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Xerography Debt #5
Table of Contents
If this is your first issue, this should clarify things: 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 completely communal, non-possessive sense. We are individual artists and writers coming together to collaborate and help keep zineland flourishing. It is a communal experience from start to finish.
To further promote this effort to connect readers and writer/artists, Tom Hendricks of Musea has also agreed to host Xerography Debt on his website: musea.digitalchainsaw.com. It will be available for free online (some artwork will only be available in print) or paper copies can be ordered through me.
There is no way I can review everything that I receive. I will do the best I can. I am but one overworked person. Do your part by ordering a few zines from the many reviewed here and, if you self-publish, please consider including a few reviews in your zine.
If you are interested in reviewing for Xerography Debt, please contact me by mail or e-mail for some rather vague, but supposedly helpful guidelines. All you need to do is write five reviews that will excite people to send money, stamps, or a trade. Due to the ridiculous pressures of self-imposed deadlines, #6 will be done when it is done, but hopefully sometime over the summer.
Introduction
I originally wanted to finish this issue in January, so why I am sitting here, waiting for the great nor'easter of March, 2001, finally working on it? Because to have done otherwise would have been foolish. I created the stupid deadline and trying to do too much was going to rupture something inside if I didn't make some choices. I chose to put Xerography Debt aside until I had the time to work on it. That wasn't even supposed to be today, but due to the sleet/snow and Patrick being sick, here I am. The reason I was too busy to work on this in January and February is that I was writing a book (it should be in stores by May/June this year). It is basically a compilation of the everyday questions people have about vegetarianism and being a vegetarian. I'll have more details in the next issue and in Leeking Ink.
The whole Bill Price incident and article about sending zines to prisoners from the last issue has created a bit of discussion and controversy. Donny Smith offered to write what I think is a more comprehensive, and also more equitable, set of guidelines. Please see below for Donny's response.
So how's this for coincidence - some guy in California wrote me over the summer wanting to know more about Xerography Debt reviewer Eric Lyden. He contacted me after he found the online version of Xerography Debt. He wanted to know about Eric Lyden because, in fact, this guy's name was also Eric Lyden. He was a poet who had done some zines and was worried that one of his friends had "stolen" his identity and was publishing with it. In December, a woman also doing an Internet search found Xerography Debt's Eric Lyden. She had sailed to Hawaii with an Eric Lyden in the 70's and wanted to catch up with her old friend. I explained the Xerography Debt's Eric Lyden was a toddler in the 70's, but what the hell, there was one in California if she was interested. She said her old friend had lived in California and was a writer. After a flurry of e-mails it turns out that her friend was another Eric Lyden altogether. Three Eric Lyden's, all writers, and everybody writing little old me to tell me about it. Weird, but not nearly as weird as my high school English teacher finding me recently, but that's another story for another time…
Davida
March 4, 2001
Basically, I don't have what one would call a cash flow. Cash trickle would be an overstatement. I would like to keep publishing Xerography Debt, so if you would like to help sponsor Xerography Debt with a few stamps or cash, please feel free to do so. Also, let me know if you wish to remain anonymous. This issue's sponsors are:
Al Cene, Kristie Cameron, DB Pedlar, Androo Robinson, Rudi Rubberoid, Donny Smith, Patrick Tandy, Owen Thomas, and a few anonymous folks.
E-mail from From Dwayne-Michael Alborn, new editor of FactSheet 5:
Hello,
FactSheet is alive and well and will soon be kicking under the scrutiny of Dwayne-Michael D. Alborn, its new editor. We are updating our database for the zine directory. Please e-mail or mail us the following information so that we can make sure your info is correct and not intentionally mis-represented.
Please contact me with all the info and mail your most recent edition and future editions for review and possible write up in FactSheet Five written publication to:
Dwayne-Michael Alborn
32 Page Street, Suite 515 A.
Providence, RI 02903
And more good news: Atomic Books is BACK! Atomic Books is set to re-open April 27, 2001! It is under new ownership, but still in the business of promoting and selling zines! For more information about placing your zines on consignment, e-mail rachel@atomicbooks.com or write to: Wunderpants Productions, Inc., 1100 W. 36th St., Baltimore, MD 21211. The new owners are Rachel Whang and Benn Ray, local Baltimore zinesters. Scott Huffines (the former owner) will still be involved, too, and be present at the store. See a review of Rachel's zine below. The Atomic website also will be overhauled. Rachel made a point of telling me that she really wants people to feel comfortable about contacting her and that the neo-Atomic will be super zine-friendly. From Bobby Tran Dale: I NEED COMIX SUBMISSIONS FOR THIS PROJECT! Hi everybody! This is Bobby at Homoeroticon.com. This is the deal: At some point LATER this year, I want to publish a 60-80page comix/zine (mag-size possibly), that delves into YOUR individual experiences of hate, discrimination, sexism, YOU NAME IT. I would like to get a comix snapshot of an experience of intolerance that you have had and how it had effected you, or simply, your ponderances on the subject---a written piece with some illos could also work. Think of it in terms of an auto-bio because that's the root of this project. THERE ARE NO GUIDELINES OR RESTRICTIONS as far as strip content since each person has their own take and experience on this subject---and THAT IS EXACTLY THE DIVERSITY THAT I WANT. It doesn't mean every submission needs to be horrifying. The subject seems gloomy, but WE ALL HAVE EXPERIENCED shit to some degree: man, woman, gay, straight, black, white and yellow -- ad infinitum. The zine world is diverse and the many of us are here to some extent because of some non-acceptance somewhere, so there's gotta be some stories to be had that folks want to bitch about, offload, share etc. Again, be serious, comedic, WHATEVER. Consider this also as a MODERN CULTURAL STUDY and it's ALL RELEVANT--your contribution is NEEDED to make this work. This will not be published as a volume of Homoeroticon, but as it's own one-shot, done primarily by you. In fact, I will be foregoing the publication of my sixth issue if this one gets the responses that I'd like. I may provide an intro strip or so, and nothing more. I'd like submissions to be within 2 pages if possible, and at least publishable in magazine size. I can offer the usual copy or possibly two as payment when it's eventually compiled. If you're interested, feel free to drop me a line, or post. I think this will be a strong collection if I can get the gears going. If you folks know of others who may be interested, PLEASE pass this on to them. THANKS! Bobby
Predators and Prey in the Zine Community Some of my favorite zines of all time have been Amusia, Peppermint Soda, My Straight-Faced Twin, The Messy Eater, and Sludge Pond. All intense, funny, smart, very personal zines written by young women. And, I hate to say it, naive young women. They wrote out all their hopes and fears and their daily routines, then gave out their home addresses and (in most cases) their first and last names. A horror movie waiting to happen. I admire the way zinesters open up their lives for all to see. There aren't many places you can read truth. But you wouldn't publish your credit card number, would you? You can take a few steps to protect yourself: But what about Bill Price? Yes, there are serial rapists, stalkers, and child molesters out there. The scary thing is, most of them haven't been caught. You don't know their names. The creepiest letters I've gotten have all been from long-time members of the "zine community." What can you do? Some of my best mail friends are prisoners. And even though we've corresponded for years, I'd be cautious about meeting them in person. But no more cautious than I'd be about meeting any zine person for the first time. We zinesters are a bunch of misfits, punks, wackos, and queers. We're hypocrites if we single out prisoners as a group that we won't have anything to do with. The legal term courts use to describe queers (and justify mistreating us) is "unapprehended felons." Remember, prisoners are just the ones who got caught.
Bill Price is a twice-convicted child molester. In 1984, he was sentenced to 8 years in prison for molesting a 9-year-old girl. He went to jury trial with 5 counts of child molestation. In the early 90's, he molested the two girls starting at ages 5 and 6, respectively. In 1993, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He is approximately 50 years old.
Distros and zinewriters have reported that he has shown particular interest in zines with topics of rape, abuse and sex, and zines by young women, heavy-set women, and lesbians. He is having some of his zines and letters mailed from outside the prison, so that people he contacts do not necessarily know he is incarcerated. He is currently up for parole this year.
He has published three zines: Bars, Ishi, and Fem Zine. The first issue of Ishi is written as if he is a sexually abused, young girl, and attempts to appeal to the same. Fem Zine is a listing of zines by young women. Zinewriters have reported an increase in orders from prisons after being listing in Fem Zine, which implies he is distributing this to other prisoners.
Remember this, my friends- while I may not be the only Eric Lyden in the world, I am the only Eric Lyden that matters. So this issue I will mostly be reviewing some zines Davida sent me to review. The first 3 zines are zines I chose to review on my own, the rest are ones Davida sent me. Now I know that the original concept of this zine was that people would just review whatever the hell they wanted to review, but I was having trouble finding zines I really wanted to review that haven't already been reviewed in here. Now maybe part of this is my own fault, because most of the zines I've ordered lately have been ordered because of a review I read in Xerography Debt. But I've tried to order other zines- I sent money, I sent trades, and y'know what I get in return a lot of the time? Diddly fuckin' squat. Now I can deal with someone not wanting to trade with me. I don't like it, but I can accept that not everyone is going to love my zine. That's fine, but people I send money to and never get anything in return- now that pisses me off. Now it is a fact that most if not all zinesters who take your money and don't send anything in return are assholes who do piece of shit zines anyway, so fuck them, but if I order a piece of shit zine, I wanna see a piece of shit zine in my mailbox. Someone sends you their hard earned money show them some fucking respect and send them what they paid for. Oh, and if anyone out there reading this wants me to review their zine in here please send it to me (my address should be in the back of this zine) and I'll do what I can. I try to be a fair and honest reviewer so...you could do a lot worse than having me review your zine. Here are the 3 zines I chose to review on my own Townsend Alternator- Grand Junction Invisible Robot Fish Here are the zines Davida sent me: Stuck in Traffic Willzine Version Two Point Oh Pottsie Nation Thoughtworm Death of a Psyche Catch 23
Big bang (forthcoming; write for price)
Bobby Tran Dale (Homoeroticon)
Rejected Band Names #5
27pp, Digest $1 This was an unexpectedly fun read considering I had no idea what in the hell was contained inside. I opened it up, and a short time later, found myself finishing it with a smile. In this issue, Jerianne and David have decided to embark on an experimental 24 hour video movie marathon. They'd rented sixteen flicks from Planet of the Apes to Transformers and dived in to see just how far they'd make it. It's a questionable topic at first glance that hints of a usual zine dilemma called "I ran out of ideas" , but fear not, Jerianne takes this piece and pulls the reader in effectively. It's written with such a humorous tone, mingling movie dialogue with their own, one can't help but think of that Mystery Science Theater show. It's a fun twist on another zine staple, the journal entry. It was quite engaging and pulled more than a few chuckles from me. Following this was a story that was created by thirteen different writers, each picking up a segment where the other had left off. It involves Terry, a dude stuck, outta luck & fucked in Las Vegas. It's a dark offering that is also interesting because of the freeform nature of the narrative. There are other bits and pieces within this issue as well as art by David Crockett sprinkled throughout for visual candy. RBN was a pleasant surprise, and at a buck, why not? Turtleneck Boy 3 This was a quick read, but hell, I'd drop two quarters for a giggle or two. As Suzanne tells us in her opening statement, a bunch of cartoonists take a random topic or fleeting thought and draw it out as a comic strip dialogue with her character Turtleneck Boy centrally located within the panels and skit line. Featured illustrating dabblers are Carol Pond, and Yul Tolbert along with 5 others to add a bit of visual variety. Probably the best of these experiments is Tolbert's. In his, he takes the oppurtunity to expound on the 4 myths of human flight to Mars. Tolbert's character Sy Simmonson drowns TNB in his Mars diatribe, after which TNB's only comment is that …uh…he can see his house from the space station that they're on. Twernt no casual conversatin' there. This is cute and well published. At fifty cents…what the hey? Polari #1 Okay you zine queens, WAKE UP! Stop snoozin' because you've found that most of zineland consists of an underground Hetero village . Yes, here is respite! IT'S ALL GAY and a damn fun compilation that gets even more brownie points because of the somewhat dark, devilish overtones. Tossed in this queer zine salad are mostly cut and pasted bits from every corner of Queenland: cartoons clippings, sex ads, faggot jokes, pornos, news clippings, it just goes on forever. It's set up in very much the same manner that TEENFAG was, or what I remember of it. 'Course, this should come as no surprise, since Max, who does this joint, also happens to be boyfriends with Gordon Gordon who DID Teenfag. Besides all of the eye candy, Max provides us with some personal insights via pieces such as his remembrance of a childhood incestuous encounter with an older Uncle as well as his bit on his twisted dreams. This issue pulls all of the fun & interesting stuff from that you'd see in those boring queer trades and puts it into one handy, fun read. I hope another issue follows this one. A Multitude of Voices This is a cool zine project. As the title suggests, these productions are made up of contributions submitted by a wide range of creators. It's compiled and then distributed for FREE to interested folks. There's a funky mix of poetry (tons!), art, comix and some personal writings. This is another production that may prove a little too disconnected for some because of the content diversity. However, if you enjoy reading poetry to see what other folks are up to, and free form publications, pick this up and give it a shot. I tended to gravitate towards the art, comix and personal writing, but found some of the poetry very interesting. In issue #7, the piece "HAIGHT STREET" is a melancholy trip back to the sixties of what was and never will be again. It was moving, and a bit more universal that it would appear since the past most always becomes romanticized no matter what period you hail from. In volume #9, Holdaway's story on his spiritual sojourn into the desert was also interesting. It's a piece that involves Matt and his friends' search for self in this vast plane that begins as a typical outback excursion and culminates into a hallucinogenic fantasy or that of self discovery, depending on how you choose to look at it. Many of the pieces appear to be drug inspired. The volumes themselves can feel a bit overwhelming, because it is so eclectic. But considering the manifesto of this project that states that all of this is created by creator submissions, none of which are edited, well, it makes perfect sense. And for free? Very cool. Drop Matt a snail mail, request a copy and then decide if you want to contribute yourself. The Tale Tellers Gravedigger #1 Sex, demons, dead bodies, tits, dicks and sex with all of the above. Yes folks, this comic may be a little too dark and fringed for a few , unnecessarily over-the-top for some and just what the doctor ordered for others. It's just like that. Here is the tale of a codgy old gravedigger who has a sexual taste for corpses. In this episode, hosted by (surprise!) The Tale Teller, the ol' digger gets caught with his pants down (you saw that cumming, eh?). Right in the middle of having his unbiblical ways with a preacher wife's dead body, the mouth of hell opens up and sucks the man off before the Heathen Lord of the Wasteland. Apparently, the Digger's naughty earthly deeds have earned him a chance to become the Heathen's new suckling. Of course, the old Digger wants nothing to do with this and is granted a chance to return to the surface provided he can face his demons and survive. What follows is his journey. I did like the overall dark , supernatural tone of this comic. It was a refreshing change of pace considering some of the zine comix I've checked out in the past. This initial offering is a good enough start, since the host depicted on the cover alludes to picking out cards from a deck (this issue being the Digger's, of course), which in the long term has many story possibilities. Since who knows what new story lies under each card. My friendly suggestion is to tone down some of the over the top imagery. For example, we already know that the dude is a necrophile. OK, got it: he screws dead things. Depicting a panel of his face deep within the ..uh… private affairs of the Preacher's wife was not incredibly necessary and came off a bit more as a shock prop than anything needed to further the storyline. I also found it interesting that when he was having more interludes, this time with the lust demons, and suddenly their girly parts turned into monstrous schlongs, and he barfs at the horror of it all, well, could a corpse fucker really be so damn picky? Hmm. Anyhow, a little tightening up on the inkwork, tone down some of the excess, and Elliot could have something here. I think there's potentially cool stories that could cum…oops! COME, and I'd be interested to see how Elliot follows up. Pick it up and see if you agree.
Fred Argoff (Brooklyn! & Watch the Closing Doors)
Correction - I must begin with a correction. No sooner had the last XD landed in my mailbox, than I heard from Rob Kelley (Chain Ring Ate My Pants, which I wrote up last go-round). These days, he's styling himself Rob Cramp, and his new address is 3203 S.E. Woodstock #1086, Portland, OR 97202-8199. So for you anti-gas guzzler, pro-bicycling types, now you got the scoop. Now, where was I? Oh, yeah, zines. You hear people saying that the high tide for zinedom is over. I don't know about that. At least, not from what I've been seeing. So let's see what my friendly local postman has been lugging to my mailbox, shall we? Version Two Point Oh is a new effort from Kelley White. I guess you'd call it a perzine; what attracted me to it is her writing style, which is light and breezy and easy to follow. This first issue features a story about her having met her love -- though the world of zine. (Good Lord, doesn't everyone fantasize about that happening? And here, it actually did happen for her. No fair, I say!) No price listed, but you can reach Kelley at P.O. Box 770312, Memphis, TN 38177-0312. For several issues now, I've been trading zines and receiving East Village Inky, so it's really about time I weighed in with my opinions on it. This is a mini-comic, and an autobiographical one, at that. What happens when a precocious three-year-old native to Manhattan's East Village assumes the mantle of big sisterhood in a much larger apartment in Brooklyn? Well, you can't accuse me of being a spoilsport; I'm not gonna tell you! You'll just have to send Ayun Halliday $2 (or $8 for a one-year subscription) and find out for yourselves. 122 Dean St., Brooklyn, NY 11201. My opinions? How do you like that? I clear forgot to tell you what I think: I happen to like this one better than any comiczine I've ever seen. Maybe it's the reality, or maybe it is Ayun's perspectives. And anyone who moves from Manhattan to Brooklyn is three-quarters of the way to a gold star in my book, anyway. I've seen several issues of Psycho.Moto.Zine, and they all say "Mondo Bizarro Issue" on the cover. So who am I to argue? This zine collects stories, urban legends, and absolutely true events. Now, by "urban legends" I'm not talking about alligator-in-the-sewer types of things. No, this is the real stuff; you're much more likely to find tales of drunkenness at parties here. Editor Evan lives in NYC, and the often-remarked New York attitude permeates the whole zine - that's a plus by the way! It's as if he's throwing the whole thing at you and not caring what you think, though I suspect he really does. He says that he names names, prints letters from ex-girlfriends, and gives people shit at the bar, and he does. Truth in advertising lives! So you should take immediate advantage of a zine that only asks $1, and rush that sum to Evan Minsker, P.O. Box 20223, New York, NY 10009. And if you live for zine gatherings, Evan's the force behind Royalfest. Challenger is a fanzine, and for those of you who like to define your terms, "fanzine" is very specific: it refers to science-fiction fandom. Now, for myself, I'm a stranger to that world outside of Ray Bradbury and R.A. Lafferty. Yet the writing here is so friendly, you still find yourself liking the zine. Almost makes you feel like you are a member of the club. Each issue also includes the "Zine Dump," which seems like a pretty good resource, especially for sci-fiers. This is a full-sized effort, and runs $6 an issue, though for example, number 12 had 100 pages, so you're not getting cheated. From Guy H. Lillian III, P.O. Box 53092, New Orleans, LA 70153-3092. Yeah, I know I reviewed Spunk last time, but check this out: issue #6, the Time Issue, came out recently. Violet chronicles the zines she's received and buried in a time capsule at the foot of El Capitan. When someone goes out of their way to preserve zines for posterity, you just have to support their efforts. So send a couple bucks for this one, like, today. Violet Jones, P.O. Box 55336, Hayward, CA 94545. That old expression has some truth: there's a first time for everything. Davida sent me an envelope full of zines to review - I never expected any such thing, but it worked out better than I imagined. Either she has a sixth sense about what kinds of zines to send which reviewers, or all the zines people send in for consideration are of a special quality. In either case, you're not reading this for my rambling thoughts. So I'll just step discreetly aside and begin my reviews. The first zine to fall out of the envelope was Chatty Pig. Believe me, as a zinester myself, I understand that anything is fair game for a title! This turns out to be quite a friendly deal, mostly as a perzine, but never descending into wild rants. But in one of the featured stories, Abby lets her old high school have it with both barrels (hey, Abby, I went to a high school just about as attitudinally challenged as yours!) And where personal slices of life are concerned, I've got a lot of admiration for people who can write it up like this; I for one can't. In all, a zine I wish I had known about earlier. Issue 2, fall 2000, $2 from Abby Koch, P.O. Box 06311, Chicago, IL 60606. Musea presents what's happening in the arts revolution. Right there at the top of #94 (Oct/Nov. 2000) it says, "Musea is both 'ring-a-ding-ding' and off the wall." Indeed! You probably could have been able to guess, once you find out that the editor styles himself as Art S. Revolutionary. There is a definite, underlying theme to this zine. And it's one that everyone involved in the zine community will understand: opposition to corporate invasion of the arts. In fact, at the end of the issue, there's a Hall of Lame, fingering the major offenders. Plus, get a special $10 bonus for getting the zine or editor's name mentioned on any mainstream radio or TV show, newspaper, or magazine. $6 for 6 months, which sounds like just the right amount of ring-a-ding-ding in anyone's life! 4000 Hawthorne (#5), Dallas, TX 75219. HERE is something I can understand. I mean, the zine titled Here, of course! It features stories about where people live or visit. Since I happen to have a zine called Brooklyn! devoted to my home borough, I can relate to this very well. Let's face it: who should know more about a city or town than someone who lives there? Personally, I have one major problem with this particular zine, which is that the editor never bothered to acknowledge the copy of my zine I sent him; I've got enough stories to fill his next dozen issues, but I'm allergic to zine editors who can't be bothered to respond. Aside from my personal rantings, though, this is a zine I think you'll all enjoy…and if you're even the slightest bit observant around your hometown, you ought to write something as a submission. Issue #3 goes for $3, or $10 for a four-issue subscription. Full-sized with a glossy stock cover. Neil deMause, P.O. Box 310281, Red Hook Station, Brooklyn, NY 11231. Finally out of me this issue, For the Clerisy. Some people write poetry, some write about themselves, and some rant about everything. This happens to be one of the more unusual zines out there, having as its mission the entertainment of the clerisy - in case you are too lazy to crack open your dictionary, that is: people who read books for the sheer pleasure of it. Consequently, just about any subject might be up for discussion. And not only discussion, but comment as well. Readers are heartily encouraged to do what many seem specifically programmed not to: send in their thoughts on the matters under consideration. Everything comes together so smoothly, you'll hardly realize that you've actually begun to think! I know: this is probably a dangerous notion, but what the hell. I happen to like this zine a lot, so I'm willing to lead everyone else into subversion. $2, published seasonally by Brant Kresovich, P.O. Box 404, Getzville, NY 14068-0404.
Davida Gypsy Breier (Leeking Ink & The Glovebox Chronicles)
Picks for this Issue *Daybook Rachel also publishes Who is Benn Ray?, a personal zine. It reads like an open letter to friends, catching them up on her life since moving to Baltimore. She covers everything from having an abortion to her car getting booted to working at a photo lab to her relationship with Benn Ray and her love for Charm City. *Degenerate "Of course, the same invention which allows us to read the magnificent novel of Dostoeyevsky also circulates the middle-aged colon-coughs of John Updike." "That a superstitious queen believed [Nostradamus] shouldn't surprise us; that Charlton Heston can find Saddan Hussein in the 'blue turbaned anti-Christ' should. (Then again, maybe not…)" *Farm Pulp *On Subbing *Spunk Long-time Favorites A Horse Will Eat Itself to Death and The Midnight of Everything Brooklyn!
Like every good New Yorker, Fred is well-acquainted with the subway. Well-acquainted is understating the fact; the two are old-friends, practically married. Thus Watch the Closing Doors is almost like scrapbook of their relationship. In this issue you'll find "The El to Jamaica," "Berlin Straphanging," vignettes from Fred's rides, Newark's antiquated trolley cars, and even a brief cameo by yours truly. Cuckoo Dwan Have you seen the dog lately? Low Hug Scout Skunk's Life Obsessions, Passions, and Connections Clamor Contessa's Tome Corvid Review Question Everything, Challenge Everything Shouting at the Postman Trustworthy Yard Art Personal Zines 110 Anywhere by Here The Inner Swine Mr. Peebody's Soiled Trousers & Other Delights Skatedork Supreme Nothing Comix Zines A Date with Nerdy Girl Impulse Freak Paping Review Zines Broken Pencil Indy Media Indy Unleashed Queer Zine Explosion A Reader's Guide to the Underground Press Zine Guide Zinehead
Atomic Books Echo Zine Distro Flyrabbit Frida Loves Diego Zine Mailorder Quimby's Stickfigure Distro The Wooden Shoe
And lastly the people responsible for this issue:
Donny Smith
If you are reviewed, remember that the reviewers are doing this out of a sense of community and a love for zines. None of us are getting paid. A quick thank you goes a long way to motivate us to keep trudging along. I can't guarantee I'll review everything I receive, but I'll do what I can. If you would like to send a zine (with a note!) for review direct it to: Davida Gypsy Breier, PO Box 963, Havre de Grace, MD 21078
e-mail: botda@aol.com or find my work at www.homoeroticon.com
Donny Smith's Response to the Bill Price problem
This zine by Jay Koivu (Mr. Peebody's Soiled Trousers) and his friend Jay Beauchamp is based upon a very simple and very good concept- the 2 Jays both tell stories about the small Massachusetts town they both grew up in. In one of these stories Jay K mentions that when he was a kid he'd put a bucket on his head and run around until he bumped into something. This reminded me- when I was a kid there was a kid in the neighborhood who would put a bucket on his head and tell all the other kids to hit it. So all the kids gathered around and smacked this kid upside his bucket wearing head. We used sticks and rocks and the older kids would join in and they would really lay into that bucket. After about 5 minutes of this pounding he'd take the bucket off, stagger around like he was punch drunk, fall over, and then he'd laugh an insane sounding laugh of joy. Those were the good old days. You just don't have fun like that anymore, do you? Anyhow, why anyone would order this zine based on this "review" I have no idea, but you really should because it's quite good.
Send $1 or trade to:
Jay Koivu, PO Box 931333, Los Angeles, CA 90093
There is something about the comics form that just appeals to me. Not sure what it is exactly- maybe it's the fact that the talents used to create a comic are so far removed from my own. I mean, I really can't draw, and even if I could I'm just not sure I could focus enough to actually create a comic. I mean, all that sitting and writing and drawing... I pretty much sit and make shit up as I go along. You can't really do that with a comic. But I do love and appreciate good comics and Alternator certainly falls into that category. Actually, Carrie (the creator of Alternator) probably wouldn't like me calling this comic a zine. It's a really professional looking package produced with the help of a Xeric grant, but it's self published and it sort of falls into the nether world- it's ignored by zinesters, but it's still self published and in my opinion doesn't get the attention it deserves. It's well drawn with interesting stories and... with some comics I'm drawn to the artwork, with others I'm attracted to the story, but Carrie really understands how to make the story and the art work together so that neither one outshines the other. She really understands the comics form and how to use both words and pictures to tell her stories.
Send $3 to:
Carrie Golus, PO Box 409421, Chicago, IL 60640
www.team-alternator.com
Now these comics are just kind of...what's the word I'm looking for? Wonky! Wonky is a good word to describe these comics. I have no idea what it means, but it does accurately describe these comics. Billy's original concept was that he'd do a complete comic, start to finish, in one hour. He hasn't been too successful in this endeavor, but 8-10 hours is still pretty quick. It's hard to describe the contents of the stories because they vary from issue to issue, but they're always fun and... well, just take my word for it and check it out.
There are 9 issues out and you can get them for 2 stamps each or a trade to:
Billy McKay, PO Box 542, N. Olmsted, OH 44070
E-mail- billyCSQP@aol.com
Oh, and check out his other comic Tile for $2 or trade
This zine is, in the words of the editor "a monthly magazine dedicated to evaluating current events, examining cultural phenomena, and sharing true stories" I couldn't have said it better myself. Other than the reviews which were rather pointless (not really pointless, but I can't understand why he's reviewing what he reviews. The book and music reviews were fine, but the movie reviews... of all the movies on Earth to review, why does he choose Hollow Man and Drowning Mona? He doesn't especially like either movie, nor does he especially dislike them. So what's the point of even mentioning them? I just think that if a zine is going to review mainstream Hollywood schlock there should be a specific reason for it) But the news articles- on trade with China, Napster, and my personal favorite, an article examining what's wrong with the Olympics- are all very well thought and interesting. This issue is closed out with an account of the editor's visit to some sci-fi convention which I didn't really care too much for because... there are usually so many strange folks and odd things going on at these conventions and he doesn't really touch on any of it. It wasn't a bad article, it was just sort of blah. But the news articles were all very interesting and worth reading. Issue reviewed #34 send $1 or trade to:
Calvin Powers, 2012 Talloway Dr., Cary, NC 27511-5051
E-mail- powers@attglobal.net; www.stuckintraffic.com
h
One thing about this zine drove me bug fuckin' nuts- almost every article is "continued on page..." Why? Why does he do this? There is absolutely no reason for this. I hate having to skim through the whole damn thing just to finish reading an article. Here's what to do- print one article start to finish, then print another article start to finish. Do this until all articles have been printed. It's quite easy to do and saves your dear reader a lot of trouble. But this, my friends, is what we critic types call "nit picking" because I really enjoyed this zine a lot. I like any zine that can feature a very intelligent, well thought out article on "Self Publishing Stigma" and follow that up 2 pages later with a very funny article on "The Chicks at Work I'd like to Fuck." I like any zine that can so effectively combine the ridiculous and the sublime. Special mention also goes to the article on the unique appeal of Combat Zone Wrestling just because I appreciate any well written and thoughtful article on pro wrestling. Intelligent, well written, funny. What else do you need?
Issue reviewed #5 send $2 to:
Will M., 321 N Pottstown Pike, Exton PA 19341
E-mail: willzine@aol.com; www1.50megs.com/willzine
This zine is Kelley's return to zining after a 4 year absence, so I guess the first thing I should say is "welcome back!" Most people leave zines and never come back, so we should all be happy when somebody returns to the fold. This is a good zine. The problem is it never quite gets any better than "good." The topics of the articles are sort of pedestrian (a basic "who I am" intro type thing, an article on how she met her boyfriend, a money rant, and a couple of other pieces) None of this is bad, but it's not exactly revolutionary either. There's nothing in this zine to really make it a "must read." But a lot of that is the nature of the beast- in the first issue of any personal zine you have to do a basic intro and tell people who you are and why you're doing a zine and all that other stuff, so maybe I'm being a bit hard on her. But this zine does have potential and I'm curious to see what she does with it. Not perfect, but worth checking out. Oh yeah, reduce the size of the type. You're better off having 12 dense, tightly packed pages than you are having 24 pages with type bigger than it needs to be.
Issue reviewed #1 send $1+ 2 stamps or trade to:
Kelley J. White, PO Box 770312, Memphis, TN 38177-0312
E-mail: kjwhite10@hotmail.com
I really like this zine a lot, but I really can't explain why I found it so appealing. Maybe it's Suzy's whole "this is my zine, this is what I think and fuck you if you don't like it" attitude, I don't know. This issue starts with a series of short columns (more like rants really, but I sorta hate the word "rants" so I'll call 'em columns) with Suzy's and some other folks' opinions on various topics. There's also an article on Presidential Philandering which I liked and a section on pro wrestling (always a big plus in my book. Although the section on wrestling wasn't as good as it could've been, but I think I'm too picky) The movie reviews are funny and there are a lot of good short and to the point zine reviews... this zine is really better than I make it sound, but for some reason I'm having a hard time putting what I like about this zine into words. Maybe it's this cold I'm struggling with- I'm just full of snot and I'm coughing up phlegm and...well, I guess you're reading this for zine reviews and not an update on my medical maladies. But even if you don't think this zine sounds interesting, you should check out the Pottsie Nation distro catalog which features zines and a shitload of cool stickers. A lot of cool stuff in there. Oh yeah, there's also a wrestling related contest in this issue and I just want you all to know that had I entered I would have won this contest no problem.
Issue reviewed #14
Send $2 to:
Suzy Davidson, 15501 SW 42 Ave., Ellendale, MN 56026
E-mail: Pottsienation@rocketmail.com; members.tripod.com/Potsie/begin
What we have here is a good straightforward personal zine. Simple layout- typewritten pages with little drawings at the bottom of of some pages(and no typos either, which is pretty hard to do when you're using a type writer. But unlike me Sean probably knows how to type. Me, I'm a 2 fingered typist, which is quite an improvement, because I used to only use one finger) And I really like the writing in here- articles on school bus and work Hell which I could relate to so well it's almost scary. Also included is an article about the cats in Sean's neighborhood and 4 pages of photos of these cats. Serious zine critic Eric wants to say "Photos of cats? What a ridiculous waste of space." But regular old stupid me says "I like looking at the cute kitty cats." But serious zine critic Eric is something of an obnoxious prick, so you'd best ignore what he has to say. This is a good, solid, very enjoyable zine and is highly recommended (and this is not serious zine critic talking, so you can believe it).
Issue reviewed #3 Dude, you forgot to list a price. My guess would be it costs a buck or 2 or a trade to:
Sean Stewart 2216 Terrace Way, Columbia, SC 29205
Well, on the very first page Liz breaks my very first rule of zining. She apologizes for the "disorganized rambling" and calls it an "english teacher's nightmare." Well, one of the very first things I learned about zining is that you should never, ever apologize for anything in your zine. I know it's a defense mechanism- if you tell people your zine's flaws it keeps them from pointing them out. But it doesn't work because all you're doing is drawing people's attention to flaws they may not have noticed otherwise or it encourages people to look for new flaws you may not have noticed. Always be honest with yourself about any weakness you feel your writing has, but there's no need to make them public. When you're doing a zine you at least need to keep up a facade of self confidence regarding your writing. Anyhow, I really like the honesty of this zine. Is it disorganized rambling? Yeah, in a way it is. Is there anything wrong with disorganized rambling? Not in my opinion, not if it's good disorganized rambling. This zine is basically Liz's attempt to make sense of her life and the things going on around her. This zine touches upon Liz's bisexuality, her eating disorder, cheating on a boyfriend, and various other topics. It's very honest and I recommend it.
Issue reviewed #5
Geez, she doesn't include a price either. When in doubt, always assume the price is one or 2 bucks or a trade.
Liz, 4839 East Crocus Dr., Scottsdale, AZ 85254
I'll tell you right now, this isn't a zine for stupid people. Actually, this looks more like a "real" magazine than a zine. It's got a glossy cover and is full sized and is really a nice looking package. Evan describes this issue as being "decidedly random" and I must agree. This issue features articles on drug testing in the workplace, the new hippy culture, the situationist tendency (don't worry, I had no idea what it meant either), a long article on Napster, some good fiction and a couple of other pieces. In some ways this reminds me of Clamor in that it seems to want to be more of a magazine than a zine (and there's nothing wrong with that at all) and is a lot more ambitious than your typical zine (and I should point out that it has no ads at all, which is pretty impressive considering the semi-professional look of it) A very good read and I'm eager to see future issues. Check it out.
Send $3 to Evan Endicott, 1703 Ridge Ave #206, Evanston, IL 60201
E-mail: e-endicott@northwestern.edu
Oh, and he also says he can process orders through e-mail. How he plans on doing that I have no idea, but that's what he says.
Alicia Gallegos
CC 84 Suc 3 "B"
(1403) Buenos Aires ARGENTINA
ageditar@infovia.com.ar
Multilingual literary magazine. The last issue had attractive glossy cardstock covers, sewn signatures (not perfect-bound), and poems, stories, and essays from Spain, Brazil, France, and Argentina, in Spanish, French, Portuguese, English, and Italian.
Factura no pagada #5 (no date)
$1 cash or trade
Lissette Orellana
HC-02 Box 4788
Guayama PR 00784 USA
facturanopagada@hotmail.com
The title means "unpaid bill." Her ad says, "I don't draw so well, but it's worth a look" and that's all true.
On the cover: Two punks say (in Spanish), ". . . what you'll see inside, is the filthy reality that surrounds us . . . and what we'll do to stop it . . ."
Inside: Crudely drawn cartoons. A young woman doesn't want to shave her legs. Two punks order hot dogs "without the dog." Police harass a student. A father won't let his daughter go out. A blade of grass is run over by a mower. And so on.
Overall: Cute.
L. and G. (forthcoming; write for price)
Alicia Gallegos
CC 84 Suc 3 "B"
(1403) Buenos Aires ARGENTINA
ageditar@infovia.com.ar
One of Argentina's lesbian and gay poetry magazines. The last issue I saw had Spanish translations of several US lesbian poets, plus poems by two Argentine women.
Lesbian Connection Volume 23, Issue 3, Winter Catalog (November / December 2000)
"Free to Lesbians worldwide, but the suggested donation is $4.50/issue, (more if you can, less if you can't)"
Elsie Publishing Institute
PO Box 811
East Lansing MI 48826 USA
On the cover: A quilt by a lesbian, showing "the creation of her 30-year relationship with her partner".
Inside: A very lively letters section, including 3 pages in this issue responding to "PERVERTED IN PORTLAND," two women who include their dog in their sexual activities. Ads, announcements, obituaries, "Dykes to Watch Out For." Listings of lesbian-owned campgrounds, inns, bed & breakfasts, cabins, retreats, bookstores, festivals, etc.
Best ad: For the "Shenis," a penis-shaped rubber funnel for a woman to use when urinating. "No mo squat to pee!!!"
But note: In the letters section a reader points out that you don't have to settle for the Shenis: "If a woman wants to not squat and pee try using the Freshette by Sani-fem. You can stand and pee and it doesn't make you look like you have a dick."
Overall: Everything for lesbians.
Polari (no date)
$4 cash or trade
Max Illa
PO Box 20413
Seattle, WA 98102 USA
polariboy@hotmail.com
Queerzine from the boyfriend of Teenfag's Gordon Gordon.
On the cover: The devil, with red foil stars for eyes.
Inside: Lots of pictures of devils and sexy guys. Anti-gay (I guess) cartoons. "Sick faggot jokes." Dreams about the devil. News clippings, reviews. Almost half the zine is devoted to "In the Garden," a searching account of how his uncle molested him at age four.
Quote: "I start crying, carrying on about how I've really fucked up now that I'm finally in Hell, but the tears feel forced. I'm not really that sad, just bored."
Overall: Good first zine!
Two Eyes Issue 1 (Fall 2000)
$3 cash or stamps
Stephanie McMillan & Shapon Majhi
PO Box 2083
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33303 USA
minsec@earthlink.net
home.earthlink.net/~twoeyesmagazine
Bilingual literary zine, in English and Bengali.
On the cover: Photo of a girl in Bangladesh.
Inside: Poems and essays in Bengali; I can't comment on their quality. In English: A bio of Bengali revolutionary poet Sukanto Bhottacharjo with a translation of one of his poems. A bio of Chinese revolutionary story writer Lu Xun with translations of a prose poem and an essay. Poems by Gita entitled "A Walking Dead" and "The Room without a View: First Night in a Homeless Shelter." An essay by Meg Regan on her mother's death and the complicated interactions of her family. Various news clippings. And the highlight of the issue: McMillan's interview with Egyptian writer Nawal el Saadawi. El Saadawi has a lot to say about creativity and how it leads to dissidence, about reaching "the masses," about exile, about teaching, about "god."
Best line: "You can not be creative in a system that is very unjust, like the system we live in, unless you are a dissident."
Overall: Very impressive.
Zen Baby #7 (no date)
$1? cash or trade
Christopher Robin
PO Box 1611
Santa Cruz, CA 95061 USA
"a 'gender oddity' zine"
On the cover: Collage of words and pictures, "That would set fire to America but none of these make ignu".
Inside: Interesting news from "tranny-fag" Morgan Connery. Random thoughts from Christopher Robin. More punky collages. Some not-so-good poetry from various contributors. One really good poem by Christopher Robin; in fact at first I thought he was just reprinting some Patti Smith lyrics.
Best lines: ", ALIVE STILL WITH WONDER/DRAGGING EXTREME APPLIANCES HOME HERE FROM DUMPSTERS OR STREET CORNERS WHERE I HAVE BARELY THE ARGUING ROOM OF A SHOEBOX AND I ARGUE WITH THEM: the folding machine will not fold the fax machine will not fax… i continue to churn out THIS?… … i continue to CHALLENGE THE SO CALLED SIMPLICITY OF THIS LIFE."
Jerianne
P.O. Box 13838
Berkeley, CA 94712
Jerianne@hotmail.com
Yours for fifty cents
14pp mini
Suzanne Baumann
Fridge Magnet Concoctions
P.O. Box 12096
Hamtrack, MI 48212
36pp, Standard, $4, cash or trades only
Max (couldn't quite get that last name Max!)
P.O. Box 20413
Seattle, WA 98102
Available Volumes: # 7, 8, 9 (1997-1999)
Squarebound
App. 44 pp, and FREE FREE FREE!!
Matt Holdaway
1945 "B " Berryman Street
Berkeley, CA 94709
21 pp $2.00 digest
18 years or older
W.E. Elliot/Almost Normal
2688 Southridge St.
Sierra Vista, AZ 85650
E-mail: flesh_on_bone_@yahoo.com
Androo Robinson (Ped Xing)
The first issue of this compilation of various people's days blew me away. So much so that I sent Rachel a submission for #2, which she kindly accepted. In issue #1, ten people offer up the minute details of one day in their life. They range from ordinary days to very special ones. The glimpses the authors show us are fascinating. While there is something voyeuristic about peeking into the writer's lives, we only see what they want to show us. Rachel's contributors include Joel McLemore, Benn Ray, Ayun Halliday, and many more. Also, the design, printing, and binding are top notch.
Issues #1 and #2 are available for $4
Rachel Whang
3831 Roland Ave., Baltimore, MD 21211
mailto:rooster69@mindspring.com; www.daybookzine.com
Sure, the premise of over 100 pages of text devoted to Catherine de Medici is going to seem like a hard-sell here, but trust me on this one. Cali has the unique ability to take what we all recall as the dry, boring history taught to us by dry, boring teachers and make it interesting. Cali outdid himself this time and Degenerate #4 is actually a 2 volume set! I found myself looking forward to my reading time on the bus so I could find out what happened next to the Queen and her brood. Sample passages,
Send him $3 a volume on this one (unless he says otherwise), as they are hefty and printed on very nice parchment paper.
Cali Ruchala
Diacritica Press
100 E. Walton, No. 31H, Chicago, IL 60611
macvaya@hotmail.com; www.mindspring.com/~macvaya
Trying to describe Farm Pulp is, at times, like trying to describe a vacation to someone who wasn't there. There is just too much sensory detail to adequately give justice to the experience. Issue #39's theme (if I may apply that term loosely) is Jesus, Christianity, and the Bible…but reinterpreted through a writer's whimsy. If you are curious about Jesus and Sacajawea, "The Miracle of the Moist Towelette," Jesus as a municipal worker, and Jesus and the disciples roadtrippin' in a van, get this! Oh, yeah, I almost forgot, the layout and design is as impressive as ever. Farm Pulp belongs in the rare and hallowed halls of zine literature.
$3
Gregory Hischak
PO Box 2151, Seattle, WA 98111
Greg.hischak@thinkinc.com
Dave is a substitute teacher and has a few things to say on the subject. I've also done time as a sub, so this issue had me repeatedly nodding my head in a agreement, sympathetic and otherwise. It is a personal zine, with a focus. I read it on the bus one morning and liked it so much, that I e-mailed Dave to tell him right away. It allowed me to almost fondly revisit my subbing days, but at the same time it reinforced how glad I am I don't have to do it anymore.
?$1
Dave Roche
5415 N. Albina #314, Portland, OR 97217
poodrow@hotmail.com
This issue of Spunk (#6) reminded of the limitless possibilities of zines and why I love them. Putting the content aside for a moment, where else are you going to find a limited edition, hand-silkscreened, multi-colored, hand-bound anything where the asking price is "free"????? I was amazed and dumbfounded when I pulled this issue from the envelope. It is silkscreened on brown paper in several colors. It is neatly handwritten with many beautiful illustrations. Violet has obviously put a massive amount of work into the production alone. Now, about the content - Violet is trying to do something with this issue that is desperately needed, yet seldom done; she is trying to preserve zine culture. She reviews the zines she buried in a time capsule at the foot of El Capitan in May, 2000. These are lengthy, well-composed reviews. She includes additional reviews and reader letters.
She says free, but don't be cheap. Send her several bucks, it's worth it.
Violet Jones
PO Box 55336, Hayward, CA 94545
Okay, William P. Tandy, author of these publications is far more than just a long-time favorite, but due to what amounts to compounded conflicts of interest, I thought it prudent to include his zines here. A Horse Will Eat Itself to Death is his account of attending a "Best of…" party held by Baltimore's City Paper. He queasily recalls the evening before, including the bacchanalian dance of a Buddy Hackett-Joe Pesci look-alike and the vampyros lesbos. The Midnight of Everything displays his love of cutting up magazines and reinterpreting their meaning. If you like poking fun at Junior Bush, ad copy, the right-wing, media and more, this is for you.
Midnight is $2 and A Horse... is $1.
Eight-Stone Press
William P. Tandy
PO Box 963, Havre de Grace, MD 21078
esp@leekinginc.com
Many people take for granted where they live, but not Fred Argoff. He lives in Brooklyn and wants you and the rest of the world to know it! In this issue (#31), Fred introduces us to his ancestral home on Herzl Street, slices of local color, places and place-names, the demolition of the Thunderbolt roller coaster on Coney Island, how to "properly" say the word blue (bloo), and more from Gowanus Canal.
Each zine is $10 for 4 issues
Fred Argoff
1800 Ocean Pkwy., #B-12, Brooklyn, NY 11223
I've reviewed Cuckoo several times before. This issue (#11) is as powerful as ever. This issue is somewhat of a denouement for the previous several issues, as Madison explains her diagnosis of multiple personality disorder and the mental slam that the sexual attacks that cause it were preventable.
$3
Madison Clell
2000 NE 42nd Ave., #302, Portland, OR 97213
madclell@teleport.com; www.cuckoocomic.com
Poetry for the internationally erudite…and others. Many of the poems in this issue (#29) are both tinted and broadly painted with eroticism. Donny also includes letters from and to him. His journals, both dream and real, offer peeks at the writer behind the page.
$2 (free to prisoners)
Donny Smith
PO Box 411, Swarthmore, PA 19081
Dsmith3@swarthmore.edu; www.geocities.com/westhollywood/village/6982
The sisters Makofsky make me want to head over to Oakland for an afternoon of discussion and play. As that is a geographical challenge, I'll happily settle for a new issue of The Dog. This issue (Polvo de la) shows Jenny, Serena, and their mother having adventures in France, involving their actions as water-pigs, wallet espionage, mindmaps, and a fantasy shopping spree with SkyMall (you know, the catalog they stick in the airline seats hoping you'll be bored enough to buy something ridiculous). Always a delight!!!
$1
Jenny & Serena Makofsky and Megan
465 38th St., Oakland, CA 94609
This is a double issue of #'s 5 and 6. Part personal zine and part social commentary, this issue of Low Hug delves into the radio. Anita explains her long-standing love of radio and how even on vacation the first thing she does is hunt for the local NPR and college radio stations. She tells of her stations of youth and many other eras in her life. She also recounts her time as a dj in college. Her contributors also offer personal tales of what radio means to them. There are several pages of film, television, performance, music, and print reviews.
$2
A.j. Michel
Station A, PO Box 2574, Champaign, IL 61825
lowhug@yahoo.com
This is my favorite issue (#4) of Scout by far. Although I've been writing to her for a couple of years, the issue made me feel like I actually know her. She talks about her childhood friend Benji, and her re-discovery of Madonna and early love of Cyndi Lauper. She offers "Scout Fun Facts" (a la Eric Lyden) and talks at length about books she loves. It is the things we think, read, listen to, love, and hate on a daily basis that show so much about who we are and in this case, Scout shares these things with you. Her contributors usually offer up interesting tales as well.
$1
Scout
PO Box 48522, Sarasota, FL 34230
Scout@liquidbutter.com; scout.liquidbutter.com
There is something about the care DB shows his writers and their stories that appeals to me. It always has. This issues offer's comedian Carla Filisha's account of her mother's death and funeral. Of her uncle she writes, "On his way up to give his eulogy my Uncle patted me on the ass, I guess it was his way of comforting me." Alden Scott Crow contributes "Country Girl" and Dolores Hulse "The Usual Sunday Dinner," a dysfunctional-family affair (in more ways than one). Kiel Stuart offers a tribute to the kitschy monster movies of the 50's. And finally, DB offers a fascinating look at book-of-the-month selections from 1942. Sort of a "Where are they now…?" for forgotten books.
$2
DB Pedlar
25727 Cherry Hill Rd., Cambridge Springs, PA 16403
dbpedlar@toolcity.net
I've reviewed Clamor several times before, so I'll just say that this is well-worth your time and support. While not every article is of interest to me, it is so text-dense that I always go away sated by every issue.
$4 ($20/6 issue subscription)
Jen Angel and Jason Kucsma
PO Box 1225, Bowling Green, OH 43402
clamormagazine@hotmail.com; www.clamormagazine.org
DB has teamed up with another history buff, Cali Ruchala, for this latest installment of DB's educational history zine. To deal with a ban on their reading club's jackets, the Rogue Readers delve into Byzantine espionage and Andronicus and Manuel Comnenus.
$2
DB Pedlar
25727 Cherry Hill Rd., Cambridge Springs, PA 16403
dbpedlar@toolcity.net
This zine offers a mix of personal commentary, fiction, and a little of this and a little of that. The latest issue looks at the Merritt Mountain Music Fest, with editor Dave working behind the scenes the last 8 years.
4 issue sub $9US or $12Canada
Dave
2659 Jackson Ave., Merritt, BC V1K 1B1
I've read a bunch of political zines that never seem to grasp the idea of applying academic theory to how people actually live. QECE on the other hand gets it. Larry offered a first person account of the recent political conventions that didn't read like every other article I had read. And it was interesting! This is a particularly nice mix of personal and political.
$2.50
Larry Nocella
406 Main St. #3C, Collegeville, PA 19426
qece@aol.com
You never know what Ken will deem worthy of inclusion in this eclectic zine. Issue #41 was all reviews, #40 offered a short story, and #43 took readers to Budapest and Prague. It's never the same and always worthwhile.
Stamps, 1 IRCs, or something cool in trade
Ken Miller
PO Box 101, Newtown, PA 18940
Kenbmiller@aol.com; members.aol.com/satpostman
"On home and homesickness" is the theme of this issue (#17). Rachael's character Janet Groundhog gets published, while Rachael revisits her old residences and describes her new one. Lots of bits and bobs that make a fulfilling visual read.
$1 or fair trade
Rachael Buffington
PO Box 6033, Atlanta, GA 31107
This "Journal of Exterior Adornment" reveals the history behind the icon of kitche, the pink flamingo. This is an excellent follow up to the first issue and makes me hope for a third.
$2
Betty Maple
12827 Salt Creek Rd., Millfield, OH 45761
am@frognet.net
Drift into "a self-indulgent diary of a love-lost, star-struck romantic" with this new zine by Saucemaster. The writing offers such a clear view into someone else's life that I can remember exactly where I was and why when I read this. Recommended.
$2
Saucemaster
PO Box 2475, Culver City, CA 90231
Angry@angryredplanet.org;www.angryredplanet.org
This is the debut issue from a teenaged sex worker. I was too concerned about the editor's life to adequately review this one. There wasn't an age statement on this one, but I'm not sure I'm old enough to read it.
?$1
Caitlin
PMB 143, 603 W. 13th St #1A, Austin, TX 78701
Abh_zine@hotmail.com
More by Jeff about Jeff, as well as some damned good fiction. Ask your inner swine for $2 and send it to Jeff for a copy of this high quality zine.
$2
Jeff Somers
PO Box 3024, Hoboken, NJ 07030
mreditor@innerswine.com ; www.innerswine.com
It seems that everytime I open my PO Box Jay and Cherry are sending a new issue. Jay's zine has taken a decidedly personal turn and even lives up to the title in the latest issue. He's recently moved back to California, so if you want to find out why, send him a few bucks; he's got a bunch of recent issues.
$2
Jay Koivu
Box 931333, Los Angeles, CA 90093
I was impressed with the pure passion of the writers and high quality layout. Whether you skate or not, this is a well-done zine.
Free in skateshops/$2
Steven Voss
221 Spring Ridge Dr., Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922
steve@skatedork.org
Issue #3 is a wee thing (2.5x4.5), yet it is so text-dense it took me several bus rides to finish. Denny is making her journal and letters, both past and present. She shifts back and forth between high school and present day, yet the characters remain the same. She has been cranking this documentation of her life out so quickly I still have an issue or two sitting here waiting to be read.
Denny Lewalk
PO Box 211, Burton, OH 44021
Denell@nls.net
Matt's comics are fun, silly, biting, and highly recommended.
?$1
Matt Feazell
Not Available Comics, 2627 Pulaski, Hamtramck, MI 48212
Members.aol.com/cynicalman
This is too cool. Imagine 58 artists getting together to tell a story. A seed strip is started and the STIP (simple to illustrate protagonist) is off on his adventure. Each artist builds on what the one previous did. Recommended.
$3
Ed Stastny
PO Box 15143, Portland, OR 97293
Ed@sito.org; www.sito.org
This comic/personal zine explores John's life as a teacher in NYC and his family history. Simple, but quite enjoyable.
Free (but don't be cheap)
John Mejias
60 St. Marks Pl., Apt.4, New York, NY 10003
I had heard of this Canadian based (and legitimately Canadian biased) review zine, but didn't read a copy until I met editor Emily Pohl-Weary at the UPC. I was very impressed with the articles, as well as reviews. Well worth your time.
$4.95
Current issue #12 (Spring 2000)
PO Box 203, Stn P, Toronto, ON M5S 2S7, Canada
Editor@brokenpencil.com; www.brokenpencil.com
This new publication covers all sorts of stuff, with both reviews and interviews. Well-produced, issue #1 offers zine reviews, film reviews (microcinema and independent), multimedia (ie, an episodic series that is Internet based), and comics. Personally, I enjoyed the diversity and scope of the topics covered.
Christopher Sharpe
PO Box 21141, Oklahoma City, OK 73156
indymedia@onebox.com; ww.indy-media.com
Well-written, lengthy reviews by someone who loves zines. How can you go wrong?
$1.65
Current issue #10 (01/01/01)
Owen Thomas
PO Box 9651, Columbus, OH 43209
Vlorbik@delphia.com; member.aol.com/vlorbik
This is a long list of small press resources, zines, books, music, videos, and more for and/or by the Queer community.
2 33¢ stamps/IRCs/$1 overseas
Current issue #17 (August 1999)
Larry-bob
PO Box 590488,San Francisco, CA 94159
larrybob@io.com; www.holytitclamps.com
Jerianne has taken over as editor of ARGttUP. I like what she is doing. The news section was as interesting as the reviews and helps remind us why independent media is so crucial.
$4 (cash, stamps, or checks with "pay to" left blank only)
Current issue #14 (Winter 2000)
Jerianne
PMB 2386, 537 Jones St., San Francisco, CA 94102
www.undergroundpress.org
Like a thick zine phonebook. Thousands of zines listed. The surveys, which rank a zine's popularity within several demographics, seem to attract attention, both positive and negative. No long articles this time, just lots and lots and lots of zines.
$6
Current issue #4 (Fall/Winter 2000)
PO Box 5467, Evanston, IL 60204
zineguide@interaccess.com
Zinehead reviews review zines, letting you know where to send your zines or where to find some new reviews. He also has a list of international comic anthologies and distributors.
?$1-2
Karl Thomsen
PO Box 2061, Winnipeg, MB, R3C 3R4 Canada
mosfog@escape.ca; www.escape.ca/~mosfog
(see above for details!)
3565 N. Morris Blvd., Shorewood, WI 53211
Echozinedistro@chickmail.com; www.geocities.com/echozinedistro
155 Harvard Ave., Allston, MA 02134; (617) 782-1313
Celia Perez, 214 S. Cedar St., #3, Tampa, FL 33606
Perezeeb@yahoo.com; www.geocities.com/oddviolet28/main.html
1854 W. North Ave., Chicago, IL 60622; (773) 342-0910
info@quimbys.com; www.quimbys.com
PO Box 55462, Atlanta, GA 30308
stickfigure@phyte.com ;
508 S. Fifth Street, Philadelphia, PA; (215) 413-0999
woodenshoe@rocketmail.com; www.thud.org/wooden.htm
Predators and Prey in the Zine Community, pages 6-8; Reviews pages 15-17
Dwan
$2/free to prisoners
PO Box 411, Swarthmore, PA 19081
dsmith3@swarthmore.edu; www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Village/6982
Eric Lyden
Reviews pages 9-14
Fish with Legs
$1+stamp/trade
224 Moraine St., Brockton, MA 02301
Ericfishlegs@aol.com
Bobby Tran Dale
Reviews pages 18-21
Homoeroticon
$4 (and an age statement)
2539 Potomac St., Oakland, CA 94602
botda@aol.com; www.homoeroticon.com
Fred Argoff
Reviews pages 22-24
Brooklyn! & Watch the Closing Doors
Quarterly issues are $2
1800 Ocean Pkwy. #B-12, Brooklyn, NY 11223
Androo Robinson
Reviews pages 25
Ped Xing Comics
$1/trade
Send a stamp for a catalog
2000 NE 42nd Ave. #302, Portland, OR 97213
androo@leekinginc.com
www.leekinginc.com/pedxing
Davida Gypsy Breier
Reviews pages 24-33
Leeking Ink and The Glovebox Chronicles
$2
PO Box 963, Havre de Grace, MD 21078
davida@leekinginc.com
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