Author: Nyx

The La-La Theory #6: Always Already
Katie
http://www.thelalatheory.com/
Jimmy Tierney (Art) www.graphiteplayground.com

I feel like it would be a disservice to this zine to say it’s about ‘words’, and yet it is. However, it’s also about interesting words, language, strange words, strange ways to learn words (who knew old ‘learn to read’ books were so… somewhat disturbing?), finding poetry, zines, and more. There is even an interview with Manija Brown, a writer who has done manga adaptations.

So there it is: about words and yet so much more than words.

The La-La Theory 6 starts off with Katie pondering whether the thought that language is what makes us human. That reminded me of Let’s Communicate and how language can be so much more than what we humans usually think of it. When I dove straight onto that thought train into the world of world and language, I knew I had a winner.

This zine is fun and engaging in a calm way right from the start. The little things drew me in like how Katie mentioned this zine was a way of coming back to the spirit of the first La-La Theory. Even the somewhat/sort of incomplete table of contents had me smiling.

What a fun way to point to a few specific pieces.

Katie goes on to include brief etymologies (the history of a word’s meaning) of various words, a few reviews of very strange old language use books, and a piece about words that don’t have direct English translations.

The piece in this that spoke the most to me “On Finding Poetry”. I’ve said plenty of times that I don’t ‘get’ poetry and have always felt a little uncomfortable about that. So when I read this piece, I felt like Katie may as well have been talking directly to me…

A lot of the people I know feel shy about poetry. They’re not sure they understand it, they’re embarrassed of the poems they wrote when they were really young, and they’re certain they couldn’t write anything good now if they tried. But I know different: Anyone can write poems, and everyone should.

I would have bet money on me never writing a poem again and no one ever being able to convince me to do so. And yet, Katie’s surety about and love for poetry (along with tips on ‘finding’ poems) has me thinking about trying my hand again for the first time in many years.

I quite enjoyed this zine and taking in Katie’s love of words. I’m looking forward to tracking down more issues of The La-La Theory.

Literal Trash
Talia Enright
talia@feminerds.com
feminerds.tumblr.com

It’s time for something mini, sweet, and absolutely adorable.

I was just listening to a podcast today where two people were talking about how a great thing about zine culture is how you can really have an idea about anything. Specific subjects need not apply. All welcome here.

So when I was this little zine about dumpsters, well, I couldn’t help but smile.

Literal Trash is a zine featuring drawn pictures of dumpsters in different situations. This is one of those times where I really wish I didn’t have my self-imposed rule about showing the insides of zines (especially the minis) because the art inside is even cuter than what’s on the cover.

There are little slogans or words to go along with each one, and I just can’t pick a favourite. Though “Trash can! Not a trash can’t” nearly claims that title.

The full-colour suits this zine so, so well. The level of detail in the illustrations is really brought out by all the different colours. This would still be a fun mini zine in black and white, but I really think going full colour brings it to the best possible level.

While it may seem like a strange thing, I really need to point out the awesome folding on this zine. It’s totally precise, and, yes, I do struggle a little with the one-page zine edges coming together properly at the end. This zine is excellent. I love it.

Ker-bloom! 116: The Cat Who Flew
artnoose
https://www.patreon.com/artnoose

I love how some zines seem to come into my life with spectacular timing. Ker-bloom! 116, featuring a tale of a cat and moving across the country, fits the bill…

Ker-bloom! 116 is a short tale about moving back and forth and the adventures of finding the best way to get a cat from Pennsylvania to California while accounting for a toddler as well. It’s a short zine but an involving read nonetheless.

This zine isn’t going to change your life or get you thinking too deeply. (Unless you’re like me and pondering how you’re going to move animals interstate.) I say that with no disrespect, though. There is beauty and wonder to be found in the moments of our lives – in our personal stories. I found myself smiling (in sympathy, of course) at the story of the poor kitty and quite enjoyed the whole thing.

You can’t review Ker-bloom without mentioning the look and feel of it. Ker-bloom is letterpress printed, which gives everything on the cover and even the text inside a texture, which is lovely to run your fingers over. The paper artnoose uses is absolutely gorgeous, which makes the zine as much of a piece of art as it is a zine.

PS. I highly recommend checking out the Patreon page linked above to learn more about artnoose and the production of these zines.

Disabled Artist Affirmations
Birch Rosen
Birchrosen.com
Birchrosen.etsy.com
Instagram.com/birchwrites
birchrosen@gmail.com

When offered the choice amongst a catalogue of zines, I felt like I had an impossible choice ahead. However, when I read this description, I couldn’t help but be intrigued.

“While these affirmations are meant to be encouraging, they’re not entirely “positive” in the sense that many mainstream affirmations are. In my experience, affirmations are most powerful when they also acknowledge how unpleasant reality can be. I want affirmations that can meet me in the pit of hopelessness and despair to lift me up a little, not ones that ask me to wish or believe my way out.”

Disabled Artist Affirmations is Birch Rosen’s answer to all the fluffy ‘wish’ affirmations you see floating around on the internet – and the answer is a good one.

Straight from the beginning, you know Birch is a person who cares about the reader. On the inside cover, there is a note about how the font chosen is used in the hope of greater readability and an offer of contact for possible triggers as well as access needs discussion. While I am perfectly happy and able to read this zine, I appreciate the time taken by a zine maker to show that caring is there.

What I really love about these affirmations is that they, in their own way, address the “if you work/wish/are good enough” philosophy that seems so prevalent in many affirmations I see. The problem with those is that they imply that if the change doesn’t happen in your life, then you’re not enough in whatever way or don’t deserve it. Birch’s take on realistic affirmation acknowledges that good things don’t just shower down on good people because they are good.

The affirmation that spoke the most to me was (as a part of a larger affirmation): “…it’s not a failure to need more rest than others.”

Wrapping up with song and artist recommendations was a lovely touch (you know how much I love things to investigate beyond the blog). That and the earlier inclusion of a list of ways to use these affirmations makes this feel like a treasure box of a zine for those needing a realistic pick me up.

PS. It was awesome to see saddle stitching for binding!