Aspects of Uranus - a queer astrology zine

Aspects of Uranus - a queer astrology zine

Compiled by Jade Mars

A5, 36 pages, colour cover. 

£3

“The stars aren’t astrology until people start telling stories about them”, write syr and an in their piece how to tell stories with our birth charts. The problem is, as Jade Mars outlines in the introduction: 

“binarist, sexist, and heteronormative ideas…plague Western astrology (and y'know, pretty much everything in our society)"

This zine was created as a response to the lack of information and advice around queer astrology. The range of contributions is varied, considered and engaging. It includes poetry from Chani Nicholas, Soof Andry, and Liza Lauper. Features are from Ludovic Foster – Boi Becomes Hare, Astrology as a way to subvert the “Trans Narrative”; Jade Mars writes In Praise of Virgos, a defence of undervalued traits defined as ‘women’s work’ by astrological orthodoxy, and offers a reading of Foucault’s birth chart relating to his work as a left-wing queer theorist. syr and an’s piece, as mentioned above, offers a great set of points to consider when creating an astrological reading with someone, and anna tackles tradition in Queerness, Disability and being a Capricorn. 

Aspects of Uranus is a thoughtful and thought-provoking zine that opens doors to better ways of engaging with traditionally excluding sets of symbols and practices. To quote from Chani Nicholas’ poem:

“Why do queers love astrology? 

Maybe it’s because we understand that our identities come in as many variations as there are stars in the sky.  

Maybe it’s because we see gender as a vast cosmology of options, not a system with two measly choices”

Buy a copy via Etsy: etsy.com/uk/listing/479023664/aspects-of-uranus-a-queer-astrology-zine

(Shhh....I shouldn't say this on a site devoted to reviewing paper and ink zines, but Aspects of Uranus is also available as a pdf: etsy.com/uk/listing/492567485/aspects-of-uranus-a-queer-astrology-zine)


Review by Nathan Penlington

The Gaysi Zine - Issue 5

The Gaysi Zine - Issue 5

156 pages. 28 x 22cm. Full colour. 

INR 400 + INR 50 (Delivery charge within India -  see below for international rates)

The theme for the latest issue of The Gaysi Zine is desire in its tangle of emotion, instinct, passion and confusion, in its myriad of voices, perspectives and realities. As the editors outline in their introduction, storytelling is the key to insight, and 

"the zine in many ways is an attempt at providing a common platform for all these different realities, not just to give them a way to the world and hence become something shared, but also to come together to paint a bigger picture of where we are as a queer conscience".

The zine achieves that and more. The content is clearly lovingly curated, beautifully designed, with a truly international range of contributors. It is by turns provocative, evocative, and erotic.

The contents range from documentary comic strips, short stories, poetry, guides to help you achieve multiple orgasms and improve your scissoring technique, to personal memoir. 

To quote the editors once again: 

"Desire is our weapon against an automated existence". 

Don't deny your desire to get your hands on The Gaysi Zine. Order a copy now. 


Check out Gaysi zine online here: gaysifamily.com/tag/gaysizine

To order visit: instamojo.com/GaysiFamily/the-gaysi-zine-issue-5-156-pages-mrp-400-del


**For International Delivery: please write to gaysifamily@gmail.com with the subject lines ‘Booking The Gaysi Zine – mention the number of copies’, and the Gaysi family will take it forward from there.**


Review by Nathan Penlington. My reviews of previous issues are here. 

The Gaysi Zine – Issue 3

The Gaysi Zine – Issue 3

120 pages. 21cm x 25 cm.

Rs. 150 + Rs. 30 for delivery charges pan India. (See below for overseas order details)

I've been stuck for a way to do this zine justice in a short review. Gaysi Zine is an extremely well put together collection of short stories, poems, and texts that defy neat categorisation, coupled with a diverse array of illustration, photography, and art. The visual imagery takes a delight in the handmade, in the hand drawn, and the handwritten, all of which gives the writing an extra element of intimacy. So much so that it often feels we are being let in on a secret. 

It is that sharing of personal experience that I love in zines, and how - no matter how far outside my own limited range of experience - it allows you to connect with a stranger in a profound way. That is how I felt reading this issue of Gayzi Zine. Many of the themes surround trust, intimacy, and honesty - all dealt with wit and intelligence. 

The work in Gayzi Zine reaches out beyond the queer scene in Delhi and will connect with you wherever you are. There is so much to explore, that all I can suggest is order a copy and wait with anticipation for a thud through your letterbox. 

For ordering information visit: instamojo.com/GaysiFamily/the-gaysi-zine-edition-3

Check out Gaysi on the web here: Gaysifamily.com


Review by Nathan Penlington

Out of Order, Queer and Trans Youth Resistance

Out of Order, Queer and Trans Youth Resistance

36 pages, digest, photocopied black and white

$2.50 (?)

This appears to be the first issue, written primarily by LGBT adults for LGBT youth. It has great potential.

In addition to personal experiences, there's a list of terminology, and also a list of resources, (mainly around Montreal, where this zine comes from.)

Except for the front and back covers it is all text, so there's a lot to read. The content is not great. There's not a lot of super interesting stuff considering the broad, rich topic.

However, it hits the mark in sending up a signal flare and reaching out to LGBT youth. If I were a queer or trans young person I'd be excited and grateful to find kindred voices, especially if I wasn't lucky enough to come from a particularly hip or progressive school system.

[I have a young trans second cousin who's high school refused to let him graduate with his trans name on his diploma. The students rallied around him and eventually the principal was compelled to back down. While this is a great example of how the up and coming generation is way less prejudice than previous generations, this type of support is still not the norm. there's still a long way to go and LGBT youth need these kinds of resources.]

What I would like to see, in addition to some better edited content, is contributions from the youth themselves. Offering them wisdom and support from experience is great, but giving them a voice is important too.

I picked this up at the Fluxxii distro table at the Scranton zine fest, but the site is down. You can also get it from Quimbys or contact the maker directly...

Quimby's

http://www.quimbys.com/store/5146

Fluxxii

http://www.fluxxiidistro.com/

queertransyouthzine at gmail

(spelling corrected)

Yoko Ono Zine

Yoko Ono Zine

24 pages (including front / back covers)

digest size, all art-quality card stock

$15.00

This may be the most perfect zine I've every held.

(Admittedly I'm Biased. I am a huge Yoko Ono fan. No other artist has influenced me as much as she has.)

Inside the thick yellow envelope there is a little bundle tied up with brown twine. It's a lovely package in any context, but especially delightful to me as I am reminded of some lines from Grapefruit, (TAPE PIECE III,) about wrapping gifts.

The package contains a lovely business card, a little piece of art sealed in plastic, and the zine, wrapped in brown paper. I do not know if this package is the way LOSTBOY always sends their zine out, or if this was specifically for me because of our shared love for Yoko. So, I'll just concentrate on the zine itself.

The entire inside 20 pages is card stock, off white. The cover is heavier card stock, brown. The front cover has a circle cut out. The art on the first page combines with the art on the front cover to make the cover people see when they first look at it. The spine is finely stitched, and the title information is stitched inside the back cover.

The art inside is amazing. Some of the drawings have Yoko quotes incorporated. There is a balance of simplicity and complexity. At first glance somewhat whimsical, but with a minute attention to detail. Line drawings mostly. A hint of the zen tangle style. Figure drawing. Abstract. Graphic design. Conceptual.

The first time through is slightly rushed, I'm eagerly drawn to see what's on the next page. Getting to the end is almost a relief, now I can go back through and spent time with each image. Let the eye wander and linger. Soak it in.

I'm mesmerized, and at a certain point I realize I'm on the verge of weeping. I cry all the time, so that's not unusual, but I can't remember the last time a work of art caused such an emotional response. I think it's a combination of the overall loveliness of the work, a sense of the devotion the artist poured into it, and nostalgia for that time in my life when Yoko and others were beacons to my lost and wandering young self, and finally, knowing that new generations of young artists are still discovering and being influenced by Yoko.

An absolute treasure.

Order:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/237987836/lostboy-illustrations-yoko-ono-zine?ref=shop_home_active_1

Web site:

http://www.lostboyillustrations.com/

Review by Jack Cheiky

Welcome to Nursing HELLo #1

Welcome to Nursing HELLo #1
40 pages, digest
$4 from Microcosm

Mini-comic ~ Joel is a male nurse married to another male nurse, living in CA. Everything about this screams cliche', right down to the juvenile drawing and barely audible sarcasm and cattiness. But it works. This is the perfect venue for Joel to tell this bunch of stories. Very engaging and enjoyable. I can't tell if he's really, really clever or just got lucky. Job hopping, Madonna, catheters, foleys, blood, cats, brain on a string, needles, drugs, more Madonna, and an effective cliffhanger.

www.welcometonursingHELLo.com
www.microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zine/3335

Josh #3

Queer Femme Paperdoll Zine! Call for Submissions!!!

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

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