Author: Nyx

Blunt Talk
Various
https://www.wizd-az.com/store/p127/BluntTalkZine.html

Blunt Talk is a full-colour US half-sized zine about all kinds of topics related to cannabis including history, legal matters, recipes, stories, and more.

As you know, I love zines for a lot of reasons. This zine I love because it’s like a little reference manual or guide to get you started on whatever path your curiosity takes you in regards to cannabis. There are so many topics covered!

Blunt Talk opens with an introduction to how the zine came together over the course of a year and their aim to shift – if not completely get rid of – stigmas regarding cannabis. As someone who studied the subject for various projects over the course of a semester, I appreciate their efforts. It’s clear the dedication and passion the contributors have for the subject.

I think my favourite part has to be the Leafly Holdings circle chart showing the myriad of different ways cannabis can be useful for helping physical, mental, and emotional difficulties. It’s colourful and informative in a way that’s easy to take in. (While still encouraging the reader to do your own research!) There is a lot of information in this zine, and varying the ways in which it is conveyed is refreshing. There are also statistics as bar charts, and I do love statistics.

I also quite like that they chose to mix the serious in with some not so serious. History and societal commentary alongside recipes and even recommended activities depending on what strain of cannabis you’ve had.

The look of this zine is quite nice. The text can be a little dense in places, but the type font and size are readable, and there are plenty of images included as well. I especially liked seeing all the old posters and advertisements regarding cannabis.

One thing that threw me a little is not including authors’ names with the pieces. There also weren’t any links as to where to find the zine itself, but a quick Google search sorts that out. In the grand scheme of things, the former is more something I noticed rather than something that bothered me all too much.

Blunt Talk is a great zine packed with so very much information about cannabis. They state right at the start that they don’t claim to be experts. But with so many links to follow, it’s easy to supplement your knowledge beyond the zine and form your own opinions.

If you’re at all curious about the topic, this zine is a great place to start learning.

In My Shoes
Leah De La Crux
http://leahdelacrux.com
https://www.instagram.com/leahdelacrux/

In My Shoes is a full colour mini-photo zine about moving forward.

This is a short and sweet review of a short and sweet mini-zine.

In My Shoes features an Instax picture per page of Leah’s shoes in different locations. Each photo is accompanied by a single word, and a sentence running along all the pages. The pictures are in the fun, somewhat overexposed pictures that fit the Instax ‘Polaroid’ vibe so well.

Something about this mini tickles me. Part of it is because I thought I was the only person who liked taking pictures of feet in different locations. Another part is the little inspiring push this zine gives which is well and truly needed in increasingly difficult times.

It’s a ‘just keep swimming’ or ‘keep calm and carry on’ sort of mini that is a quick and easy read. Plus, Leah includes one of my favourite mini-zine elements: the secret inside fun element to be discovered when you unfold the zine.

In My Shoes is a little pick-me-up I’m happy to have in my collection.