Zine Review: Velocitylab #2

Velocitylab #2: The Revival

26 pages / $4

velocitylab.net

I stumbled across Velocitylab while browsing on etsy & editor Johnny Tsokos graciously mailed a review copy. Velocitylab #2 is boldly refreshing & unabashedly retro at the same time, creating a continuous wave / loop in time – it’s like reading a zine from 1980 in 2012. Old guys like me appreciate that.  Imagine a world where vinyl records matter, songs matter, local music & gigs matter, creative process matters & flesh and blood wins out over virtual social networking. Velocitylab #2 celebrates that world – the one we are creating and recreating. This issue starts out with a compelling intro (This is Not a Review, This is a Revival) & quickly launches into discussing “shit that still matters”. 

Juxtaposed between interviews with musicians (Kristin Thomson, The Axe & The Oak, Sirs) is some incredibly vivid fiction written by the editor. A few things I could have lived without, like some of the graphic sketches, but that’s simply a matter of personal taste. I have intentionally not visited the zine website, happy to enjoy Velocitylab in its paper incarnation. Variety zines are alive & well. Welcome to the revival. 

Zine Review: Duped No. 1

Duped Issue No 1: The New Age

40 pages / $3

dupedzine@gmail.com

Duped reads like Mad Magazine dropped from an alternate universe, or perhaps more like one of those antiquated oddball religious / occult tracts that people copied and distributed anonymously in the 1970’s. There is a lot of humor in Duped, but how much of it is funny is purely subjective. What worked for me: a choose your own adventure style story called Destiny Revealed at the Knights of Columbus; parody cd reviews; “Call me Crazy”; Ye Olde Yorker comics & the horoscope section. Chicken & Garfunkel and the centerpiece The Omegaplex End Times HQ were also hysterical. This is the debut issue & I suspect it will evolve and just get weirder. This is the most innovative zine thusfar in my 2012 reading list. 

Zine Review: Biblio-Curiosa #2

Who are F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre and T. Mullet Ellis? Chris Mikul not only knows who they are, but has read their exceedingly obscure books.

Chris recently published Biblio-Curiosa #2, a zine where he delves into the murky world of oddball books and mostly forgotten authors. I imagine Chris as the kind of bibliographic detective who shuffles through stacks of crumbling, dilapidated books in the attics of eccentric aunts, or rummaging beneath dusty trinket tables at inauspicious flea markets sleuthing for unusual titles wearing vintage Holmesian attire. The reality of course is probably much different, yet this is the image conjured in my mind’s eye by his tempered discoveries.

In the digital age, anyone can self publish anything rather than enduring the whims and mercies of traditional publishing houses. Back in the day (read pre Y2K) getting a book published was a lot of work. Some people read these books with unflinching pleasure when they were originally published. In Biblio-Curiosa #2, Chris relates what is known (or guessed) about the life of novelist, poet and short story writer F. Gynplaine MacIntyre, am imposing and gregarious figure who may unfortunately be remembered for his exit from life rather than his literary output. Chris then unearths a mystery about pulp paperback The Yellow Yasmak by Gina Dewall (or is it Murder in Mid Air by Dexter Dayle? Or perhaps written by neither pseudonym?). Moving forward unscathed, Chris delves headfirst into a potboiler of an intricately plotted novel titled Zalma by T. Mullett Ellis.

The writers chronicled in Biblio-Curiosa were passionate about the printed word, overflowing with imagination, and struck a chord with adventurous readers. This ardent literature should not be languishing in the cellars of history, and Chris Mikul does yeomen’s work as biblio-archeologist bringing these titles back into the prospective reader’s consciousness.

Zine Review: Tom Huck A Life Out of Line

Tom Huck: A Life Out of Line

by Kevin McClosky

32 pages / half letter / $6 postpaid

moonpennypress.com

At risk of looping into a recurring theme, I need to say again that the greatest joy I derive from reading zines is the act of discovery. Prior to receiving this zine I had never heard of Tom Huck or his woodblock arts. In what has to be the coolest concept I have seen so far in 2012, the cover of Tom Huck A Life Out of Line detaches to become a full-sized poster, a woodblock reprinted on recycled grocery bag paper.

Kevin McCloskey presents Tom Huck’s story with an energetic narrative and artistic style. He recounts Huck’s early days as a Catholic altar boy, mesmerized and confused by sexuality. Huck becomes infatuated with Albrecht Durer and Jose Posada. He refines his own style and opens Evil Prints, an offbeat printmaking project where he currently creates some of the most unusual woodblock prints of our time, or any other.

What bleeds through clearly in this zine is that Huck’s life is lived with intensity and authenticity. Highly recommended. 

Zine Review: Taken For a Ride

Taken For a Ride: My Night In the Cash Cab 
by Matt Carman
32 pages / half letter
matt.carman@gmail.com

Matt lifts the veil on the “spontaneous” “reality” game show Cash Cab, detailing his and his friends experiences being scouted, and finally appearing on the show. Matt writes with a distinct voice and brings the experience clarity and perspective yet keeps you in the suspense of the moment. Other essays in Taken For a Ride: My Night In the Cash Cab involve watching The Price Is Right on the day of the Oklahoma City bombing, spending a Sunday morning waiting to participate in a focus group or workshop or something related to Password, trying to find Carmen Sandiego & more. This is a very literate, very observant, very humorous zine.

Audio Review: Pixelated #3

Zine Review: Watertowers Are People Too

Watertowers Are People Too

A pedantic story by Alfred Planco

24 pages / half letter / $3

http://www.etsy.com/shop/pickledcity?ref=seller_info

Watertowers Are People Too is uncomplicated yet brimming with thought provoking imagery. We take so much of our environment for granted & this zine shows us creative views of watertowers (a mysterious icon if ever there was one) in their native urban habitat. Watertowers Are People Too seems to be a call to look deeper into our communities and our place on the Earth, to open our eyes to hidden treasures. Evocative & inspired, Watertowers Are People Too is an artistic pleasure. 

Zine Review: Born to Kill Cheese Bike #5

The cool thing about zines is that any subject can be intriguing if it is given a creative presentation. Born to Kill – Cheese Bike #5 proves my assertion. The creator of this zine chronicles his work selling grilled cheese sandwiches cheap in New York City from the back of his motorbike. At the beginning of issue #5 there is a traffic mishap and the bike needs an overhaul. The writer details the repairs and changes he makes to menu and equipment. 

At first I wondered if this had something to do with The Journey, in which filmmaker Eric Saperston sets out on a quest to find America by selling grilled cheese sandwiches (subtitled: sexy kind) for a buck out of his VW camper. But I didn’t find any connection between these two similar but apparently unrelated projects. No matter – this zine is unique in it’s approach to the material, recording the process with photographs and even a daily accounting of how much the author made from his enterprise and where.

Born to Kill – Cheese Bike #5 is available from Microcosm. 

Zine Review: Grunted Warning #14

Grunted Warning #14

from Stuart Stratu

PO Box 35

Marrickville NSW 2204

Australia

$1 / trade / friendly letter

This zine is a lot of fun – full of news clippings ranging from the quirky to the bizarre.We live in a world where anything can happen – and does. Like playing Russian roulette with a sleeping friend (guess who loses). Aliens are kept in the fridge, Zombies fall from scaffolding, Grandmothers harass the neighbors. It’s all here in glorious … black & white, presented for your reading horror, or, in my case - pleasure. 

Editorial / Zine Review - Basements and Living Rooms

Basements and Living Rooms

66 pages / $2

shannon@qzap.com

Full disclosure: the audience for this zine is about 30 years younger than I am. Squeezing  into a basement with a group of loud, sweaty, possibly inebriated people is not anywhere on my list of enjoyable things to do. So on one level I have an innate bias of sorts. However, on another level I thoroughly enjoyed the spirit and intent expressed within these pages.

Music needs to be taken back from the commercialists and the corporations and American Idolatry. Music was never intended to be an “industry”. Music is something we are all capable of creating. Not that long ago, instead of X-boxes and ‘rock band’, people had pianos or guitars, or other instruments in their living rooms. Before arena rock, the joy of music involved sharing moments with our friends in an intimate space.

House shows are a way of returning to, or evolving, how music was meant to be – homemade, unpretentious, heartfelt, warts and all – not the glittery ‘perfection’ found on television singing competitions. Basements and Living Rooms – A Zine About House Shows and DIY Music is infused with personal stories, perspectives, and experiences of DIY bands and practical advice on setting up your space as a performance venue. This zine is generous with comics, photographs, and practical information. I’ve even heard one of the bands (out of dozens) mentioned – Mega Bog. Maybe I’m not so old after all.

My advice:  tear up your U2 tickets (or whatever mega tour is happening this year) & make your own scene. 

Mixt Media Audio Review: July 2012

Here's the July edition of my lo-fi zine show featuring some readings from the zine The Whales Will Fuss Over Me by Burgin Mathews, suggestions to celebrate International Zine Month, music from Library Sciences & Edible Onion releases and more ... Your feedback is encouraged - mp3 submissions considered.

Audio Review: Do's of Writing Don'ts of Writing

Zine Review: Piltdown Lad #4

Piltdown Lad #4

The Nasty Oh-Dear

40 pages

Kelly Dessaint

PO Box 86714

LosAngeles CA 90086

There are a handful of zines that, when I’ve turned the final page, make me think: I want to read more of that. Big Hands & Burn Collector are two such zines, and now I have to add Piltdown Lad to the list. Piltdown Lad #4 opens with Kelly Dessaint discussing his zine creations past & present, segueing into what feels like an incomplete autobiographical piece called “The Nasty Oh-Dear” which left me with so many questions about the writer & his brother & their survival through adolescence. Kelly continues with an account of the LA Zine Fest, a generous helping of zine reviews, and the origins of his zine’s name.  Piltdown Lad #4 has the right mix of variety and content – an absolute must read. 

Zine Review: The Opera Glass #60

I am convinced that the way forward with zines in the digital age involves a look at the past: creating well written journals with original and compelling content. Ideally, zines & journals will be “offline” (print only) possibly supplemented with an online presence. Having expressed that, I am sure there are dozens of people who will counter with the way forward being zines published via Kindle and e-readers. There is probably room for both approaches in the universe.

The Opera Glass No. 60 (April 2012) is the first issue of this unique publication I have read. The Opera Glass is edited by Iris J. Arnesen, and exudes an abundance of enthusiasm for opera and the local theater scene in Tucson AZ. Issue No. 60 goes behind the scenes at a production of Inherit the Wind, then segues into a detailed education on Orfeo ed Euridice. Iris takes the reader on a tour of the mythical Elysian Fields and then writes reviews of productions staged in Tucson in early 2012. The Opera Glass also includes a correspondence section. The Opera Glass is one of a growing number of zines that are made without the use of computers. 

Like excellent theater, zines also carry the potency and potential to transport us to distant times or different cultures, educate us and elicit emotion. This zine has me thinking about ways to disconnect from the television and connect with live performances, and perhaps hunt down some opera records (ah vinyl!) … The Opera Glass is a generous & gracious journal that I hope to read for years to come. 

Write to: Iris J. Arnesen 219 N Euclid Avenue Tucson AZ 85719

                      

Zine Review: Garden Club

Garden Club

a zine by Katie Haegele

www.thelalatheory.com

Garden Club is about as charming a zine as you will find. Katie describes her experiences with the local garden club and an herb garden that she helps maintain on the grounds of a historic house / museum. This is a delightfully illustrated zine with crisp writing, however I would have enjoyed reading more about the various plants in the garden, and more about the garden club itself. A perfect zine to enjoy with a cup of herbal tea.

Zine Review: No No No (This is NOT a Zine) #2

Every once in a while a zine arrives in the mail that I read cover to cover in one sitting - a zine of substance that absorbs me from the opening lines onward. Fortunately I ordered No No No (This is NOT a Zine) from Parcell Press and it arrived only a couple of days later (snail mail? I think *not*)!

Kim Cody's writing is descriptive and absorbing. There is directness and honesty in her writing, an economy of words used to their fullest effect. Kim relates the death of her mother and it's aftermath, a slow, tortured healing / grieving process that is as raw and real as anything you will read in any zine this or any year. There is also a great (true) story about her attempts to get involved in the mail art scene, some stark and beautiful poetry, and more. No No No (This is NOT a Zine) Issue 2 is compelling in every sense. 

Mixt Media Audio Zine June 2012

Here's the new episode of my lo-fi zine show featuring some readings from the zines Real Life, Letterfounder, Finite and Flamable, Old Weird America and more. Also includes some radio news & indie music. Your comments and feedback are appreciated.

Zine Review: Ioway or the Highoway

Ioway or the Highoway

jamie.schlote@gmail.com

32 pages / quarter sized

Ioway or the Highoway is a per-zine with a variety of content. This issue (January 2010) talks about how people talk about the weather In Iowa, the future of feminism, not having a TV (yes!) and the prolific and wonderful Wesley Willis, whose songs I were introduced to via Songs In the Key of Z. Definitely worth investing a few moments reading! 

Zine Review: The Zine Explorers Notebook #3

The Zine Explorers Notebook #3

PO Box 5291 Richmond VA 23220

$2 or trade / stamp / letter

I struggle internally around whether or not to abandon the digital world completely and become a true paper-neter, but I fear that would be a difficult reality to navigate mostly due to my role as a radio DJ – so much information and music is shared online now that to not be part of that world would put me in a severe disadvantage for musical discovery.However, the inability to pay for internet access may become a reality in the near future, in which case the choice will be made for me.

 The “papernet” (for want of a better moniker) is a place that still teams with people, publications, and ideas. The Zine Explorers Notebook, published by Doug Harrison, is an oasis for thought and conversation, and a place to find new zines and zinesters to connect with. As Doug states in his introduction, “ … This is a meaningful way to participate in life. This publication is more than a hobby.”

Doug goes on to share thoughts on the recent Japanese nuclear disaster, nuclear power, his printing process, and more. There are ample and detailed zine reviews, book reviews and even a music review. Several pages are devoted to letters from readers and items in the news. The Zine Explorers Notebook packs maximum content into ten pages, is stylistically highly readable and an exceptional resource. 

Zine Review: People With Cameras

People With Cameras

found and arranged by Charles Wray

http://www.etsy.com/listing/95390526/zine-people-with-cameras-free-shipping

Remember those scrapbooks full of grainy pictures that your aunt took when she bought a new 35mm camera back in the day? Well here they are – visual proof of ephemeral moments. This is a full color zine (with some black & white) of images culled from the past century with just what the title promises – people with cameras. What makes this collection work is the variety of people, styles of photography, and curious situations that stimulate daydreaming & reflection – who were these folks & what are their stories? The only face I recognized was Dick Cavett – and that’s part of the beauty of this zine – most of the photographs are shot by, and include, everyday people who could be your neighbors or even your great-grandparents. Highly recommended. 

Zine Review: One Hundred Fingers of Death

One-Hundred Fingers of Death

by St. Paco (Paco D. Taylor)

7730 East Broadway #925

Tucson AZ 85710

8 pages

$1 or 2 stamps / trade /letter

Quote from the promotional description that accompanied the review copy: Originally written for Kung Fu Grip! #5, One-Hundred Fingers of Death is a tuff lil text that told its author it was bad enuff to make it on its own (as an 8-page zine). 

Bad enuff? (sp) Yeah, but not in the context the author is hoping. One-Hundred Fingers of Death reads like a pissing contest (or as the author puts in, a dick-measuring contest) between the author a friend (and/or the zine reader) regarding how many martial arts movies someone has watched and how to aspire to be a martial arts movie watching master. Hello? Is there nothing else to aspire to in our society? Something that might make a difference to others, or the community? 100 movies in any genre = 100+ hours of your life that you’ll never get back. The tone of the writing in One-Hundred Fingers of Death is self referential and arrogant (ok, in all fairness the same could sometimes be said of One Minute Zine Reviews). Two pages of this zine is the actual list of movies Paco has watched. One page is a commercial for Kung Fu Grip. My strong impression is: skip both the movies & the zine. Get outdoors in the sunshine. Now, breathe. 

Zine Review: Photomill #1

Poetic images weave in & out of Kent's writing in Photomill #1 ... this is a perzine that captures lost moments & memories, with stories that meander down barren winter roads and through urban streets.
School buses figure heavily into the stories, which is fun since my spouse is currently a school bus driver.
Photomill #1 is punctuated by long walks & musings with an air of melancholy and introspection. Nothing wrong with that!

for more information write to photomillzine@gmail.com

Booklet review: Molding and Casting

Molding & Casting

by Roger Hayward

32 pages / $3

www.lastwordpress.com

This booklet presents in clear step-by step instruction how to work with metals & alloys to create useful tools and objects. Long wax and sand casting processes are described in detail. This is a craft and an art that can be reclaimed within a decent, well vented garage space. Well illustrated. 

Booklet review: History of May Day

History of May Day

by Alexander Trachtenberg

30 pages / $3

www.lastwordpress.com

Very little has changed in terms of the working person in our culture between 1812 and 2012. We are still being underpaid, people are working multiple jobs and long hours to survive (if you can find a job at all), many people have no health care insurance, etc. “Union” has been branded a dirty word by capitalists and conservatives (i.e. business owners) in our culture.

Last Word Press has reissued this booklet which was originally published in 1929 with subsequent editions. Knowing our history is essential for our learning curve & this booklet delves into the history of the labor movement and its relation to May Day, a call for solidarity, strike, and mutual aid. Highly recommended. 

Booklet review: Common Edible Plants of the West

Common Edible Plants of the West

by Muriel Sweet

64 pages / $7

www.lastwordpress.com

Last Word Press has reissued this booklet which was originally published in 1962.Common Edible Plants of the West is generously illustrated and full of practical information about the uses of plants that grow in the western US. This guide includes both common and Latin names, clear descriptions of numerous species and their uses.This is knowledge that urbanvores need as we spiral into ever increasing disconnection with the Earth. 

Booklet Review: Carnato Baa

Carnato Baa and the Coolest Skateboard in the Universe

16 pages / $1 ?

www.cosmicrockbooklets.com

Carnato Baa (or is it Ba?) has a lot of brothers, and a lot of adventures. He receives a skateboard as a birthday present and … I won’t tell you what happens next. Fun drawings accompany this cool booklet / zine for kids.  Created by Evan Harris, a zinemaker since 1994. Long live booklets! 

Zine Review: Toy Camera

Once upon a time, creativity flowed from within us, not from gadgets, technologies and apps. Toy Camera Zine explores the world of photography with inexpensive cameras and real film, with a focus (ok, pun intended) on the Holga. Lomography.com describes the Holga like this: the unassuming Holga is here to save you from a future of digital pixels and images shared on small screens on cameras or phones. We have all become numbed with photography, there is no denying it, but a chunky camera made almost entirely of plastic has been put on this Earth to save us. It will reawaken your vision, fill you with joy, make you see beauty when you thought it had disappeared forever, and bring out sunshine on a cloudy day.

Nicci’s zine is filled with fun ideas and projects for playing with toy cameras, along with some basic operational info about the Holga, and some examples of her own artistic vision. Toy Camera Zine is quarter-sized, 29 pages, hand sewn binding, printed on high quality paper and available from Sweet Candy Distro. 

Zine Review: Pulling Ink

Pulling Ink

by Rio

www.counteractcollective.com

The best zines are ones we can learn something from – a skill, a hobby, or a new perspective. The subtitle to Rio’s zine is Build a One Color Press & Start Screenprinting. Rio’s directions are clear and concise.The novice will learn about the screen, making a stencil, photo emulsion, ink, substrates, and a step-by-step

guide to building a press. Reading this zine makes me want to try screenprinting a cover for a future issue of my Paper Radio zine. Pulling Ink is well illustrated and is highly recommended for those delving into the printing arts for the first time. 

Zine Review: Cloud Factory #2

Cloud Factory #2

www.walkerworld.etsy.com

Cloud Factory feels unique among zines – both meandering and sharply focused at the same time. Ryan Homsley is a prisoner and Laura is a zine creator and Cloud Factory is their mutual creation born from correspondence between them.. In this issue Ryan and Laura discuss what the title Cloud Factory means and Laura’s financial, physical, and mental challenges in publishing and editing the zine. They also discuss historical moments that had impacts upon their lives, authors who have influenced them, and more. Ryan is a powerful writer who navigates his interior world and opens glimpses, then vistas, for us, the readers. Playing In Hurricanes is one of the finest pieces of writing I’ve encountered so far this year. Ryan’s artwork is striking and sometimes surreal bordering on disturbing at times – it’s an unfiltered gaze into his creative psyche. A sequence called “Cell Ten” was both incisive and harrowing. Cloud Factory is a zine that speaks truth on every page and brings us to places of darkness, light, and humanity.  

Zine Review: Sprouts

Sprouts: More Comics About Food

$5 / 56 pages

treesandhills.org

Sprouts is the eleventh in a series of comics anthologies from artists living in New Hampshire, Vermont & Western Massachusetts. The comics range from simple to complex. Personal favorites include a comic featuring the virtues of carob by Glynnis Fawkes, Bill Tulp’s expose of monoculture & the imminent danger our food supply is facing, and Colin Tedford’s story about the Winchester School Garden. These anthologies are always both educational & highly enjoyable. 

Mixt Media Audio Zine

Here's my new 30 minute monthly program for The Global Voice radio featuring music, zine readings & radio news. Thanks for listening! 





Mixt Media Audio Zine May 2012

Zine Review: Cyanotype a how-to guide

Cyanotype: a how-to guide

mistydawn.mm@gmail.com

This ¼ size zine introduces the world of using sunlight to make blueprints / exposures on paper, cotton, wool and other materials. The process involves some basic chemistry & a small darkroom set-up but can be done in anyone’s house or apartment. I appreciate how comprehensive this zine is – explaining the history and step by step process for producing your own cyanotype graphics. There is also a brief resource list for further reading / learning. Let's get away from the computer printer & back to basics (and fun).  

Audio Review: SuperFriends

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Zine Review: Digging Up a Tennessee Anarchist

Ross Winn - Digging Up a Tennessee Anarchist 

Let’s face it: Ross Winn was not a saint. When Emma Goldman raised $60 in funds to help his impoverished, struggling family, Winn quickly used the money to buy a new printing press rather than to feed and clothe his wife and son. Yet this act epitomizes the passion Ross Winn embodied for his anarchist philosophies. He was on fire for social change & printed words were his tools. Over several decades, Winn published numerous journals including Winn’s Firebrand and The Advance. He understood that a free press is the key to discourse, that ideals and ideas need to flow between people in order to manifest in the realm of action.

With Digging Up a Tennessee Anarchist, Shaun & Ally are the curators of a perfectly choreographed zine. Robert Helms writes the introduction about the significance of documenting anarchist history so that we have role models and references to help frame our own philosophies. His meeting Shaun & Ally sent them down the path of uncovering and documenting Ross Winn’s life. This zine includes a biography of Winn, an essay about the process of discovering his history, letters written by his son to Emma Goldman, and excerpts from Winn’s journals. Digging Up a Tennessee Anarchist  is a substantial, cohesive, highly readable body of work. Paper journals and zines are more relevant than ever as we struggle to communicate in the age of communication and create dialogue above the din & roar of technology. Through his dedication to social change and the craft of journalism, Ross Winn heralded inspiration that will now, thankfully, not languish in obscurity.    

Zine Review: Somnambulist #19

actual zine cover is in black & white

Somnambulist #19

$15 / 4 issues

Martha Grover

PO Box 14871

Portland OR 97293

marthagrover@hotmail.com

The centerpiece of this issue is a narrative recounting two days of a grueling walk that Martha took with her boyfriend through Oregonian countryside titled “The Walking Trip – A Story About Learning How to Be Okay”. I could feel Martha’s pain as she bravely recounts what I would consider the walk from hell and the insights / lessons she encounters along the way. None of the writing by other authors in this issue grabbed me. From a reader’s standpoint, Somnambulist might work better as a perzine than a litzine.  

Zine review: The Aardvark #3

The Aardvark #3

full size / 20 pp $2

Manual Publications

PO Box 771

College Park MD 20740

I don’t know what the scientific evidence is, however in the past two decades I have subjectively observed a decline in not only the quantity of people who read for enjoyment or education, but also the quality of the reading process itself. People’s attention spans have been subverted by television and the internet, e-readers, ipads, and an endless array of gadgetry.

The tactile and tangible experience of reading books is a joy, one that humans have connected with for hundreds of years. Deep reading involves attention, thought, and reflection with minimal distraction. Deep reading is an essential ability that shapes critical thinking and comprehension skills.

Art Vark’s newsletter / zine The Aardvark is an affirming, literate publication that asks us to be mindful of the relationship between reading and technology, and our own reading habits and choices. The Aardvark is a celebration of words on paper. Corporate CEOs like Steve Jobs (RIP) and whomever is the CEO of Amazon would have us abandon the ship of books and paper like passengers fleeing the Titanic. The problem is: corporate technocrats haven’t thought about the societal implications of such a rash act. They have only thought about billions in profits to be gleaned from digital culture consumers.

The Aardvark moves fluently through philosophical discussions and introduces the reader to some thought provoking, overlooked tomes. There is more substance within its 20 pages than I’ve read in some full length books. If you care about the act of reading, and the future of reading, I propose immersing yourself in these pages.

I recognize the irony of cheerleading for the world of paper on a blog. Yet I seek balance – this blog is also a paper zine and even a radio show. I do 95% of my reading away from a screen, and will always choose paper over an “e-anything”. As we plunge deeper into the digital age, paper zines like The Aardvark may become archaic, or they may not – they may become the impetus for thoughtful discourse that moves us in a direction of equilibrium and reason.

Zine Review: Junior Careers - Piltdownlad #3

Junior Careers

Piltdownlad #3

28 pages / $2 or trade

PO Box 86714

Los Angeles CA 90086

http://www.kellydessaint.com/

Even though I grew up in New Hampshire, I totally relate to this zine about a teenaged door-to-door candy salesman trying to scrape a few bucks together in the San Gabriel Valley (California). I remember my numerous preadolescent misadventures peddling Grit Magazine and other various sundries in my small neighborhood. In Junior Careers, Kelly recalls in vivid detail interactions with the bossman, customers, and how he wanted to escape from home and make some cash at the same time. There are incidents with tough bullies, police seeking permits, drunks, and other candy salesmen. Kelly’s direct writing style draws the reader into the scene and immerses you in that time and place – I can almost feel the sidewalks beneath my feet & hear the bossman growling. Now if I only had some chocolate seashells…