’s a silent, soiled rule that says zines should cover only the printing and postage cots, if that. The artist and editor, C.Shup says, KANKAZINE is limited art projects and will increase in value. Though I agree with the premise, that as writers/artists our work/words are valuable, not all of KANKAZINE is his artwork. It’s a compilation of different writers/artists. The great thing is that he’s open to trades, you should email him about them first. :p>

:p>

MACHETE ARTE: NO. *926:p>

periodico satíroico y combante:p>

www.machetearte.com:p>

redaccion@machetearte.com:p>

Machete Arte is published every Tuesday and Friday. Donations welcome. A Spanish newspaper, published in El D.F. Mexico. :p>

A quote from Carta a Dios: “Senor. De que lado estas? Con los ricos o nosotros? God, whose side are you on? The rich or us?” Comics, articles, poetry-satire denouncing everything from Bush to Mexican President Vicente Fox, communism, Bush and Fox being in solidarity. Written in Spanish. No English translation.:p>

:p>

DWELLING PORTABLY:p>

POB 190-L., Philomath, OR 97370-0190. :p>

$1.:p>

This little zine is packed with useful info —discusses how and where to live better and longer; including how to steer clear of political/economic/religious/social systems.” The only complaint is the compact letters on the page, which make my eyes weary. It is done to save cost and space. You are encouraged to use a cheap magnifying glass. Some useful things you will find here are ways to boost your AM radio reception with wires. Brushing your teeth with sodium bicarbonate and calcium carbonate. Sodium bicarbonate is baking soda and I have known since forever that you can use it for your teeth. But calcium carbonate, which comes in form of scouring powder such as Bon Ami Cleansing powder. I will pass on that and stick with regular plain baking soda. There is an interesting piece on the health dangers and benefits of soy products. You have your pros and cons with soy products—some of the negative effects I had not heard of and I was prompted to do my own research on the subject. :p>

:p>

STATIONAERY:p>

who do you think when you hear old jazz songs?:p>

issue 2. :p>

http://www.stationaery.com:p>

stationaery@yahoo.com:p>

I have been hearing about “Stationaery” for a while now, and I am happy to finally get my chubby hands on it. Stationaery is a Montreal-based literary magazine “build on story telling; all forms of fiction, non-fiction, reporting, poetry, personal reflections, haikus, et al, and all 2-dimensional forms of art.” If it’s a hard task to follow up on, but it sure does try to deliver. I found some all around good fiction, though a few pieces seems too long, sort of when you try to extend a paper by adding another 200 words. You’ll also see found photography and other artwork, though the artwork deserves to be enlarged for proper viewing, in my humble opinion. Sometimes the imagery in the poetry seems to try to hard. Nathaniel G. Moore’s “The Father Weeds” was one that I kept going back to reread-one of my favorites. Maybe, as I move from the barrel of sheets And sandbags of sun-spent pillows, I can recall the Colour of the moth’s wings as it carried the object Towards you. Their website says issue 5 is now available.:p>

:p>

Gavin J. Grant:p>

176 Prospect Ave.:p>

Northampton, MA 01060:p>

www.lcrw.net; info@lcrw.net:p>

:p>

Ensconced in Northampton, MA, Gavin J. Grant publishes a mostly fictional zine, LADY CHURCHILL’S ROSEBUD WRISTLET (www.lcrw.net). Okay, so the zine might be actual, not fictional. He runs Small Beer Press which publishes mostly fictional books and this summer he is selling poker cards. These reviews are in order of most-enjoyed first.:p>

:p>

THE NAUGHTY LOVE:p>

No.3, $1?, half-letter, 19pp, Senorita Cookie, 1030 Columbia Ave., Box 254, Claremont, CA 91799. Naïve, hopeful, enjoyable. Remind yourself of how much fun and hope there is out there. Full of proclamations and exhortations to shop responsibly — Cookies the Clown recommends sweatshops.org or responsibleshopper.org. It’s cheerful, risk-taking, honest and gorgeous. Well, photocopied text over collage, but Gorgeous and Hopeful, Baby!:p>

:p>

DUMPSTERED IVAN:p>

No.11,12, and “trash can niversary”, $2, quarter-letter, 8pp or so, Dug Belan, 707 E. Wright St., Milwaukee, WI 53212, dumpsteredivan@hotmail.com. Ivan finds a lot of stuff in the trash and invites readers to come along with him and check it out. Dug draws well and the stories flow along — but writer Barney has a tragic lack of impulse-control when it comes to rhyme. If you can hack that, though, these are great fun. The super-thick trash-can-niversary issue comes with a free pin or patch or postcard. Totally homemade, inspiring stuff.:p>

HOT SEX:p>

Nos.1+2, $2, no trades, half-letter, 18/30pp, Dusty and Misty, PO Box 2142, Madison, WI 53701-2141, Misty@localbar.com. Not sure if zines are the future of pornography and sex advice (although this is cheaper than the internet), but hey, I run an indie press so my prognosticatory powers are obviously suspect. HOT SEX a good zine. Misty and Dusty have an accessible writing style and mix it up with collage art, reviews of porn films, cryptojokes, bizarre sex facts, odd stories and, this being porn, More, More, More. :p>

:p>

CHAOS:p>

No.26, $1, half-letter, 20pp, D.W. Gilbert, 1711 E. Rawhide #114, Las Vegas, NV 89119-2753:p>

DW doesn’t seem to enjoy the overweening political climate. Many of these “old school underground comix” feature the current (un)elected US President — although not enough of them feature him being tried by the International Criminal Court for contravening the Geneva Convention, running illegal internment camps, and generally being a law-bending skeeze. Minus that fault (that others may not notice) these are well drawn pretty funny.:p>

:p>

FUCK! A FAMILY-FRIENDLY POETRY JOURNAL!:p>

Vol.8, No.1, $2, letter, 6pp, Lee Thorn, Box 85571, Tucson, AZ 85754 Poetry journal that’s taken a cue from the tabloids and stuck pictures of a naked woman (a naked poet?) on the back. Certainly drew attention while reading it in a coffee shop. As with the Andrew Gettler books, this wasn’t my cup if iced tea. Lots of narrative poems, a happy lack of rhyming. It’s done in a simple, accessible format and is (obviously) open to anything so if you’re a poet looking for publication you could do a lot worse than subscribing ($20/year).:p>

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CHANGING THE WORLD DOESN’T: OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE HUMANITY’S SELF-DESTRUCTION:p>

Chapbook, $7.50, half-letter, 109pp, Scott Erickson, PO Box 481, Portland, OR 97207 dancingscott@hotmail.com. Self-published collection of thoughts on politics and the near-future by a “noted gardener, dance maniac, and barfly.” Scott is enjoyably depressed and near the end of his rope yet still takes pleasure in his somewhat naive small efforts to work against the US overuse of resources. It’s an unbalanced fight against the megacorporations (sounds so sci-fi!) and their “Astroturf” nonprofits. But the fact that there are people out there working for the common weal, publishing books like this, and trying to find and build communities of hope, is a lovely, lovely thing. Naiveté, not just for Scott anymore.:p>

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MASTOCK:p>

Trade/stamps, half-legal, 34pp, Francois Marceau, 7375 Louis-Herbert, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H2E 2X5 Final “music-only” issue of this zine. Later issues will have a wider focus. This one is full of noise and experimental music reviews so is a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to know more about what’s out there. Also features lots of art, ads (I’m thinking these are more enthusiasms of the publishers rather than paid for), and articles such as a five-part series of “Confessions of an Internet Junkie.” :p>

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FOOTSTEPS OF A GHOST: POEMS FROM VIET NAM:p>

By Andrew Gettler. $4, half-letter, 40pp, Dave Roskos, Iniquity Press, POB 54 Manasquan NJ 08736 iniquitypress.com This chapbook was originally published in 1991. They are exactly as the subtitles says, although the word “War” seems to be missing. Sadly the poems have acquired a new resonance given the 1700 US soldiers (and innumerable Iraqis) killed in the ongoing Iraqi War. Illustrated throughout. Also: LIQUID JESUIT by Andrew Gettler. $4, half-legal, 47pp, Dave Roskos, Iniquity Press, POB 54 Manasquan NJ 08736 iniquitypress.com. Introduced and edited by the late Gettler’s ex, Linda Lerner, who tells us these poems are from 1993-4. Illustrated throughout. Not my cup of tea, but may be yours. With poetry, who can tell? :p>

:p>

Fran McMillian:p>

PMB 170, 40 E. Main St.:p>

Newark, DE 19711:p>

stxeno@earthlink.net:p>

:p>

Well, here I am early, early on a Sunday morning typing zine reviews the day before they are due. Honestly, I haven’t procrastinated this badly since my junior year in high school.:p>

But it isn’t all due to childish irresponsibly. There’s been a lot — too much — going on. I’ve taken on new responsibilities at work, managed to work on several local art projects, given a few speeches, and taken a class all at the same time. Boy, am I beat.:p>

I’ve also managed to record the CD I threatened in the last issue, a one-off entitled Reveries of the Solitary Walker, which is doing surprisingly (well, surprising to me) well on the local market. One local businesswoman is even threatening to send a copy to Oprah. Me on Oprah? I don’t think so. (To tell you the truth I’ve never seen a whole show. This is not because I have anything against Oprah, it’s that I’m always at work when she’s on.):p>

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Anyway: on to the reviews...:p>

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BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED: It’s been a long time since I’ve thought about pornography or the sex industry. I had a fascination with it back in college and even had a hand in publishing an erotic zine about 20 years ago, but really haven’t had anything to do with it since. Reading the two issues of BNI I received in my review packet felt like visiting an old friend.:p>

This is a well-written sex zine that doesn’t take itself too seriously or make the even worse mistake of trying to be more depraved than thou. The December 2004 issue contains a review of the movie Kinsey, an article against gay marriage (although definitely not from the far right point of view) reviews of several X-rated DVDs and an article about the old Marilyn Chamber’s movie Insatiable that afforded me some much-needed laughs.:p>

The most recent issue (May 2005) contains a review of the documentary Inside Deep Throat, a porn stars hall of fame, and an article by Howie Gordon about his involvement with the porn industry.:p>

BNI, 513 N. Central Ave., Fairborn, OH 45324, $3US/ $4 all others, checks to Richard Freeman, e-mail: BNI@AOL.COM:p>

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GRAY MATTER: Generally, I’m not a big comic fan, but I always enjoy seeing Bill McKay’s work. Not only does he have a style all his own, but he always takes care to make sure his artwork is well-produced. This tiny comic is about a lonely idea trying to escape the prison of one scary looking head. Well worth the buck.:p>

Billy McKay, PO Box 542, N. Olmstead, OH 44070, $1:p>

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RIOT ANGEL: This is one of those zines I’ve heard about, but haven’t had the good fortune to actually see a copy. Both issues, 2 and 3 contain decent and thoughtful poetry and, for the most part, engaging short fiction. There are also interviews with established authors which offer advice and encouragement to beginning writers as well as reviews of books and zines. Favorite pieces: Each Morning Light, by Geoff Stevens (issue 3) and To Burn a Bridge by Michelle Angone (issue 2).:p>

Riot, Angel, Rebecca Toennessen, 6 Verona Ct, 5 Meyers Lane, New Cross, London SE14SRX, UK, $4 world e-mail: info@riotangel.co.uk website:www,riotangel.co.uk, submissions okay, but only by e-mail:p>

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TIME IS THE PROBLEM #3: If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading Jim’s zine, I suggest you order one right away. This current issue contains everything from thought experiments to Welsh “witch stories” and is written in an easy conversational tone that assures you all is definitely not wrong with the world. A real pleasure.:p>

Time is the Problem, Jim Lowe, PO Box 152, Elizaville, NY 12523, $3 or trade :p>

:p>

Randy Osborne:p>

P.O. Box 1912, Mill Valley, CA 94941:p>

randyosborne@gmail.com:p>

www.bigpinchworld.com:p>

:p>

Friends, I almost killed Robin Williams. I didn’t mean to. I wasn’t trying.:p>

It happened about 4:30 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon last month, as Sarah and I proceeded down Blithedale Ave. toward our home in Mill Valley, one of appallingly wealthy Marin County’s more scenic, upscale towns. I saw two guys on bicycles – with helmets, tights, the works – in the bicycle lane beside us. Most of the streets out here have bicycle lanes. :p>

“Look at that,” I said. “Burgess Meredith wants to race us.” I’m always pretending to recognize movie stars, especially dead ones. The more obscure the better. :p>

“No,” Sarah said. “I think that’s Robin Williams. He lives out here someplace.” :p>

She was screwing up the game by throwing in a comedian who was still alive, but the front bicycle guy had a nose and chin that jutted so far out they almost touched, and he did sort of look like … :p>

“It is,” Sarah said. :p>

An avid People reader, she remains calm upon sighting celebrities. In Philadelphia one Sunday morning, as we strolled the main drag with coffees in hand, she muttered under her breath, “Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, across the street. Don’t stare.” :p>

I laughed and glanced over. Yes. It was J. Lo and Ben, casually in love, holding hands like normal people. This was before all the trouble. I stared. A few weeks later, Sarah showed me the People article about J. Lo’s Philadelphia shopping spree.:p>

OK, back to the Blithedale Ave. and the bicyclists. When I slowed to let them pass, I carefully inspected the front guy. He was Robin Williams or I’ll eat my hat, and just as I recognized him, a fast-moving white pickup truck swerved from a side street onto Blithedale and almost took out both of the bicyclists.:p>

The guy behind Robin Williams spun on gravel. He managed to hold onto his bike without spilling but just barely, and Mr. Williams, who had darted ahead to avoid getting mashed, stopped. He looked over his shoulder at his lucky friend. The pickup truck slowed and the driver rolled down his window. :p>

Everyone yelled. I think the guy in the truck was trying to make apologies (why else would he slow?), but Mr. Williams was calling him an “asshole” and some other things – “motherfucker” might have been in there. His friend had a few things to say as well. :p>

I pulled over. Sometimes, if the police come, a witness is important. If Mr. Williams needed a witness, I wanted to be there. (“No, officer, I didn’t exactly hear the words ‘asshole’ or ‘motherfucker.’ I think he said, ‘You almost hit me!’ or something like that. Mr. Williams was a gentleman the whole time, and this driver was behaving in an extremely reckless manner.”) I also wanted to tell Robin I’ve enjoyed him since Mork, and I thought he was brilliant in that movie about the stalker who works in the photo lab. Creepy. Ditto as the killer in that movie with Al Pacino … the one where Al Pacino can’t sleep, what was it? Anyway, comedy isn’t everything. You know it, Robin, and I know it too. :p>

But he rode off with his friend, and so we all continued on our respective, if not altogether respectful, ways.:p>

Robin Williams may incorporate the near-miss incident into a stage routine, if he didn’t forget it immediately, but now I’m thinking: Man, don’t play the “dead-star” game with real live stars right in front of you! Because you might accidentally bring about the demise of some entertainer beloved by millions, in your magical, omnipotent, control-the-world-with-your-thoughts way. Or at least, if it’s a couple, you might make one of them develop a gambling problem that derails the marriage. :p>

Reviewing zines is the same, isn’t it? Not at all, you’re right. What I mean is, laying out my opinions about other peoples’ work could be a sort of incantation, a spell. And the last thing I want to cause with my negative verbiage is (a) woe for the maker of a particular zine – who doubtless has enough woe already, otherwise he/she wouldn’t be doing something so profitlessly insane in the first place – or (b) a gambling problem, or (c) death. :p>

So I’m careful not to snipe at writers whose earnestly made efforts come my way. This is not to suggest I’m a pushover who appreciates everything or pretends to. I simply ignore, like a fart in an elevator, what I don’t enjoy. Thus you get here what I do enjoy, more or less, which is the best service I can perform in this context. I simply explain why and to what degree you might also take pleasure in these offerings, sent to me by Davida in a tidy package.:p>

Onward.:p>

All of this … my balanced approach, my compassion, my forthrightness … surely has made you hunger for my own zine (which I prefer to call a “chapbook” since that term sounds more precious and literary, and since it’s all written by me). I ran off a few hundred copies of the blasted thing and I still have some, if that tells you anything. Send two bucks.:p>

P.S. I don’t wear a hat.:p>

:p>

EAST VILLAGE INKY #24:p>

Ayun Halliday does it again. Who would expect her meticulously handwritten zine, illustrated with drawings, to be this good? Answer: Anybody who’s read it (or her books). A great piece this time about her daughter’s dance class and plenty of Ayun’s breezily fierce asides, such as: “Just remember to eat something around the bitching hour (4 p.m.) and don’t say ‘in a sec’ when you mean ‘in 2 or so hours when I stop checking email and fooling around on the Internet,’ though by then it’ll be too late to do whatever I said we’d do in a sec and there’s no stuffing Bitchmother back in the hole when she realizes she failed to soak the rice which should’ve started soaking an hour ago!” Two bucks well spent to P.O. Box 22754, Brooklyn, NY 11202. inky@erols.com, www.ayunhalliday.com.:p>

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ELEPHANT MESS #12:p>

THE FAMILY GEEK #2:p>

A pair of engaging personal zines from Dan Murphy out there in the vastness of Idaho. “I’m always falling in love with the impossible,” begins the first one, which he decorates with a graduation photo on the front and back, and describes as “not at all a comprehensive guide to my Geeky High School Days.” Track his evolution as a constant poetry writer, and … “Somehow as time rolled by dragging me along with it, I stumbled into something that actually seemed to make sense to me, and I thought it might be my destiny (although it almost turned out to be the end of me).” Hint: It involves “three crazy punk girls” who take an interest in him. The second issue of “Family Geek” deals with independent publishing’s why and how, and includes zine reviews plus music reviews and info about distros, comics, etc. “Geek” is “free in person, stamp by mail.” Contact Dan for info about the strongly recommended “Mess” at P.O. Box 6352, Boise, ID 83707. messyelephant@hotmail.com.:p>

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EXTRANJERO, numero dos:p>

The steadily growing fan base for Kris and Lola’s zine from Spain is easy to understand. Both write casual, funny essays about life over there – and (my favorite) life over here, as seen through visiting Lola’s eyes and told in her imperfect, wonderfully uncorrected English. “How impressive I got when I arrived to America and I saw an American flag on every corner,” she recalls. “Finally, we got to Pennsylvania safe and happy. If we had to walk to Brooklyn with all the luggage to Kris friend’s house it could be the last time Kris would leave me make my own suitcase.” The account by Kris of a visit to Ambroz Valley is hilarious, especially his encounter with an olive-bearing local, who shouted. Plenty of letters, too. Send unspecified cash or trade to Calle Obispo 4 Bajo, Plasencia 10600, Caceres, Spain. :p>

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EXTRICATE #3:p>

Crudely made (deliberately, I think, and it pretty much works), wistful and darkly comic zine from across the pond includes “more vague hope about the future” plus tips on squatting in England and Wales, with a series of drawings about Rose who “started to feel disgruntled when she realized all she had to look forward to was meaningless toil and eventual death.” Tra-la! Two dollars plus something for postage to Dave, but I couldn’t find an address, so contact him at blackandwhitepress@hotmail.com.:p>

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ZEN BABY #11:p>

Christopher Robin’s wonderfully meaty, chaotic zine is the best thing I can think of to take on a bus ride or anyplace else. With the usual cut’n’paste stories, poetry and clip art, this issue boasts such features as “What I Swallowed At Work,” “Seductive Situations” and “Our Bodies Are Electrical In Nature,” not to mention “Some Rare Victories” and the “UFO Seen By The Author” … some of which may sound joke-like (and are). Plenty of worthy contributors but it’s the “CR” sign-off that I look for as I flip the stapled pages for writing that is plain, clear and seemingly unaffected by the times or opinions that swirl around. “I found Jerry. Drunk, but not unpleasantly so. He now looks very similar to James Woods and I told him so. He was talking to a woman at the train station and I asked him, ‘Is this your friend, Jerry?’ ‘She’s an … ally.’ The woman smiled. Jerry is like that. He lives entirely from his heart.” CR seems to do the same, and in this work you feel the effort. Two bucks plus two stamps (or trade) by all means to Christopher Robin, P.O. Box 1611, Santa Cruz, CA 95061-1611.:p>

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PASSIONS #36:p>

This one, if you haven’t heard (I reviewed it back in XD #13) is a “cooperative press association for mature readers,” in which members share the costs of producing a snazzy-looking, spiral-bound journal of considerable heft. As A. j. Michel, producer of the estimable “Low Hug” zine, points out in a letter, most of the contributors are older folks. The fact provides a refreshing change, in some of pieces, from the surly punk maunderings of many zines, while other pieces tilt into codger-style rants or shaggy-dog stories. It’s a sort of perzine anthology, and you might be tempted to think of “Passions” as vanity publishing – which might be said of any zine or chapbook. I didn’t read it all this time around, but got through about three-fifths. Keith Viverette’s account of his first job stands out. At $3.50, “Passions” is worth a peek. Send to Ken Bausert, 2140 Erma Dr., East Meadow, NY 11554-1120.:p>

:p>

Brooke Young:p>

SLC Zine Library:p>

210 E 400 South:p>

Salt Lake City, UT 84111:p>

byoung@slcpl.org:p>

:p>

First of all, let me say that my last reviews kind of sucked. Man, was I in a bad mood last winter. Second of all, I got a new snazzy full-time job, which means I will be at the library all the time and that I will be able to visit my dentist without having to offer up a variety of services in return for dental care. Seriously, if you only knew my dentist, you would know he was up to no good. Anyway, that’s my life, hope you are all doing well and that if you have to offer up certain services in return for dental care that your dentist is at least nice about it.:p>

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JUNK PIRATE #4:p>

Pete Glover/ PO Box 3223/ Oakland, CA 94609/ junkpirate@peteglover.com/ www.peteglover.com/junkpirate/ $2:p>

I am kind of impressed with Pete. I mean, wow, if Pete can have a website and work at a junk shop in Oakland, what the hell am I doing with my time? Anyway, as for the zine, it kind of has an old school feel about it, I don’t know if it’s the quality of the photocopier or the age of the paper used, but it feels a lot older then I know it is. I kind of like that about this zine. JUNK PIRATE is a highlight of all the things odd and normal Pete finds at his job. I kind of liked the page of Jokers but found the kitty page a little creepy, but only because I know that some cats are up to no good. This zine is a fun look at all the crap people collect and then lose and despite being a little too much like FOUND MAGAZINE I kind of liked it.:p>

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ALL STRINGS ATTACHED #1-3:p>

Erika Bennet/ 144 Nell St/ Greensborough, Victoria 3088/ Australia/ all_strings_attached@hotmail.com/ $1 (a steal!):p>

How can you not like a group of zines that mention the Ramones, AFL footy, and spanners? Cute foreigners, don’t you just want to keep them in a box so that you can take them out and have them say aluminum funny and spell things with extra u’s? Erika puts together some nice zines. Her zines are brief, contain solid short stories, and have a lot of different bands running through them. Erika’s voice is really strong which I immediately like and the fact that issue #1 has a Douglas Adams reference means that we would probably be bestest of friends. I only have two criticisms, and they are pretty minor complaints. One is that the zines do feel a bit short, like there was a lot more that she wanted to include but cut out for some reason and just when I start to get really interested the zine is over. The second complaint is that there are a few too many fonts, a complaint I have about many zines and should be taken as a matter of personal design preference. All in all, this is a really great collection of zines and I hope Erika continues to publish many many more for me to read.:p>

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GRAY MATTER:p>

Billy Mckay/ PO Box 542/ N. Olmsted, OH 44070/ $?:p>

This is kind of a conceptual piece, or at least it is a zine made up a three parts. First there is the envelope it comes in, a speckled cream colored affair that is covered in a great stamp telling the reader the title of the zine. The next element is a small poster thingy that is made of various shades of red that has a really cool image of a brain on it. The last piece of GRAY MATTER is the comic itself which is teeny tiny. Billy calls it, “A little story about the human spirit (sort of),” and I don’t think I could possibly come up with a better description. As for the style of the comic, I don’t even know what to say. I mean, I could talk about how much I love Billy’s artwork and how great the characters he creates are, but instead I’ll just suggest you send Billy a letter and order a copy for yourself.:p>

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SLAVE TO THE NEEDLES:p>

Aimee/ PO Box 260224/ Madison, WI 53726/ slavetotheneedles@sacbeemail.com/ $3 USA/ $4 everywhere else:p>

In some ways, I am so not cool enough to read this zine. I don’t knit, I don’t make my own clothes, I have only heard of half of the bands interviewed, and the idea of someone knitting me a tampon cozy makes me want to break something. At the same time, Aimee is incredibly welcoming and SLAVE TO THE NEEDLES seems totally unconscious of its hipness, which makes me love it. There are some really great comics in here, some short and some long, my favorite is a random drawing of Aimee’s intestines. There are also short interviews with people in bands who knit, which end up being kind of neat even if you aren’t familiar with the band. The zine has clear instructions on how to make flower bonnets, knitted Bat-Man costumes, and a birth control cozy, which makes me think Aimee is the MacGuvyer of knitting. Aimee even reviews knitting books and since I now have to spend lots of tax payers’ money on books, I really appreciate the reviews. While there were so many places where I could have ended up really hating this zine, instead I was won over by Aimee and her friends and this is fast becoming one of my favorite zines.:p>

:p>

MISSIVES XX/XY?:p>

DB Pedlar/ 25727 Cherry Hill Rd./ Cambridge Springs, PA 16403/ $2:p>

DB Pedlar is a master of writing letters and Christopher Robin, his pen pal and fellow zine creator, is no slouch either. MISSIVES is a zine that publishes the letters between two people living completely different lives on opposite sides of the USA but who manage to find a lot in common and strike up a lively conversation about what gender really means. DB Pedlar has a lot of questions about what it means to be transgendered and wants to know about all the nitty gritty details. DB asks all the questions that most people are too timid to ask and Christopher answers those questions in a wonderfully straightforward kind of way. While the main theme of this zine is gender with all of its increasingly complicated definitions, the under laying message is one of friendship and respect between two pen pals. Yes, this zine is occasionally silly, and yes this zine talks about gender, but my favorite moments are the quieter moments, where Christopher talks about losing his job at a late night motel and where DB talks about interviewing doctors. It’s nice to know that people are so incredibly normal in their lives, no matter how “strange” other people might find them. :p>

:p>

Kathy Moseley:p>

1573 N. Milwaukee Ave. #403:p>

Chicago, IL 60622:p>

semibold@earthlink.net:p>

:p>

My zine SemiBold is available for $2 from:
1573 N. Milwaukee Ave. #403, Chicago, IL 60622:p>

:p>

LILLIPUT REVIEW #141 & #142:p>

Tiny zines :p>

Full of :p>

Tiny poems.:p>

16 pages, mini:p>

$1.00 each or SASE or 2 stamps:p>

cash or checks payable to Don Wentworth:p>

282 Main Street:p>

Pittsburgh, PA 15201:p>

:p>

EMMA GOLDMAN #2:p>

Rebekah’s zine is named after one of the coolest anarchists ever! Her mug shot is on the front cover, and there’s a little mini-bio inside, in case you aren’t familiar with Emma (You should be!). Rebekah is studying to get her doctorate in education, so she writes a lot about her classes and what she’s studying, and her summer job teaching small children (which of course turned out to be completely different from what it was supposed to be). She also talks about her new kitten, playing baseball again, and her love of Johnny Depp and Morrissey (she has very good taste!). Fun and thoughtful. Good photos too!:p>

40 pages, digest size:p>

There’s no price listed, but based on the prices of her back issues I’d guess $2 would suffice. Trades are welcome and appreciated!:p>

Rebekah:p>

428 N. 13th Street, # 5I:p>

Philadelphia, PA 19123:p>

rebekahb@temple.edu:p>

www.emmagoldmanmagazine.com:p>

THE EAST VILLAGE INKY #25:p>

Well, I am thoroughly embarrassed to admit this the first one of these that I’ve actually read. How is that even possible? My green-eyed monster wants to be annoyed by the artsy successful people enjoying life and their family in New York, and I was, a little bit. But envy doesn’t do anyone any good, least of all me, so why bother? It’s totally adorable, though. I LOVE the handwritten, tiny format with cute illustrations and the occasional photo. This issue covers Ayun’s participation in various protests against the Republican National Convention in New York. She and her son Milo went out distributing free community activist newspapers and then went to the MOB (Mothers Opposing Bush) March. Yeah! Also while the convention was in town, Ayun and her hubby Greg got re-married in Central Park by one Reverend Billy who agreed to marry any couple who would include the First Amendment in their vows. Very cool. I don’t know what it is, but something about the way this is written just makes me want to readitreallyfastlikethepersontellingmethestoryisreallyhyperandkindoframbly. Sometimes it’s a little hard to follow, but you get the gist of things. She’s smart and a lot of fun, so just go along for the ride.:p>

40 pages, mini:p>

$2.00, cash or check payable to Ayun Halliday.:p>

PO Box 22754:p>

Brooklyn, NY 11202:p>

inky@erols.com:p>

www.ayunhalliday.com:p>

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MISSIVES: XX/XY?:p>

DB’s latest issue of MISSIVES is an exchange of letters between him and Christopher Robin, a female-to-male transsexual. DB is honest about his curiosity regarding the “technical” aspects of changing genders (surgery, hormones, etc.) and the more sociological aspects (“passing” as your chosen gender, jobs, family acceptance, etc.). Christopher Robin is very upfront and forthright about his daily experiences and relationships, but I still felt like I wanted more. This is a great introduction to these issues, but it really just scratches the surface of a very complex topic. I know this is an informal letter exchange zine, but I guess I wanted the letters to be more focused on this topic than they are. On the other hand, I felt like I learned a lot more about DB than I have in reading earlier issues of his various zines. DB says, “Small sections of the letters scattered throughout this issue of MISSIVES contains some graphic details and frank discussions about male and female genitalia. This issue of MISSIVES is intended for mature readers only.”:p>

32 pages, digest size:p>

$2 each:p>

DB Pedlar:p>

25727 Cherry Hill Rd.:p>

Cambridge Springs, PA 16403:p>

:p>

28 PAGES LOVINGLY BOUND WITH TWINE #11:p>

I always dig this. My favorite part of this issue was the story “Invalid” about one of those epic drugstore experiences that just makes you want to shoot yourself in the head, but you can’t because you know you have a good story to tell later. He says it’s “fiction, but 82.8% based on real events.” It seems pretty real to me. In these 28 pages we also learn about changing windshield wiper blades, the wonder that is “vegan veal” (!?!), and what Christoph found inside a Rush Limbaugh book. I won’t spoil it by telling you here. Let’s just say he did the right thing.:p>

28 pages, digest size:p>

$2 each (or trade); 3 issue sub for $5, 6 issue sub for $10.:p>

Cash or checks payable to Christoph Meyer:p>

PO Box 106:p>

Danville, OH 43014:p>

:p>

ERIK AND LAURA-MARIE #25:p>

Despite the title, this all seems to be written by Laura-Marie, though Erik does figure prominently in her stories. There are dream stories, poems, favorite quotes, and Laura-Marie’s musings on poverty, education, her temp job at the “grading factory” (grading standardized tests), and why she quit teaching. Many of her reasons for quitting are reasons I could never teach in the first place: being a quiet person and having difficulty being “on stage” for the class; dealing with unpleasant students; and the subjectivity of grades. I enjoyed reading this. We have similar worries/concerns about the way of the world and how to be a good person in it. And there’s a crossword puzzle on the back cover about her and Erik!:p>

20 pages, digest size:p>

It says “free”, but it’s definitely worth a dollar or a few stamps, or a trade.:p>

No address listed, but you can contact Laura-Marie via e-mail at inyotutor@yahoo.com:p>

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A MULTITUDE OF VOICES #13:p>

This is easily the largest zine I have ever read in terms of sheer bulk. A whopping 327 pages, bound with nuts and bolts, it is really just one LARGE voice, and that is Matt’s. I was only able to get through about two thirds of it in the time allotted for me to get these reviews done, but I’ve read past issues of VOICES, and enjoy Matt’s writing a lot. He’s a master storyteller, and lives a life rich with experiences to draw from. There are 101 stories in here, and I guess by the time you read them all you would know a lot about Matt. He truly loves writing, and is one of the most enthusiastic zine evangelists out there. My only suggestion is that he would benefit greatly from a proofreader. Otherwise, read and enjoy!:p>

327 pages, full size:p>

No price listed, EASILY worth $5+:p>

Matt Holdaway:p>

1945-B Berryman Street:p>

Berkeley, CA 94709-1955:p>

mattvoices@yahoo.com:p>

www.altgeek.net/voices:p>

:p>

Stephanie Holmes:p>

4401 N. Sixth St. Apt. 827:p>

McAllen. TX 78504:p>

stepholmes@mac.com:p>

:p>

I need to exorcise the demons from my iBook. Any suggestions? This is the third time I’ve tried to type my reviews and the single apostrophe key is typing itself. No hands on the keyboard, creepy. Repeat, Repeat, Repeat. Things in Texas are fair. It’s hot. I’m swimming. It’s been good to hear from a few of you in the zine community. I know summer will quickly pass after the Fourth of July pops and sizzles. I am still a journalist. I am also returning to school in the fall to begin the groundwork for a master’s in social work. In the mean time, I’ll be putting the pieces together hopefully without the aid of said sticky key.:p>

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SATYA (May 2005) available from Stealth Technologies Inc., 539 1st St. Brooklyn, NY 11215, (718) 832-9557, $20 for a 1-year subscription. Magazine: 46 pages. On the web: www.satyamag.com.:p>

SATYA is an ambitious magazine focused on art, vegetarianism, social justice, animal advocacy and the environment. This issue has a fun conversation with a Coney Island Carny although the language is kept pretty secret, which is a disappointment. How fun would it be to drop some random carny at a party? Highlights include an interview with Kalle Lasn, of Adbusters Magazine, a look of Asia’s illegal animal trade and a risqué peak into Neo Burlesque. Other features include recipes, restaurant reviews and other tips to streamline socially conscious lifestyle choices for New Yorkers.:p>

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MISHAP # 18 (Dec. 2004) available from Ryan, P.O. Box 5841 Eugene, OR. 97405 for $2 U.S. ($3 Canada, $5 World). Trades accepted. Digest: 40 pages. :p>

MISHAP is the print version of the punk channel if such a thing existed. It segues from memorable snapshots about walks through the University of Washington campus to rage against George Bush to tiny heart felt zine reviews to a funny tale of punk bathroom etiquette. Recommended. MISHAP skirts the true definition of a zine: cut and pasted together with scraps of paper and a little bit of soul.:p>

:p>

MACBETH #1 (Dec. 2005) available from Kirk Matthew White, P.O. Box 591041, San Francisco, Ca. 94159 for one stamp. Pocket digest; 8 pages.:p>

MACBETH is a rant about being shut out of the San Francisco acting scene. My own struggles with the competition of journalism allow me to sympathize a little, but this zine is over the top. It’s full of bitterness and turns a blind eye to self-responsibility. I’m sure much of what White says is true – the arts are driven by corporate dollars and social clicks, but so is much of life. I hope the author finds peace by the second issue, which is schedule to feature “San Francisco Free Civic Theatre,” “Kirk on Community” and Jay asks, “What does the scene need.” :p>

:p>

SHOT BY A RAY GUN #10 available from Billy McKay, P.O. Box 542, N. Olmsted, OH 44070. $1 or trade. Pocket digest;15 pages.:p>

The bottom line of SHOT BY A RAY GUN is comics for a buck. Inside: monsters and little girls mix. Frames are comic shorts. McKay’s drawings are sharp, clear and nicely printed. The effort is ambitious and worth the $1 McKay charges for a few giggles.:p>

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PASSIONS #39 (Feb. 2005) available from editor Ken Bausert, 2140 Erma Drive, East Meadow, NY 1154-1120, (516) 794-6609. $3.50 check or money order to Ken Bausert includes first-class postage. Magazine; 41 pages. :p>

PASSIONS is a catchall zine collective that includes personal stories, personal interests and detailed travel advice. This time Passions editor Ken Bausert pinpoints the highs and lows of renting a villa versus a hotel room in Italy. PASSIONS also includes musings from a host of New Yorkers and a lengthy essay about female comic book characters with an interesting appendix that show how fictional females are painted as being weak and desperate for marriage. It also follows style changes of Wonder Woman, Lois Lane and Super Girl’s body image and point of view. It’s a good read and nice jumping off point if fictional fantasy is one of your PASSIONS. :p>

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CHUMPFIRE 173 available from Greg Knowles, P.O. Box 27, Annville, PA, 17003-0027, two stamps or trade, 18 pages.:p>

CHUMPFIRE 173 The Voyage of Sackacementa, knick name for the behemoth white touring van, is a great summer read. It’s all about Knowles adventure driving cross-country for 40 days with Amanda Woodward, a group of French musicians. Knowles writes in a clear direct style that is fun to read. Knowles, regularly a schoolteacher, set some rules for the rowdy bunch no drugs or alcohol consumed while he was behind the wheel. The rest was fun with mention of hot, hot coffee, convenience store grub, his psychedelic bed sheets and rolling impatience with the band’s rock ‘n roll lifestyle. :p>

:p>

Miriam DesHarnais:p>

PO Box 4803, Baltimore MD 21211:p>

mdesharn@yahoo.com:p>

:p>

Hi all! By now you will be able to order Library Urinal from me or Donny. I am still not done with the “Teeth” issue of my zine Object Lesson, most likely cause I haven’t even started it. ha! :p>

:p>

The Baltimore County Public Library is starting a zine collection at the Cockeysville branch. We will be having a reading/opening, most likely on October 13th. Please come! For more information or to donate zines please contact bcplzines@gmail.com.:p>

:p>

WATCH THE CLOSING DOORS #30:p>

Fred Argoff:p>

1170 Ocean Pkwy., Penthouse L:p>

Brooklyn, NY 11230:p>

22 pgs. $2.50/ $10 cash for the next 4 issues:p>

This is the second issue of this zine I’ve reviewed and I’m glad to see it again. My complaint last time was that, although I admire the enthusiasm Fred has for the subway, I just didn’t care as much for the details of subway construction and intricacies of scheduling as I would have about hearing more personal accounts of the people and places touched by the subway experience. I got my wish- #30 has stories of well-dressed nose pickers, snippets of disturbing overheard monologues and pictures of train stations and riders from all over the world. Balanced with plenty of Fred’s usual breezy commentary on “straphanging” this makes for a most enjoyable read. Multiple photos (some a bit dark), an easy-to-read layout and a general sense of good educational fun, make this a nice pick. Pair with Platform, (the zine about busking in the underground to overcome stage fright), and you’ve got yourself a perfect double feature. Or just some good reading on the ride there and back. :p>

:p>

SUN RA:p>

Harvey Pekar, w/photos by Lamont Steptoe:p>

Contact: Iniquity Press/Vendetta Books:p>

Dave Roskos:p>

P.O. Box 54, Manasquan, NJ 08736:p>

iniquitypress@hotmail.com:p>

32 pgs. $6:p>

This is a reprint of an essay that originally appeared in Coda in 1975, now accompanied by crisply printed, dynamic photos of jazz musician Sun Ra performing. This is an extremely detailed, well-stated commentary on Sun Ra’s discography from the Fifties through the mid-Seventies, focusing on his musical evolution and innovations. Also included is critical commentary and some history on Sun Ra’s various sidemen.:p>

I got this zine in the middle of watching American Splendor, which is the movie about the life of our man Harvey. This coincidence definitely enhanced my reading but I still think this might be a hard sell if you are not deeply into either Jazz or Harvey Pekar. It’s just really, really detailed and fairly academic. I found myself wishing I could produce it at the library where I work should anyone ever ask a reference question on Sun Ra (A good argument for having zines in the library!) :p>

That said, I’ll note, as many before me have, Pekar’s got some serious writing chops. I mean, despite it boring me a little, all critical writing should be this good. It’s got flow, he never makes a statement without backing it up, and his knowledge of the subject is D-E-E-P. I feel like any reviewers (but most especially the suck-ass music writer for the Baltimore City Paper, who alternates between patronizing female performers and spouting gobbledygook about male ones) should make themselves read this, or any of Pekar’s writing on music as an example of A plus, passionate, researched, clear-sighted work. If you’ve never read anything else by the most famous non-artist in the world of comics, start with an American Splendor book instead and be wowed by how much he’s influenced the world of zines. And jazz aficionados, knock yourselves out. :p>

:p>

A DANGEROUS GAME # 1 -THE MUSIC ISSUE:p>

Will York, ed.:p>

wwyork at gmail dot com

96 pgs. (or so) $3:p>

This is some funny sloppy shit. The table of contents made me laugh, the interview with SF band Total Shutdown made me laugh, and the inserted sheet asking me not to laugh too hard at the numerous layout errors only made it worse. Will’s onto something here because everyone knows that interviews with bands you do not know are boring as fuck. The key is that the interviews aren’t hard hitting, or really hitting any salient points at all. It’s just interviewer and interviewee saying some bizarre stuff to each other - luckily they happen to be smart, goofy guys that I’d love to drink beer with. The interview with The Locust (who I guess are famous) is good in a different way. The band starts by speaking about all the art ideas behind their music in a way that smacks of a surplus of education, and a lack of the sort of healthy self-censorship that keeps folks from sounding like pretentious pricks. Then, halfway through, the interview surprised me as the band members opened up about what it’s like to be heckled and how it connects with the sort of scary bullying they got growing up in a military town. I ended up intrigued and wanting to give them a listen.:p>

There’s no way I could read this zine in one sitting. It’s too long and rambling and ok, honestly I can’t quite finish it at all. But I liked the way it reminds me of a little brother that won’t stop bugging you and finally just makes you snort milk out your nose. And if you live in San Francisco or have a high tolerance for insanely long local music zines, all the better for you. :p>

:p>

NIGHT MOVES:p>

MikeMcGuirk, ed.:p>

Contact: Will York:p>

wwyork at gmail dot com

63 pgs. (or so) $?:p>

Ok, Will’s note with this says it’s edited by his friend Mike and that Night Moves is the title. I guess I’ll have to believe him even though the inside says it’s called “This Magazine Should be Read Loud”.This one is also good messy fun. Do these dudes work at a print shop? So many pages, full color cover.although they do have ads. This is better than A Dangerous Game in that it has the same extremely loopy humor but is of a more manageable size. The first interview by Will York, of a member of The Numbers and a member of Total Shutdown, is like those great sequences on the Daily Show where the “journalist” asks really ridiculous questions, with a straight face through it all. Except this goes one better because they are all playing along at out-deadpanning each other, it becomes muddled who’s leading the conversation, and Will asks really, truly, effin’ stupid questions (“Porkwave or Dark Hambient?” “What would you rather do: eat a bowl of hair, or drink a glass of miscellaneous runoff?” This is followed by a (somewhat) normal interview, some great reviews of stolen Beavis and Butthead videos, something gross about “Porncisco Pornscape” that I couldn’t get through, a serious, intelligent page about the immigration woes of a co-worker, a shitload of reviews and a couple of thoughtful music essays on bands and scenes I knew nothing about. There’s a very funny phone conversation about a pain research study and photos of a band with a naked sax player. Again, hard to finish, not for everyone, but fresh, scrawly and entertaining, especially if you’re drunk. :p>

:p>

SUBURBAN BLIGHT # 4:p>

Stephanie Basile:p>

Rutgers, 26378 DPO Way:p>

New Brunswick, NJ 08901:p>

OlafianCheeze@hotmail.com:p>

www.ladymen.8m.com/SuburbanBlight.html:p>

28 pgs. 75 cents/trades:p>

When I was in college I definitely did not have my shit together enough to do my work AND write a zine. Props to Stephanie for putting out a pretty good one. Only one of the essays in this quick-to-read zine sounds like a school paper - Christine Kraemer’s “Feminism and Alternative Religions: An Historiographical Study.” Stephanie’s own writing here is well-written, brief coverage of plans for Tent State University (a campus protest to tuition hikes), a Rutgers kerfuffle about offensively named sandwiches, and a local feminist bookstore. Other writers contribute good, quick reviews of CDs and DVDs by The White Stripes, Nirvana and Catpower.:p>

I probably could have done without the reprint from Wikipedia about the Rwandan genocide, not because I don’t need to know, but because there are better sources than shifty Wikipedia. The piece on Iraq didn’t really stand out for me either partially ‘cause of my general qualms about preaching to the choir. Really though, it is better to say something about these essential things than to say nothing at all. Which seems to be the overarching point of this issue: as Stephanie says in the statement she circulated on-campus regarding the incident of the homophobic sandwich name (!): “We acknowledge that language not only describes but prescribes a society.” Though I’m hoping she gets acquainted with a stapler before we meet again (loose pages- whyyy?) this could be a zinester to watch.:p>

:p>

Matt Fagan :p>

1573 N Milwaukee Ave, PMB #464 Chicago, IL 60622:p>

hadmatter@hotmail.com:p>

www.geocities.com/depotdevoid/:p>

meniscus/inside.html:p>

:p>

For those lucky enough not to know me, my name is Matt Fagan - the very man responsible for the comic series Love and the increasingly infrequent perzine Meniscus. Fortunately, there are plenty of folks out there writing perzines and drawing comics, so I needn’t bear that entire burden alone. What follows are some fine examples of what other people can accomplish, when I’m not there to distract them.:p>

:p>

SHOT BY A RAY GUN #10:p>

By Billy McKay:p>

6½ x 5½ , 16 pages, $1 or trade:p>

PO Box 542:p>

N. Olmsted, OH, 44070:p>

Another comic from the always-reliable Billy McKay! The tenth issue collects short comics that Billy made for other people. These include a story about a squirrel trying to bargain with a peasant who’s chopping down his tree for firewood, a rhyming comic about bad television, and even a suicidal insurance salesman who picks up a hitchhiker! Six comics in all, and each of them rendered in that unique style of Billy’s that is such a delight to behold. If the world looked the way Billy sees it, we’d all have a lot more fun living here!:p>

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HARVEY PEKAR ON FRANK NORRIS, DANIEL FUCHS & GEORGE ADE:p>

By Harvey Pekar:p>

7 x 8½ , $4 postpaid:p>

Iniquity Press/Vendetta Books:p>

PO Box 54:p>

Manasquan, NJ 08736:p>

Scholarly essays about nearly-forgotten early American writers by Harvey Pekar (yes, that Harvey Pekar), originally published in Teletimes and Gamut. This collection was a really interesting read! Pekar summarizes and contextualizes the careers of these three men, whose work greatly informed the writing of some of our greatest authors - but their own books have faded into near-impenetrable obscurity. Anybody with an interest in literature should appreciate these essays, which offer a lot of insight into the contemporary relevance of the authors in question. The critiques both enlighten the reader as to why these authors have not been remembered, and why they nevertheless had such lasting influence on writers like Twain and Hemmingway. Maybe I’ve just been out of school for too long, but I found it very refreshing to read some nice literary criticism from a sharp mind. I also found it very humbling that I have never read any of the authors being reviewed here - and only heard of one of them! Yes, that expensive education is truly something to be proud of. :p>

:p>

SISYPHEAN TASK #7:p>

by Michael Faris:p>

digest-size, 32 pages, $2 (“or a hug”):p>

sisypheantask@gmail.com:p>

Here’s a story: a few weeks ago there was a guy named Dan in my comic book store, and he was looking at all the “art” hanging on the walls. Some of this “art” is mine, but most of it is by another fellow called Jeff, a guy who mostly paints pictures copied out of comic books. The most striking canvases at the store are his large (around four feet high) figures of Batman, Wonder Woman, the Hulk, Superman and Spider-Man.:p>

This Dan person who was looking at the canvases, he’s a painter too, but he hasn’t been painting very long and he doesn’t have any training. Like most of us who taught ourselves to paint through experimentation, Dan has spent some time copying images he likes. So, since he has apparently copied a few comic book images onto canvas, he’s very intrigued by Jeff’s work, and we were having a conversation about it.:p>

I was trying not to put him off, since I’m sure that the last thing an amateur painter needs to hear is a lot of opinionated criticism, but the fact is I hate Jeff’s paintings. First of all, they’re not very good: the edge work is sloppy. The only shading is done with black lines (like in older comic books) but the lines aren’t crisp. The perspective is inconsistent. He pays no attention to the varying opacity of his paints, using only one layer of each color even when you can see through them. The list goes on and on.:p>

Expressing this to Dan without sounding unusually judgmental was next to impossible, but I wasn’t going to lie. And none of those shortcomings would have meant anything to me if it weren’t for the fact that Jeff is charging upwards of six hundred dollars for each of those paintings. There’s nothing wrong with the paintings as bad art, but you can’t charge good art prices for it! Go ahead and paint crappy superheroes, and those technicolor reproductions of stock images of Brando, Madonna, and James Dean - just don’t pretend you’re headed for the cover of Juxtapoz. :p>

At the end of our dialogue, I think I had assuaged the fear that was initially building in Dan’s eyes, and he asked if I ever painted from comic books. Which I hadn’t. Then Dan asked my why I’d never painted from comic books, and the fact is I didn’t know. So when I got home I busted out a blank canvas I had in the closet, and sketched out a picture of Reed Richards, twisted into a knot that filled the whole frame. :p>

I had to work the next couple of days, so I could only paint for short periods, but two nights later I finished the picture and decided to bring it to the comic book store. With the canvas wrapped in garbage bags and attached to my backpack with an elastic cord, I headed off to work - but along the way, something occurred to me. There were a lot of paintings hanging up at the store, and I didn’t know where I was going to put this one.:p>

This was a hot Chicago afternoon - unusually hot for the beginning of June - and when I got to the store I went into the bathroom to clean myself up.:p>

I’d had the forethought to bring a nonsweaty shirt along in my backpack.:p>

When I came out of the bathroom, Michael Faris was waiting for me. He wanted to buy a painting.:p>

Michael Faris tells me that he is high-school best-friends with Billy, a zinester whose work (Proof I Exist, Her, The Book of Billy) I have reviewed here many times. He’s visiting Chicago (and his old chum) before he moves out west to pursue a master’s degree. Through Billy, he’s become acquainted with some zines and comics that I wrote, and visited my web site - where I also have a small on-line gallery of a few paintings. Apparently he has been rather infatuated with a particular painting called “Living with the Bomb” for some time (Michael confessed to me that the last several weeks had seen the image serve as the desktop wallpaper on his computer). He’d come in the day before and was very excited to see the real thing hanging at the store. :p>

So my quandary was solved, because Michael Faris came to buy a painting, leaving me with an empty space in which to hang this silly picture of Reed Richards. A few days later he sent me a copy of his most recent zine, SISYPHEAN TASK #7. And I’m very happy he did.:p>

This issue finds Michael at a crossroads. He has been teaching middle school, a job that he clearly finds fundamentally satisfying, despite its problems. But he’s decided to do more with himself while the time is right, and Michael is about to embark on the road to a dual masters in counseling and English. The reason that the only contact information for Michael is an e-mail address is because he doesn’t have an address yet. He is in transition.:p>

SISYPHEAN TASK introduces us to various aspects of his middle school job - things he’ll miss, things he won’t, even his letter of resignation. It’s an interesting picture, particularly since he and I share some educational interests, but also just because Michael is an intelligent and articulate person who thinks a lot about the effect his life has upon the people around him. :p>

Another quite enjoyable read is the foreword he includes, a foreword written for the eventual posthumous collection of Billy’s life work, to be published in 2021. This witty piece of incisive nonfiction perfectly captures Billy as I know him, and the future Michael postulates for his best friend is, happily, quite a possible one. :p>

One of my favorite moments comes from a piece called “I remember…”, which lists sixteen of Michael’s memories. The last one is “I remember pounding my youngest brother so hard when we were kids that I heard some sort of pop. I was immediately afraid that his lungs would collapse. They never did.”:p>

Having never read Michael’s work before, I can honestly say that SISYPHEAN TASK made me want to know him better, and I think that’s the best accomplishment of any perzine. By the time you read this, Michael will probably be settled in Corvallis and attending Oregon State University, so shoot him an e-mail to find out his new address. Or if you live in Corvallis just seek him out and give the boy a hug. Express your sympathy for the fact that I, in my vanity, have hijacked almost the entire review of Michael’s zine to tell a story about myself. :p>

Sorry, Michael. Great zine, though.:p>

:p>

DWAN #44:p>

By Donny Smith:p>

Digest size, 10 pages, available for a letter or trade:p>

915 W. Second Street:p>

Bloomington, IN 47403:p>

geocties.com/dwanzine:p>

dwanzine@hotmail.com:p>

A brisk but engrossing read, this issue is basically a journal of correspondence and personal thoughts running from mid-January to mid-March of 2005. Donny reprints letters from an incarcerated friend, his own dreams, postcards from Davida, e-mails from friends and co-workers, and personal journal entries in chronological order, creating a quick, enlightening portrait of his own life. My favorite part was his idea for a new reality show, which he announced on the zinegeeks online forum. Naturally, all the other zine geeks had their own ideas to add, and the result is pretty fine. Are the Fox corporate guys reading this? Could Donny and Mark be moving to Hollywood soon?:p>

:p>

HEADSTATIC:p>

By Jay A. Hacker III:p>

6½ x 10½ , perfect bound, 256 pages, $12:p>

534 Sunview Dr.:p>

Athens, TN 37303:p>

jjhacker@bellsouth.net:p>

www.foolschildcomix.com:p>

The first notable aspect about HEADSTATIC is its sheer scale, a 256-page collection of Mr. Hacker’s comics (the printing of such a daunting tome was accomplished with the help of a Xeric grant). Once I recovered from the intimidating thump that HEADSTATIC made when I slid it from the envelope and onto my coffee table, the next striking trait had to be its impressive variety of style and subject, all flowing from the same creator. :p>

Hacker employs all sorts of techniques: traditional pen and ink, collage, modifying photographs, loose cartooning, realism, tracing found images… he’s very experimental and not content to settle into a style that is comfortable for him. Moreover, the backgrounds and layouts display an incredible diversity as well; it’s almost hard to believe that one man did them all. :p>

As to the content, it doesn’t take long for Hacker to establish a fairly consistent voice, a quirky and meditative attitude toward his subjects. Much of the humor derives from juxtaposition and non-sequitur (witness titles like “Hybrid Baby vs. Ghost Mouse” and “The Caped Crustacean and the Supermodel”; or the comic “Goosebumps”, which relates the tale of Fabio being hit in the head by a migrating goose while riding a roller coaster. Fabio’s hands are telling the story with shadow-puppets on the wall - and they seem to argue a lot.) Not all of Hacker’s comics are as silly as these though; many of them deal with weightier issues of love, mortality, or general existential ennui, and no genre remains untouched.:p>

The most appropriate one-word summary for HEADSTATIC would be “wow”. Impressiveness of size aside, this collection really runs the gamut, and I’ve rarely seen a single artist put his hand to such a variety of subjects with so much success. The price tag may be unusually high, but this is a handsomely-produced comic with a nice, professional appearance. And really, this book is his life so far! Twelve dollars is not an unreasonable amount to pay when you get such a high return.:p>

My one complaint is that HEADSTATIC could really use a comprehensive foreword by Hacker himself, only to place some of his work in context. I’d love to have known how old he is, how long he’s been making comics, where and how he has brought his work to people in the past, and what span of time is represented in the book. A brief afterword by one of his friends indicates that one of the series reprinted in HEADSTATIC originally appeared in their college paper, but I want more! It’s just such a lot of creative output that it seems to demand a little history lesson. Maybe it’s just me.:p>

HOAX (year one) #1-5, HOAX #1:p>

$5 for “year one” lot, $2.95 for HOAX #1:p>

C/o Karl Kressbach:p>

PO Box 230322:p>

Grand Rapids, MI 49523:p>

mentalnotepress@hotmail.com:p>

This is an independent comix anthology out of Michigan, which has recently embarked on the road to fame and fortune by putting out a “real” comic book. The “year one” issues are published on newsprint in varying sizes, where the comics jockey for position with stories and essays. The common denominator here is liberal, humanist college-town humor, from the politically relevant to the truly bizarre. In one comic, the story of the tortoise and the hare is recreated as an ingenious drinking game. Another issue has the story of a bulimic cannibal. And there are recurring comics about a muscular man with a truck for a head…:p>

The all-new HOAX #1 was solicited through Diamond Comics Distributors, and is available at comic shops throughout the country. I work at a comic book store and I’ve seen it there myself, so any time now the creators of HOAX should be buying huge mansions in Ann Arbor, because these really are fun stories. Get the old ones while you can, because you never know how long they’ll be available now that these folks have gone legit.:p>

:p>

Christine Douville:p>

6595, St-Hubert, C.P. 59019:p>

Montréal, QC Canada H2S 3P5 :p>

lapetitefee@sympatico.ca:p>

:p>

Hello zinester friends,:p>

I’m a writer-mother-lover-gardener, and the editor of POUÈT-CAFËE litzine (there are still a few copies of issue no.9 left- in case you’re interested, they’re $5 ppd, but I also love trades, so surprise me!).:p>

In XEROGRAPHY DEBT’s last issue, I wrote a brief overview of Expozine, Montreal’s Small Press, Comic and Zine Fair. Since then, I’ve been to MONTREAL’S 6TH ANNUAL ANARCHIST BOOKFAIR in May. This was the biggest edition so far, with many exhibitors from Montreal and beyond, free childcare, kids and parents activities, art exhibits, film screenings, etc., and was followed by a full day of anarchist presentations and workshops. For more info, visit http://anarchistbookfair.taktic.org. :p>

I found many litle treasures at the bookfair; below are a few reading recommendations.:p>

:p>

BODY CARE:p>

http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/default2yes:p>

Digest, 10 p., $?, trade ok:p>

In this short but beautiful little zine (I love the color illustration on the cover!), you’ll learn how to make your own chemical-free cleansing creams, face masks, lip balms, lotions, bath salts, soaps, shampoos, rinses and conditioners, plus tips on essential oils’ specific uses. I haven’t had the chance to try making any of my own cosmetic products yet, but I’m pretty sure these recipies work- the three girls sitting at that table were simply glowing!:p>

:p>

FOOD I EAT:p>

by Emily Wood:p>

Same contact info as above:p>

Digest, 14 p., $?, trade ok:p>

At the same table, one of the girls was cutting color copies of food images and pasting them onto the cover of her cookzine. Vegan recipies- I couldn’t resist! These 14 recipies are Emily’s favorites and come from her parents and grandmother. Breakfast recipies... stuffed squash... curried rice with nuts and raisins... “nothing cookies” and other sweet treats... Also includes a list of egg and oil replacers, plus a list of different grains and in which type of recipies to use them. Bon appétit !:p>

:p>

UNBOUND BOOKS VEGAN POTLUCK COOKZINE #3 (January 2004):p>

Unbound Books Distro:p>

P.O. Box 146672, Chicago, IL 60614-6672:p>

jennie@unboundbooks.org:p>

anarchopink@yahoo.com:p>

Digest, 22 p., $1,50 or trade, free to prisoners and zine libraries:p>

The contributors included suggestions of music to listen to as you try these recipies. In addition to recipies, this @nti-copyright cookzine reprints articles about police brutality, McDonald’s, animal and human liberation, and veganism. I tried the vegan lasagna and frankly, I really prefer my own recipe. The “Lazy Punk Lentil Soup” and the “Fan-fucking-tastic Coconut Corn Chowder” sound good, though. There’s also a “Saved-from-the-dumpster Apple Sauce”, plus the usual cookie and brownie recipies.:p>

:p>

IF I CAN’T DANCE IT AIN’T MY REVOLUTION:p>

by A.J. Withers:p>

75 Cowan Ave., Toronto, ON M6K 2N1, Canada (e-mail first to make sure A.J. hasn’t moved):p>

ajxvegan@hotmail.com:p>

Digest, 56 p., $?, trade ok:p>

The contents of this perzine are heavier than that of the other zines I’ve reviewed this time. IF I CAN’T DANCE deals with disability issues. The zine is separated in four parts: Being, Thinking, Fucking, and Acting. In addition to articles covering disability and reproductive freedom/sexuality/activism, there are also a few poems and some artwork, plus a resource list. Like I said, this is a bit heavier than a zine you’d read just to relax, but it’s quite complete, informative, and useful.:p>

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Davida Gypsy Breier:p>

PO Box 963, Havre de Grace, MD 21078:p>

www.leekinginc.com:p>

davida@leekinginc.com:p>

:p>

Normally I try and review as many zines as possible, but this time I was just stretched too thin. Plus, Julie Dorn basically reviewed many of my favorite issues of the last several months, so consider this a second recommendation of many of those zines. Since they were reviewed elsewhere in this issue, I’ll just say that Miranda #13, Breakfast #4, and Murder Can Be Fun #19 were all excellent and I think you should read them. :p>

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BURN COLLECTOR #13:p>

I’m a great big dork. When I went to Chicago:place>:City> last year I think Al Burian was at Quimby’s when I was there and I essentially dorked out and didn’t say anything. Recently he was in Baltimore:place>:City> doing a reading and I was lame and much too tired to get off the couch to go see him. Whether he is at home introspecting or traveling the world, his prose seems effortless. Always a favorite. :p>

$4 (from Atomic Books, but you can also check Quimby’s and Stickfigure):p>

About 100 pgs/5.5x6:p>

:p>

FISH WITH LEGS #9:p>

I don’t even know how long it’s been since I started trading with Eric, but this issue seems leagues about the rest. I think the defining moment of this issue was Eric’s description of a local wresting match. Either Eric’s perceptions as a writer have grown considerably or he is something of a savant. Or both. There was such pathos, yet humor and self-effacement in his description of the wrestlers and attendees. Also attending the match is an old relatively disturbed acquaintance from school. Eric’s recollections mixed with the present day action at the wresting match make for a good juxtaposition. This politically incorrect A-Z series brings us from “A is for Amputee” to “I is for Independent Wresting.” :p>

$1+stamp/36pgs/digest/trades:p>

224 Moraine St:address>:Street>.:p>

Brockton:City> MA:State> 02301:PostalCode>:place>:p>

Ericfishlegs@aol.com:p>

:p>

THE PERFECT MIX TAPE SEGUE #3:p>

Fixing the Plumbing:p>

There are a lot of mamazines and parenting zines out there these days, plus a few with anti-kid undertones. Joe’s offering yet another point of view. He understands deliberate children, but watching his friends become accidental parents is distressing to him. His family background and experiences as an adult lead him to make the decision to have a vasectomy. In my opinion, what many people seem to overlook when debating abortion issues is that to be pro-choice is not simply about what one does when one is pregnant. Joe did not want to be responsible for an accidental child and he made a choice. Good example of the personal is the political.:p>

$1 or vegan cookie/24 pgs/1/4 legal:p>

Microcosm Publishing:p>

5307 N. Minnesota Ave.:address>:Street>:p>

Portland:City>, OR:State> 97217-4551:PostalCode>:place>:p>

joe@microcosmpublishing.com:p>

www.microcosmpublishing.com:p>

:p>

SMILE, HON, YOU’RE IN BALTIMORE:place>:City>! #7:p>

So a few months back, William P. Tandy handed me the new issue of SMILE, HON to read. An anxious writer (a redundant term), he waited for my reaction. And my reaction was thus, “After reading the Conrad Brooks story, if I didn’t already live with you, I would have to hunt you down and attempt to date you.” Granted, I’m a twisted sort when it comes to old b-movies and their stars, but it was the sincere truth. You don’t have to be from Baltimore or even have ever visited to enjoy SMILE, HON. For example this issues contains not only a long piece on Conrad Brooks (whose claim to fame is “Plan 9 From Outer Space”), but also house hunting in a real estate war zone, a local gamers group, meeting Debbie Harry, dining at Lex Market, gentrification woes and the assholes it brings to town, and more.:p>

$3/52 pgs/digest/some trades:p>

Willam P. Tandy:p>

PO Box:Street> 11064:address>:p>

Baltimore:City>, MD:State> 21212:PostalCode>:place>:p>

esp@eightstonepress.com:p>

www.eightstonepress.com:p>

:p>

LADY CHURCHILL’S ROSEBUD WRISTLET #15:p>

Wow.... LCRW never ceases to amaze me. It is always a beautiful zine, but the caliber of the writing in it is stunning. Without a doubt this is my favorite issue. I remember thinking when I read it that I would find a few pieces I particularly liked, but instead I enjoyed the whole issue. I wasn’t that there wasn’t a standout, but that they all stood out. Gavin’s talents as an editor, especially with regard to fiction, make him a godsend to the zine community, as well as the literary world. :p>

$5/64 pages/1/2 legal:p>

Gavin J. Grant:p>

176 Prospect Ave.:address>:Street>:p>

Northampton:City>, MA:State> 01060:PostalCode>:place>:p>

info@lcrw.net:p>

www.lcrw.net:p>

:p>

EXXXTREME ARCHAEOLOGY #10:p>

This was my favorite recent discovery. With the above zines I sort of knew what to expect, even if those expectations were exceeded. With EXXXTREME ARCHAEOLOGY it was such a pleasant, quirky surprise. It is an auto-bio comic about an archaeologist living and working in a remote area of the Alaska Peninsula:place>. There was much fear of bears, as well as all the minutia of being an archaeologist in the middle of nowhere that was educational and simply fun to read about. :p>

$2/digest/32 pgs:p>

Trent de Boer:p>

1805 Steele Street SE:address>:Street>:p>

Olympia:City>, WA:State> 98501:PostalCode>:place>:p>

dutchcircus@hotmail.com:p>

:p>

And now a few words of wisdom from our staff...:p>

:p>

What is the biggest mistake you’ve made doing your zine? Or the biggest mistake related to zines you’ve made? :p>

:p>

Donny Smith::p>

You mean besides miscounting the number of pages and having to scramble for filler (as I did for the most recent issue of Dwan (still not printed))? :p>

I think probably the biggest mistake has been to show my zine to coworkers. That’s always turned out awkward. No matter how cool they were. It’s just a little too personal. (I’m not one of those people who talks to his coworkers in the restroom, just as a somewhat related example. In fact, I’ll find another restroom if I know that someone I know is in one.):p>

:p>

Eric Lyden::p>

Well, just one mere week ago I spent about an hour and a half in Staples literally on the verge of tears because I just could not for the life of me figure out how to make my 2 sided copies come out right. Finally I just went home to cool down and relax and I finally figured out how it was supposed to go. Then of course we all know the feeling when we’re stapling and collating and finally after making 50-100 copies we have one lone page left over so we have to go back and find which copy is missing that one page. Then there’s the mistake of just plain making a shitty issue (those of you who have a copy of Fish with Legs #3 know what I’m talking about there) but I guess making something that sucks is less of a mistake than not making anything at all.:p>

:p>

Fred Argoff::p>

The single biggest mistakes I made came relatively early in the game. Issue #13 of BROOKLYN:place>! was a special issue devoted to poetry. At the time, I hadn’t realized that there are two kinds of zine readers; those who like poetry, and those who don’t want to hear about it. There hasn’t been any poetry in the zine since. :p>

With WATCH THE CLOSING DOORS, my mistake was stopping after six issues. I went through just over seven years of letters from people asking me about the zine (and here I was, thinking that nobody cared!) before I woke up, smelled the coffee, and started it back up again.:p>

:p>

Fran McMillian::p>

My first zine was called SWEET JESUS. It was a serial novel about a bunch of kids who went to Catholic high school which was loosely based on my own experiences. SWEET JESUS was hardly a religious zine, but somehow it netted me mail from every religious wacko within an 100 radius. Some of the missives were funny, but others were downright frightening. I got a 5 page letter from a Baptist church in Elkton:City>, MD:State>:place>, telling me that I was definitely on my way to hell and detailing all the horrible tortures that would await me there. Moral: think twice before naming your zine.:p>

Now the serious answer...:p>

The most serious mistake I’ve made is — now and again — not trusting my own voice. I do a much better job when I just relax and be myself.:p>

:p>

Jeff Somers::p>

Biggest mistake: Running the same short story twice. I ran a story in 2000 in TIS, and then, as if the intervening years had not actually occurred (or as if they were simply filled with boozy blackouts) I ran the same damn story in 2002, and had to have it pointed out to me. I am, as they say, not very bright. This of course doesn’t count any of the numerous unsupportable arguments, blatantly incorrect facts or statistics, or wrongly attributed quotations that litter every issue like so much mental detritus.:p>

:p>

Randy Osborne::p>

In more than two years I’ve put out exactly one issue of Big Pinch World, and recalling the multiple blunders of that long-ago effort isn’t easy. Maybe I have blocked them out. Therefore let me tell you about some other mistakes, somehow fresher to memory though farther back in time. :p>

When I was 12, friends of Christine – my dance partner in gym – called me on the phone to ask whether I “liked” her. Because she was ugly and I was ashamed of what I felt for her, I lied and said no. She was standing right there, amid her friends. Mistake. :p>

When I was 24, I got married to someone who thought of me as a protector worth depending on. For everything. She believed this because I had made myself resemble such a person. Her mistake, but also mine. :p>

Ten years later, wedding bells chimed – well, a justice of the peace affixed his official seal – again. If at first I did not succeed where my own parents failed at making a happy family, I would try once more! Mistake. :p>

The errors made in putting together Big Pinch World probably had to do with page numbers, or staples that faced outward instead of inward. You can cut your fingers on them. You can cut yourself a lot of ways. :p>

:p>

Bobby Tran Dale::p>

My biggest mistake, and the probably best reason Homoeroticon has been on a pseudo-hiatus these years has been my lacking ability to keep its issue costs down. Each print run was a money pit, approx. 1-2k. Each of the five issues so far had been drawn/created to fit an issues idea rather than a budget (damn those credit cards!). So backpeddling and making smaller more affordable issues has been like trying to go back to driving a hoopty after drivin around in a Hummer...lol. Maybe I shoulda just paid an editor with all that extra money.:p>

:p>

Kathy Moseley: :p>

I don’t think I’ve made any whopper mistakes in my zines, except for not producing them often enough. I do remember in one of the earliest zines I worked on, I was doing it old-school, cut & paste, and when it came back from the copy place there was a tiny little bone illustration that had slipped from its place and landed in the middle of a paragraph. My friend John was looking through it and said, “Um. . . there’s a . . . bone here. . .” pointing to my mistake. :p>

Auuuugh! I also inadvertently published my home address in one of my more recent issues of SemiBold, which I didn’t realize until months later. Hopefully no one else realized it either.:p>

:p>

Davida Gypsy Breier:p>

Well, there was the time that I printed a story about a former employer and slipped and used the real names a few times. This necessitated reprinted those pages, removing the pages that could get me sued, and replacing them with the new sanitized pages. :p>

Oh, and we can’t forget that ugly, unpublished episode with the depressed, alcoholic artist who did a zine, now can we? :p>

Ah, and then there was that time I ran the same reviews twice. Not long after that I forgot to run someone else’s reviews.:p>

We won’t even mention some of the typos.:p>

And lastly, there would be the time that I misjudged how the pages would flow together and had to beg the other reviewers to answer a silly question that I hoped no one would realize was filler.

:p>