Introduction

 

After what has been an almost obsessively consistent publishing schedule for the last six years, there are some major changes afoot here at Xerography Debt headquarters. The changes had started with the last issue, but the next big impact is still a few months away. This summer Donny returned to grad school at for a degree in Turkish studies. Meanwhile, here in Maryland, I embarked was my most ambitious creation yet – a child.

By the time this issue reaches you I should be well entrenched in my 7th month, with a due date in February. I’ll be returning to work full-time after my maternity leave and even I am not so foolish and arrogant to think that I can handle an infant, an occasionally intense full-time job, and publish Xerography Debt on the same consistent schedule. There was a good bit of thought and discussion about what to do and initially Donny and I thought it best that the zine go on hiatus. You will note several of the reviewers mention this in the introductions to their reviews. The hiatus plans changed when several reviewers stepped up and offered to help. We are still working out the details, but Xerography Debt will continue in some format (paper or web, but likely both). I’ll still be involved, but the extent of my role will be determined by the little person I am waiting to meet. There will be some changes, but change can be good, right?

One of the biggest changes is that we are asking zinesters to help make our job easier by sending zines directly to reviewers for review. It will save time and postage. (Note: orders can still be sent to me via the new address below.) On the next to last page of this issue you will find a list of people who plan to review for the next issue, the types of zines they are most interested in reading, and their mailing details. Please don’t send more than two copies of your zine in for review. You can get a sense of each reviewer’s tastes by reading their reviews in this issue and decide who might best appreciate your zine. Also, please indicate that the zine is being sent for review and enclose an info sheet (see backpage or make your own).

If you want to be added to an email list for updates about the forthcoming issues, please send me a quick note (Davida@leekinginc.com) with “XD UPDATE LIST” in the subject line or send the same by post to: PO Box 11064, Baltimore, MD 21212 USA.

 

Yes, please note that is a new address. Again:

PO Box 11064

Baltimore, MD 21212 USA

 

Davida Gypsy Breier

November 2005

 

 

Basic stuff you should know

 

If this is your first issue, XEROGRAPHY DEBT is a review zine for zine readers by zine writers. It is a hybrid of review zine and personal zine. Xerography Debt has its own freestyle approach. It is all about communication, so each reviewer has used the format or style most comfortable to him or her. Also, each reviewer "owns" the zine in a communal sense. We are individual artists and writers coming together to collaborate and help keep small press flourishing.

Do your part by ordering a few zines from the many reviewed here and, if you self-publish, please consider including some reviews in your zine.

Xerography Debt’s reviews are selective. To explain the “system”: Some reviewers choose to review zines they have bought or traded with, some review zines that are sent to Xerography Debt for review, and some do both. Also, I buy zines at Atomic Books (my local zine store), as well as zine events, so if you see your zine reviewed and you didn’t send it in, that might be where I found it. Generally the only reviews you will read in here are “good reviews.” Constructive criticism is given, but basically we don’t have the time or money to print bad reviews. If you sent your zine in for review and don’t see it listed, wait a few months and see if it appears in the following issue. I read and then distribute the zines to the reviewers about two months before the print date. If the reviewer passed on reviewing your zine, it will be sent out again for the next issue. So, each zine gets two shots with two different reviewers. Ultimately, many of the review copies stay in the XD archives, but some are donated to zine libraries. Occasionally mistakes happen, postal or otherwise, so if you have a question about a zine you sent in for review, please contact Davida at PO Box 11064, Baltimore, MD 21212 or davida@leekinginc.com.

XD is available for free online (some reviews and artwork will only be available in print) or paper copies can be ordered for $3.

If you have an event, announcement, or project you would like to share, please get in touch.

The lack of paid advertising within these pages is deliberate. Despite reviewing our friends and lovers, we try to be somewhat objective and free to do as we please. Needless to say, this brings up the point of needing some help to keep the machine running...

 

Sponsors

 

We see Xerography Debt as the PBS of review zines. It is by us, for us, with no financial incentive - just a dedication to small press. If you have a few spare stamps or dollar bills to help support us and the zine community, it would be most appreciated. Also, let me know if you wish to remain anonymous. This issue’s sponsors are:

 

Darlene Veverka, Bobby Tran Dale, DB Pedlar, Christopher Robin, Fred Wright, The NJ Zine Awareness Group and Bob Sheairs, Brooke Young and the Salt Lake City Zine Library, Tom Hendricks, Delaine Derry Green, and several anonymous benefactors.

 

Announcements

 

Submissions Wanted

 

TEAR IT UP! Here in Baltimore, rat stories are like rat-holes – everybody’s got one!  Now, the zine Baltimore City Paper calls “surprisingly fascinating, consistently absurd, and often weird as hell” wants to hear all about your encounters with the city’s unsung vermin for its second-ever special issue!

As a Smile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore! contributor, you will receive a byline credit as well as three (3) complimentary copies of the issue.  All submissions/queries of stories, essays, poetry, photographs (.JPG or .TIF, 300+ dpi) and other rat-inspired artwork are preferably received via e-mail (wpt@eightstonepress.com), or snail mail William P. Tandy, c/o Eight-Stone Press, P.O. Box 11064, Baltimore, MD 21212.  The final deadline for Smile, Hon’s rat-story issue is February 1st, 2006.

 

New Contact Info:

 

Leeking Ink & Xerography Debt

Davida Gypsy Breier

PO Box 11064

Baltimore, MD 21212

 

Anne Thalheimer (Booty)

160 N.Maple Street

Florence, MA 01062

 

Aj Michel (Low Hug/Syndicated Product)

PO Box 877

Lansdowne, PA 19050

 

Julie Dorn (Junie in Georgia)

PO Box 6584

Minneapolis, MN 55406

 

Remembering Jeff Chapman

Printed with permission from

Cali Ruchala

cali@diacritica.com

 

On Tuesday, August 23, Jeff, aka Ninjalicious, publisher of Infiltration [http://www.infiltration.org/] and YIP, died after a battle with a terminal illness.

The news was announced a few days ago. I’m attaching a few links from Jeff’s family and close friends below.

I just found out about this today, and, to be honest, I’m still overwhelmed. Jeff was one of the most kind, most humble, and yet most intensely dedicated and brilliant people I’ve ever met. The fact that he practically founded a growing subculture (urban exploration) is only a facet of who he was. Anyone who came into contact with Jeff could hardly walk away without realizing that he was more than a great writer, a modern explorer, or a zine legend (whatever that means), but a remarkable human being.

Jeff and I hadn’t been in contact lately. He told me some time ago then that he’d had some health problems, but spoke in the manner of a man who seemed to believe they were in the past. He was intensely private, often deflecting media attention (though you can still hear him interviewed on an old episode of Ira Glass’ programme *This American Life*). In the last months of his life, he completed a book about urban exploration and even published what will wind up being the final issue of Infiltration in June.

Jeff left a large amount of work behind, and according to his wife Liz, Infiltration will still be publishing his forthcoming book, “Access All Areas.”

I’ll just repeat here what I’ve already written elsewhere: forget about everything I’ve just written, because it doesn’t do him justice. *Read him.*

 

Urban Explorer’s Tribute:

http://www.uer.ca/

Jeff’s wife Liz on his illness:

http://www.uer.ca/forum_showthread.asp?fid=&threadid=22279&currpage=6&pp

Torontoist profile from a friend:

http://www.torontoist.com/

Infiltration:

http://www.infiltration.org/

So long, old friend. You made much more than just a dent in the universe.

 

News from New Orleans and Hot Iron Press

 

Jenny and I snuck into the city and checked out our house and Hot Iron Press last weekend. Our studio was flooded with 5.5 ft. of water, submerging everything. 99% of our artwork, equipment, tools, paper, presses, artists’ book collection - everything - was destroyed. To check out pics of the wreckage go to www.hotironpress.com/hurricane.htm.

Thankfully, our living space was located on the second floor, above the printshop, so it fared well. Luckily, the majority of our distro stuff was upstairs and is fine. We have retrieved the distro and will hopefully be able to get that aspect of the press running soon, though we may just sell off the remainder of our stock and then shut the distro down.

We are still accepting donations from anyone who’d like to give to our unofficial “fund.” The money will go to the rebuilding of Hot Iron Press, the New Orleans Bookfair, and other awesome small businesses, artists, collectives, zinesters, musicians, etc. affected by the hurricane.

You can send donations, kind letters, or anything else to us here: Kyle Bravo, c/o UNT SOVA, PO Box 305100, Denton, TX  76203

Again, thanks so much to all of you for all of the support. You’re amazing.

Kyle Bravo

 

HOT IRON PRESS NEWS, Oct. ‘05

KYLE AND JENNY’S LATEST INFO

Hey everybody. Jenny and Casper and I just moved into an apartment in Denton, TX where we’ll be at least through mid-December. We’re both teaching art at the University of North Texas. We’re still uncertain at this point if we’ll be leaving Texas after this semester or staying through the spring. It’s hard to pass up teaching jobs, but it’s also hard to pass up going back home to New Orleans and getting our “real” lives back in order. In the meantime, teaching at UNT is a decent diversion from all of the overwhelming hurricane craziness. We can still be reached here: Kyle and Jenny, c/o UNT SOVA, PO Box 305100, Denton, TX 76203.

 

HURRICANE RELIEF FUND

We are still actively collecting donations of money, art supplies, musical supplies, etc. to help rebuild and recreate the many grassroots and independent cultural, subcultural, fringe, artistic, and countercultural activities, individuals, groups, businesses, etc. in New Orleans. Cash, checks made out to Hot Iron Press, or any other donations of ANYTHING, can be sent to us at: Kyle Bravo, c/o UNT SOVA, PO Box 305100, Denton, TX 76203. You can also donate funds via paypal. Send it to hotironpress@hotmail.com.

We are also looking for suggestions of where funds we’ve collected should be donated. We have a few specific groups and individuals in mind, but would like any input. Where is money most needed? Who was hardest hit by the storm? Who is having trouble paying rent or bills, restarting their business, replacing items lost in the storm? If you or anyone you know needs financial help, that’s what this fund is for. Let us know your needs!

MAKING STUFF AND DOING THINGS Kyle Bravo’s book, “Making Stuff and Doing Things: A Collection of DIY Guides to Doing Just About Everything,” is out and for sale! You can buy it for $10 directly from Kyle Bravo at PO Box 305100, Denton, TX 76203. Make checks out to Hot Iron Press.

 

Columns

The History of Zines: New Orleans

By Donny Smith

915 W 2nd St, Bloomington, IN 47403

www.geocities.com/dwanzine

dwanzine@hotmail.com

 

So Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana on August 29, 2005. Only two months later the annual New Orleans Book Fair took place and the Aboveground Zine Library reopened. Here are a few messages from the zinegeeks and zinelibrarians email lists:

 

September 2, 2005

Hi, I read this message from Donny Smith: “Has anyone heard from Robb of Aboveground Library in New Orleans?” My backyard was the 17 St canal. The hole was in the back of where I lived. I saw the house last night on tv and it was filled with water up to the roof. It was 3 floors. I had a collection of 7,000 plus zines and political magazines. Aboveground Zine Library is gone. I was about to finish with cataloging in 3 weeks after the huricane. Almost all of the zines was in the room besides the ones listed on the website. I am doing good. I went through the huricane in Mississippi. I am in TX right now staying at a ranch with my parents. I will not being doing a zine library in the future. Hope all is good, Robb

 

September 4, 2005

Hi All, Thank you for the kind words. Here’s a picture of where I lived. Its the house with the blown off roof on the 17th street canal. I am going to open up tours of the canal when the water goes down. Robb

 

September 8, 2005

NOLA Bookfair and beyond

Dear Everyone, A lot of people are looking for ways to help in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, and Iwould like to personally encourage anyone who is motivated to donate their time, energy, money to do so in whatever way seems most appropriate. Aside from other relief efforts, I would like to personally help the people involved in the underground press and activist communities of New Orleans.

After hearing about the cancellation of the NOLA Bookfair, I contacted Kyle Bravo, one of the organizers, about helping to get the Bookfair and Hot Iron Press back on their feet.  It is almost certain that their house/studio and all of their equipment presses, type, paper, tools, all of their artwork, and everything else they owned were submerged underwater. In addition, all of the distro stuff artists’ books, zines, etc were also all left behind and are most likely destroyed as well.  This is a crippling blow to a small independent press and it seems like they will be out of operation for quite some time, if not for good.  This is what so many artists are facing in the community.

As a fellow small press, and the organizer for the Boston Zine Fair, I would like to help fundraise for the people who help keep the spirit of activism and art alive.  I told Kyle that I am extraordinarily grateful for all the work they’ve done as a fiercely independent press, distro, and for their amazing efforts to make the NOLA Bookfair what it was.  Even if they never end up reestablishing what they had, I would like to offer my thanks in the form of donations for all that they’ve given the indie/DIY/zine community.  Kyle informed me that they will be setting up a fund to help even more of the area’s organizations like Iron Rail book collective, the New Orleans Anarchists, Nowe Miasto, the Neighborhood Story Project, New Mouth From the Dirty South, and the Plan B Bike Collective.

In order to contribute to their upcoming fund, I have arranged to have any
money sent via paypal to: orders@blackocean.org with the subject “nola” to be forwarded to Kyle in a few lump sums.  I would like to kick off the effort with $20 of my own money, and Black Ocean will match every $10 of donations with $1 of our own.  If you would prefer to send something directly to Kyle, I would encourage you to do so as well.

I know there are a lot of people in need, and I am not suggesting this is the only solution. In addition to whatever else you feel compelled to do to alleviate people’s suffering, I would simply like to urge you to take a moment and maybe give back to some people who have given so much to keep the independent spirit alive in publishing, art, and their communities at large.  I am grateful for what they’ve done, and hope that we will see more of them soon in the future.

To learn more about Kyle Bravo and Jenny LeBlanc’s work, you can visit the websites:

http://www.hotironpress.com/

http://www.nolabookfair.com/

If you have any thoughts, questions, or suggestions please don’t hesitate to contact me as well at janaka@blackocean.org.  Thank you for your time.

Regards, Janaka Stucky

Director, Black Ocean

 

September 30, 2005

Zeitgeist in New Orleans relatively ok.

Hey all, I’ve been all over the place besides in front of the computer lately, so I might have missed a post about this...BUT I know at least some people were concerned about Rene and the Zeitgeist Gallery in New Orleans. (Zeitgeist was the location of the New Orleans Book Fair, which was functionally a zine fair with bonuses).

I got an email from the Zeitgeist list today, and it included the following...

“The gallery (which) houses Zeitgeist Multi-disciplinary Arts Center (which has temporarily relocated to Shreveport, LA), received almost no damage during Katrina and as of today has electricity and phone service. Barrister’s Gallery is the first art gallery in the city of New Orleans that will be re-opening and continuing it’s exhibition schedule in honor of Art For Arts Sake.  Barrister’s will be having an opening reception for two very colorful exhibitions.”

Don’t know who else cares, but I for one am rather elated.

Rich Mackin

 

October 7, 2005

Aboveground Zine Library is Alive

Hi Zine Library Humans, My name is Robb and I live in New Orleans. I wrote on this message board a few weeks ago that the zine library I do is gone. Giving where I lived, I thought it was. There was two army tanks outside my house today. Many US Army people in front of the house. 3 news stations were rude enough to try and walk into the room I once lived in. I ask them to leave, its none of there business. One of the news stations was 60 min. Good reporting they didn’t even know where the break in the levee was. Giving where I lived its like the ground zero in NYC. My second floor and third floor was left as when I left 2 days before the hurricane. All the zines are fine. Its going to be hard moving a million or so of papers and I’ll get it done hopefully in the next couple of days. I didn’t care if the zine library was gone. Its was something I wouldn’t cry over. I didn’t. Its there and I have something I am proud of. Maybe it will open up one day in New Orleans. My web address is www.geocities.com/abovegroundlibrary Sign the guest book if you want to. Info on the website is somewhat outdated. Thank you to everyone that wrote to me. It means a lot. Thank you to Jenn for sending me some zines. It reminded me why I been into zines for over 15 years. Good news Aboveground aka below sea level zine library will be back. Thank you again and have a great weekend, Robb

 

October 8, 2005

RE: Aboveground Zine Library is Alive

Hi Andrea, Thank you for writing again. Yeah, that would be great if you donated some zines to the library. The archives sound also great. I have some zines from the 40’s. Acid free boxes are good for those zines. I am about to head out to the house and recover the zines. Thank you again and take care, Robb

 

October 19, 2005

New Orleans Bookfair

A celebration of independent publishing featuring small presses, zinesters, book artists, anarchists, rabblerousers, weirdos, and more! Saturday, October 29, 2005, at Barrister’s Gallery (www.barristersgallery.com),1724 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd, New Orleans, LA.

Due to Hurricane Katrina, the Bookfair has suffered some major setbacks which will make it a smaller and more humble event than in past years. However, the bookfair will still go on!

Committed participants so far: Last Gasp, Verso Books, Get Lost Travel Books - San Francisco, Fiction Collective II, Garrett County Press, New Mouth From the Dirty South, Patron Saint Productions. LONG LIVE THE NOLA BOOKFAIR!

Any questions email GK Darby at gkdarby@earthlink.net.

Sponsored by: Get Lost Books, Gorsky Press, The Literacy Alliance of New Orleans, Barrister’s Gallery, Zeitgeist Theatre Experiments, The Crescent City Farmer’s Market, Garret County Press, Hot Iron Press.

Kyle Bravo

 

November 1, 2005

Aboveground Zine Library is _ _ _ _.

Hi everybody, I just wanted to write an update while I was reading and writing emails. Aboveground Zine Library from New Orleans has open up once again. The Zine library is open every single day. The reopen was on Oct. 28th. Aboveground Zine Library is the first and still only library to be open in New Orleans. Isn’t that some very good news. Although I had nothing to do with the opening up of the zine library again. It’s some amazing people that have done it for me.

Aboveground zine library is shhhh open. Take care everyone and Boo! -  Robb

 

 

How to Start a Zine Library in Ten Easy Steps:

A Mini-guide for Public Librarians

 

By Miriam DesHarnais*

PO Box 4803, Baltimore MD 21211

mdesharn@yahoo.com

 

Starting a zine collection at your library is not as complex as it might seem, but it does take time, teamwork and planning. Having just had the great experience of helping to get the Baltimore County Public Library Zine Collection (www.bcpl.info/zines, bcplzines@gmail.com) up and running, I thought I’d pass on the basic steps we followed while they are still fresh in my mind. We are in our first months so this is mostly focused on the very beginning of the process. Good luck, and hope this helps someone else who’s starting out. Let me know if it does!

Get Inspired

Seeing a presentation about zines at a conference is how our team leader, Julie Harrison decided to suggest a pilot collection. Julie Bartel and Brooke Young, Zine Librarians Extraordinaire of Salt Lake City Public Library, knocked her socks off with their stories of using zines to connect with patrons. You could also:

Read Julie Bartel’s book, From A to Zine: Building a Winning Zine Collection in Your Library. This presents some great arguments for why adding a zine collection is worth doing.

Talk, write and e-mail with folks who work with or use zine collections. Ask them why they feel strongly about having zines at their library.

Go visit an actual zine library if possible (a good list of them can be found here: http://zinebook.com/resource/libes.html ).

Check out the websites and catalogs of libraries online.

Once you have a team you all should read tons of zines and many reviews to get a feel for what’s out there. I brought my zines in from home so we’d have contact with a tangible collection.

 

Get Permission/Funding

Julie H. had to write up a workplan request to get approval from our library system’s administrators. A maverick approach (my natural tendency) would cheat you out of getting the fullest practical, personal and financial support from your supervisors.

u Do this part right, even if it feels slow. Following the proper channels gives the project the legitimacy it’ll need to survive.

u You are presenting a new media and several new ideas bundled up with it. Making your case involves speaking the language of your workplace and showing how this project fits in with the larger goals of your institution.

u Make a list of what materials you think you will need and how much you think it will cost. We actually got more money than we asked for, which was great, ‘cause we’d underestimated at first.

Make Connections

u Form a team: For me this seems like a fun part where synergistic things start to happen. Your team does not need to consist entirely of people who are already into zines. In fact a range of skills and personality types makes a better group. We had, between us, knowledge about collection development, cataloging, networking, zines themselves, and running an effective team.

u Keep talking with other zine librarians. Join the Zinelibrarians Yahoo! Group, read Zine Librarian Zine or other stuff by librarian zinesters, go to workshops and zinefests if you can.

u Set up an email address that can be accessed by the whole team.

u Talk about what you are working on to your friends, families, co-workers, library patrons and people who make, trade buy or sell zines. It helps clarify your thinking on the project and lays early publicity groundwork. Building an e-mailing list as you go makes it easier to invite folks to the opening later on.

 

Set Goals

u Set a timeline. What needs to be done when? Who will do each smaller task and by when? Some things (like getting shelving, planning an opening, waiting for the zines, doing cataloging, or getting processing done) may require a long time so be sure to budget enough time.

u Define success. What do you hope to accomplish by doing this and what data will you look at to decide if the collection is succeeding? Will you be using statistics alone or also testimonials, surveys and media attention to gauge interest? When will you evaluate and what communication is required of you by your library?

 

Hammer Out the Details

u Ask how you want the collection to work. How many zines do you want? Does your collection have a specific focus? (local, multicultural, practical, literary…) What is your Collection Development Policy? How will you handle donations? How will the actual purchasing work?

u Where will the collection be likeliest to succeed? Will it circulate?

u What audience(s) are you hoping to attract?

u What are the fines or fees for a lost zine? How many can be taken out at a time?

u Will each zine be cataloged? How? Will they be available to be borrowed by libraries outside your system?

u How will the zines be shelved? Packaged? (ours are in comic book bags with backers)

u Write it all out and run it by people in all departments who will be affected by having the collection, asking if you’ve missed any concerns that will prove important later.

 

Take Action

u Select your core collection. We looked at catalogs, store websites and review zines and went on a field trip to Atomic Books. We also got samples of bags and backers so we could order them at the same time.

u Buy the zines! We had to accept that we just don’t have the ability to handle buying from individuals right now, so we narrowed our shopping options down to just a few distros and stores.

u Once the zines arrived they were looked over to make sure nothing was unbound, obscene (as defined by state law) or otherwise not in keeping with our policies.

u Catalog them, if that’s what you are doing. This is a pretty in-depth process that I don’t know much about. Fortunately Jill, our cataloger, does.

u Process them so they are ready for check-out. Ditto above.

u Put them on the shelves. We ended up with units that wheel, which worked out great. We had them all set up in the staff area for a week before our opening so all the library workers could see the collection before it was presented to the public.

Spread the Word

u First do this amongst staff. You want everyone to know how to pronounce the word “zine” and know how to answer basic questions about what they are and why we have them. I wrote a factsheet for my co-workers, which helped us write our website and official memo.

u We are fortunate to have a marketing department. They really advocated for us with the media by sending press releases out and reporters to us. If you don’t have someone else to do it for you, DIY, kids! By the time our collection opened we had, flyers around town, an article in a small local paper, another in The Baltimore Sun, and an NPR engagement set up.

u Write website content. Using other library’s sites to start you off helps. If you can use a blogging tool that will keep people checking your site.

u Pester your friends. That way you know someone will definitely be there for the opening even if your worst fears come true and no one else shows.

 

Have an Opening

u Start planning this early, early. We decided to have an author reading as our first event. If you have local zinesters give ‘em six months notice so they can commit to the date. If you need to catch traveling writers from out of town you may need longer. Try to get the most diverse group possible.

u Write short bios of your readers so you can introduce them. Let them know what time you are expecting them, how to get there, and how long to read.

u Make or buy food.

u Merchandise books you’ve purchased about zines or other materials you think reading attendees might like.

u Freak out. Then watch your crowd come in, your readers do their stuff, and realize you’ve got a success. Remind people they can get a library card to take zines home (ideally you’ve drawn in some new library users), thank everyone, help them find zines and books, and direct them to an area where your authors sell their wares.

Live With the Zines

u Merchandise the area daily by putting as many face-out as possible. Colorful ones seem to go out better! (Why are so many zines white?). If possible let books by zinesters, graphic novels, memoir, crafting, music and other hip titles live on a display near the zines.

u Answer questions in a positive, non-defensive, non-desperate way. The woman you are just sure is gonna be your first censorship challenge might come in a month later having written her first zine. People are surprising. So far the most humbling thing for me in this whole endeavor has been adjusting my expectations about the average age of the folks checking zines out.

u Integrate the zines into regular reference work. Try to get the other librarians familiar with them so if they get a question on bike maintenance or the anti-war movement they remember where else to look.

 

Evaluate/ Plan

u If you are someone working in the actual building where the zines are, keep the rest of the team informed. Do you want to keep meeting on the same schedule? Less often but still regularly

u What’s circing, what’s not? How will you maintain the collection and deal with weeding or replacing zines? Are you getting requests for zines you don’t have yet?

u How is the collection being used? Are possible partnerships or creative programs suggesting themselves?

u What is your next event?

u What kinds of new publicity can you do to keep the collection in the public eye?

 

Obviously this is not the only way to do all this. I work in a metropolitan area in a large system with many specialized departments. We try for streamlined, lower-maintenance processes, which obviously affects how our project works. Also, we were lucky enough to get enough money to start, which is why the whole issue of fundraising is skipped. If you are not a librarian but think your library might be interested in our experience, maybe you can share this and see what happens. And, Ok, I admit it, that’s actually way more than 10 steps. But I still say that starting a zine collection is easier than you might think, one of the best things you can do to make your job more fun, a great way to attract new library enthusiasts, and a gift to your community.

 

 

IT MEANS IT’S WANK

By Jeff Somers

P.O. Box 3024, Hoboken NJ 07030

mreditor@innerswine.com

www.innerswine.com

 

“So what does that mean? It means it’s wank.”- Vic Flange, www.fleshmouth.co.uk [now defunct], describing my zine.

 

THE

HUMORLESS

 

...in which I ponder those who review zines without any apparent sense of humor.

 

In the word of the great and terrible Gary Coleman, it takes different strokes to move the world, and in the dim, perpetually twilit world of zines you meet most kinds. DIY publishers come in all shapes and sizes, from middle-aged novelists to teenaged pranksters, aging hippies and hardcore conservatives. The only thing linking all these disparate people is their love of self-publishing and their decision to give the straight world of print a big old fuck you and just mail out their photocopied publications despite strong indications that no one will care. In that sense, we all are Gumby, don’t you think?

Of course, having a warm spot in your heart for your fellow DIYers does not necessarily mean that you love all zines equally, because only morons love all things equally. You’re going to like some and dislike others, and that’s natural. You might even write reviews, some positive and some negative, in order to help guide others towards publications that you think are worthy, and that’s a great service to provide. I’ve never been one to demand that everyone love me, or my zine; I accept bad reviews with all the grace and aplomb that I possess, which, admittedly, ain’t much. But I try. Just about the only negative reviews that get my panties in a bunch are what we’ll group together under the heading of Humorless Reviews.

My zine isn’t a ‘humor’ zine per se. I don’t write it thinking it’s comedy gold; rather, I try to be humorous while writing about opinions or theories or my latest drunken exploit (‘humorous’, for me, basically boiling down to repeated references to being pantsless and, when desperate, throwing out smoke grenade-like non-sequitors to disappear behind) but I’d never kid myself that I’m actually funny. But there is a layer of irony and humorous intent in my zine—unless you think I actually drink entire bottle of bourbon, hallucinate a leprechaun named McEgo who dictates my zine articles to me, and then wake up pantsless in Mexico ‘again’—and you have to be capable of sussing that subtle thread if you’re going to give my zine a fair shake.

Don’t get me wrong—giving my zine a fair shake doesn’t mean you have to like it. You can say the humor fails to be funny, or that my ironic pose is merely a technique for avoiding having to actually defend any of my ludicrous opinions. You can say that my writing is flabby, incoherent, or just not very interesting. All I’m saying is that you have to at least start with the acknowledgment that there are layers of intended humor and intended irony in my zine, that there’s a persona being used there. Otherwise, your review is going to fall into the category of The Humorless, and not only is it useless as criticism, it’s downright irritating to have to read.

The Humorless reviews fall into two categories: 1) those who do not get the joke, and 2) those who seem to believe there should never be jokes.

Those who do not get the joke. These jolly reviewers are the ones who take every word I write literally. So if I say that I drank fifteen Tequila Fanny Bangers and spent the evening throwing up and wailing until I passed out and woke up in Mexico, pantsless, again, then they comment on my sad alcoholism and how horrible it is that I don’t realize that I have a problem. If I write that I have invented a revolutionary engine that runs off of kittens, they write in horror at my terrible cruelty to animals. Since most of the writing in any given issue of my zine veers strongly towards the ridiculous, the unsanitary, and even the fundamentally impossible, this makes reading reviews of this ilk painful.

One of my favorite examples of this was the reviewer who complained that the “fake letters” were not very funny. This was possibly because the letters were not fake, despite various references to pantslessness, booze, and my worldwide empire of evil.

Those who believe there should never be jokes. Ah, my favorites: those who think that every zine should be politically charged, utterly sincere, and completely honest. I mean, I’ll grant that I’m a privileged white male fop, I’ll stipulate that I am pretty much full of shit, but I don’t think the world needs more humorless pricks. Reviews that have as their starting point a belief that middle-class white men should be grateful and quiet bring only tears and recriminations, because no matter what I write in the zine the critical response boils down to “Shut up, oppressor!”

Great fun, indeed.

You should never complain about bad reviews, of course, but you can certainly complain about incoherent reviews. If you have no sense of humor whatsoever, you should probably not try to review any zines that use humor as a technique, or so it seems to me. But I am, after all, just a humble zine publisher, frequently inebriated, usually pantsless, and too busy oppressing those around me to try and change the world.

 

The Reviews

Donny Smith

915 W 2 St, Bloomington IN 47403

www.geocities.com/dwanzine

dwanzine@hotmail.com

 

Selam fanzinciler ve arkadaslar! I’ve received so many zines in the past few months and have had so little time to read them.

Really, I’ve kinda been going crazy, reading all this stuff about medieval Sufi organizational structure and strategies for political legitimation in contemporary Uzbekistan and ethnic jokes in Turkey—not to mention memorizing vocabulary words, translating 3 or 4 poems from Turkish into English each week, etc.—and trying to pull together a book on zine librarianship (and still translating Spanish poetry). Oh, and figuring out how to pay for 3 months in Turkey next summer. Hey, it’s great! Beats working!

And people keep sending me zines! Amazing zines! Some of the best ever!

So my reviews aren’t as thorough as I’d like. (All you reviewers who I’ve nagged in the past should know that I’m turning this in way after the deadline.)

 

Here’s one: The constant Rider number 7 (spring 2005). Get it from Kate Lopresti, PO Box 6753, Portland OR 97228 USA for $2 (http://www.constantrider.com). This must be the most hilarious mass-transit zine there is! (Sorry, Fred. But yours is more on the informative side.) Transportation-related stories, with illustrations by the wonderful Tim Root (plus a bus driver in need of a bra).

 

Then there’s Fran’s zine: Etidorhpa #10. She sent it in August and I haven’t even read it. But this is one of those zines I have to save for just the perfect moment. Fran’s writing is so amazing I want to be able to savor it. Etidorhpa, 40 E Main St, PMB 170, Newark DE 19711 USA for $2 or trade.

 

And from a fellow librarian, a chronicle of his last days in Wichita Falls, Texas, and a little about his breakup: Thoughtworm 12 (August 2005). Lotsa detail, lotsa bike rides (occasionally a little “poetical” for my taste, but still good—Sean, I bet I owe you a letter, but it’s gonna hafta wait). Sean Stewart, 3600 Buena Vista Ave, Baltimore MD 21211 USA for $2

(http://www.thoughtworm.com).

 

Also from Baltimore (and how!): a new Smile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore! (which to my shame I can’t even find right now—but it was good). You’ll find the contact info elsewhere in this issue.

 

And practically from Baltimore: The Hungover Gourmet issue no. 9 (2005). It’s been a while since I read it so I’ll just type out a few random snippets (which I think can pretty accurately help you determine if you’d like this zine): A poster for The Seka Story: A Feature Length Film captioned “If this is what your restaurant’s aroma makes me think about you’re not doing a good job.” A picture of Carmelita’s Reception House Disco Donut Burger of the Year Coffee House. A picture of Cuchifritos Frituras, a restaurant offering B.B.Q. chicken, mofongo & pilon, and jugos tropicales (pilon even!). Dan Taylor, PO Box 5531, Lutherville MD 21094-5531 USA for $3 in US, $4 elsewhere (http://www.hungovergourmet.com).

 

And now, özür dilerim, a bunch of zines I haven’t read, but they look good:

Journal Song #6 (no date), a nicely designed journal-type zine with lovely drawings. No price. Microcosm (http://www.microcosmpublishing.com).

Faking Distance / Birthdays & Christmas (September 2004), a cleverly put together split zine from Alex Wrekk and Korinna Irwin. No price. Also Microcosm.

Spunk issue no.1 (autumn 2003), super gay and arty. Has an interview with Alexis Arquette (of all people—which mentions that Mr. Arquette took off all his clothes during the photoshoot, but only shows him in see-through briefs. Goddamn teases). Aaron Tilford, email for current address, $5 (http://www.spunkmag.net).

The Juniper: A Tiny Journal of Sustainability Issue #5 (September/October 2005). It’s from Idaho! With thoughts on not completely destroying the earth. Dan Murphy, PO Box 3154, Moscow ID 83843 USA for a 37-cent stamp or trade; free to prisoners.

Erik & Laura-Marie Magazine #26: formidable opponent. Nice thoughts. Mine came with a personal letter even. And I don’t think I’ve even sent a trade back in return (I’m such a bad bad zinester). Laura-Marie Taylor, 1728 Richmond St, Sacramento CA 95825 USA: free!

9 and a Half Left issue 10 (May 2005). Another journal-style zine. My favorite kind. Looks good. Wish I had the time. Mike Rodemann, 13426 Merl Ave, Lakewood OH 44107 USA for $1 (Scraps17@netzero.net).

Batteries Not Included Volume XII Issue #11 (November 2005) is up to S in its ongoing videography of horror-themed sex films. So you can read about Sexorcist, She-Male Spirits of the Night, Spermula, and Suck Me, Vampire. Richard Freeman, 513 N Central Ave, Fairborn OH 45324 USA for $3 in US, $4 elsewhere (BNI@aol.com).

And last but not least—the thing about zines, sometimes there’s someone really great, who promises great things, and they just drop off the earth for a while, till you’ve almost forgotten them. Then suddenly in your mailbox, there’s their zine again! Tazewell’s Favorite Eccentric (October 2005?). I don’t even know when I last got a zine from her. 10 years ago? So exciting. Yes, I admit I haven’t read it, except a few pages right when I opened it (and Sarah, I will write to you, sometime). Sarah Rose, PO Box 816, N Tazewell VA 24630 USA for $1 + stamp or trade (piratesarah@gmail.com).

 

And now to bed, so I can get up early tomorrow and translate an article on Turkish slang. Check out http://zinebrarianship.blogspot.com to see how the zine book is going. Sag ol!

 

Dan Taylor

PO Box 5531, Lutherville, MD 21094

www.dantenet.com

dante@dantenet.com

 

Dan Taylor hopes you’ll excuse the lameness of these reviews. He recently moved and is still adjusting to different surroundings and more space. You can get the latest copy of his zine