David B. Greenberger's ongoing chronicle of the residents of East L.A's senior centers. Elderly residents share their stories with David in the form of interviews.
In this issue:
More about music, from Mexican bands, to what's on the radio. Also, seeing the mountains for the first time and how the moon looks in the desert. These zines are perfect for people who like to learn about other people's experiences and the differences between now and then.
Dreams. David asks the residents about their dreams. Have they changed over time? Do the dream as much as they used to? How do their dreams reflect their shifting attitudes toward American society? Revealing and addictive as always.
Did the Future Turn Out Like You Thought It Would?
Certainly a hard topic to think about, but the residents discuss the subject with candor. Some were dismayed by their undiscovered talents, while many feel lucky to have met their partners and settle down. Reading this zine will keep young people grounded.
Have you ever wondered about the placement and composition of the keys on your keyboard? Is it random? Is there a pattern? Is there even logic to it? Alec and company did their homework and discovered that the placement of keys was not meant for speed or accuracy but rather determined when certain typewriter keys needed more space between them so the strikes would not get stuck on each other! When more advanced and ergonomic keyboard designs were created they were ignored and QWERTY continued to rule the school. This is a comic guide to the future of keyboarding - the DVORAK style! WIth keys placed for maximum speed and accuracy, this zine is a truly a kind of activism that everyone who uses a computer should get behind!
Dwelling Portably has been crammed full of information about living without a permanent residence for nearly 30 years! Super helpful and informative tips for biking, tents, showering, cooking, and living. Written by many folks who have lived the lifestyle far outside of cities and bereft of technology. According to many readers, '80-89 was their best material and here it is reprinted again in entirety (sans things that have become obsolete).
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Practical advice about being homeless or low-budget in-motion by choice -- camping on the edges, living simply, getting by on the road and loving it. This old-fashioned zine crams tons of tips onto a few sheets of paper printed in minuscule 6-point type. Holly and Bert Davis have been publishing this resource for several decades (formerly called Message Post) so they have a no-nonsense perspective. It's for modern nomads in the US choosing alternative lifestyles to working 9-5 in the same place. You get hard-won need-to-know wisdom like: How to live in cars. How to buy staples for 25 cents per pound. How do you protect your glasses in a tent or move big loads on your bicycle? Can you camp in U-Hauls? Where can you find a cheap dentist? The dangers of social services taking kids without a house. Fixing a free bike for long-haul travel. etc.
Everyone should live in near-poverty at least once in their life, and this humble newsletter provides guidance and inspiration of how to learn the max from it.
Collection Issue #1 includes May 1999, August 1999, April 2000, May 1997, and an index of updates from 2001 and 2002; 36 pages. Collection Issue #2 includes May 1994, December 1997, December 1996, and October 1995; 40 pages. Collection #3 includes May 1995, May 1996, July 1994, October 1998, and May 1998. Collection #4 includes June 2002, March 2002, September 2002, September 2001, May 2003, December 2003, April 2004, April 2005, September 2005, and September 2004.
In order to get people talking about mental illness, Alex Vallejo presents his and others' compelling stories about mental illness. He writes briefly of his own bipolar disorder, how that has effected his life and those close to him. Then comes the story of Margaret Holloway, a delinquent, schizophrenic, street performer with a biography that leaves you loving her. This story is followed by an informative article on the professionalization of psychology throughout history and includes the author's own experience with suicide attempts and breakdowns. The article ends with a message of survival and outreach. An inspiring read!
Ayun writes a delightful quarterly zine mostly about being a New York City mother and the adventures she has with her two small children. Hand written essays are illustrated with lots of cute diagrams. Ayun's writing is clear, fun to read, and full of keen observations about her life. I really appreciated the sentiment here. There really is a lot of information presented and it's truly a great resource for parents in comparable situations.
In this issue! Ayun tries to get her kid into the proper middle school, a process so crazy that gets the reader a little stressed out, too. While I'm glad Inky ends up in the school of her dreams, probably the best thing to come of all the middle school-land grabbing-butt kissing is that we get a cute zine to read. And those cute signature cartoons in the corner of every page. And a respectful farewell to her neighbor, a notable film star.
An extensive, practical, and hands on guide to direct action in regards to protecting forests from development. You know what's really refreshing about this book? It actually dares to take seriously the "I-don't-give-a-damn-I've-got-mine" attitude that's destroying the planet. Too many of us are content to talk, talk, talk about the ecocide we see going on around us daily. We lament global warming, the loss of species, the deforestation of the earth, the pollution of land and water and air, and frequently become so overwhelmed by it all that we throw up our hands and adopt an "apres moi, le deluge" cynicism. And in the meantime, by the way, we continue to drive our SUVs, blithely drink our plastic-bottled water, and keep realtors in business (did you know that 46 acres of prime farm land is developed every hour in this country?!) as if there's no tomorrow--which of course there won't be if all we do is talk and waste! The folks who put "Ecodefense" together are tired of talk and collaboration. They advocate a NONVIOLENT defense of imperiled nature, and they're willing to belly up to the bar and pay the price of their convictions. State and federal prisons house a goodly number of people who've had the courage to monkey-wrench in defense of Mother Earth. This is a HUGE photocopied zine format now.
Dara travelled to Cuba and left us this document of her trip and the history, radical analysis, perspective, and relations of the US that she learned about. She talks about the revolution still leaving her to be harrassed on the street and how the left is split on their view of Cuba, how US students travelling there would never have a true understanding or perspective of what is really going on, the lack of homelessness there, Cuba's history of being primarily a country of slaves, the US imposing a democracy for everyone but slaves, women, and people who don't own enough property, and thoughts on public space and art. This is truly an involved, in depth document and gave me much greater understanding of the controversy involved with the left over Cuba as well as what is going on there historically and presently.
A Hobo's photo log of 8-letter proclamations. From Denver to North Carolina, Johnny NoPants interviewed and photographed kindred spirits sporting knuckle tats. From the obvious to the juvenile to the profound, knuckle tattoos are an affront to clean-cut wage slave society, and, for the most part, an exclamation of independence from external control. Each tat is as unique as its owner. Some are statements to the world, others are windows to the heart. What would you say with eight letters?
Sascha Scatter provides us with an account of his trainhopping trip to Mexico and what he encounters there. This isn't just another tale of glamorizing train hopping as much as it's an account of Sascha learning about how things are different on "el otro lado" (the other side). Mexican citizens intending to cross the border refer to the US as "el otro lado" instead of simply as the US. He meets people, has some adventures, and learns about important cultural differences.
Ami is an amazing writer and story teller who writes about a rock time in her life, "the ocean and the hills". Drawing blood for practice, moving to New York City, missing New Orleans, 24 hour bars, and going to war.
Ami's writing is personal and some of the strongest from our generation. It's empowering even when focused on dim subjects, as her explanations and thoughts are inspiring. A hard read to put down and highly literate. I believe she also has a book coming soon on Soft Skull Press.
The latest issue of the End of a Perfect Day finds Damian biking and hopping trains around Los Angeles and the Southern California area. In his typical literary style, he describes exploring a land of wild peacocks, crisscrossing freeways and asphalt, and the inevitable frustration of biking in a sprawling metropolitan area. Damian's search for community in Los Angeles eventually proves fruitful, and we are introduced to another layer of Southern California culture as seen by our transient narrator.
MariNaomi's comics are all about the boys she's dated, made out with, crushed on, and generally obsessed over, starting from the beginning. From somewhat creepy encounters with an early babysitter, to playing marriage in the back yard, it all feels so painfully familiar. You've met the cast of characters in your own life: the music nerd who is obsessed with dating Japanese girls, the mohawk punk that dumps you for a cheerleader, the chronic liar, the guy that doesn't bathe, the creepy hippie guy who's always moody or stoned, and many many more. Now you can relive your own formative years in an entertaining and voyeuristic way!
More of MariNaomi's comics about the boys she's dated! In this issue: an artist who wants to take a jello bath, the substantially order guy, the random guy at a party, the cute neighbor you stalked, the boyfriend that works at denny's, the boyfriend that goes to jail, the boyfriend that passes away, and the boyfriend that wants to taxidermy your pets. Issue #6 reminds you just how time-consuming dating can be.
Evasion is a non-fiction hobo travelogue in which the author manages to evade the authorities for trespassing, squatting, and dumpster diving. Evasion is a metaphorical tale depicting the rejection of the 40-hour workweek and hopeless boredom of modern living. The journey documents the authors' reclamation of his life through rejection of the "American Dream." the spaces surrounding them a life worth living and a world worth fighting for. The author of Evasion is a hitchhiker, train hopper, and urban scavenger. The roots of the novel stem from ten photocopies of the original manuscript scammed from Kinko's. Rapidly, the zine was mass duplicated and proliferated by thousands of its' fans. Innumerable copies have been sold to date without a single advertisement. I found a few things demeaning to people who live in a world of poverty without a choice but I think this offers a whole new horizen to bored middle class teenagers and twenty somethings.
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The F-Word #3 is the Outlaws Issue. It features interviews with Howard Zinn, Loretta Ross, Kate Bornstein, and Cristy Road. There's a short essay by Mos Def about Assata Shakur, and a brief introduction to Jane, the underground abortion service. Mattilda writes about queer identity. The regular feature Sexual Edna focuses on female masturbation. Also music reviews of Lily Allen, Pony Up, The Pipettes, and The Chalets. The movie Bandit Queen gets reviewed and dissected for it's depiction of violence. And there's a Fart Party cartoon about solitude. Issue #3 is packed with awesome lady action!
This booklet is quite frightening and quite interesting, successfully playing off humanity's fascination with war. This contains the history of fascism tracing it from Hitler's third reich and ending in America. As the intro says, fascists believe that a large part of the population is disposable for scientific and social advancement. The parallels from Nazi Germany to current American policies are astounding and upsetting. This is the missing link of information that the corporate media would never tell you.
A collection of thoughts, articles, and reprints about America's fat-phobic, sizism, and pointing us toward fat acceptance. This is a beautiful jumping off point for those interested in the subject - articles from Marilyn Wann about embracing yourself and reclaiming the word fat, personal health, some thoughts about the learning (and unlearning) processes of fat acceptance, numerous surprising facts, historical quotes about fatness, as well as an excerpt from Nomy Lamm's "Big Fat Revolution", as well as information about fat women being more likely to enjoy sex even! A fat liberation manifesto! Statistics of fat women based on their class background! There is a true wealth of information on the subject and Crystal promises there is even more on the way! Let us unlearn out media induced responses to fatness!
Want to learn about how body size has little to do with how much you eat and how society fears and loathes fat people; scaring them into unhealthy attempts to lose weight? This issue profiles a number of fat activists including zinester/map maker Stina (Chubbluv), a memorial to Heather McAllister, Kylie Lannigan's attempts to adopt a child, Krissy's own story of becoming a fat activism (dating back to '87!), an interview with anime-tor Sarah Perry! There are additional articles about the myth drug Alli (it makes you poop your pants and leaves a green oily stain wherever you sit and on your clothes!!), "lessons in fat history" (doctors knowing that diets are 95% ineffective but still prescribing them), and profiles of independent stores that sell cool clothes for fat people. Something anyone involved in activism or anti-discrimination should be reading!
Traveling chef Joshua Ploeg (Plague) of Behead the Prophet, No Lord Shall Live/Mukilteo Fairies/Ravenna's Secret Cafe presents 80 new and delicious, gourmet vegan recipes. Joshua is the epitome of the post-punk ethic manifest into his passion; travelling the country on busses and trains he presents gourmet dinner parties for you and your friends presented out of his backpack, circumventing the corporate route of disseminating his food, recipes, and love.
This collection in particular is primarily spicy recipes and beverages (fire and ice, eh?) - blazing tofu, curried pineapple cream cheese, chicken yassa, garlic linguine, pineapple gazpacho with dates, blackeyed pea salsa, curried banana sandwhiches, spicy basil turnip and tofu, iced tea with mango syrup, numerous alcoholic drink recipes, and much much more! A fun little foray into the world of punk rock's gourmet chef!
I felt better as soon as I opened this first issue of Firewood. Reading about "building your own house, growing your own food, making your own music, art culture, life" I was ready to join the revolution before I even got past the intro. Firewood isn't just about talk though. Sine offers serious real-life help in here. There is a large article on how to build your own cabin. With information on how to physically do it, even all by yourself, there is also help on salvaging materials, obtaining cheap materials and building houses of wood, straw-bale, cob, Tipis and Gers. Also, you can read about growing your own Anarchist Victory Garden and get a little lesson on Land Ownership in Scotland. In general, a really inspiring and helpful zine. Can't wait for number two! (Krissy)
Named after an ingredient in ink, Fish Piss is a magazine with an open door submission policy for writers and artists. There are plenty of real life/personal stories, comics, some research articles and essays, interviews with interesting people, and reviews of zines and music. File under: alternative, political, anarchist, or comics.
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