Zines
The NewPages
Zine Rack
Number 33 (Posted May 1, 2006)
Zines Reviewed by Sean Stewart
Dave is well known in the zine world for his excellent zine
On Subbing, which detailed his experiences as a substitute Education
Assistant in Portland, Oregon. However, after a few years of
cranking out issues of On Subbing, and then having a book
collection of them published, Dave dropped off the zine radar for a
while. This zine here details the reasons why. It turns
out that Dave has Crohn’s Disease, and he went through quite a
harrowing experience discovering this. Crohn’s is a chronic
digestive disorder that can be very painful and unpleasant to live
with, especially in the beginning before any medication has begun to
provide relief. In all of his writing, Dave has a knack for
being both poignant and humorous almost simultaneously. This
is no easy feat, and especially so when describing the living hell
leading up to his Crohn’s diagnosis. But Dave pulls it off
effortlessly, putting the very personal in a context from which we
can all learn something. Simply put, this is an amazing zine.
[4.25 x 5.5”, $2, Dave, 5046 Cedar Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19143,
poodrow@hotmail.com, also available from
Microcosm]
Number 2
I liked this zine. It struck me at first as having a quiet
unassuming nature, but in my experience that is often a good sign.
The writing in here is thoughtful; it probes at the experience of
living, and I don’t look for much more than that in a zine. As
stated by its editor Andrew, the zine seeks “to observe, inform and
transform the cognitive landscape of the fully interactive
phenomenon known as human culture.” A grandiose-sounding
purpose, perhaps, but I assure you that the text within the zine is
fully accessible. It is split into examples of “True
Adventure” (non-fiction narrative of human interaction with the
world) and “Cultural Artifacts” (ranging from comics and poems, to a
how-to bookbinding page). Definitely recommended.
[7 x 8.5”, $3, Andrew Coltrin, Look for Signage, PO Box 40782,
Tucson, AZ 85717,
look_for_signage@yahoo.com]
There is probably little I can say about Doris that hasn’t
been said before. Cindy’s zine is one of a tiny fistful of
personal zines that get it just right. Full of wonder at life,
while unafraid to show the suffering that comes along with it, yet
lacking in any whiny self-indulgence, Doris takes readers
places they need to go, whether they knew they needed to or not.
Having all this writing in one book is important. Even if
you’ve been reading the zine for years, I recommend reading this
cover to cover. There is a narrative arc, although it is
sometimes not shaped the way you might expect. But it’s there,
and once you reach a certain point in the text, you can’t imagine
stories being told any other way. [6.5 x 8”, ISBN
0972696784, $12, Microcosm Publishing, 5307 N. Minnesota Ave.,
Portland, OR 97217, joe@microcosmpublishing.com,
www.microcosmpublishing.com]
Bees
I’d heard many excellent things about Ghost Pine, and so I
was happy to find a couple of issues at Wooden Shoe Books during a
recent trip to Philadelphia. Soon after diving into these
issues, I noticed some threads of similarity in style to another
excellent Canadian zine, I’m Johnny and I Don’t Give a Fuck.
This is a good thing. Jeff has a certain lyrical and timeless
style to his writing that really appeals to me. It lends a
universality to what he writes about, which is often hard to find in
personal zine writing. Perzines are often too personal, so
focused in on one person’s minutiae that it can be a struggle to
relate. But the writing in Ghost Pine, though rooted in
punk rock and activism, travels way beyond it in significance.
This particular issue is a little different than others; Jeff’s
rescued some long-lost stories from old notebooks and dead hard
drives. They are his “bee-sides,” hence the subtitle.
But even though these are not technically parts of one single
narrative, in a way they still read that way, because they’re all
parts of Jeff’s life and there’s a consistency to his writing that
keeps perspective in place for the reader. Very highly
recommended. [4.25 x 5.5”, $2, Ghost Pine Fanzine, 114 Canter
Blvd., Nepean, ON K2G-2M7 Canada, or order online from
Microcosm]
Hot
Damn and Hell Yeah: Recipes for Hungry Banditos/Dirty South
Cookbook
Okay, all you vegans out there who are hankering for some good
Deep South cooking, this is the cookbook to get. Let’s face
it, Southern food rocks, but in its traditional preparation, there
is little for the vegan to indulge in. But why should we be
denied these culinary pleasures? The creators of this split
cookzine realized the tragedy of this denial and that is why they
have done the hard work of veganizing virtually all the classic
Southern dishes you know you’ve been craving (perhaps without even
realizing it). Most of the recipes in this book are pretty
easy and cheap to make, too, which makes it even more appealing.
With clean straightforward type, neatly organized steps and
ingredient lists, and an awesome cut-and-paste style, this is an
attractive book that is sure to quickly gain gravy stains and
dog-eared pages in your kitchen.
A steal at five bucks! [5.5 x 8.5”, ISBN 0977055701, $5,
Microcosm Publishing, 5307 N. Minnesota Ave., Portland, OR 97217,
joe@microcosmpublishing.com,
www.microcosmpublishing.com]
Issue 3
Winter 2006
MotherVerse takes itself pretty seriously, choosing to
call itself either a magazine or journal instead of a zine.
What you get is 50 text-heavy pages full of fiction, poetry, and
creative nonfiction neatly laid out in a desktop-published format.
There are some photos, cartoons, and illustrated ads for
parenting-related products. As with many publications like
this that focus on motherhood and parenting, some of the writing
will be only of marginal interest to those of us who aren’t parents.
However, the quality of writing in here is excellent and I did enjoy
a lot of it. I’d say with 3 issues already under its belt,
Motherverse is probably well on its way to becoming one of the
top publications in the motherhood litzine genre. Definitely
recommended to fans of mama zines and good literature in general.
[5.5 x 8.5”, single issues $3.50 US/CAN, $4.50/WORLD, 4-issue sub
$12 US/CAN, $16/WORLD, also available as PDF for $5/year,
editor@motherverse.com,
www.motherverse.com]
No. 5
A lot of folks have been celebrating their ten-year anniversaries
of zine publishing. This is pretty cool; ten years is
definitely a milestone in a publishing genre where titles rarely
make it past issue two or three. In Andy’s case, he’s only
published five issues in those ten years, but as he affirms in his
intro, the fact that he’s still publishing is what truly matters.
And number five was well worth the wait of over two years it took to
get to publication. This issue starts out with a hilarious yet
sobering recounting of Andy’s experience with temporary memory loss
following a skateboarding accident. What follows is a
sprawling series of essays documenting the highlights of the past
couple of years of Andy’s experiences in activism. This
includes his internship with United Steelworkers of America, his
tour with the Mobilivre-Bookmobile (a traveling exhibit of artist
books, zine, and other independent publications), and his tale of
the Great West Philadelphia Food Co-op Strike of 2002.
Interspersed are radical biography and autobiography reviews, as
well as a satirical manifesto for collectivizing a Flaming Hot
Cheetos factory. Though these pieces span several years of his
life, Andy aligns and highlights their significance through the use
of several introductory narratives. Highly recommended.
[5 x 7 ¾”, $4, Microcosm Publishing, 5307 N. Minnesota Ave.,
Portland, OR 97217, joe@microcosmpublishing.com,
www.microcosmpublishing.com]
2
“Oh Skyscraper, Majestic.” I don’t know enough about comix
to know how to describe this genre of comix, or if there is even a
proper name for it, but I love it. I think of Chris Ware’s
work as falling into this category. Basically, the style is
one of innocent bygone days, yet at the same time biting in its
deadpan satire and black humor. It simultaneously reveres and
tears down classic institutions in our culture, such as, in this
case, the Boy Scouts and summer camp. It is cute, sad,
endearing, hilarious, heart-wrenchingly tragic, and beautifully
whimsical. There are several stories in this issue of
Skyscrapers, all of them fine-tuning in on some element of the
frustration, horror, wonder, or quiet tragedy of being a kid.
The final story is so amazingly genuine that I can’t stop reading
it. And the last page sums it all up in one single panel.
I can’t recommend this highly enough. [5.5 x 8.5”, $2,
available through
Atomic Books and other online
retailers, or email the artist for more info:
jwcotter@micro.com]
Cindy of Doris zine compiled this zine full of helpful
stories and advice for how to support people who have been sexually
abused. This is a thick resource, reprinted from the original
sources, so it’s got a zine-y cut-and-paste look to it with a new
cover drawn by Cristy Road. There is a wide variety of
information in here, ranging from personal narratives and comix to
advice on safe sex for survivors and how to give emotional support.
Some contributors are anonymous, while others are credited on the
final page where additional resources are also listed.
Overall, this is a unique DIY resource that will retain its value
for many years to come. [5.5 x 8.5”, $2.50 ppd., Microcosm
Publishing, 5307 N. Minnesota Ave., Portland, OR 97217,
joe@microcosmpublishing.com,
www.microcosmpublishing.com]
No. 5
“The Strike Issue.” If you haven’t read Xtra Tuf, you are
missing out on one of the more interesting and unique zines out
there. Moe is a semi-retired commercial fisherwoman with
plenty of tales still to tell about her years in the salmon fishing
industry. This new paperback issue tells all about the history
of strikes in the industry around the area of Kodiak Island, Alaska,
which is where Moe spent most of her time working. It’s a
dense issue, not always easy reading, but the content is
fascinating, especially for anyone interested in labor issues
(which, if you work, should mean you). Moe also does a good
job of characterizing the fishing community around Kodiak, and the
reader gets a clear picture of the different types of people who
live around there. This is an engaging read worth seeking out.
[5 x 7”, ISBN 0972696776, free to prisoners and commercial fishing
women, $5, Microcosm Publishing, 5307 N. Minnesota Ave., Portland,
OR 97217, joe@microcosmpublishing.com,
www.microcosmpublishing.com]
The
