Non Monogamy 101: A Primer for Questioning Compulsory Monogamy
Adelaide Barton
http://www.brusquebabe.com
https://www.instagram.com/brusquebabe/

Non Monogamy 101 is a black and white, about 11cm X 18cm sized zine about examining monogamy and monogamous assumptions, non-monogamy practices, and ethical approaches to non-monogamous relationships.

This zine is exactly what I was looking for. Exactly.

Non Monogamy 101 opens up with a quick side note about how real, ethical non-monogamy is a relationship in which all partners have informed consent. Anything else is cheating. And with this clear and concise start, I knew I was getting into the kind of zine I’d been looking for when I started exploring this topic.

From there we dive into the intro – a piece about how the hack and data dump of the Ashley Madison affair website brought up a number of conversations for Adelaide regarding monogamy, views thereof, and assumptions based on those views. It’s only a deeper dive after that as Adelaide explores how non-monogamy is actually an umbrella term, how non-monogamous relationships are definitely not anything new, and how monogamous assumptions

I could go on and on all day about all the information in this zine. It’s absolutely fabulous. History, what modern non-monogamy looks like, responses from people as to why they engage in non-monogamous relationships. There’s so much to learn!

I loved being introduced to these new-to-me terms like ‘primary partner’ and ‘unicorn’. I love that it acknowledges the hard work involved in complex relationships. What I especially adored was the “Harmful Love Myths Debunked” that shed a light on thoughts and judgements borne purely of a society that values monogamy above all as if love is this finite resource that can only work in one way.

I love the aesthetic of this zine (to the extent that I want the colour version as well). It’s full of text information, but the way the clear handwriting, the easily noticed emphasis, and all the little elements like drawings and speech bubbles come together into something I enjoy while *not* feeling talked down to.

There’s a phrase I picked up a long time ago, and I don’t even remember where it was from, but it’s this: “We don’t yuck anyone’s yum.” Isn’t that fabulous? I feel like this zine does a spectacular job of not only showing what non-monogamy is but also that there are so many different ways to do it – and no one should stand in judgment of how informed, consenting adults lead their romantic and sexual lives.

Non Monogamy 101 is a fantastic reference and educator on the world of non-monogamy in a form that feels a lot more personal and a lot less intimidating than your standard book. If you’re merely a little curious or looking to move forward with a non-monogamous lifestyle, then do yourself the favour of picking up this zine.

Wild Wisdom
Authentic Creations Publishing Apothecary
https://artisticapothecary.wordpress.com/

Wild Wisdom is a black and white US half-fold zine about plant life cycles, nature, and more that takes a somewhat more spiritual approach to the subjects.

I’m not a gardener or grower by any sense of the word, but I find the entire subject quite fascinating and welcome educating myself on the matter. But unlike a how-to guide as such, Wild Wisdom incorporates a mix of typed text, handwritten text, and hand drawn elements to create a collection of nature on the intuitive side.

Wild Wisdom opens with a brief introduction to the zine and the ones who had a hand in creating it. On the opposite page of the spread is a ‘programs’ list, but admittedly it’s not entirely clear where or when these things take place. However, that’s neither here nor there as we jump into the zine.

Seed life cycles, the importance of plants derived from plants rather than cloned or otherwise manufactured, plant anatomy, and more are found in the pages that follow. This one takes us through a world of respectful and grateful harvesting, urging people to take more time to learn about nature’s growth. In amongst these are handdrawn diagrams of things like the Sea Hibiscus as well as differences in annual, biennial, and monocarp plant life cycles.

Aesthetically this zine fits right into the cut and paste feels with its mixed of drawn and typed elements. There are bits here and there that are a little difficult because of dark copying and a bit of text cut off but nothing that stopped me from reading. I enjoyed the little pictured of hands holding up fingers to denote the page numbers and other little elements this one included.

I also enjoyed the feelings of reverence from this one in the way this one writes about respecting plants and giving gratitude to plants. From the drawings of certain plants to a small mention about changing our perspective of ‘invasive’ in the bounds of how habitats evolve and change.

Wild Wisdom is a zine that feels like a scrapbook with a little bit of everything. If you want a more cut and dry zine about plant growing and plant life cycles, then this may not be the zine for you. However, if you’re interested in something a bit more – pardon the pun – organic, then this is one you may enjoy checking out.