zine, [zeen] noun. 1. abbr. of fanzine; 2. any amateurly-published periodical. Oxford Reference

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Sunday, May 29, 2016

The Christian New Age Quarterly


The Christian New Age Quarterly
16 pages, half legal
$3.50 USA / $5.00 elsewhere
$12.50 / $18.50 per 4 issue subscription

Explores the intersection between Christianity and other spiritual paths with an emphasis on mysticism and myth. Fiction, essays, letters, reviews.

Christian New Age Quarterly
PO Box 276
Clifton, NJ 07015-0276

http://www.christiannewage.com/

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Accountability Processes are Ableist as Fuck


Accountability Processes are Ableist as Fuck
28 pages, digest, heavy stock cover
$2

I had to look up ableist

There are intersecting dimensions to this publication. It is a prequel to a book Joe has out, "Good Trouble: Building a Successful Life and Business with Asperger's." In the intro, Joe talks about how Asperger's almost destroyed his life. But in that first paragraph the voice is confident and hopeful. Joe puts a personal face on a subject many of us struggle to understand and accept. Not just of Asperger's and autism, but of mental health in general. There is a universality to his story of being misunderstood, unexplainably out of step, and disconnected. He also gives voice to the common experience of relief one feels when finally correctly diagnosed. "I really am different, and it's not my fault."

He also chronicles the range of responses he gets from others; everything from, "oh, that makes total sense," to "that's just an excuse."

From this perspective, Joe's story is an elegant account of recovery and empowerment.

###

Regarding the overall quality of the zine, it is top notch. The writing is crisp and precise, the layout very clean, and the production is as good as a plain old zine can be.

###

The remaining aspect of this volume is about Joe's break up with his ex and the splintering of Microcosm books.

Joe's story of self discovery is intertwined with this other louder story. If you don't have the stomach for more of the Microcosm / Pioneer Press / Joe / Jennifer / Alex saga, this may not be for you.

On the other hand, if you've listened to one side of the story, you might as well listen to the other.

PO Box 14332
Portland OR 97293



review by Jack Cheiky
This zine is being donated to the Cleveland Zine Library after review.

Friday, May 13, 2016

The Seeker, part one


The Seeker, part one
16 pages + thick stock cover
$ ?

I really like this. It messes with your head. A lot.

It is the beginning of a longer story. There are a couple typo like problems in the first few pages like someone used an auto-correct and didn't  proof read it. And then there are more of these "mistakes" and you start to wonder if the writer is doing this on purpose. Is it the writer or the narrator that's writing weird. At the same time there is a lyrical quality that makes it easy to continue. You can't tell if the story is really all that good or if you're being slowly seduced by the obliteration of the English language. It's almost like they're trying to effect an accent. But other parts are written with perfect grammar, so you can't make up your mind. Ultimately you keep reading because there are many subtly insightful thoughts and descriptions along with the strange but interesting language. Although there is a dash of intrigue, there isn't an overdose of plot.



Eventually you figure out what the deal is. That's all I'm gonna say.

References to Türkan Soray, Snake Plissken, William S. Burroughs, and Tony Manero.

Contact
oathzine@hotmail.com



review by Jack Cheiky
This zine is being donated to the Cleveland Zine Library after review.

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Reviews of American Films for White Power



Reviews of American Films for White Power
20 pages, digest, thick stock cover
$ ?

This showed promise. There were several creative things I liked before even starting to read. The mailing envelope was made from a piece of scrap paper. The cover art and design were cool enough. There appeared to be a mishap with the print run which was fixed by gluing a page to the inside front cover, and another to the back inside.

There was a mysterious and intriguing introduction to wet one's appetite, but it didn't deliver. Not to me anyway. The only credit I'll give them is they put a fair amount of effort into it.

It starts off simply enough. A group of friends stumble upon a web site that writes historical reviews of films written from the point of view of someone living centuries in the future. The reviews are of films that haven't been made yet in our time, but will be made in the future. Sounds awesome, right?

Not so much. It's written in a shoot from the hip style, presumably to invoke a sense of urgency, but it just ends up muddled. References to the mysterious web site being there, happenings in the supposed authors lives, , references to race, and the eerie recurrence to the number 22 are all mucked together. This could almost be overlooked if the actual film reviews really delivered, but they are written in much the same style. This discredits the idea that the supposed group stumbled upon the supposed web site.

It's entirely possible that this volume is exactly what it clams to be. Which would mean there is a whole litany of writers who need to be spanked. Unless it was written by high school kids, in which case it's brilliant.


Order & Contact info
http://epiphanyproducts.bandcamp.com/contact?b=656947697&n=Epiphany%20Products


review by Jack Cheiky
This zine is being donated to the Cleveland Zine Library after review.

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Cleveland Zine Library



I am happy to report that the Cleveland Zine Library is officially open for business at the Lee Road branch of the Heights Public Library. I dropped off a batch of zines today and took pictures. There is an accompanying display with zines and some books on printmaking, drawing comics, and photography. The new zine section is on the second floor near the Harvey Pekar displays. This was Harvey's neighborhood library.



I will continue to donate all zines sent to me for review when I am done with them. If you want to skip the review, you can send zines there directly, including back issues and collections you don't want anymore.

K. Atherton
Adult Services
Heights Public Library
2345 Lee Rd
Cleveland Heights OH 44118




A few of the zines on display I recognize:

Grimm Memes
http://syndicatedzinereviews.blogspot.com/2015/11/grimm-memes.html

Futchi Perf
http://syndicatedzinereviews.blogspot.com/2015/10/futchi-perf.html

Rot #5
http://syndicatedzinereviews.blogspot.com/2015/10/rot-5.html

Youtube Girl
http://syndicatedzinereviews.blogspot.com/2015/10/youtube-girl-airport-diner-claw-machine.html

Dear Crabby
http://syndicatedzinereviews.blogspot.com/2015/10/dear-crabby-3.html

Mini Comic by Alex Nall
http://syndicatedzinereviews.blogspot.com/2015/09/10-mini-comics-by-alex-nall.html

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