Zine News Round-Up: 21.10.12

Zine News Round-Up: 21.10.12

from Spill The Zines! by noreply@blogger.com (Cath)

photo by Bettie - thanks!

Hello, Bettie here. I'm doing the round-up this week because Cath is
super busy and I am super not! Take a look at the 'Write for us' page
if you want to help out too.


1. Zine Releases
2. Upcoming Events
3. Submission Calls
4. AOB (Any Other Business)


1. Zine Releases
- Vacant Minds #2 is a mainly art and doodles zines, and it's free (or
trade). Info at their Tumblr: http://vacant-minds.tumblr.com/
- Have we missed anything?  Let us know – spillthezinesukATgmail.com.

2. Upcoming Events
- Documentary Screening 'From the Back of the Room': 28th October at
Shacklewell Arms, London. A documentary about women in DIY punk. More
info at: http://www.facebook.com/events/402884689767379
- Leeds Zine Fair: Sunday 4th November at Wharf Chambers. LZF now has
its own website at: http://leedszinefair.footprinters.co.uk
- South East London Zine Fest: Sunday 11th November at the Amersham
Arms, New Cross. Have a look at their blog:
http://selondonzines.wordpress.com or their Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/selondonzines
- Queer Zine Fest London: 8th December at Space Station 65,
Kennington. Lots of awesome zinesters and distros have been confirmed,
but there are still spots available to table and other ways to get
involved. More info at: https://www.facebook.com/events/232251613569656/

3. Submission Calls
- Poor Lass Zine is a positive collective zine by working class
grrrls. The theme for the first issue is 'work' and it's gonna be
awesome! Have a look at their facebook page for more info and how to
contribute: http://www.facebook.com/PoorLassZine

4. AOB
- Zinester punx the Copy Scams are playing gigs and holding readings
at zine fests and other events around the UK on their Sinister
Zinester Tour! Check their Facebook page to see where they're heading:
http://www.facebook.com/events/507706389255775/

100,000 Hits

The Opera Glass

Zine Review: The Opera Glass 61

from One Minute Zine Reviews by DJ Frederick

The Opera Glass

Iris I. Arnesen

219 Euclid Avenue

Tucson AZ 85719

Iris Arnesen lifts the veil on operatic topics in her beautifully printed journal The Opera Glass. Issue No. 61 delves into Donizatti’s  Lucia di Lammermoor, a story which takes place in the Lammermore Hills of Scotland in the late 1600’s. Wealth, family strife and tragic love infuse the opera’s storyline that Iris recounts in great detail. She also includes geographical information about the opera’s setting in East Lothian, and some fascinating background on the glass harmonica, an instrument that is used to great effect in the opera’s score. Rounding out this issue is a review of the dvd of Coriolanus which stars and is directed by Ralph Fiennes. The writing in The Opera Glass is both accessible and expository, a joy for opera veterans and novices alike. Send a few dollars (or as many as you can spare) to support this highly educational journal.

Saucer Smear Volume 59 No. 8

Saucer Smear Volume 59 No. 8

from Blackguard

8 pages, 11" x 8.5", PO Box 1709, Key West FL 33041, USA + saucer_smear [at] yahoo.com
I drew red felt tip boxes around two items in this issue, the first one is from a book review, 'Stalking the Tricksters - Shapeshifters, Skinwalkers, Dark Adepts, and 2012' by Christopher O'Brien. In the review, Smear editor James Moseley suggests his own definition of a trickster, dismisses the Scientology cult (and its Great Leader, L. Ron Hubbard) then quotes this passage from O'Brien's book:

"If I had to select the most tricksterish and influential hoaxes of all time, I would have a hard time not selecting the Bible, the Koran, and the Torah. These three books - all spawned from one individual, the biblical figure Abraham - have done more to adversely destabilize the world than any other causal element....In today's world, what else can rival the conflict of belief between Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions?"

The second is a "Possible Paranormal Problem At Your Editor's Humble Key West Residence!" involving mysterious and unexplained door-knockings. [Something in this story was unintentionally amusing, yet nothing to do with the strange phenomena... the editor is in the habit of writing "We" when often meaning "I", so in this account it was funny to read, "Our bed is right next to the door of our ground floor studio apartment, so we can open it in a matter of seconds. There is never anyone there." So whose bed is it and how many people sleep in that bed? And we at Blackguard wonder how many people are living in this studio apartment?

Ci Vediamo

Ci Vediamo

from Blackguard

 
32 pages, 6.5" x 5.5", $6.00 by Hazel Newlevant >>> newlevant.com
This came with a very nice letter from Hazel asking me to review it. She kinda did my job for me since also in her note, it explains the title - "Ci Vediamo" is an Italian parting phrase meaning, "We'll see each other." And that the comic is a wordless story of love, loss, and moving on. It also won a Xeric Award! That's pretty cool. I'm really glad for Hazel. Unfortunately this isn't my kinda comic. I'm not a fan of wordless comics, and this one seems so slight. There's a girl, and a guy, they both look sad and thoughtful, then some autumnal trees, then dandelions... I should mention that throughout the comic are opaque pages also with drawings and when these are turned they do create some interesting effects. It's very cleverly done. It's a little gimmicky though. ... Ah, fuck it. This is probably really great, I'm just not sensitive enough to appreciate it. *Blub!*

Kapreles Artmailer #2

Kapreles Artmailer #2

from Blackguard

4 pages, 11.5" x 8.5", the usual, Y. Albrechts, Postbus 100, 2000 Antwerpen 1, Groenplaats, BELGIUM + kapreles[at]gmail.com + k8pr3l35.blogspot.com
Here's Kapreles's latest 'newsletter', taking the place of his previous Robots Are People Too. Similar contents however - comics both original and appropriated, taking what appear to be '50s comic strips and inserting new dialogue, for example:
Woman: "Darling, what is the meaning of life?"
Man: "My manhood wriggling on your face like a fish on the dry. Your place or mine?"
I didn't find the dialogue funny, but moving the man's mouth up and replacing his nose with it was very funny! Good look.
There's also a couple of pages of zine, book, and low budget movies reviewed

Cloud Factory #5

Zine Review: Cloud Factory #5

from One Minute Zine Reviews by DJ Frederick

Cloud Factory #5

half letter

Laura Walker

PO Box 8030

Bend OR 97708

Cloud Factory is a zine created by Laura Walker and Ryan Homsley. If you’ve read my previous reviews you know that Ryan is a writer and an artist and currently incarcerated in Oregon. Cloud Factory #5 could be subtitled “Revelations”. Ryan delves into details surrounding his drug use and bank robbery which landed him in jail. Laura talks about her unconventional wedding. They both lift the veil and discuss the collaboration behind the scenes of the creation of Cloud Factory. Plus there are Ryan’s intense essays, Ryan’s vivid artwork, and lots of conversation (on paper) between Ryan and Laura.

This is probably the first issue in which I felt some sadness – not only for Ryan’s situation but for the violence that he grew up around, which would scar and wound the best of us. I also felt some sadness around both Laura and Ryan’s dire attitudes expressed toward spirituality. But then I mentally rewind twenty years and held many of those same beliefs at that point in my life.

I can not recommend Cloud Factory as a zine highly enough. It is on my must read list.

Obsolete #6

Zine Review: Obsolete #6

from One Minute Zine Reviews by DJ Frederick

Obsolete #6

PO Box 72

Victor IA 52347

Newspaper / 22 pages / $5

obsoletemag.blogspot.com

Four decades ago (pardon me if this is starting off like a history lesson) there were literally thousands of “underground” newspapers and zines being published in Amerika.

Time, energy, funding, the political environment, and the internet have all taken their toll on alternative papers and zines. In the digital age, sadly, Obsolete is an aptly named anomaly.

But it doesn’t have to be this way! Support paper! Obsolete is beautiful in its design and implementation. It is not slick, it is printed on newsprint, in black & white, accentuating substance over style. Childhood and its discontents seems to be the underlying theme of issue number six. Terry Lee Dill recounts growing up as a “Blue Baby”. Amy Bugbee ponders why it’s okay for children to be exposed to endless hours of violence on tv and in video games, yet its not okay in our culture to discuss healthy sexuality with them. There are also articles dealing with children growing up with disabilities. Other essays question the link between psychiatry and authoritarianism, and the pathologization of our culture.

Obsolete also gives us great art and photography, an old-timey serialized graphic story, and powerful poetry like “Why People Live in Desolate Places” by Greta Anderson. It’s 2012 and a joy to find that thought-provoking zines like Obsolete are alive and kicking.

Cloudfather #3

Cloudfather #3

from Blackguard

 
40 pages, 6.5" x 5.5", by Kyle Alu >>> cloudfather.tumblr.com
Here's a comic art zine featuring monsters with more than two eyes. Some have three, some have four, one even has five. It's like a collection of sketchbook pages, but with a unifying obsession with these strange creatures. I really like the drawings, and some of these would make cool tattoos. Anyway, I really like it.

Eve Art Tarot

Zine Review: Eve Art Tarot

from One Minute Zine Reviews by DJ Frederick

Eve Art Tarot

evematrix.com

The tarot is an invitation to plumb the depths of our psyches and connect with higher wisdom and higher vision. Eve Art Tarot is a collaborative art project between thirteen artists featuring their interpretations of major arcana cards. This zine is quarter sized, bound with thread, printed in black and white. Each image is accompanied by a brief interpretation, and the artist’s contact information. The range of visual styles represented here is surprising & I would have appreciated seeing a full deck emerge from this project. 

I'm not sure if this zine is still available but the link above will bring you to Nicci's website which is a joy to explore.

What It Was Like to Work In a Nursing Home

Zine Review: What It Was Like to Work In a Nursing Home

from One Minute Zine Reviews by DJ Frederick

What It Was Like to Work In a Nursing Home

by Melissa

half letter / 44 pages

feeunke@gmail.com

As someone who works in a health care environment very similar to those that Melissa writes about, I was initially discouraged by her attitude taken in this zine. She basically worked in nursing homes to make money. Granted, these nursing homes are in Australia, but in the United States of Amerika, no one except top administrators make a lot of money caring for the elderly. “The elderly” is a class that we will all join, if we are lucky.We should care for elders in the way that we would hope to be taken care of if and when we have serious health issues and can no longer care for ourselves.

Melissa’s zine takes the reader through the variety of places she worked as a per-diem Personal Care Attendant for a staffing agency. She talks about the drudgery of toileting, bathing, changing and feeding dementia patients and other nursing home patients. She paints a fairly realistic portrait of the sadness, depression, and sense of futility that overshadows many care facilities. She shares her insights into what qualities make for good co-workers, and what constitutes quality caregiving. At the end though, I was still disappointed and felt that something was missing from this zine. I had to remind myself – this is one person’s experience and perspective. Overall this zine is a well written but somewhat myopic introduction to what working in a nursing home is really like. 

Facebook Sucks! #3

Facebook Sucks! #3 [Nov 2011]

from Blackguard

12 pages, 11" x 8.5", The Usual from Clark Dissmeyer, 917 E. 25th St. #5, Kearney NE 68847, USA
Thanks to correspondent Cameron T. for recommending I write to Clark and trade zines. He said I would dig Clark's stuff and he was right! Facebook Sucks! is spookily similar to my own cut 'n' paste zine Grunted Warning, which is a good thing if you love strange, morbid, unusual news clippings. News items in this issue include 'Woman accused of cutting out fetus' and 'Man pleads to offering yogurt tainted with semen'. The grim stuff is nicely balanced with humour (Clark loves comics, and makes his own - reviews forthcoming...) and longer 'human interest' clippings like 'Perks of good handwriting'.
Wonderful! Recommended.

Flora's Forum

Weekly Recommendations, Week 41: Flora's Forum

from the juniper bends as if it were listening by juniperbug

Many months ago on this blog I recommended an up and coming magazine called, Greenwoman. What you may not know is that there is a great little group blog affiliated with this magazine called, Flora's Forum. It's still in it's infancy and has yet to really blossom into what it could become, but there is still plenty of good content already there to be found. It's a blog for those interested in connecting to nature through gardening, in taking care of the planet, in living simply and doing-it-yourself, and in expressing these sentiments through all forms of art. Additionally, this blog is not just for reading but for participating, and so in order to facilitate this, writers, gardeners, and nature lovers the world over are invited to contribute. If, after browsing through the site, you decide that Flora's Forum might be a place for you to express yourself, by all means contact the editor. I intend to contribute eventually, but have been distracted by too many other things. I will join the community eventually. You can count on that.