Dig Deep #1 / Pieces #5 / Suomi
Has it really been a month since I last updated this? Apparently so. Time has been flying by lately. I have so many things I want to do, and so many things I have to do and whilst some (most?) fall into both categories it can be very frustrating trying to squeeze it all in. Hence the delays in updates to this blog, and my not having released any new zines myself since February (I am 90% sure I will have not one, but two, new zines out next month however!) But well, I'm sure you've heard all these moans from me many a time before, so on with the zines...
Dig Deep #1
By Heather (USA) indicativeATgmail.com
Co-incidentally, Heather hails from Illinois - as does Nichole whose zine Pieces I have also written about today. That state seems to be a hotbed of zine activity and Dig Deep is another great example of it. The overwhelming mood of the zine is positivity; and positivity of the best possible kind. I realise that may sound nonsensical, but sometimes positivity can be presented in a way that feels rather unachievable, idealistic and/or unrealistic, whilst in Dig Deep Heather looks at the good things in her life, and indeed the good things in life in general, and encourages herself "To dig deeper. To be better. To try harder". I found her attitude very inspiring. Within the zine you'll find stories about libraries (working in and visiting them), the concept of home and the Day Zero Project. There's also a list of the best books Heather read in recent months, which as a fellow bibliophile I very much appreciated! Dig Deep is a pretty zine too, with a beautiful flower-illustrated cover and cut and paste layouts with lots of flowing imagery.
Pieces #5
By Nichole (USA) nicholeATillvision.net
I looked forward to reading this zine so much that it suffered the fate of not being read as soon as it deserved as I waited for the perfect time to devour it! Pieces is a perzine that focuses on the art of writing and trying to balance creativity with the demand to have a regular job (something to which I can relate). Nichole also writes openly about relationships and shares stories from her everyday life - all good, introspective and reflective perzine material! In Pieces #5 Nichole tackles some heavy subject matter - notably her sister's serious depression - with characteristic thought and honesty. She also writes unapologetically about exploring BDSM; and debates vegetarianism. Pieces #5 is a nice long read with fairly simple, but never dull, cut and paste layouts incorporating occasional photographs.
Suomi
By Kate (UK) patsydeclineATgmail.com
You may or may not know already that Suomi is Finnish for Finland, and/or that my boyfriend is half-Finnish, and/or that I have visited Finland and loved it there. So, as you can (now) imagine, this zine documenting a woman's trip to Finland with her friends was right up my street. Kate's main aim on the trip was to visit the Moomin theme park(which she did, and enjoyed very much), but along the way she visits an assortment of Finnish cities and takes in as much Finnish culture as possible. Like all good travel zines, there are lots of details both about the country and about Kate's experience there including the noting of little (and large) differences between the UK and Finland, Many of these small things I had sadly forgotten and remembering them made me nostalgic - the strange sizing of bags of crisps for example! (They're all very large, in case you were wondering.) The layout of Suomi isn't that exciting - made on a computer and not (as far as I could tell) cut and pasted - but it includes lots of photographs and is very legible, so I'm not complaining! Kate includes lots of nice perzine-y writing too, discussing her self-confessed over-cautiousness and the difficulties of being a travelling vegan.
Dig Deep #1
By Heather (USA) indicativeATgmail.com
Co-incidentally, Heather hails from Illinois - as does Nichole whose zine Pieces I have also written about today. That state seems to be a hotbed of zine activity and Dig Deep is another great example of it. The overwhelming mood of the zine is positivity; and positivity of the best possible kind. I realise that may sound nonsensical, but sometimes positivity can be presented in a way that feels rather unachievable, idealistic and/or unrealistic, whilst in Dig Deep Heather looks at the good things in her life, and indeed the good things in life in general, and encourages herself "To dig deeper. To be better. To try harder". I found her attitude very inspiring. Within the zine you'll find stories about libraries (working in and visiting them), the concept of home and the Day Zero Project. There's also a list of the best books Heather read in recent months, which as a fellow bibliophile I very much appreciated! Dig Deep is a pretty zine too, with a beautiful flower-illustrated cover and cut and paste layouts with lots of flowing imagery.
Pieces #5
By Nichole (USA) nicholeATillvision.net
I looked forward to reading this zine so much that it suffered the fate of not being read as soon as it deserved as I waited for the perfect time to devour it! Pieces is a perzine that focuses on the art of writing and trying to balance creativity with the demand to have a regular job (something to which I can relate). Nichole also writes openly about relationships and shares stories from her everyday life - all good, introspective and reflective perzine material! In Pieces #5 Nichole tackles some heavy subject matter - notably her sister's serious depression - with characteristic thought and honesty. She also writes unapologetically about exploring BDSM; and debates vegetarianism. Pieces #5 is a nice long read with fairly simple, but never dull, cut and paste layouts incorporating occasional photographs.
Suomi
By Kate (UK) patsydeclineATgmail.com
You may or may not know already that Suomi is Finnish for Finland, and/or that my boyfriend is half-Finnish, and/or that I have visited Finland and loved it there. So, as you can (now) imagine, this zine documenting a woman's trip to Finland with her friends was right up my street. Kate's main aim on the trip was to visit the Moomin theme park(which she did, and enjoyed very much), but along the way she visits an assortment of Finnish cities and takes in as much Finnish culture as possible. Like all good travel zines, there are lots of details both about the country and about Kate's experience there including the noting of little (and large) differences between the UK and Finland, Many of these small things I had sadly forgotten and remembering them made me nostalgic - the strange sizing of bags of crisps for example! (They're all very large, in case you were wondering.) The layout of Suomi isn't that exciting - made on a computer and not (as far as I could tell) cut and pasted - but it includes lots of photographs and is very legible, so I'm not complaining! Kate includes lots of nice perzine-y writing too, discussing her self-confessed over-cautiousness and the difficulties of being a travelling vegan.
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