Riot Grrrl: Traces of a Movement

Secret Historian: The Life and Times of Samuel Steward, Professor, Tattoo Artist, and Sexual Renegade

Come Hell or High Water

I Have a Song for You

Don’t Be a Dick

 

 

 

Don’t Be a Dick

via Feminist Review by Feminist Review on 2/25/10

By Paul Brown

Do-It-Yourself (DIY) culture has made an array of otherwise lofty topics accessible through the format of personal zines that aim to educate and inform—from bicycle maintenance to vegan cooking. In particular, the strong foothold that DIY culture has in radical politics and feminism has allowed for the creation of some radical, eye-opening work. Paul Brown's zine, Don't Be a Dick, is an archetypal DIY zine, complete with staples, a gray-washed Xeroxed background, hand-drawn pictures, and a curious layout. It looks as harmless as a playbill, but is unique to the DIY format in that it is a boldly personal account of a heterosexual male's journey with consent.

Brown tackles a lot in the twenty-something pages that encompass his zine, such as constructions of masculinity, the United States as a rape culture, and definitions and approaches toward healthy consent. But Brown's ambitious approach is also his major downfall. Don't Be a Dick's focus goes far beyond the limits of its pages, and while the topics Brown discusses are important and pertinent to comprehending consent and sexual assault as a whole, nothing more than a basic understanding is ultimately conveyed. This becomes a problem because, if Brown's intention was to create a zine that is both informative and useful, neither goal is quite executed. He ends one section on the notion that men need to "wake up" and "hold each other accountable" but gives no clear indication as to how to accomplish either of these goals. Based on its ability to educate an array of people, I would be more recommend a zine like Cindy Crabb's Learning Good Consent than I would this zine.

Brown's zine is unique because of who he is—a man writing about male-to-female sexual assault. In the first few pages, the impetus for his zine is revealed—he once coerced an ex-partner into a non-consensual sex act and, after reading about consent, learned the true implications of his actions. Unfortunately, he went on to create a zine that is a digest of ideology found more thoroughly explored in zines like Learning Good Consent and Support rather than writing what he knows. My interest was most piqued by his perspective as a cisgendered man exploring the tricky landscape of consensual sex, such as the processing of the abovementioned story, or his deflated feelings towards pornography. I would like to see Brown adding his own voice into the discourse of radical consent instead of mimicking zines that already exist.

It is useful to have a heterosexual male narrative within the sphere of positive, responsible sexuality and refreshing, if not sobering, for a man to admit that he has committed an act of non-consensual sex. Stories like these are needed to aid in the awareness of consent, and Brown does a much better job than one of the only attempts I've read of a man taking accountability for his actions: zinester Rick Mackin's column in Razorcake Magazine and subsequent zine that was far from the self-effacing, courteous, and sincere zine that Brown's is.

Brown's path to writing this zine is admirable and humble, and it is this path that I find to have the most potential for change and transformation within conversations about men's role in consent and sexual assault. By taking the zines that inspired him and building from that, I believe Brown has a powerful jumping-off point for the hard and honest truths that will surface as consent and sexual assault continues to be discussed.

Review by Krista Ciminera

Check out more reviews at http://www.feministreview.org

 

 

Finding Gloria: Nos/otras

 

 

 

Finding Gloria: Nos/otras

via Feminist Review by Feminist Review on 2/26/10

In the spirit of Gloria Anzaldúa, Finding Gloria: Nos/otras is an independent zine featuring the words and art of various contributors. Anzaldúa was a writer, poet, and artist whose work focused mostly on her identities as a woman, Chicana, lesbian, and feminist. The title of the zine comes from Anzaldúa's work. Some of the contributors work directly in projects honoring her, and many of the pieces cite Anzaldúa or use her style of writing.

As Noemi "Hermana, Resist" Martinez explains on the very first page, this is a zine for those trying to create a space for themselves – a space that might be affected by the dominant culture, but that tries to break free from that dominant culture as much as possible. The basis of this is the term Nos/otras, created by Anzaldúa herself, is nos (Spanish for we) and otras (the Spanish word for other). Anzaldúa combined them to show that it's impossible to view ourselves as separate from the other, or the other as separate from ourselves.

With these concepts in mind, the work included in this zine takes on a fresh perspective. The very first image you see (which happens to be one of my favorites in the zine) is the work of Celeste de Luna, and it is that of two women standing on opposite sides of a river. The women appear to be similar in age and each is a mother with children, who are also close in age, yet their differences shine through in their appearance, particularly in their clothing and the way they carry themselves. They have things in common, yet they remain divided.

As a big fan of Anzaldúa's work, it meant a lot to me to see her legacy live on in the works of these other women. The contributors are obviously inspired by her and continue to build on her work with their own poems, collages, drawings, and other creative works. It has been a few years since I got my hands on a homemade zine, and this style lends itself well to the content within its pages. Sometimes the page numbers or other text were cut off, and some of the images were hard to make out because of the resolution of the print, but I think the energy and emotion is still captured.

Review by Frau Sally Benz

Check out more reviews at http://www.feministreview.org

 

 

 

Trees Zine #4

 

 

Trees Zine #4

via Feminist Review by Feminist Review on 11/13/09

By Samantha Trees

A quarter page booklet of photocopied text with one off-center staple and as much profundity as you can cram in that meager space—how else would you present yourself to the world? I thought that zines went out with the twentieth century, at least in the sense of personal confessionals, and journaling went out traded out for online diaries, journals, and social networks. These days even the formal blog seems to be winnowing down to its base denominator: trading out contemplation for a sound bite, reflection for a terse witticism. Zines, with their labor-intensive, frequently amateur construction and problematic-at-best distribution, are the antithesis of convenient, concise communication. For most zinesters, this suits them just fine – better to create something a little flawed and heartfelt than to encapsulate your heart and soul in a polished, pre-packaged medium saddled with embedded advertisements and suspect signifiers of a commodity culture.

Samantha Trees demonstrates in twenty-four tiny and mostly half-filled pages that there's still plenty of soul in the zine movement, even if it has lost some visibility since its heyday in the 1990s. In her "Hopeless Romantic/Punk As Fuck" fourth issue ($2), Samantha revels in the giddy enthusiasm of the first nights living in a punk co-op, starting up what could be considered a pick-up, come-as-you-are riot grrrl music collective, and trying to teach a bunch of grrrls how to play Bikini Kill's "Rebel Girl" (probably easier than "Double Dare," although not as fun in my opinion). What really strikes a reader is the hopeful vibrancy of her voice, an optimistic yearning for life still being tested by the daily rigors of post-adolescence.

The content of the zine is hardly more than personal reflections recorded on scrap paper and post-it-notes probably cribbed from where she works if Samantha cleaves as closely to traditional zine assembly as she does its design. Trees is simply presented with an unadorned layout and sparse design. Unfortunately, the text is similarly sparse, with anecdotes and insights that could merit fleshing out.

Samantha hints at more in-depth stories and experiences than the zine allows itself to give space. In particular, her experiences with her loves and the time she spends at work with a crisis call center assume direct knowledge of her acquaintances or familiarity with such an environment. Regardless, Trees succeeds in its self-defined mission of offering a "really sincere piece" of the author to the reader. While her opinions occasionally stray into those of questionable wisdom (her rant against the Calgary police force strikes this reader as being shortsighted), the reader can't help but recognize that these are the irrepressible moments of sincerity, emotion, and passion that grip every young woman before the tawdry banalities of adult life set in their hooks.

Review by Melissa Ruis

Check out more reviews at http://www.feministreview.org

 

 

 

 

Somewhere to Run From

 

 

 

Somewhere to Run From

via Feminist Review by Feminist Review on 11/28/09

By Tara-Michelle Ziniuk
Tightrope Books

Tara-Michelle Ziniuk is an activist poet, critic, playwright, and performer working in Montreal and Toronto, and whose first poetry collection, Emergency Contact, was published in 2006. Her second book of poetry, Somewhere to Run From, is full of bittersweet and sarcastic poems about love gone wrong, political activism, and loneliness. There is a confessional quality to many of her pieces, which examine a wide variety of emotional topics that range from unfaithful lovers to religious persecution, blending political commentary and personal tragedy. She describes both intimate interpersonal situations and global catastrophe with razor-sharp wit.

Ziniuk's work has a straightforward quality that I found myself wanting to imitate. I was struck by her use of juxtaposition, and how simple statements become somehow more evocative with pop culture references, such as "net-speak," and unexpected details. Her black humor adds greater depth to poems about small disasters and everyday heartbreaks.

In the prose-poem titled "How To Be Perfect Men," she writes, "...Every sad mix CD has a song about a basement on it. We do a keyword search for 'waiting' and when I finally remember you, every song I hear makes me feel like I'm on hold..." To me, the magic of poetry is the way reading lines like these reminds the reader of their own long-forgotten mix CDs and their favorite songs about basements and waiting, re-experiencing old sadness through the lens of nostalgia, and with the benefit of hindsight.

In "Through the Night," Ziniuk riffs on a Frank Sinatra quote:

I'm for anything that gets you through the night. A warm body/hot water bottle/Degrassi special features./I'm all for take-out in bed,/crumbs, spilled shake from the bottom of the bag,/and lipstick on pillow cases...We're all getting old./Maybe this is what lube is for./Or maybe it's for people who never liked each other anyway.

This brief and unexpected mention of the campy Canadian melodrama Degrassi inspires a feeling of affinity with the speaker of the poem (and by extension, the poet) in me. References like this one give the collection a feeling of an early twenty-first century time capsule. Ziniuk's poems are full of quotable—even chantable—lines: "People only spin the bottle/when there's someone in the room they want to kiss" or "You/give/girls/eating/disorders."

One of my favorites from the collection is "It Must Be Stopped," which is a darkly funny poem about a misunderstanding mother. This is a wonderful example of the range of contradictory thoughts and feelings Ziniuk's Somewhere to Run From will inspire.

Review by Kellie Powell

Check out more reviews at http://www.feministreview.org

 

 

 

 

make/shift: feminisms in motion (Issue 6)

 

 

 

make/shift: feminisms in motion (Issue 6)

via Feminist Review by Feminist Review on 12/2/09

Make/Shift aims to thrust the ignored populations into the greater recognition. Native Americans living in urban settings rather than rural reservations tend to be invisible in our nation's consciousness. Society shies away from the combination of disability and sexuality, and when it comes to women's prisons, many question the validity of empowerment through peer education health programs. The Fall/Winter edition of Make/Shift explores these and a wide variety of other social issues. It highlights individuals working to improve the world on personal, local, international, and virtual levels through social action or artistic ventures.

A letter from the editors tells readers that the theme of the issue is movement, but some of the articles that follow move more efficiently than others. A few of the more personal pieces struck this reader at a trifle tedious. A piece about losing one's ethnic identity by using a certain hair product makes about as much sense to me as the belief that using spray-on tanner would force me to concede my Whiteness. An article entitled "Vocabulary Lesson" questions the queer world's borrowing of the word wife from mainstream society when that word has many negative historical connotations attached to it, but the execution came off condescending, and seemed to push for the continued separation of the two groups.

Many stories move quite fluidly, however. A tale about a formerly battered woman's journey into professorship hits the mark, as does a story about a Haitian lesbian's encounter with a skinhead on a train. A collage piece on kitchens examines how this politically charged space changes depending on the occupants and attitudes. A series of segments on health focus on specific issues concerning women's health, such as environmental hazards connected with work traditionally performed by females.

Another focuses on the push to provide health care for transpeople. As a health care provider featured in the article puts it, "If someone has a cervix, they need gynecological care," yet many trans people harbor fears of discrimination and simply discomfort with entering a clinic. A piece on immigration explores how the nation's policies affect those in the queer community.

The magazine doesn't focus long on any one issue or demographic. Make/Shift strives to reach out to all who identify as female, no matter what their origin or back story, and there is a tidbit for everyone—hopefully more, if you're willing to learn something.

The design would benefit from more art and photographs to further connect readers to the subjects of the articles. This shouldn't be difficult, considering that this is a magazine that celebrates artists. I don't know if the lack of image distribution is a reflection of the magazine's relative newness, a lack of resources, or failure to see the need, but either way, the need is evident.

Review by Kelly Palka Gallagher

Check out more reviews at http://www.feministreview.org

 

 

 

 

The Woman You Write Poems About

The Woman You Write Poems About

via Feminist Review by Feminist Review on 10/25/09

By Danielle Montgomery
AK Press

Most of the time when I read poetry books, I'll dog-ear the pages of poems I really like. I started to do this with Danielle (Dani) Montgomery's collection, The Woman You Write Poems About, but within the first twenty pages I realized I didn't have one non-bent-down page corner; every single poem in this collection is intriguing and amazing in its own way. What makes Montgomery's poetry outstanding is that she brings out the brutal truth of really hard subjects. Furthermore, the language she uses to do this is breathtaking in the way that a life realization seriously makes you stop for a second, until you realize you aren't breathing because you've been thinking these big thoughts instead. Montgomery's poetry brings up these big thoughts and makes you stop for a moment (or more).

The truths that Montgomery bring to the page involve the harsh realities of being a poor, single mother attempting to navigate the different types of violence in our society, and trying to keep her sanity while doing it. In the poem "S.S.A." Montgomery reveals:

on the phone
after my
(relatively)
pleasant
conversation with mr. social security, I'm feeling like
the woman you write poems about
not the woman who writes poems
I'm feeling like that
like
a little tragic
with my two screaming kids
stained shirt
messed up hair
mr. social security wants to know
why can't you work
are you worthy
and
I give my best
brightest
explanation
but
this is a poem
from the woman you write poems about
listen
I can write my own
maybe I already have
I'm a bad ass
on the phone
filling out forms all day
listen
this is a poem from the woman
you write poems about

She is the woman with the screaming kids. She is the woman who has no money and is trying to make ends meet with each roll of pennies. She is the woman who has been turned into a tool for artists seeking out an empathetic subject, but here she is becoming the artist. She is describing her own situation, and talking back to what has already been talked about her.

As a single mother and a poet, the two stereotypes of the poor single mother and the starving artist collide in Montgomery's work. She discusses the hardship of being depressed and being a mother ("poem for mamas with postpartum depression: we can make it through"), as well as the moments in her life that have sparked joy and creativity ("what the living do"):

at nineteen
I woke up in my apartment
to the sound of a man pissing
out back behind the dumpster
and I shook off sleep to listen
I loved the sound of him pissing
in congratulations
yes congratulations
we lived through another night

Sarcastic, raw, refreshing, humorous, and relieving in all of her honesty, Montgomery exposes her readers to what it means to face life's tough shit, look at it, do what you can with it, laugh, cry, and then continue to survive.

Review by Chelsey Clammer

Check out more reviews at http://www.feministreview.org

Lyke Magazine: The Love/Hate Issue

Lyke Magazine: The Love/Hate Issue

via Feminist Review by Feminist Review on 4/22/08

I'm being sincere when I say that it pains me to be critical of things that can be considered positive additions to the feminist movement, the LGBT community, or, simply put, to the young and gay everywhere. That being said, Lyke Magazine is a good idea in theory; it just doesn't pack the punch necessary to be a noteworthy publication.

After reading through Lyke's "Love/Hate Issue," as well as their January 2008 "Feminism Issue," I was struck by how critical I was initially. Technically, the writing presented and the topics discussed may have been moving or tantalizing or refreshing in some way when I was twelve years old and listening to Bikini Kill in my bedroom at an unbearable volume, but as a 23-year-old woman who has taken countless woman's studies courses, and who has been delving into feminist literature since pre-pubescence, all of it fell very flat.

I couldn't get past the countless references to bands like Sleater Kinney and Bratmobile, or to celeb personalities like Kathleen Hanna. Isn't this 2008? I mean, major steps have been made for women since the Riot Grrrl movement in the 1990s, correct? Isn't Hillary Clinton running for president? Isn't Nancy Pelosi the first female speaker of the House? If Lyke's pre-requisites for topic ideas require not only feminist friendly material, but also things that are lesbian in nature, aren't gay rights one of the most pressing issues in the country right now? With all of those things to consider, I just read an article about lesbian filmmaker Cheryl Dunye and her 1996 film The Watermelon Woman. Yeah, you read correctly, her 1996 movie.

What I'm getting at is that Lyke is out of touch, at best. Despite the fact that the magazine was founded and is edited by a college educated woman with a background in journalism, the whole thing comes across as amateurish and juvenile. From reviews of Riot Grrrl books to an entire section entitled "Dykes we 'Lyke'," I felt like I was reading the writings of a newly out sixteen-year-old lesbian who has yet to get past the fact that we no longer live in a country that finds two women kissing controversial or shocking. As a matter of fact where I come from, it's a common sight.

It's not enough to simply be a lesbian orientated publication; one has also got to add something new, exciting, or fresh to add to the dialogue or one should leave the writing to those who are willing to take on timely subjects that actually effect the queer community. Lyke, I hate to say it, but it's time to bow out of the ring.

Believe it or not, there were things I liked. The personal essay, "How I Found Love in a Bowl of Breakfast Cereal" by Deb Long was especially moving, as was the very relatable and funnily written poem "Pretzel" by Sasha Gamburg. Maybe those lovely ladies should be full-time Lyke contributors.

Review by Tina Vasquez

Check out more reviews at http://www.feministreview.org

My Brain Hurts: Volume One

My Brain Hurts: Volume One

via Feminist Review by Feminist Review on 4/18/08

By Liz Baillie
Microcosm Publishing

Liz Baillie's character Kate Callahan is everything that I wish I had been in school, as well as everything that I'm glad I wasn't: a punk dyke; Mohawk-wearing, patches held on with safety pins-styling, multiple girlfriends-loving activist; and all-around New York City street-roamer. Think Diane DiMassa's Hothead Paisan before she turned homicidal and got a cat. You could say that Kate's a homicidal lesbian terrorist in the making — and in a good way, too.

While these character traits can be admirable in young queer activists, Kate is, at times, a little too rebellious for her own good, as she constantly teeters on the edge of getting kicked out of school. I'm inspired by Kate's spirit, but I'm also aware of the grown-up in me telling me not to mess up my life. These are the complex reasons why I'm in love with My Brain Hurts.

Baillie's drawings of Kate and her high school life are descriptive, ratty, fun, and what make up the intensity of story. A graphic novel compilation of the first five zines in Baillie's series of the same name is both a harsh reminder of how difficult high school can be for queer youth, but the stories can also be a best friend for someone currently going through that struggle.

Aside from the rich drawings and Kate's engaging personality, Baillie's cast of characters is also amazing: Kate's way-gay best friend Joey is fabulously flamboyant in a true but not mocking way, Desi is the Latina activist who can sway a crowd better than Barack Obama, and Verona is the older woman (yeah, she's 16, and that's old in this 13 year old crowd) who digs polyamory. Through chugging 40's and adventurous games of spin-the-bottle, Kate finds her sexuality in a tangle of identity confusion. Underlying this youthful narrative is a political beat that keeps a steady rhythm on each enjoyable page. My Brain Hurts is a great series for queer youth and older queer activists to relish together.

Review by Chelsey Clammer

Click here to buy:

My Brain Hurts

Check out more reviews at http://www.feministreview.org

The Constant Rider Omnibus: Stories from the Public Transportation Front

The Constant Rider Omnibus: Stories from the Public Transportation Front

via Feminist Review by Feminist Review on 4/17/08

By Kate Lopresti
Microcosm Publishing

This second edition of The Constant Rider Omnibus collects issues 1-7 of Kate Lopresti's zine of "stories from the public transportation front." The first issue dates from September 2000 and chronicles the author's holiday travels during a week riding Amtrak and VIA Rail (Canada's rail system). The most recent issue included is from spring 2005 and covers tales of "celebrity sightings" associated with public transit. In between is everything from bus riding manners and romance (issue #6) to what people on the bus are reading (issue #4) to tales of passengers traveling in altered states (issue #2).

Lopresti lives in Portland, Oregon and uses both her bike and public transportation to get around town. She encounters a lot of intriguing folks while en route, and she describes them with a sharp wit that really makes them come alive. Because Lopresti is gifted at relaying details, in just a few words she can reveal the people she comes across as multifaceted and real.

At her best, Lopresti does an excellent job pacing her stories, revealing just enough to keep the reader wanting more. Many of her narratives end with a clever "pow," some witty remark that completes the piece and leaves a feeling of satisfaction. However, as a high school English teacher might write at the top of Lopresti's composition, sometimes her pieces come to an end, but not a conclusion. Those stories left me wanting more too, just not in a good way. But a few bland endings don't keep the collection from being a fun read. Overall, I was quite entertained by this book. I think Lopresti is a talented writer, and I enjoyed watching her abilities improve from one issue to the next.

This anthology is really perfect for reading on the bus or train. It's slender, only 125 pages, so it is easily slipped into a backpack, messenger bag, or tote. None of the pieces are more than a few pages long, so it's easy to read snippets on short rides or during short waits. Some pieces are amusing enough to read over and over again, so with this book in your bag, you always have a handy distraction if your travel plans go awry or you need to ignore a fellow commuter who seems to be getting too friendly.

Since spring is here, I've been riding my bike to work instead of catching the bus, so I read this whole book in a couple of big chunks while sprawled out on my bed. However, I really do recommend savoring Kate Lopresti's words in smaller portions while commuting, during those times you would rather not bond with the bus driver or the other passengers.

Review by Chantel C. Guidry

Click here to buy:

Constant Rider Omnibus

Check out more reviews at http://www.feministreview.org