Wiseblood #37 The Cat-Sitting Issue
Fishspit
fuzzybunnyflatbunny@gmail.com

Sometimes you read a zine, and all you can do is experience it. Not think too much because it’s better for you to go along for the ride.

This is definitely one of those zines.

I received Wiseblood #37 (along with another) in a trade with Fishspit himself. After such charming short messages, how could I not be curious about a zine with this cover?

The content doesn’t disappoint from the cover expectation. Inside you’ll find three stream-of-consciousness style stories with a silly sort of humour that I think most people can appreciate. They remind me a little of Billy Connolly long, winding story humour (obviously less long and winding given the format).

I must know his cat-whisperer secrets. Haha.

I was a bit shocked a little at some of the content and language. It’s been a while since I’ve read anything that’s so clearly for an adult audience.

Frankly, someone, somewhere along the line is going to be offended by something in this zine. To be sure, it’s a curious zine.

“Personals”
JMAH + Contributors
personals.zine@gmail.com

After reviewing Zine Crush 3 and Dear Crush, I have to admit that I went into this assuming that ‘personals’ was going to be about dating.

Sometimes it’s nice to be wrong.

Rather than searching for love out in the wide world, “Personals” is about finding the love of one’s body. From wrists and necks to armpits and power pooches, it’s about love and appreciation for those body parts that give us (and sometimes others) pleasure in one way or another. Each piece is accompanied by art, and each piece of art is like a tribute to the body part the person is writing to.

They are sort of personals in the sense that some end with phone numbers. But they tend to be a sort of throwaway note. ‘Oh, yeah. By the way…’ I wonder if the numbers and emails are real, but I’m not game enough to have a go.

I like the lines that turn not only the interior but the cover as well into a notebook of sorts. It seems like such a small thing on the surface, but it’s sort of a subconscious suggestion that this is a notebook, making the content within more personal. (No pun intended.)

I do have to admit that I sometimes had to hold the zine a bit close to my face to read some of the pieces, but so runs the risk of using handwriting. Given the kind of zine this turned out to be, typing wouldn’t have worked as well. So I’ll take holding it close to my face for the sake of the art.

I have to mention the last piece. It was sad and beautiful, and it reminded me entirely too much of my own life. It was Clair de Lune, haunting me. I’m glad it was left until last.

“Personals” is a slightly different take on body acceptance, but what it does, it does well.

Every Morning
Mel Stringer
https://www.instagram.com/melstringer/
https://www.facebook.com/melstringerart

Sometimes, it’s better to let the zine creator to describe the zine:

Every Morning, as a zine, is an intimate collection of portraits of real and rad women who were willing to have their portrait drawn whilst sharing the simple notion of what their everyday morning looks like.

Every now and then, I fall hard for a zine because it’s so nice in so many ways, and I can’t find a single thing that I don’t like about it. This is one of those zines.

As mentioned above, Every Morning features the self-described morning routines of fascinating women I’ve never met. I love reading about the small, ‘normal’ moments in a life, and I have never before seen someone take on ‘the morning routine’.

It’s one of those ‘why didn’t I think of that?’ moments for me, but I’m glad I didn’t because I couldn’t have done such a wonderful job. I love everything about ‘Every Morning’, from the subject matter to the layout to the paper. (The paper. OMG. The paper. I love ‘petting’ this zine. Is that weird?) It pleases every part of my personality (writer, zine maker, graphic communications student).

I am, however, beginning to wonder if I’m one of the few left in the universe who doesn’t wear makeup… Anyway.

Peeking into lives is one of my guilty pleasures (I’m not weird…), and Every Morning executes that guilty pleasure in superb fashion.

Quote to remember: ‘Plus it’s good to say ‘fuck you!’ to something at least once a day.’

Every Morning definitely one for the permanent collection.