Conspiira/torial #1
Yuri Realman
http://www.moreverbs.com/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheAmpersandRanch

I received Conspiira/torial #1 as a zine submitted for a review, and I must apologise because the combination of only two reviews a week plus my less than awesome zine organisation meant for a probably-longer-than-necessary wait.

Conspiira/torial #1 the the fictional (or is it?!) tale of Yuri Realman and how he’s being dragged into a conspiracy that he doesn’t want to believe… Though I can’t say for sure, I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve read a fiction zine of any sort. This was a good zine to break the gap.

What you imagined when you read my one-sentence synopsis? That’s what this story is. Or rather, this chapter one. There’s no mistaking this for anything other than a chapter one, but it’s a beginning I thoroughly enjoyed. Even my inner editor had a good time, and she doesn’t like much of anything.

Side note: As someone who likes to write books as well as read them, I know how difficult it can be to find your ‘voice’. I think ‘Yuri’ can rest assured that his voice is spot on and consistent.

Conspiira/torial #1 is a zine that goes to show that a zine doesn’t really have a definition in terms of what it is or isn’t. People know what they like, but preferences do not a standard system make. This zine is five single-sided pages printed and stapled in one corner.

However (you knew that was coming, eh?) even with personal preferences aside, I think there is room here for a lot of fun. Because of the envelope art and the awesome note accompanying the zine – on top of the actual context – I think this zine would be great with a little layout put into it. Half-fold, printing on both sides of the paper (being a zinester has made me a bit grumpy about white space), a cover upon which to stamp and draw…

There is nothing wrong with the way it is, but I can see potential for this to become aesthetic art as well as prose.

Conspiira/torial #1 is definitely worth checking out – especially if you like a bit of mystery.

Hot Pants! Do It Yourself Gynecology and Herbal Remedies
Isabelle Gauthier and Lisa Vinebaum
https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/899

**As stated in the zine: This book is not intended to provide diagnoses or prescriptions.

There seems to be this view of the world in that there are people who are ‘for’ modern medicine and those who are ‘against’. Well I’m here to tell you there are plenty of people who just want options.

Hot Pants! Do It Yourself Gynecology and Herbal Remedies is exactly that. From PMS to yeast infections, this zine lists alternatives for problems you’ve had, problems you’ve heard of, and a few more in the mix. I feel like this is the ‘little book of lady bits’ that I should have been given when I was a teenager.

This zine goes far beyond a list of problems and solutions, though. There are illustrations a’plenty with the female reproductive system, how to check your vaginal mucus, and even an example chart for fertility charting. It gets even better in the back. Want a list of aphrodisiacs? Check. Want to know how to prepare your own herbs? Check. Not sure if you wanted Chickweed or Motherwort? You guessed it – check.

Side not kudos: I love how the table of contents is set up like a periodic table. There are multiple reasons as to why this is funny and clever.

My love for this zine extends beyond what this zine literally is into what it stands for. Beyond ‘this is how you make babies’, my education about my body was distinctly lacking. My access to doctors who could actually explain anything? Distinctly lacking. What this stands for is not just alternative health but communication and shared knowledge for women in a world where it can be difficult for women to learn more about their bodies and their health.

As someone who craves some alternatives that don’t come from the chemist, I think this is a fantastic little guide for better understanding.

Hand It Over #1
WDKING, Ella King, Louie Joyce
http://budzine.weebly.com/

Everything has been going wrong today – internet, computer, printer… even my office chair broke in three ways – so it was nice to give the arvo a one-finger salute and sit down with Hand It Over.

I received this zine in trade at Festival of the Photocopier (this is how ‘fast’ reviewing goes when I only do two reviews a week) from the one and only @budzine (Instagram).

Hand It Over #1 is a zine of variety with a comic – split into two parts – an interview, a shop review, and other things. While one piece did poke at adults with colouring books (who says colouring is just for kids? haha), I love a tongue-in-cheek prod as much as the next person. (If you can’t laugh at yourself…)

I have to say that the comic was my favourite part of the zine. Not only did it have the split (something I enjoy from my newspaper-reading days), but the message was exactly what I was hoping it would be. The pages that followed the ending were funny in a dry, wry way.

The interview was on the short and sweet side in both questions and answers, which I really liked. I’m a big fan of interviews, but most of them drag out too long.

Hand It Over combines things I like about newspapers/magazines – the variety of content, the type of content, the ‘find more on page X’ that I like in newspapers – but keeps to the cut and past zine style.

Plus, I’ve always been a fan of all caps and small caps. +1 readability

I hope to see it expand for even more variety – more interviews, comics, etc – and take advantage of the white space on the interior covers and back cover. I can see this easily growing into a thicker and thicker zines with all sorts of content inside.

I feel like this is a great beginning for what could turn into a long-lasting zine series.

Xerography Debt #34
Editor: Davida Gypsy Breier
http://www.leekinginc.com/
https://microcosmpublishing.com/

Is it weird to review a review zine? Am I going to poke a hole in the universe if I post this?

Last year, I was thinking about bundling up all my reviews into a zine review zine. Rather than jump right in, I decided to have a look around and see what, if anything, other people were doing with the idea. Let’s just say that when I came across ‘Xerography Debt’, I thought: Well, they have it covered.

Xerography Debt is amazing. I’ll put it right here toward the beginning of the review because that pretty much sums it up.

Aesthetically, I love this issue. The art is fantastic, the colours, and even the font of the words on the cover drew me in. They use great paper, a clear and readable font, and it’s one of those nice, thick zines that you know you’ll get to spend a lot of time with.

I usually don’t mention layouts, but this one bears mentioning. The inside cover has not only contact details but also lists out the whole Xerography Debt team, the table of contents, and breaks down the reviews into individual reviewer sections. Have I mentioned that they have 15 reviews on the team? Wowza. And an index in the back.

Even more, they have a “Basic stuff you should know” in the back in case this is your first issue of Xerography Debt.

This is where I start doodling ‘Nyx loves XD’ in my zine notebook.

As you would expect to see inside Xerography Debt, there are zine reviews. They tend to be on the shorter and sweeter side of things – at least, compared to my prattling on, they certainly are. Having a team of reviewers makes things even more interesting with the differing tastes and reviewing styles.

What gives the content that ‘frosting on top’ is that there are columns in there as well! There’s a perzine quality inserted into this review zine with columns that range from an interview to PO Box Withdrawal. I absolutely dug right in and loved the columns so much. I learned so much! For instance, I was reading one column that talked about amateur press associations. I lost hours researching APAs.

Backtracking a little to the first piece – the introduction – Davida beautifully states why it can still be a zine even if it has an ISBN:

[Zinesters] all try and stretch the boundaries of what can be done with photocopies and staples, but if what we have to say can’t be stapled, moving to book format makes perfect sense.

Boom. Done. Drop mic. There you go.

I must admit that letting myself loose with a zine that gave me even more zines to try to get my hands on might not have been the best idea, but I’m still glad I did it. Because zines. (Of course, now I have to get my hands on all the copies of this series…)

Do yourself a favour and grab an issue of Xerography Debt.

Bloomurder #1
Laura
www.facebook.com/bloomzine
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/BLOOMURDER

My 101st zine review. Wow. I feel like I have a clean slate and greater expectations all at the same time. Haha. To give my anxieties a bit of a relax and my brain box some enjoyment, I figured Bloomurder #1 would be the way to go…

Bloomurder is a collection of bits and pieces of experiences. I say ‘bits and pieces’ with no disrespect. The content is a mix of art and travel, music and television shows from her youth. It bounces around a bit and doesn’t have a theme for the issue as such, but sometimes it’s nice to go along with someone else’s flow to see where it takes you. This style of doing things reinforces the ‘scrapbook’ feel I get with this zine.

I found the pieces funny in a synchronicity sort of way. I’ve never been to France, but Wanderer has, and he had some very similar things to say about the places there. Laura also talks about South Australia and the Adelaide Fringe Festival. I just so happen to be looking at moving to South Australia. So in that strange way, I do have somewhat of a bias toward some of the content.

This zine also combines journal aspects as well with little additions to go along with the writing instead of a cut and paste fiesta distracting from the words. Had I learned after the fact that this zine was a product of ‘converted notebook ramblings’ (instead of at the intro), I wouldn’t have been surprised.

Earlier today someone asked if there were any rules when it comes to making zines. There really aren’t, but Laura provides a good demonstration of the ‘general understanding’ when it comes to handwriting in zines: make sure people can read it! Laura has easy-to-read handwriting (except for one word on occasion 😉 ), as you can see* on the first page here:

One thing I found interesting in this zine is that Laura uses handwriting for some pieces and typing others. If someone had simply suggested this to me, I would have assumed that I wouldn’t like it. As it turns out, I do. The change from piece to piece fits the overall ‘scrapbook’ sort of feel that I get with this zine.

I find it a lot of fun to look at a person’s first zine, especially after they have been making them for a while. I’m very curious to see how Laura’s style has changed or stayed the same in the issues of Bloomurder that follow.

PS. I have to mention that her contact/media details right in the front, clear and easy to find. Yes!

*I’ve decided to revisit my rule about no pictures of the insides of zines. I am looking at doing it more, but for the time being, I am going to be very picky about what I take pictures of.

Guest Informant #1
Emma D / Luke You
guestinformantzine@gmail.com

Ah, the 100th review. I hope you’ll like my choice for the big 100th, because I certainly enjoyed it on a number of levels. Of course, it wouldn’t be a review if I didn’t tell you all about it…

I’d tell you what Guest Informant #1 is about, but I think they’ve already done a better job than I could do…

Guest Informant is a conversation zine made by Sydney zinemaker Emma D and Melbourne zinemaker Luke You. Issue number one was recorded on Sunday 19.7.2015 in Emma D’s kitchen in Dulwich Hill, Sydney Australia.

I usually leave the tactile type stuff for the end of the review, but I think I’ll put it at the beginning this time, as that’s what second caught my attention with this zine (the first being the title, which I think is very cool). I was quite enamoured with the slightly thin, slightly brown interior paper of this zine. As it turns out, they saved me the time of tracking down more info about it, as this is in the back:

…The inside pages are all 60gsm Bulky Newsprint from the intriguing Stationers Supply in Collingwood.

I love it to absolute bits in ways that don’t quite fit into words yet. In ways that make me think that I simply must have some even if I never do anything with it (more the shame if I didn’t, though).

I was actually a bit nervous at the beginning of reading this zine, as they were talking about bands and gigs. If there’s one thing I don’t know about (other than poetry), it’s the band/music scene. But before I knew it, I’d already been swept up in the flow of conversation. The conversation being what this zine is all about.

There’s something really beautiful about text on a page with nothing else. There aren’t even names or indicators to tell you who is speaking, let alone anything like body language (but for the occasional ‘(laughs)’). I imagine people who know one or both of the people involved could guess, but I don’t. When you strip that away, even stripping away things that inform our prejudgments that we didn’t realise informed our prejudgments, you’re left only with what the people are actually saying.

Reading this zine was like reading the middle of a book. No backstory. You have the main topics, but there are also the little clues like how it started with playing the flute and references to Sticky Institute in Melbourne. Sure, I have absolutely no clue about what it’s like to be a band in the world today, but it’s a natural conversation that sweeps from side to side picking up other little side topics along the way.

You would think that something like this – a conversation in a kitchen between two people – would lend itself to being something incredibly intimate bordering on secretive. While there’s nothing wrong with that, this zine really isn’t – and that’s a good thing. There is that degree of separation there, of course, but I read this feeling like it was a regular conversation between a couple of friends that might happen in any kitchen across Australia. It was good and relaxed, and it felt real. Nothing forced happening in that kitchen on that day.

At the very end of the zine, you do get a peek beyond the words to what I assume is the kitchen where the conversation took place. A lovely end to the zine.

I chose Guest Informant #1 as my 100th zine to review because it encompasses so much of what I love about zines. The feel of non-‘traditional’ materials in its physical form, the thickness of a zine that tells you there are many things to be enjoyed inside, the typewriter letters, the anything-goes kind of content the might not be everyone’s cup of tea but it’s out there in zine life and culture because it is welcome there. At the risk of sounding cliche, it is what it is and makes no excuses for that. Nor should it.

For that is why zines are amazing.

A Visitor In Myself #2
Nichole
www.collectingwords.etsy.com

This is one of those zines where there are so many things I want to talk about that I feel like I have to control myself lest I leave no surprises for potential readers. Haha.

A Visitor In Myself #2 is a zine written by the same Nichole who writes the Pieces series (reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). She is a perzine writer who lets me enjoy one of the best things about zines: realising you are not alone. Her writing style is introspective and thoughtful while still inviting you along to think about her life along with her. If you were sitting having a cuppa with her, you would feel more than welcome to add your thoughts to hers.

She talks about things like connecting to people on her own terms, alcohol, and expressing her needs. There is also a time gap part way through that gives her the chance to reflect a little on the things she wrote before, which adds an interesting dynamic. The different subjects are like snippets but still manage to be complete.

She also talks a little bit about dissociation (“Dissociation is a mental process where a person disconnects from their thoughts, feelings, memories or sense of identity.” – Better Health Victoria), and I couldn’t help but wonder if that is the story behind the title. I do love it when there are layers of meaning in things.

There is a very beautiful moment in this zine when, amongst the doubt and confusion, she writes about a moment of such clarity and strength that I wanted to say, “There! Look! Look what you did!” I identify so much with a lot of her anxieties that reading about a moment of saying, “Please don’t contact me anymore” to someone who was important (that I haven’t even read about) made me feel like celebrating that moment for her. I don’t even know if she realises…

On the experience side beyond the content (because I almost always have to mention it)…

I like her cut and paste style. She always includes things like patterned borders and images here and there, but it never feels like too much or takes away from the text. Text that is typed on a typewriter – a little addition that I love (and am a smidge jealous of). Her zines are also machine sewn, which looks good and is great at keeping the zines together.

All up, I sense another zine series that I’ll have to get my hands on.

Friday Night in West Ealing #76
K?
fridaynightinwestealing@gmail.com

This is one of those zines that I know I’ve had for a while, but I can’t really recall where or when I picked it up. Though I do strongly suspect Sticky Institute.

Friday Night in West Ealing #76 is a strong representation for how a zine can work in true simplicity. The entire zine is a double-sided piece of A4 paper that’s folded, type on the inside and handwritten on the front/back. It’s purely words – written or typed – with no illustrations but for a few hand-drawn hearts on the inside. The experience of it is somewhat like a newspaper – opening it up to read one bit and then unfolding the rest to get the whole story.

The “only words” approach in the zine world doesn’t seem like it should be that different, but it is enough for me to write this sentence saying it is.

Sometimes I wonder about my luck with things – especially zine things – because other people might not be interested in slice of life type of reading that concerns moving from an old wallet into a new wallet with all the things that get lost and forgotten in old wallets. But for me? I love finding out what people have in their purses, wallets, bags, etc.

What I love even more though? Fluid story writing. Writing that carries you along gently without you even being aware that you’re going somewhere. Writing that starts with a 22 pound umbrella and ends with putting the past away in favour of letting a new collection of wallet artifacts creep into your wallet over the years. There is something beautiful and wonderful about the small moments of a life, and I think that’s why this zine is on #76 and is still going.

The yellow of the paper is actually a lot more pleasant than what is displayed in the photo above. I love my camera, but combinations of sucktastic lighting and my limited knowledge of whether it’s best to up the brightness or exposure (or something else?!) make for some poor visual translations.

There’s certainly a mystery to this zine with only an email address on the back. It’s usually a bug bear of mine to have to go hunting for more details, but… I think it kind of works for this zine.

Don’t point back to this post when I grumble about it on other zines, though, okay?

Beer and Longing
Meg O’Shea
Pleaseusethisbag.tumblr.com

This is another lovely zine from Festival of the Photocopier. (I’ve mixed up my zines so much that I am actually happy when I remember where I got something.) This is another one of those zines that I bought because the front looked awesome. Nearly bought for only that reason, I mean. I did have a look inside to find that the quality of the outside was carried into the inside – but I’ll get to all that in a moment.

Beer and Longing is a comic about homesickness. Simply put, anyway. More than that, it’s about being a dual citizen, growing up in dramatically different places, being pulled in different directions and not being sure if either one is the right one for you.

Of course, a little of that might be my bias speaking, having grown up in one country in one hemisphere and then moving to the other side of the world.

The story is as simple or as complex as you want it to be, and the art reflects that in a way. Meg has an art style I enjoy that is detailed but not to the point of taking away or distracting from what is happening in the story. I was pleasantly surprised at the writing in this. There is a lyrical quality to it that leaves me hoping that Meg writes more stories.

The materials used and the way this zine was put together is gorgeous. I don’t see a lot of zines where the creators choose to sew the binding like I do. But Meg took this to a whole new level. No simple saddle stitch for Meg! Meg went with a Japanese four-hole binding that I have only ever seen in person a few times – and I’ve never seen it done on a zine. The beautiful thing is that it’s so appropriate to the zine itself. The Japanese stitching, the circle print on the cover which is reminiscent of the Japanese flag, the tiny Japanese type within that circle… Of course, all relating to the setting of the comic.

I absolutely adore it when creators carry themes like that in such subtle ways.

And I can’t go past mentioning that the cover and interior paper is quite nice, too.

This is a lovely zine, through and through. The whole thing just makes me want to be careful with it and treat it well so I can enjoy it for years to come.