Zines
The NewPages
Zine Rack
Number 34 (Posted June 21, 2006)
Zines Reviewed by Sean Stewart
Zines becoming books is a trend that has really caught fire
over the past couple of years. Sometimes it works, and other
times it doesn't; it all depends on the consistency of writing
over the years, and how selective the author is when putting the
book together. As Keith points out in the introduction to this
collection of his
Avow zines, paging through old issues of your zine often
leads to more than a few cringes. This anthology focuses on
Keith's later, after he'd abandoned poetry and started telling
stories of artist struggle and punk rock angst, weaving his
awesome artwork in and around them. There are a few pieces from
early issues, when Keith's friend Alex was co-editor, and even
though they don't comprise the strongest part of the zine, it's
interesting to see the progression of this zine to what it is
now. Some material in here is from other writers, but Keith's
storytelling and drawings are what really stand out on these
pages. One gets the impression from reading this that Keith is
somewhat of a tortured guy, but he also seems to mellow out a
bit as time passes. And that's one of the coolest things about
reading a zine book: you not only follow the timeline of a
zine, but also of a person, because for many zinesters, it's
hard to separate the zine from the person and vice versa. Highly
recommended. [5.5" x 8.5", ISBN 0972696741, $12, Microcosm
Publishing, 5307 N. Minnesota Ave., Portland, OR 97217,
joe@microcosmpublishing.com,
www.microcosmpublishing.com]
After losing just about all of his childhood memorabilia (and
his other possessions) in a fire, Ben stumbled upon a few
remaining links to his past in his mom's attic, notably his old
fifth grade yearbook. Realizing the gold mine of nostalgia he
had in his hands, Ben made this zine to commemorate his former
classmates and the relationships he had with them. The result is
a collection of line drawings of yearbook photos, accompanied by
a balanced mixture of anecdotes and reflections on past and
present that serve to illustrate how fascinating the effects of
the passage of time can be. For example, there are several
stories in here of encounters Ben has with some of these people
as adults, or of things he hears later on that were said about
him by certain classmates. He finds out people's thoughts and
feelings that he had no idea about when he was back in fifth
grade. And it makes you wonder how our lives might be different
if we knew some of these things that people so often keep to
themselves. There is tragedy and humor in this zine, and it all
adds up to a good snapshot of humanity. Nicely done. [4.25" x
5.5", 3 stamps or trade,
www.mono-zukuri.com,
distributed by Love Bunni Press, 2622 Princeton Rd., Cleveland
Heights, OH 44118,
www.lovebunnipress.com]
#4
I like to read inspirational zines, and this is one such
zine. Sarah rode her bike from Washington State to Arizona, down
the entire Western coast of the continental United States. For
that she has my lifelong admiration. People who ride such
distances on their bikes will always have my admiration. I have
a friend who moved himself from Iowa to Portland, Oregon on his
bicycle. I think that is so amazing. It's accomplishments like
this that stick with a person through all the crap we humans put
up with. Anyway, this issue of Sarah's zine chronicles her epic
journey, and it is full of truth, beauty, humor, and the kind of
grit we hope we all have buried down somewhere inside of us. I
loved every page of this, and I think you will, too. [5.5" x
7.25", $2 or trade or cookies, email Sarah at
enormajean@hotmail.com; also available online at
www.clamormagazine.org]
#4
January 2006
A friend told me about this zine; she said it was one of the
zines that inspired her to start writing her own. It meant a lot
to her. So when I was in D.C. recently, I picked up this newest
issue. Brian is definitely a good writer, and a good storyteller
with some interesting insights, although I think that I would've
enjoyed this a lot more if I were 10 years younger. I liked it,
but it was one of those zines where, while I'm reading, I can't
ignore the acute disconnect between how I am reacting now to the
writing and how I know I would've reacted to it if I read it in
my early twenties. Which is fine; not every zine is universal in
its appeal. I rarely make specific recommendations in reviews as
to who I think would enjoy a zine, but I will in this case.
So...you might like this if you're in your early to mid-twenties
and are a bike punk, hobo punk, folk punk, Bruce Springsteen
fan, or preferably a mixture of all four. Or you could just
order it and decide for yourself. After all, it only costs 2
stamps! [5.5" x 8.5", 2 stamps and/or trades, Brian
Deller, 369 E. 15th Ave., Columbus, OH 43201,
ieatfood123@hotmail.com]
5
January 2006
I'd read some of John Gerken's writing in other publications
and always liked it, but never read a whole issue of his zine.
Well, I read this one and liked it quite a lot. This is the
Special Disaster Cover Issue (John lives in New Orleans), but
it's not about Katrina; it's just that the silkscreened covers
for this issue survived the floodwaters produced by the
hurricane. However, there is a thread of beginnings running
through this issue. John writes about serious issues like
identity, community, and what it means to be alive.
But there's a lot of hope in these pages, and a lot of
possibility. A few contributions from other folks appear here
and there between John's thoughts: Ally Green offers a
beautiful pictorial essay on beginnings; Shelley of the
excellent bike zine Chainbreaker reports on her annual
trip to India; Hope of Keep Loving Keep Fighting writes
about a lot in a short space; and Travis of America?
shares his personal take on beginnings and endings. This is
definitely one of the good ones. [7" x 8.5", $2.50 + postage,
Microcosm Publishing, 5307 N. Minnesota Ave., Portland, OR
97217, joe@microcosmpublishing.com,
www.microcosmpublishing.com]
I would guess that by now most people in the zine community
have either read Cristy Road's writing in Greenzine, or
at the very least seen some of her prolific artwork (possibly
without even knowing it). If not, you're missing out and should
buy this book in order to get a healthy sampling of both. I had
the good fortune of doing a reading with Cristy in New York
earlier this year, during which she read excerpts from the book,
and so I was really looking forward to reading this. It's being
classified as a novel, but it's an autobiographical one, with
stories rearranged for the purposes of clarity and conveyance of
meaning. If you've read Greenzine, you probably know what
you're in for. For others, this is a tale of being teenaged in
Miami, questioning race and gender, all wrapped up in a messy
punk rock package. It's great, and a steal at five bucks. [5.5"
x 8.5", ISBN 0977055779, $5, Microcosm Publishing, 5307 N.
Minnesota Ave., Portland, OR 97217, joe@microcosmpublishing.com,
www.microcosmpublishing.com]
Volume 1
Producing a zine from within the walls of a prison is, as I'm
sure you can imagine, a much more daunting task than it is for
those of us on the outside. Of course, this doesn't guarantee
it'll be a good read. However, I can happily report that Tommy's
first foray into the zine world is a resounding success. I am
always blown away when people's first issues turn out so well.
Perhaps this is because I am still painfully aware of how bad my
own was. At any rate, Is This Love? consists of several
personal essays illustrating different types of love. One thing
I really liked about the zine is that Tommy includes a short,
but apropos, quote at the beginning of each essay, and a brief
concluding poem at the end of each. It's an effective way of
framing the essays within the larger context of the zine. After
the essays are a few thoughts from Tommy about what it's like
being a prisoner. The zine concludes with short book and zine
recommendations. I highly recommend this, and will be looking
forward to future issues! [5.5" x 8.5", $2/copy up to 5
copies and $1/copy (could use your help in distributing
copies!), order from: 1611 Newsom Rd., Bellville, TX 77418,
write to Tommy (but do not send orders here): Tommy Duncan,
840433, Rt. 1, Box 150, Tennessee Colony, TX 75884]
Stories by Melissa Klein; illustrated by Sara Thustra. Good
zine fiction is hard to find, mostly, I think, because many
people who can write a good short story have moved on to
literary journals and books. The ability to write good short
fiction is a gift, and Melissa Klein has that gift. She
regularly publishes the fiction zine Inkling, but this is
a special perfectbound collection of her stories illustrated by
the talented San Francisco artist-activist, Sara Thustra. The
most striking aspect of this collection is that Melissa writes
so well from such varied perspectives: junkies, teenage
girls, young punks in love, a washed-up guy out drinking in some
lame bar the week after his mother died. She seamlessly moves
between genders, generations, and socioeconomic classes.
Excellent writing from a skilled storyteller. [5 ¼" x 7", $5,
Microcosm Publishing, 5307 N. Minnesota Ave., Portland, OR
97217, joe@microcosmpublishing.com,
www.microcosmpublishing.com]
3rd Edition
2006
Here is a helpful guide from Ms. Films on DIY filmmaking,
previously published as a zine and now released by Parcell Press
as a spiralbound book. Although particularly geared toward women
and girls, this should hold value for anyone interested in DIY
filmmaking. With articles written by experienced people in the
field, the guide focuses in on many of the practical issues that
arise while making a film on your own. There are tips on getting
your film into film festivals; how to organize your own film
fest; scriptwriting; animation; documentary filmmaking; how long
short films should be; and even how to make a film without a
camera. Included at the end are a helpful glossary of film
terms, a resource list, and a partial filmography of
woman-directed movies. A very handy resource for aspiring
filmmakers. [5.5" x 8.5", $6, Parcell Press c/o Taylor Ball, 428
Hunter St., Fredericksburg, VA 22401, sorezine@aol.com,
www.parcellpress.com; msfilms@hotmail.com,
www.msfilms.org]
Issue #2
February 2006
David is a recovering heroin addict with some stories to tell
from his past. I'm curious how hard David has thought about how
he wants to frame his experiences, because it seems to me that
he's done an extraordinary job of conveying humor, drama, and
suspense without ever coming close to glorifying any part of the
junky lifestyle. There are plenty of other published accounts
that also convey these things but end up romanticizing at least
a few aspects of heroin use. However, in David's stories, the
desperation and sickness associated with heroin addiction is
always right there at the surface, even in the funniest moments.
Three out of the four nonfiction stories in here deal with
heroin; the other is an amusing tale of a Valentine's Day gone
wrong, with a hilarious ending. The writing is straightforward,
concise, and personable. Very highly recommended. [5.5" x 8.5",
$1, David Frank, Rocks and Blows, 1002 W. Montrose Ave., Box
194, Chicago, IL 60613, rocks_and_blows@yahoo.com]
The
