Radical Vulnerability and Mental Health
Queer Marshmallow
queer_marshmallow@riseup.net
IG: @queermarshmallow

Radical Vulnerability and Mental Health is a black and white… I feel like it falls under the category of perzine, but I really want to call it a ‘contemplation zine’.

In Radical Vulnerability and Mental Health, Queer Marshmallow explores thoughts on the meaning of ‘radical vulnerability’ and how it applies within the context of mental illness. More specifically within the realms of anxiety, depression, and borderline personality disorder.

I started reading this zine knowing that I liked the way ‘radical vulnerability’ sounded but also knowing that I wasn’t actually sure what it was all about. With recent events leaving me feeling particularly vulnerable, I decided it was about time to look into it.

As much as I wanted a solid, ‘official’ definition, I like how QM started from a place of what radical vulnerability meant to them and then took it from there. At no point was there a feeling of being told what is, only personal interpretations. In the grand scheme of things, I don’t think the writing could have demonstrated any more perfectly exactly what it was talking about.

I didn’t expect to identify so strongly with this zine, but I truly did. Perhaps it’s simply from the common mental diagnoses, but I have many times asked myself the same questions QM asks. Where is the line between expressing what is going on and becoming a burden? When does honest become too honest?

This zine isn’t a guide or a how to, but it is a beautifully vulnerable – excited but shy – exploration of feelings when it comes to opening your true self up to the world. If that sounds like something you would enjoy, pick up this zine.

In Movement
Nina
http://echopublishing.worpdress.com

I would describe this zine, but really, Nina already has it handled on the cover. In Movement is…

A 24-hour zine about moving and finding a home

I’m not a stickler for descriptions like I am about contact details, but there is certainly something to be said about having the description right up front. You don’t even have to open the zine (but why wouldn’t you – it’s a zine!) to have an idea of what you’re getting.

However I do believe that I am getting ahead of myself.

Nina takes you through the process of moving through reflection pieces, tips from friends (love this idea!) about making a new space home, lists, and even brief summaries of other zines about moving.

I do have a long-standing love of lists, but the reflections resonated with me. I like how Nina mentions how moving is both a physical and an emotional process. Nina’s desire for one’s own space and the desire to feel safe are something I have longed for for a long time.

Later in the lists section with the list of fears, I found myself nodding right along. Even though I live with Wanderer, I worry about taking care of all the “adult” stuff and whether I will be lonely. (So far so good on *not* having noisy neighbours. Win!)

The aesthetic of this zine is definitely cut and paste, but it’s not at all overwhelming or distracting from the words. I like how the backgrounds are house/home related with everything from maps to boxes to houses. The zine itself is wrapped up with lovely blue yarn that matches the tree on the front cover. The pages did get a little squiggly with the binding going around but not through, but the fact that I was taking it with me from room to room with various other things definitely contributed to the squiggling.

I do have to give a smile to this little symbol drawn on the inside corner. Something about the idea of a ‘Belgium 24 Hour Zines’ stamp really made me smile.

This is absolutely only a review of this zine, but I did want to bring up the point about how fun it was for me to have more than one zine by the same zinemaker. A few things referenced in this zine were also mentioned in Scissors & Chainsaws, and I really enjoyed that sense of continuity and connection between zines with different subjects.

I wish I had made the time to sit down and read this zine before I moved because I found it comforting to read like chatting with a friend about the frustrations of moving. That being said, reading it after the fact is just as lovely, and this zine is a big inspiration in regards to making a zine about my own move.

Scissors & Chainsaws
Zina
https://echopublishing.wordpress.com/
https://drawingsbynina.wordpress.com/

I am now utterly in love with diary comic zines and decree that everyone make them.

Scissors & Chainsaws is a black and white diary comic zine featuring daily entries though International Zine Month (July) 2013. Now you may think I love all zines about zines and, well, this zine keeps on with the trend. So much love.

Zina takes you from June 30th introduction and prep to final July 31st wrap up with future zine plans. For every day there are small drawings and brief descriptions about what’s happened on the day. As much as the focus is IZM, plenty of focus goes to things that don’t have to do with zines (other than being put in a zine). Zina doesn’t do every single daily activity, but honestly, I found myself enjoying everything so much that I didn’t mind at all. I was happy to read about the non-zine things, too. It is a diary comic, after all.

The aesthetics of this zine are so cute and fun – and I’m not just saying that because of the green cover and green string binding. Colour me green for being so envious of Zina ‘cute but not cutesy’ drawing style. I love it when the art and the words work around each other, influencing each others shapes and positions on the page rather than everything being so neatly squared and separated.

The addition of Chainsaw Bunny made me laugh and smile. I was delighted to see “I’ll be back” on the July 31st entry with him/her/bunbun.

All up, Scissors & Chainsaws is a nice, pleasant zine that gives you a glimpse into Zina’s life. Get a copy. Truly. If you love perzines, comics, diary comics, International Zine Month, any combination of any of those… Pick it up. Because I’m not lending mine out. Hehe.

PS. This cover is actually more nice warm green than mint, but I can’t for the life of me make my camera take pictures that match up with what my actual eyes see.

A Teenie Weenie Write-y Zine-y
Jessica Maybury
thejessicamaybury.com
@codenamewallaby
IG jessica.maybury

Today we have an itty bitty – or rather, teenie weenie – zine of photographs featuring writing and writing spaces.

It could be a bit of narcisissm on my part (I write fiction), but I absolutely love seeing others’ writing processes and spaces. (To the point I actually started a blog where authors showed off and talked about their writing spaces.) I could stare at this collection of tiny black and white photos for ages thinking about the way people write, what they use to write, and the spaces they occupy.

This zine gave me the ‘why I love zines’ feelings with the intro:

“I don’t know why I feel the need to photograph the writing experience but I do.”

Isn’t that lovely? Jessica felt compelled and did – because you can with zines whenever you feel the urge. Beautiful!

This is a very specific topic sort of zine, so I think you’ll know whether you’re interested from the get go. I for one, will be opening its pages again to ponder writing spaces and places…

Doris 26
Cindy Crabb
http://www.dorisdorisdoris.com/

Doris 26 is a black and white (save for the cover) perzine that is, well, hard to describe. It’s about life, hope, society, and living. More specifically, it’s about the state of people and their desire for meaning, social ecology, the stories we tell ourselves and more.

I’ve been a fan of the Doris series since I first started reading them – thanks to a number of recommendations on a WMZ thread. Right from the unrelated snippets on the first page, I am sucked into the life of this person whose use of language and way of doing things is so different from mine.

I quite enjoy the aesthetics of this zine. I feel like I’m reading someone’s diary or looking through a junk journal (if you’re not familiar with the term ‘junk’ is not an insult). There’s a fun and seemingly unplanned mix of typing and handwriting, cut and paste and drawn comics.

Reading Doris zines is like a reminder to myself that I am too uptight. While that may sound bad, I look at it as Cindy’s writing style relaxing my mind while simultaneously giving me interesting concepts to think about. There are so many times as I am reading when I note down something I want to look into further or think, “That’s exactly how I feel!” (Page 1: “I’ve been trying to figure out how to get over the lifelong problem I’ve had where I think I don’t know anything about anything…” – This!)

Admittedly, I didn’t understand everything. Cindy’s life experiences are so different from mine, but that’s probably why I found everything so fascinating. Some of the social ecology stuff did go over (way over) my head, but what I did understand was very interesting to me. Also, what I did understand has inspired me to keep learning to I can understand the other stuff.

The seeming randomness of this zine is beautiful to me. It speaks to sharing for the sake of sharing and nothing else.

I think that anyone who has an interest in zines should read at least one Doris zine. I think 26 is a great place to start with plenty of it being about people and currency society.