lower east side librarian

Issue #16 of her Syndicate Product series is A.j.'s spectacular 24-hour zine about her not particularly rational, but surprisingly powerful desire to live in California. LA, even. I can't believe how moved and awed I was at this work, created in 19.5 hours. A.j., an obvious perfectionist, regrets sleeping from 1-5:30 a.m., but I can't imagine the zine being any better with another 4.5 hours' worth of work.

Just when I'm getting jaded about zines, reading and cataloging 50 of them a week, it's nice to discover a new favorite zinester. I don't understand why Thara Harris isn't more of a zine superstar, not that "superstar" is really a concept that should be associated with zines. But you know what I mean, there are some zinesters that become widely known in our small community for producing well-made, thoughtful, creative, and visually appealing works. Ms. Harris, from West Virginia is one of those writer/artists. Or maybe she does have a rep, and I just didn't know about it for whatever reason? I can't really tell because she doesn't have that much of a web presence.

Johanna, one of my favorite zine publishers, hadn't made a zine since issue 4 of Sisu came out in May 2006. For some reason, although I acquired No History, No Self from StrangerDanger back in November, I didn't get around to reading it until just now. (I have a serious cataloging backlog problem, which I hope to clear up by the end of the year!) I'm a fool for letting it go so long, but at least I finally read it. Like all of Johanna's zines, NHNS has strong political content, particularly regarding race, mixed race identity, and identity politics. She has put in her time as an activist and has plenty of cred in that arena (also in feminist science-fiction and vegan communities), so what is particularly affecting to me in this new zines venture is how personal and open she is, about missing New York, trying to make friends, being depressed and contemplating therapy. She lists some great self-care suggestions for dealing with depression, the top three being sleep, cats, and tea, things I can totally get behind. That emphasis on self-care I think in this case extends to the rest of the world. NHNS is gentler than its predecessors. Johanna, who doesn't suffer fools lightly, is more inwardly focused this time around, maybe because repatriated to the UK she's missing her friends from home around whom she can actually be herself. Reading this zine I wanted to give Johanna a hug. I also want to know when issue 2 will be out.

Another zine by Celia that makes you adore zines despite that fact that you are reading and cataloging 50 of them per weekend! Well, maybe that's just me, but I would think that anyone would appreciate la C-Dog's birthday creation regardless of how immersed to the scalp they may or may not be in zines.

I've long wondered what zines' fanzine predecessors looked like. Finally, through the son of a friend of my father, I've managed to see one--or a modern incarnation of one at least. APA-50 was born in 1974 and its membership was originally limited to those born after 1974 and was meant for science fiction fans as a venue for their own contributions to the genre. Per the introduction, each member's contribution is called a zine (or an ish), and all of the contributions compiled is a mailing. The most viable link I found for the APA is appropriately an Angelfire site. I'm not sure how private the contents are since membership is small, and my copy was sent on spec that I might consider joining, so I'll keep my contents somewhat general.

Excitement and Adventure is such a librarian zine! It's basically a fanzine about prohibition era gangsters, which Lacey researched with abandon at the Minnesota Historical Society.

I don't usually read zines by men, not because I'm biased, although I am, but because most of my zine reading is for the Zine Collection at Barnard, which is comprised mostly of zines by women, with a few by people of other genders writing about femme identity. The author of Travesty is a cisgendered male who likes to wear women's clothes.

I meant to write about the last issue Kate sent me, too. Since I never got around to it with #18, I'd better just get to #19 right away. I will start by saying LOVE Miranda. It's one of my favorite zines.

I ended up with a second copy of this reluctant New Yorker's guide to New York City and so had to decide whether the second one would go to the Barnard zine stacks or come home with me. I've decided I need it on hand for all future house guests. In addition to providing excellent food, entertainment, art, and cultural recommendations, Amanda writes cute essays about helping tourists take better photographs and subway incidents (maybe a little less cute, but still somehow cuddly).

I don't review every zine I read on here, but I do try to get a few lines out about my favorites. Her Blues is one of those zines that like good poetry, art, etc. captures an experience in such a way that it resonates completely with something that you thought was yours only, and reading it you feel less like a freak, less alone.