Joining the Dots: A Queer, Fat Positive Perzine About PCOS
Holly Casio & Friends
http://www.coolschmool.com

Joining the Dots is an A5 black and white zine that describes itself best in the subtitle: A queer, fat positive perzine about PCOS.

Someone suggested this zine to me after I put together Umbrella, and I am so, so happy to see another PCOS zine out in the zineverse. There’s so much confusion, and it’s a condition not talked about enough.

I love how Joining the Dots starts out with a ‘Holly Casio Fact File’ as if to say, “I am going to write about PCOS, but I am a person – not a diagnosis”.

Joining the Dots then jumps right in with what PCOS is and the frustration people with PCOS often encounter due to how uninformed many doctors STILL are about it. This zine quickly becomes a valuable resource offering not only personal stories and tips but also places online where to do more research and find PCOS friends.

At no point did I feel like any reader knowledge was assumed, which is a big plus in my book.

I identified so much with Holly’s story. Too many doctors are focused on THE FAT that they ignore everything else. Or, even better (that’s sarcasm), they take the ‘have babies or lose weight’ track that does little to address actual symptoms of PCOS.

But I’m going off on a tangent.

Holly invited friends to share their PCOS experiences, which I think is great because PCOS is so varied from woman to woman.

I think this is an absolutely brilliant zine that covers perspectives often not acknowledged in medicine when it comes to PCOS – queer, not wanting children, IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT THE FAT, DOC.

Even if you only have the beginning suspicion you might have PCOS, get a copy of this zine.

The Brokedown Pamphlet: war some of the time
Mark Renney & Christine Renney

The Brokedown Pamphlet is an A5 colour zine collection of writing, drawings, and other images.

Well, pickles, zine friends. I’m not sure how to get started with this zine. I’ve been paging back and forth, lingering on the images and words, but is it flying over my head?

The written pieces in this zine are like poetry to me in that they use interesting language and create strong images in my mind. I can think about them for ages… but ultimately, I’ll always wonder if I understood what the person who wrote the pieces really meant. One piece actually is a poem, but it is no more or less mysterious.

The images are a curious collection of drawings and photos. They leave me feeling like the writing – somewhat intense, but do I really understand what I’m looking at?

The artistry of this zine extends to its physical aspects as well with a nice cardstock cover and slightly textured paper for the interior. I’m coming to really appreciate lightly textured paper. Running my hands over it while I’m reading a zine helps calm and focus my otherwise somewhat scattered mind.

In the end, I’m not entirely sure what to make of this zine. It’s definitely a curious one, but the world is better for things that make us think.

Diary of a Lavender Plant
Rae White
@wings_humming
raewhite.net

Diary of a Lavender Plant is an A5 black and white zine about the journey of a lavender plant through poems.

If you’ve been reading these reviews for any length of time, you know that poetry makes me nervous… but I usually have a go anyway.

I’ve always believed that the crucial goal of any piece of writing or art is to make the person taking it in actually feel something. Frankly, I had no idea why the line breaks were where they were or what it meant. That being said, the language Rae used make me feel.

I paused and closed my eyes, thinking of sleeping in the sun at the mention of daytime naps. I laughed at the not overt but clear to me disdain for noisy, destructive children. I absolutely loved the use of the strongest memory inducer – smell. The smell of ripe tomatoes is so distinct, and I immediately remembered it when I read the words.

I’m not a gardener, not a poet, and I’m not even a fan of the scent of lavender. But I still think this zine is lovely.