We picked these up in Canada and they are amazingly well-rounded. Focusing mostly on Canada, they're regularly published journals of radical thought that are engaging and intelligent. They're collectively produced and the writing is varied and excellent. And despite it's being published from Canada, the themes covered, such as anarchism and social reform, are really relevant to all of us.

In this issue:

A life of anarchy, what's beyond the state?, trans-politics and anti-capitalism, the world social forum, solidarity with the six nations, prison abolition, and the Vancouver housing crisis. Plus as always, there's a letters section and book reviews.

A Canadian political journal that's always thought provoking. It always teaches me something new every time I pick it up! In this issue: Clayton Thomas Muller on environmental justice, Kara Gillies on sex worker organizing, Chris Harris on gangs and the new black working class, Nava Etshalom and Matthew N. Lyons on labor Zionism, Tom Keefer on direct action at Six Nations, Kole Kilibarda on the campaign against Israeli apartheid, a roundtable on labor for Palestine, a roundtable with migrant labor organizers, and book reviews!

Shawn Granton, co author of the Zinester's Guide to Portland, compiled this zine of historical biking and walking tours through Portland, Oregon. Shawn is a meticulous researcher of both obscure histories and bike routes so this seems a natural fit. These guides are used for actual tours that Shawn conducts with groups of fellow adventurers. This zine collects these previous mini-guides: Alameda Ridge, Eastside Theater, South Portland, and Council Crest. This zine even comes with a fold out map of the routes just in case you get lost while following the step-by-step directions. Did we mention that Shawn is meticulous?

The Hermitt is the beat poet of the zeros - and he's back! These are the stories dripping with sarcasm that make up a life dripping with idealism. This issue finds Hermitt back living in Seattle among a healthy homosexual community with its own share of drama, fag bars, hitched car rides, love affairs, queer conferences, working in a group home with unruly teenagers, and the ongoing quest in society to be accepted as a man. It's a unique hip hop infused version of the English language. What may appear to be a typo at first may actually be slang. It's easy to get sucked straight up into the Hermitt's world after a few pages and really, I don't blame you for wanting to stay there. It has a pretty swell outlook on life.

Urban Hermitt #22 is great. It's all about Hermitt's search to find a church where the pastor does not spout homophobic rhetoric. He ends up at a "hipster church" where Aphex Twin thuds on the speakers and soymilk is available with the free coffee. The anecdotes Hermitt relates are of feeling frustrated when the pastor denounces paganism and Buddhism, or talks about how having a traditional family is the zenith of weirdness. At these moments Hermitt senses that the church-goers can tell that he's, as he puts it, "a freaky queer". Issue #22 is about finding a place to worship when you feel the most spiritual while running a marathon, or meditating on a rooftop. Oh and Hermitt also wants you to know that zines are not dead!

Hermitt goes to clubs, in search of his soulmate. Or at least someone who's his type. Instead he meets an ugly version of Brad Pitt and a man who drunkenly insists Hermitt is 12 years old. Geez, these horror stories might make you swear off bars forever. Hermitt announces that at the age of 30, he's graduated from a Confused Wandering Person, to a Curious Human Wanting More. In this issue, he also goes to Vancouver for a writing vacation and explores to world of raw food and vegan cults.

A detailed account of Sascha Scatter growing up, realizing and understanding his mental illness and how to deal with it. He started out at home in a liberal household, went to college, got involved in serious quantities of activism, and then started to lose hold of his facilities culminating in a one night breakdown of roaming the streets and eventually learning how to harness himself and embracing his creative side.

Subtitled "A letter to social justice activists", this pamphlet covers ten major points designed to call attention to post-hurricane struggle in New Orleans. It is crucial for activists to understand that Katrina was not merely a natural disaster. The devastation was a direct result of the government prioritizing war spending over investing in structurally sound levees and other preventative measures, as this succinct and scholarly zine proves. Best of all, the author includes many resources and suggestions for building solidarity with the survivors.

The newest issue of DJ's ongoing project about pirate radio, shortwave, free radio, indie media, and getting back our radio voices from the corporate norms! This issue features interviews with pirate radio operators John Poet and Dr. Benway, a review of "Making Waves" a documentary about 4 (quite varied) unlicensed radio broadcasters in Tucson, and closes out with a letter from James Dawson about the state of underground radio and zines. Bread and butter for the novice or enthusiast!

A whiz bang collection of essays, poems, short stories and personal histories from the newest, sharpest feminist voices. These writings cover a phenomenal range, from war to polyamory, class issues to race issues, pro-sex to anti-establishment. They are linked by an overreaching theme of dissolving lines and uniting for a greater good and a stronger fight. As editor Melody Berger writes, "We don't need another wave. We need a movement." A definite must-read, especially for young women looking to get psyched on their rights.

An amazing guide to consciously cheap eating and feeding.

over 75 low-cost quick all-vegan recipes! vegan and freegan tips and advice. food and radical activism. info on gardening, finding free food & giving food away.

"Alienation, Incarceration, and Inebriation in the new American Rome." The collected 1997-2007 comics of Ken Dahl in this graphic novel anthology! Includes such stories as airport security, the demeaning experience of being arrested, having to sell off his earthly possessions at a yard sale to pay the slumlord, the creative process of trying to write comics about "important" subjects, and much more. Additionally, we are treated to helpful guides to putting bananas in your cereal, peeing in the shower, and swinging at night. 2006 Ignatz Winner! 2007 Center for Cartoon Studies Resident!

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A very cute comic about a well-meaning bear with self-esteem issues--mostly stemming from his being a bear. It's sweetly charming and follows his attempts to fall in love or at least go on dates, or at the very least, make friends. He goes jogging, but can't tell if people are running from him or not. He doesn't donate to the Red Cross because they test on animals. Each page is a character sketch that makes you feel more sympathetic for this lonely and well-dressed bear. This is one of those funny/sad ones.

This clever, well-researched comic is a great overview of the struggles of Florida tomato pickers. It helps illuminate the the links between the workers' substandard wages and living accommodations, and the corporate fast food chains that stand to benefit. It follows a typical day in the life of a migrant worker, from waiting for hours for a job assignment that may not come, to picking 2 tons of tomatoes to make a whopping $50. What a Whopper also explains some of the campaigns of the Coalition for Immokalee Workers, a group of laborers and their supporters who lobby for farm workers' rights!

One of two cute mini-zines by Christoph of Twenty-eight Pages Lovingly Bound With Twine. "What God..." is a fun story, proving what most of us have believed for quite a while: God is a jerk!

This contains extensive interviews with female activists in Palestine, Indonesia, and The Phillipines. Very good for perspective and remembering that activism is not limited to academics and punk kids.

Technically a how-to book, "Whatcha Mean..." generally eschews simple step-by-step instruction in favor of interviews, lists of helpful suggestions, awesome-rad educational comics, and other outrageously neat means of conveying everything you wanted to know about zine-making, but were afraid to ask. The authors, quite refreshingly, reference the long history of self-publishing and subversion: zines are, in essence, nothing new. Contains tips from the likes of zinesters John Porcellino, Dan Settwoch, Martin Cendeda, and a ton more!

A zine written by those living with chronic pain. It can be scary and isolating to have chronic pain. It occurs unpredictably, and often it's impossible to trace the cause of it. This zine compiles many people's stories, and addresses issues like bravery and weakness, support or lack of in radical communities, the financial impact of being sick for long periods of time, and how your perception of your pain changes over time. This zine is an important read for anyone wishing to be a good ally, and definitely helps my perspective as a person with chronic pain.

Granton does it again with well-drawn daily diary comics about Portland and trotting/biking around North America. Shawn reflects on the medium, his volume of productivity or lack thereof, an Amtrak trip to parts east, going to comic and zine events, researching and writing an article about Critical Mass and Bike Summer in his hometown of New Haven, CT, a series of self addressed postcards, and much more. Nice to see some regular output from this zine artist.

A very literal guide, "A DIY Guide to Cultural Manipulation" is a great resource for learning to use the microbes around you. Wanna learn how to make your own sourdough? Miso? Injera (Ethiopian sourdough) bread?!!! It's in this handy dandy and super resourceful guide for fermenting in the comfort of your own home.

Yummy home made sour cream! Buttermilk! Cheese and tempeh!!! Double and triple wow your friends and family with the helpful directions on how to ferment your own kimchi and other tasty, briny treats.

Jack T. Chick is a very strange and well-meaning but offensive man who has been distributing "religious" tracts in the form of small comic books for the past 50 years. You've probably seen them in the park or on the bus. They are about how everyone is damned to go to Hell unless they have the exact same beliefs and lifestyle he has. Ironically, the majority of Chick's biggest fans are those he numbers among "the damned", namely people who are only interested in his works solely as humorous kitsch or sources of insight into a strange paranoid mind. Strangely again, his comics are among the most violent and sexually exploitative available, not to mention some of the best drawn and written.

Like a super issue of John Marr's "Murder Can Be Fun" - this book creates the ultimate researched reference to Chick's works. Included are guides to identifying and purchasing different printings of Chick tracts and comics, synopses of every tract Chick ever published, even outlines of the slight variations between different versions of each tract (e.g. changes in dialouge made to reflect changes in culture or Chick's increasingly open hostility to Catholics). Also included is a paranoid History of the World According to Jack Chick pieced together from all of his tracts (including how the Catholic church supposedly created Islam as a means of destroying the Jews), interesting quotations, a list and synopses of parodies as well as articles and books written about Chick, a biography of the secretive Chick pieced together from various sources, a history of his publishing company, etc.

Also included is an envelope containing 5 actual Chick tracts, including one that is horrifyingly homophobic, one that is both extremely violent and moving, and a couple outlining his philosophy of "it doesn't matter how much good or bad you do during your life: as long as you "accept Jesus as your saviour" during the last nanosecond of your life".

A glossy, but independent fashion magazine from Canada! In this issue: An introduction to Elsa Schiaparelli a dress designer from the early 1900s, an article about Toile de Jouy fabric, interviews with Susan Belle, Amber Albrecht, Emily Martin, Veronica Classen, and Pilar Alvarez. Plus the dolls of Melissa Cartwright, the photographs of Countess Castiglione, preserving fashion in museums, can fashion be feminist?, and an essay on growing up and embracing the fashion of pop stars.

An independent fashion magazine from Canada! In this issue: Essays about Indian fabric, Japanese fashion, the evolution of Elvis's style, and an ode to clotheslines, among other things. Oh and it's full color!

Moe Bowstern has brought us the inside story about being a woman who fishes commercially for years. If that doesn't seem fascinating to you, you have another thing coming. Moe is an amazing storyteller and reveals much about the history of commercial fishing in Alaska through a very descriptive and personable narrative that can be understood by any layperson. She tells great stories of the crews she's been involved with and their dynamics as well being a woman involved in a very male dominated profession. Moe has a passion for fishing and the sea and she shares this with you in her zine. This is her story of being on the job and "how she got xtra tuf" on a few different episodes of labor disagreements that held up work (technically not "strikes") over many years. Fascinating reading as she combines her artistic and DIY sensibilities with the labor tactics in order to achieve the fishermen's goals and get everyone back to work! The book sports a fancy letter pressed cover by Third Termite Press with 30 different colors schemes. Winner of the 2007 Lilla Jewel Award! ISBN 0-9726967-7-6

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A new issue of Xtra Tuf that's audible! It's a CD of Moe telling stories about her life as a commercial fisher-woman. Moe sings songs too, and does spoken word like pieces. This CD answers the question, "Does Moe want to get you in a skiff?" The answer is yes! This is for fans of fishing and being sung to sleep. Limited edition covers by Icky A. and accompanying CD artwork by Carolina Paquita.