Ker-bloom! 133
Art Noose
8 pages
https://www.etsy.com/shop/artnoose
https://kerbloom.bigcartel.com
https://www.instagram.com/artnoose/

Ker-bloom! 133 is a quarter-sized, letterpress colour zine about Art’s visit to the Hawaiian island of Moloka’i, Kalaupapa National Historic Park, and the history of the area.

We open to a simple title page printed with letterpress in black ink, which, of course, made me immediately want to run my finger over the texture of the letters. Turning the page puts us right into the zine with Art writing about their second trip to Moloka’i. We flow along as Art shares thoughts about hiking in Kalaupapa, how people only rarely visit that particular Hawaiian island, the tour Art went on, and into the history of the island.

If you’re not familiar, a peninsula here was once used by the government “as a forced relocation settlement for people with Hansen’s Disease (commonly referred to as leprosy).”

Art’s writing flows easily and blends a retelling of a trip along with a respectful recounting of history (much of it not pretty). Art doesn’t moralise nor lecture – rather, writing it all out as part of the experience. Tourism with a respect for history. I quite appreciate it as well as the slice of life style of zine this is.

This and all issues of Ker-bloom! are a beautiful experience if you like the tactile side of the zine reading experience. The entire zine is beautifully made with everything done in letterpress on lovely cream paper. Even the main internal text has texture and colour. There’s even a beautiful sliver of pattern in the very centre, and the staples binding the zine seem to disappear into it.

This zine is a prime example of why I mostly stick to reviewing physical zines. Holding this zine adds a whole dimension of experience to the zine in and of itself. All the elements work together beautifully.

Plus, Art uses an element that always makes me smile: the number zine I have out of a limited (in this case, 250 copies) print run.

Ker-bloom! 133 is definitely one to check out and one to keep.

Do It Your Self Care 5: Autumn Blues
Nina Zina
One-page folded mini
https://echopublishing.wordpress.com
https://lostluna.bandcamp.com
https://ko-fi.com/echozines

Do It Your Self Care 5: Autumn Blues is a full-colour, one-page-folded mini-zine about embracing the autumn season.

It’s almost winter here in the land of Oz, but autumn marches gently into winter without the snow to mark it, so it all blends together quite nicely.

Autumn Blues opens with Nina writing about the sadness that comes with saying goodbye to summer and all the summery activities and events that go along with the season. Then she introduces the zine as a means to help embrace the beauty and the magic of autumn.

We then have lists of lovely autumn-y pleasuress. From cosy activities and events like listening to the rain hitting the windows to comfy clothes and warm drinks. There’s plenty to enjoy about autumn and the cooler months, and this zine provides a gorgeous little reminder of so many of those things.

Even more, this beautiful little zine opens all the way out for dozens more things to enjoy in autumn as well as an additional note from Nina.

I could always go on for days about how much I love Nina’s style. Nina’s handwriting is clear and easy to read. Beautiful autumn and winter blues and reds in patterned backgrounds go perfectly with the mustard yellow paper pieces the text pieces are written on.

Do It Your Self Care 5: Autumn Blues is a beautiful zine in both aesthetics and intentions. It can be easy to lose yourself in the blues of the colder seasons. It’s so nice to have a reminder of all the wonderful things that come along with it. It’s another lovely addition to the series, and definitely one to pick up.

If you’d like to check out my reviews of issues one through four, here are the links:

*Do-It-Yourself Care
*Do It Yourself Care #2: Self-Care During Heat Waves
*Do It Yourself Care 3 – Self-Care During Christmas
*Do It Yourself Care 4: Joyful Girl Where I Find Joy

International Zine Month 2018
Hadass
28 pages
https://hadass420.wordpress.com
https://ko-fi.com/pmsmess

International Zine Month 2018 is a quarter-sized black and white zine with a ‘page a day’ perzine style format covering July 2018.

While we aren’t even quite to June yet, International Zine Month (July) is already on my mind…

IZM 2018 opens with some very metal art elements on the inside front cover before launching into the intro. Hadass writes about feeling inspired to create a zine and deciding on a one page a day zine for the month.

Therein is day one, and we go right into day two in which Hadass writes about doing Tai Chi (and colour me intrigued and wanting to look more into it) every Monday. As the days of the month pass, we get a fun look into Hadass’ life with all sorts of subjects. Sharpie marker highs, memories from going through old journals, an Ozzy Osbourne concert, and plenty around metal and the impact of music on her life.

Hadass’ writing is raw and unapologetic. She writes without filter, the highs and lows of life, creativity, and art coming out on the page. She navigates the world of wife, mother, metalhead, zinemaker, writer, and so much more. Life is often chaos, and Hadass gives us a glimpse into how she handles hers. (Like a badass.)

The aesthetic of this zine is really a free flow of creativity. Some entries are typewritten and others handwritten. Some are words on backgrounds while others incorporate photos and drawings.

I’ve often talked and written about how much I like perzines and life update newsletters. This zine mixes the two into a diary zine. While this is from six (!) years ago at this point, it’s still interesting to get a peek into my friend’s life. As well as ride the highs and lows of creating with her. I also learned that we have something in common: a sweet tooth!

I really enjoyed this zine on multiple levels, and had started my creative engines going not only for IZM 2024 but for getting into a writing routine for my novel.

PS. I now have ‘Wreck This Journal’ on my wishlist. Sounds like fun!