from LCRW no.
10
Zines, Zines,
Glorious Zines
Zines that we've reviewed before
may have been bumped this time due to aforementioned lack of space
(and more apropos of something on the web, lack of time), etc. etc.
If only we had less good stuff, we'd have more space. Hmm. We'll have
to think about that dynamic.
Backyard Ashes, #2: Poems
that tend toward the informal and includes some prose poems that read
like short stories. Photographs, illustrations, and a refusal to pack
every square inch with text means there is enough space for the poems
to sit next to one another without crowding each other out. Fresh
and original and worth your coffee money. $3 CDN, 20pp, 8.5x11, Backyard
Ashes, 34 Mackenzie Cr., Saskatoon, Sk., S7J2R5, Canada backyard_ashes@hotmail.com
Electric
Velocipede, #1&2: A solid collection of fiction that heads
toward science fiction but makes some stops along the way. The stories
are complemented by a number of good illustrations and bracketed by
reviews which range pretty widely. Especially interesting is the piece
on fiction and typography. EV is a good read, and like any
good magazine aspiring to a broad readership, not everything is for
everyone. The editor, John Klima's, enthusiasm for all things small
press is astounding: don't be surprised if you see him on late-night
TV, on the street, or in your local grocery store, bringing the small
press vibe to the world. $3, 32, 36pp, 7x8.5, Electric Velocipede,
PO Box 421, South Bound Brook, NJ 08880 Electric
Velocipede
Invisible Still Life, Anthony
Salerno/The Perfection of Wisdom Handwritten on a Day's Pay,
John Bradford: This is a very cool piece of work, two short chapbooks
(8pp. ea.) back to back -- it's almost a Mobius strip. For some reason
the interiors are bound in so that they start at what is usually the
back, is it art, or just a mistake? Did we get a misbound copy? Don't
know. Preferred the artifact to the contents, but that's the way it
goes sometimes. $5, Time Release Press, NYC, 1998, 4.5x5.5
Natural History by Maddalena
Polletta, 3 books, 1/400: Bargain, order now. Sewn into a little yellow
cloth bag with a color picture on it are three little booklets: Questions
for Classification of Homo Sapiens Sapiens is a very cleverly
constructed list of questions, some of which are more common than
others. Museum is a series of b&w photos of animals from museum
dioramas. Natural History is a 48pp illustrated collection
of seven short stories, ranging from a speed-laden trip to New York
to working at a hydroponically-grown spinach farm. For some reason
the stories are all in italic.... All together, it is one cool collection.
fleabites press, PO Box 20229, Tompkins Sq. Stn., NY, NY 10009, $6.95,
4x2.5; 4x3; 4x5 fleabitespress.com
Public Illumination Magazine,
#47: Art and text with obligatory semi-literary pseudonyms -- from
the wishful (Buffy Porker) to the perhaps too-true (Sir Portly Yenim).
Very short, sometimes very funny, sometimes odd. Best is "Jelly
Beans," 19 words of fun which we could quote here, but what would
be the fun in that? Instead go find a copy yourself. Can be found
everywhere from NYC to Asheville, Zimbabwe to Paris. Mid 2001, $1.50,
23pp, 3x4. mondorondo.com/pim
Western Lore, #4 Well,
hell, the boys are back with more beer-fueled trips into the Nevada
desert to find ghost towns and old mines, build fires and launch UFOs
(instructions included). There's a piece on fiddler Spade Cooley,
who sounds not the least bit likable, except on record; a book report
on Car Camping; and a great excerpt from a book by western expert
Nell Murbarger. Usual array of desert photography throughout. $2,
36pp, 5.5x8.5, 210 21st St., Sacramento, CA 95814 Remember to order
beer, T-shirts, and stickers -- "You always need stickers hoss"
Wishbone, #10: Rants (well-fueled
by coworkers) about the office, great stuff on girl geeks (they're
taking over, I'm so happy!) and how to protect your PC from viruses,
Oil Industry Hype (bring on the electric zeppelins, ahem -- ed.),
some good comix and, you knew it was coming, cute bunny pix. No, really.
It's all rabbits all the time. $2, 36pp, 5.5x8.5 wishbonezine.com
Zines I Should
Probably Not Review . . . . . . Because I'm a contributor.
But here goes anyway.
Full Unit Hookup, #1: It's
roll call at the slipstream writers' camp: James Sallis, Maureen McHugh,
Douglas Lain, Robert Wexler, Charles Coleman Finlay, and more -- many
more! Mark Rudolph is wearing his Conical Hat (see below) very seriously
here, with the debut issue of FUHU. This is a zine that can
stand up and be counted, and, since he seems to be in it for the long
run, may become a name to be reckoned with. Mark also contributes
a thoughtful and thought-provoking essay "Big Nose Pride Day,"
for which it's worth seeking out the zine. $5, Sub. 3/$12 42pp, 7x8.5
Conical Hats Press, 622 West Cottom Ave., New Albany, IN 47150-5011
members.aol.com/FullUnitHookup
...is
this a cat? Well, one person is sure of the answer, Portnoy,
the cat, but he isn't telling, so in the meantime more than a dozen
contributors weigh in on the question. I read this cover to cover
and laughed and laughed. Standouts include all the fiction, the crossword,
the very funny editorial, and the huge comic by Justin Colussy Estes.
Don't miss out. $5, 48pp, 7x8.5 The Fortress of Words, 1705 Leestown
Rd., #1201, Lexington, KY 40511-2159 isthisacat@hotmail.com
Xerography Debt, #7: I
throw caution to the wind and joy to the world (while trying to avoid
clichés like the plague) and review half-a-dozen or so zines.
This is a great zine. Along with Zine World and a few others,
I always find something good to read. Besides, there's nothing like
sending a dollar or two in the mail and receiving someone's heartfelt
work. Also explains why Davida had to change the name from Xerox
Debt: the Xerox Corp. found it too threatening. Aw. $2, 44pp,
5.5x8.5 PO Box 963, Havre de Grace, MD 21078 leekinginc.com
from LCRW no.
10
Bonus
Web-Only Reviews
Zines I Should
Probably Not Review . . . . . . Because I'm a contributor.
Turbocharged Fortune
Cookie, #1: Wonderful poetry from Martha
J. Allard ("Towered" -- "Like any common Prince, he
is pale of skin and long/of limb. Like any common Prince, he falls
far short/of the advertising.") starts this zine off with a sizzle.
It's followed by "Anika, Artesia, Abbatoir" by Lola Haskins,
which alone is worth the price of admission. Add in strong fiction
from Susan Mosser and an interview with Patricia McKillip, and you
have a zine that is striking out on its own wonderfully
individual path. Second serving, please! Turbocharged Fortune Cookie,
329 Bellair Dr., Cocoa, FL 32922-7055 turbocookie.net
Xerography Debt,
#8: More reviewers, more zines -- and a nicely drawn review of our
zine by Androo Robinson (see below) of Ped Xing and Cryptozoa.
Handy list of new postal rates and an ad for Spee-dee
Que copyshop in DC, who promise cheap copying for zinesters, is
that good news, or what? Best for reviews, hundreds of them (not counted,
but there are!). Read it online (although you'll miss Androo's reviews),
or send your two bucks in. $2, 52pp, 5.5x8.5, PO Box 963, Havre de
Grace, MD 21078 leekinginc.com
Zines,
Zines, Glorious Things
Cryptozoa, #2:
Drawings with a little tale attached to each. Brd St. A young
woman plays her trumpet with the crows on the telephone line. Reminded
me of Chris Raschka's books (which are nominally for kids, but everyone
loves them) about Charlie Parker, etc. Both of these are neat in many
senses of the word. Both
32pp, 4.5x5.5, Androo Robinson, 2000 NE 42 Av, #303, Portland, OR
97213 leekinginc.com/pedxing
Better Luck Next Century
by Dylan Horrocks. Collection of political comics, illustrations and
cartoons that give a potted history of the last 20 years in New Zealand
politics. Some excellent stuff from the man behind the must-read Hicksville.
48pp, 5.25x7.5, Top Shelf Productions, PO Box 1282, Marietta,
GA 30061-1282 topshelfcomics.com
Twenty-eight Pages Lovingly
Bound with Twine, #3: Christoph gets the award for the person
having the most fun doing a zine. This 28-pager, literally bound with
twine (and with a great woodcut on the cover!), includes a piece on
his wife, Lisa, giving birth, (which includes pix of everyone involved),
and a good review of a Jim Carey film: The Majestic, which
he calls "the cheesiest piece of cheese I've consumed in a while."
Subscribe, enjoy the ride. $2/trade, 28pp, 5.5x8.5, Christoph Meyer,
POB 106, Danville, OH 43104
Typewriter, #5: $5, 16
long (14x5.5) fold-out pages with comics from lots of different people.
Amazing construction with a nice card cover and a piece of paper that
fold around and holds it all in place. This is the kind of thing that
I'd like to spend time making, but I suspect it would take all my
free time for the next six months, and still not be as neat as this.
Some excellent comics. Worth your fingerful of dollars. homepage.mac.com/dangerbeee/typewriter
69 by Steven Schwartz.
Spinning off from Geoff Ryman's web project/novel, 253, 69
gives us 69 words about 69 people's experiences at a sex party. It's
titillating, intriguing, and poignant. As each person tells their
story, they build on the past stories, painting a picture of a party
where some people know too much about each other, others not enough,
some people who just don't care, and others who always leave lonely.
A great little project. $3 80pp, 4.5x5.5, Blue Frog Press/Peculiar
Editions
Southern Fried Sci-fi and Jambalaya
Genres: Tales from Nacfas. Interesting anthology that appeared
on my doorstep (metaphorically) about six months ago (them's the breaks
with a twice-yearly zine). What's "The Nacfas?" It's the
North Alabama Science Fiction and Cake Appreciation Society -- a good
idea if ever I heard one. This group gets together and eats, writes,
and critiques. The stories in it are workshop stories: the editors,
Scott Hancock and Lin Nielsen Cochran, gave the writers a two week
deadline, so there's a fair range of style, subject, and quality.
Stories I enjoyed were "Pattern for Change," which explored
junk DNA and "Meemaw's Wachukkas," which tapped into the
rich vein of southern language and humor. It's great to see small
presses jumping up from everywhere. $5, 107pp, 5.5x8.5, Sursum Publishing,
9531 Hemlock Drive, Huntsville, Alabama, 35803 0967501725. http://nasfacas.topcities.com
Big Deal Comics &
Stories by Patrick Lee Dean Sometimes hilarious,
sometimes pointless, sometimes filled with aliens, sometimes sung,
comics from 1997-2000. $2,
36pp, 5.5x8.5. fatdean@hotmail.com
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