"Bad Reputation."

(Issue Number Two; undated.) The words-to-pictures ratio may be too high to think of this as a comic, but whatever it is, I like it! The story — "Pus Drunk", a portrait of the artist as an obnoxious young man (with a killer clown phobia) — is by the prolific R. Lee (of Underworld Crawl zine, reviewed in Zine Thugs 7 and 8). The illustrations (and lettering) are by Dug Belan, whose work I've never seen till now but hope to see more of. Here, à propos of nothing, is R. Lee's blog (about traditional jazz). Reviewed by Indy. [$2 ppd; 24 digest pages.] R. Lee, PO Box 1421, Oshkosh WI 54903

Lots of poetry. Here's a random sample:

the whole sky is orange.
beautiful baby sittin' on an oak stool in the kitchen, waiting for a telephone call out of a black-black phone.
honey running down her face.
amber features against an amber room.

#1. Homemade text as visual art. Three distinct styles of handwriting tell a story of childhood terror and creepy grace. Ends too quickly. Reviewed by Emerson Dameron. [$?, 4 pp., standard, DIY, colored, one-shot] Sarah Mangle, sarinski@moose-mail.com.

This zine reads more like a transcript of someone telling us all the funny things she's said or done at summer camp. I would have preferred the stories to be more elaborate, more than just " I said this, everyone laughed, I am the funniest camp counselor in the world". Also, with this zine essentially being about young kids, what's with all the swearing? Really, isn't there a more appropriate adjective than "fucking"? I realize it's not for kids, but it still seems so out of place. The premise is what drew me to this zine and the same stories briefly mentioned fleshed out more would be much funnier, also the drawings at the end of the book are really nice and would work even better if they were incorporated into the story. Reviewed by Kelly Froh. [$2, digest size, 20 pp.] Caitlin, spitshine_nickels@hotmail.com

#1. Ottawa's Megan Butcher brings us dozen blunt, beautiful, wildly pornographic flash fictions. And why not accept, I say (rhetorically, so I withhold the question mark). Whether you're eating pussy, sucking cock or slapping a slave, it always feels better when you have the right words for it all. Reviewed by Emerson Dameron. [$?, 14 pp, mini, one-shot] Megan Butcher, asteroideapress.com.

(Issue 3, Winter 2006.) By and for crafters and hence not at all my thing. If it's your thing, you could do a lot worse: there's a lot of stuff packed in here. Several how-to articles, of course: making recipes (vegan soul food; hotpot applesauce), "amigurumi" (some newfangled Japanese crochet thing), etching paper, and more. Three pages on creating podcasts (though how this counts as crafty I'm damned if I know). Several personal stories (including two on crafting at age 40). Some truly inane filler ("Make Crafty Resolutions in 2006", e.g.). How to (i.) have a table at a show and (ii.) set up and run a show, and a few more community-oriented pieces. Much more. No price indicated, but, hey, three URLs, so you can probably find out pretty easily: http://community.livejournal.com/croqzine/, (where I learn that ## 4 & 5 have been published), http://myspace.com/croq, and http://www.croqzine.com/ (where there's one thing [a link to a page where you can order the zine] ... how hard would it be to put in links to myspace and livejournal?). Lots of good spot illustrations. Reviewed by Indy. [60 digest pages.] 1748 SE 12th, Portland OR 97214

(Issue #10 [Vol. 4, No. 1]; Spring 2006.) Joe Smith — his real name — is becoming a one-man publishing empire. A sidebar in this issue announces the founding of Manual Publishing, which, along with his two zines, will be bringing out three books this year. ¶ As for The Die itself, well, the subtitle is "Dispatches from the intersection of literature, philosophy, and everyday life". By "philosophy", he really means something like "thoughtful living" (as opposed to the academic hairsplitting variety typically found in "philosophy" sections of libraries and bookstores). "Literature" and "everyday life" have their usual meanings. In the introduction, "In Search of Real Life", Joe namechecks Kerouac, Thoreau, and Socrates while claiming that having an office job and suburban home need not be any less authentic a lifestyle than any other. Then there's an interview with legend-in-his-own-mind Jack Saunders, forever bemoaning the fact that nobody ever seems to want to publish his sentence-fragment-littered diaries ("to check out his daily typewriting ... thedailybulletin.com" — "typewriting" is right). The last big piece is a review of Against the Machine: The Hidden Luddite Tradition in Literature, Art, and Individual Lives. Zine reviews & reader letters round it out, along with a loving obituary of Joe's father. ¶ These are a steal at $5 for four issues. I'll go out on a limb here and say he'll probably send you a trade, for that matter. So check it out. Reviewed by Indy. [20 digest pages.] Manual Publishing, PO Box 771, College Park MD 20740

#15. Oh my god! Marc must hate me. Sending me this guy's zine again, after I complained bitterly about having to read the last one. Dan Murphy, this time around I want to help you. I see you have filled another 20 pages with your opinions about random subjects. It reads like this, "Poetry sucks, but I love poetry", "This is how you get published ...but what do I know, I'm just speculating", "Fishing appears to be so relaxing...I've never been fishing", ... If you want to actually educate people on publishing their writing, or going fishing, do some research! Don't just write what you think that experience must be like, experience it! Seriously, why waste our time? If a heading reads "Fishing" and then you just babble on about what you think about fishing as a concept, you leave the reader really frustrated. There is a sentence I underlined in your zine because I think it holds the key to why your zines are so awful: "My social life consists of me sitting in a park and having random people come up to me out of nowhere and proceed to tell me their life story, hardly something people want to read about it a zine." [italics mine] I would love it if you would write stories you've heard from random people in parks. I bet they would be great, or at the very least unpredictable! If that person was homeless, maybe they'd tell you how they got that way, if they were elderly maybe they'd tell you stories about their past, if they were mentally ill maybe they'd make up some great adventures they think they've had. You're editing out the interesting parts of your life and publishing the boring parts, does that make any sense? Reviewed by Kelly Froh. [$?, 20 pp. 1/4 size mini] Dan Murphy, P.O. Box 3154, Moscow, ID, 83843, messyelephant@hotmail.com

#10. In this zine, Lyden shares ideas for theme zines he might be too lazy to actually make. He comes up with some really good ideas, like fanzines for Bob Barker, the king of the game show, and Jim Henson, or more specifically "The Muppet Movie", which Lyden proclaims holds the meaning of life (and having recently watched it again, I see his point!) Lyden also includes as essay about his experience tabling at a zine fair and then some unique autobiographical "Phun Phacts" that manage to not sound egotistical or cliché! Hurray! Reviewed by Kelly Froh. [$2, digest sized, 18 pp.] Eric Lyden, 224 Moraine St., Brockton, MA 02301-3664, ericfishlegs@aol.com

#1. A strange, secular little motivational pamphlet, that's what you have here. The writing is vivid but even-tempered. The advice is solid. The paranoia is exquisite. If you think you'll want to keep it, ask for two – you'll need the other to play the game properly. Reviewed by Emerson Dameron [$1, 8 pp, mini, one-shot] Wayne Alan Brenner, PO Box 4942, Austin, TX 78765, wabsite.org.

##1 & 2. Now for an utterly unbiased review. In her second issue, Lisa states that my publication Lazybones "inspired [her] to go on a juice fast, work on this zine, and look for a job." She also sent me seven bucks in the mail for back issues. Consequently, you will probably not believe that I genuinely read and enjoyed every word in her zine. I related to her stories of bicycle commuting in the Midwest, of irregular employment, of getting stoned too often. An endearing rudderlessness pervades. She goes to school in Canada for piano tuning, then never seeks a job doing as much back in the States. Haha. Reviewed by Marc. ["two or three dollars" / digest / 28 pp. / photocopied] Lisa Sagrati, 368 N. Taylor Ave. #307, St. Louis, MO 63108. Lsagrati@netzero.net

#9. ("The Depraved Morality Issue ... Wait ... Isn't That Every Issue???"): Zines used to be full of these sorts of funny, awkward, self-indulgent characters and revelations. Then blogs siphoned off most of the endearingly unpretentious folk, and we got stuck with the cranky pundits and craft-fair crybabies. These two pals and their wacky anecdotes aren't anything crazy or brilliant, but they're a brisk, funny transit read, and it's good to have them on honest pulp. FLB9 (so it's "long-running," yes?) includes kid stories, travel stories, profiles of dirtbags, a few quick gags and a guest contribution from an angry drunk. Reviewed by Emerson Dameron. [$?, 38 pp, digest] Fuzzy Lunch Box, 309 Cedar St #34, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, lauranadel@aol.com.

#1 ("Nicholas Ivan Ladendorf Pre-Interviewed For Your Convenience"): As far as I know, Doug Hollad did it first. Marc Parker ganked the idea from him. Now, comic artist Nicholas Ivan Ladendorf uses a zine to hit up the world for honest work. He's got a good eye and a gift for the earnest phrase; I'd say he's practically guaranteed a lucrative gig in the advertising racket. But if you really want to go for the brass ring, you have to give a few hostile strangers some real contact information. Nuts to your URL, son; true rockers print their phone numbers. Reviewed by Emerson Dameron. [$?, 14 pp., mini, one-shot] Nicholas Ivan Ladendorf, nilgravity.com.

By Noah Dorsey. He isn't really going bald, at least no more than we all are. I've seen him. Nevertheless, Noah's comic about his receding hairline is impassioned. The art is simple, with just a touch of black and screentone, and easy on the eye. Indeed the writing is where Noah truly demonstrates a deft hand. He paces his story keenly, switches cleverly between the present and flashback. The tears, the hats, and the slow acceptance are all presented honestly. Recommended. Reviewed by Marc. [$1.50 / half-legal / 24 pp. / photocopied] secondtry35@hotmail.com

##3, 10, & 16. Included with these zines was the little booklet from Chinatown, which inspired the series. Each installment is another artist's interpretation. In #3 Julie Voyce offers drawing of flowers, vines, leaves, insects — all rather sexualized. In #10 Colin Upton illustrates the Chinese legend of bribing one's way out of the underworld, which requires the living to ceremoniously burn items at the funeral. Number sixteen by Billy Mavreas was the best. I liked the grotesqueries and the extensive lifting from Egerton Sykes' Dictionary of Non-Classical Mythology. "Laza. Second stage of Islamic hell, Daru el-Bawar, reserved for Christians." Reviewed by Marc. [$? / mini / 24 pp. each / photocopied] Perro Verlag Books by Artists, PO Box 60206, Fraser RPO, Vancouver, BC V5W 4B5. www.perroverlag.com

By Ryan Splint and Vanessa. Marc recently wheedled me to get some respectable grub in my life, so I guess this is part of that. It's a stylish, generous split cookbook, free of critter-based ingredients and sanctimonious posturing. (Seriously, there's not even a little bit of the latter.) A lot of the Dirty South dishes have me homesick from their recipes alone. And, unlike most of the half-assed publications we review here, this is built to withstand the hostile environment of the kitchen, so that's one more excuse out the window. Unless you're a veg-hating reactionary, 100+ recipes are a goddamn bargain at six bones. Reviewed by Emerson Dameron. [$6, 120 pp., paperback book] Microcosm Publishing, PO Box 14332, Portland, OR 97293, microcosmpublishing.com.

#5. In this issue Brian gets laid. I feel like he'd want me to mention that first. Another gal goes to bed with him, but is only willing to make out. Dubin takes what he gets. IRSIITT number five is full of the same dorky minutae that drew me to the other issues: a new guitar, a parking ticket, an empty plasic bag soaring with the wind. I particularly liked it when some girl asks Brian to go to the beach, but he's embarrassed about his body. So he tells her sorry, I have to stay home and draw. Hilarious, just 'cause the guy really couldn't draw a profile to save his life. Reviewed by Marc. [$2 / digest / 32 pp. / photocopied] Brian Dubin, 3019 St. Paul St. #2F, Baltimore, MD 21218. Abracadaverr@yahoo.com

#3. Scary as Hell: Halloween 2005. It's the Halloween issue that appeared in December, that I in turn reviewed the following September. Just in time for this year's. It's been a while since I read this; the attractive slikscreened cover bears thorough water damage from the time my pannier fell in a puddle. That was in February. So let's pick up the zine again and remember what so impressed me. . . . The vignettes or character sketches or whatever you want to call them — the pieces under five hundred or a thousand words — these make the zine. Witness editor Jonathan Holley's "Opening Scene from a 'B' Novella Tentatively Titled Benny Hits the Slots". Emily Lawton is similarly talented with brevity, as evidenced by her "It Was Extraordinarily Human".

I walked in and there they were, exactly as I'd left them: sitting on the couch, watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition. It was an all-day marathon.

#1. A light but spirited goof on one woman's compulsions. In one frame, she's cajoling her sleeping boyfriend to have sex; two frames later, she begins an examination of the Humboldt squid that takes up half of the booklet. It's a bit quicker than I would've liked (which is about the nicest thing I can say about anything), but Lucy's a good artist and a great character, and I learned that the Humboldt squid changes colors with its mood. Reviewed by Emerson Dameron. [$?, 26 pp., mini] Lucy Knisley, stoppayingattention.com.

#7. Clumsy, wordy, self-important literary fiction. Maybe it's not "fiction" as in "made up," but with constructions such as "her supernatural abilities to fish me out from near death experiences were only overshadowed by the parallel ability to cause the actual ill-fated fiasco," it sure is a fucking chore to read. Were you getting paid by the word for this, you'd get fired. Dude, you seem young, and you do have some talent, of a sort. I know you want to be a real writer, and you're probably going to stick with it until you're bitter and exhausted. But listen to me, because I know… Literary writers are oily, friendless assholes. The only people who care about modern lit-fic are other literary writers, and they're mainly interested in protecting their own sad turf. If this is #7, you're in rather deep. Switch to comics or music before it's too late. Reviewed by Emerson Dameron. [$2, "e-mail first," 34 pp., digest.] Chris Morin, 829 Main St., Saskatoon, SK S7H OK2, Canada, ohnotherobot@hotmail.com.

I had read a single issue of this zine many years ago and really enjoyed it, now Roche's zines are compiled into a really slick little book produced and distributed by Microcosm in Portland. In the introduction Roche suggests not reading the whole thing at once, but I admit once I got started I didn't really want to stop. It has such a good pace to it, with so many surprising moments. What else could you expect though, from a book that is about Roche's job as a substitute Education Assistant for special needs kids. Roche rides his bike no matter what the weather all over town to make it to the variety of schools that hire him. He's nearly always late. He's learning as he goes along, as he got the job without any real qualifications. Of course, for almost any job, isn't interest and heart all you really need? Anyway, Roche sometimes helps kids one-on-one with reading or math comprehension, supervises a recess, escorts kids for walks around school, and then other times, he changes diapers...of 17 year-old kids. It seems that he never really knows what he's in for when he shows up for the day. The book is charming because Roche takes everything that happens to him and everything he sees in such stride. Kids often say exactly what they think, and Roche is often being called out on his big ears and nerd glasses, this is a running joke throughout the book. But it's likely the softer moments you will remember, when Roche is really appreciated by a kid, or Roche leaves for the day feeling inspired himself. I love that this punk guy with sideburns is working in the school system, just like I like all the cute girls who are now librarians. Don't be afraid to have careers, people! Roche exposes the conservatism in the schools he works with, and how it comes in the way of why they are there – education. Recommended! Reviewed by Kelly Froh. [$?, 128 pp. professionally printed and bound] Dave Roche, P.O. Box 12142, Portland, OR 97212, poodrow@hotmail.com, order this book from Microcosm, www.microcosmpublishing.com

#5. There have been comics and zines that I have reviewed where it was obvious I didn't enjoy it; it was so poorly written, or so cliché, or so hard to read for numerous other reasons. This comic receives a poor review because it's racist bullshit. A mouse and a rabbit with pointed heads a la The Klan lynch a monkey who they capture by luring it with watermelon. They cut off its hands for ashtrays. That's the first story, and it gets worse from there. It's truly repulsive to me that this man thinks that his comic is humorous. What a waste of time, of ink, of paper. Reviewed by Kelly Froh. [$2.95, 24 pp. professionally printed and bound] Mike Hersh, P.O. Box 9389, Berkeley, CA 94709-0389.

(number one; undated.) This comic starts off in a sort of slice-of-life thing (mostly mom-and-pop family life in this case), in the minimalist vein of King-Cat. But it soon becomes an exercise in "how many panels can be crammed into a digest-size page if I don't bother with actually drawing anything but iconic head-and-shoulders blobs for pointing word balloons at?" (over 60 in many cases, it turns out). Which would actually be sort of funny if it didn't go on for twenty fucking pages. That I chose to read well over half of it before bailing out is a living testament to the compelling power of the comics medium. Reviewed by Indy. [$2.00 ; 24 digest pages.] Jerry Smith, 3344 Horner Dr., Morristown TN 37814

#1.Four short stories constitute this zine about Frank's time as a heroin user. These are not pretty stories, there is a lot of anxiety, cold sweat and blood involved, and I think that's why it is such a good read. Frank's descriptions of being "junk sick" and the panic that visited him as he watched out the window for his delayed dealer were really vivid, so vivid in fact that I felt my heart race out of empathy. Unlike other stories I have read about being a junky, he does not glamorize it for one minute, he's not afraid to tell you the stories which at their essence show you how lost you become when heroin takes over your life. Perhaps written seeking catharsis, I see this zine going much further. I'd like to see the next issue double in size and be proofread for those nagging spelling and grammar errors that unfortunately interrupt the flow of the stories. Reviewed by Kelly Froh. [$1, 18 pp. digest size] David Frank, 1002 W. Montrose Ave. Box 194, Chicago, IL 60613. rocks_and_blows@yahoo.com

(Volume 1 Issue 1; Winter 2005.) Co-editor Mark Plaid is evidently a veteran of the "small press" comics scene, and his 4-pager "Zombie on Trial" was the highlight of this all-zombie issue. But we also get the one-page (of text) "Zombie Love Story" by (the other co-editor) Rollie Barnes, some person-on-the-street banter, a "weapons guide to the zombie apocalypse" and reviews of five (!) zombie-themed comics. Cover art by Chris (Living With Zombies) Herndon. Okay, it's no Bogus Dead— but, then, what is? Reviewed by Indy. [20 digest pages; $1.50] myspace.com/rotjournal PO Box 8793, Toledo OH, 43623

(No. 5. Second edition: November 2005.) Andy Cornell really knows how to tell a story. "I open my eyes to a room full of familiar faces staring at me" ... and we're off on the hilarious and touching tale of his skateboarding-injury-induced short-term memory loss, complete with photocopies (cut and pasted, natch) of some of the actual notes he wrote to remind himself, again and again, of what was going on. ¶ Most of the rest of the issue is about politics in one form or another. And this is unsurprising: Andy's been a committed activist since he was still in the womb or so. "6 Months with the United Steelworkers of America", about his union internship; 13 brief reviews of "Radical Biographies and Autobiographies"; and "The Great West Philadelphia Food Co-op Strike of 2002". Then there's the tour diary: "Four Weeks on the Road with the projet MOBILIVRE-BOOKMOBILE project". Weirdly, this was my least favorite piece this issue (since the whole idea of a big ol' trailer full of zines driving around from town to town is just about the most inspiring god-damn thing I've ever heard of). But even this would have been a way-above-average zine all by itself. Reviewed by Indy. [$4 ; 72 digest-sized-but-sideways pages.] Microcosm Publishing, 5307 N. Minnesota Ave., Portland OR 97217.

This tiny mini-comic is a short story about a squid finding his way in life by taking his friend Banana's advice to enroll in college. Squid has a leaching room-mate, he learns to party, he gets a McJob, goes on a date – all things normally associated with one's freshman year. Just two characters and their dialogue bubbles appear on each page. It's a simple effort but can be appreciated for its simplicity. A little more care in the formatting and production would help this little comic come into itself. Reviewed by Kelly Froh. [unknown price, 1/4 size mini] lawrencesb@ucu.edu

#1. Like most Microcosm-related compilations, this mega-pamphlet for rape "survivors" (f/k/a "victims") is a well-produced aesthetic and stylistic hodgepodge. The unsteadily written first-person recollections are palm-on-the-stovetop stuff, as bracing and agonizing as zines get. I'd heartily recommend them to anyone who's nursing any sort of brain wound. The essays are, for starters, less immediate. Some of them attempt to draft a new sexual morality, and although they're generally thoughtful enough, they can get dogmatic and impractical. (Take the accusatory rhetoric of the "Consent" quiz: "If you achieve consent once, do you assume it's always okay after that?" Here's my question: If you think it's okay to fuck someone who's sleeping, is being humiliated by a zine going to change your mind?) Also, if the intent is to aid and comfort survivors of all stripes, I don't see the purpose of sprinkling in so much ultra-left jargon. Until the "anarcho-socialist" revolution overthrows "capitalism and patriarchy" for good, look out for yourself, don't be an asshole, and realize how difficult these things can be for others. Of course, although I've survived a number of severe beatings (an area that's rarely taken so seriously), I've never been raped. Take this as you will. Reviewed by Emerson Dameron. [$2.50, 66 pp, digest] Microcosm Publishing, PO Box 14332, Portland, OR 97293, microcosmpublishing.com.

(#2 tulips and #6 stains; no dates.) Pen-and-ink doodles and stream-of-consciousness verbal doodles touching on the respective themes of the issues. The most interesting thing about these for me was that #6 credits "roger pitman (one "t")" and "c. pittman (two "t"s)", whereas by contrast #2 credits "c. pitman (one 't')": and "roger pittman (2 't's)". Wha. [16 & 20 half-legal pages. No price listed or deserved]
 
#3 & #7. Unstoppable software piracy doesn't mean everyone needs Quark now. It's the indignity of hand-pasted layout, poorly photocopied art, and badly typewritten text that separate the balls-out "zinester" from the people-pleasing "self-publisher," and this zine's got ‘em. #3 gives you Rorshach prints (because therapy is for badasses) and poetry. The poetry would sound stupid if read aloud straight up ("I've got rot in my mind / And the flies like to ponder on that meat for awhile"), but kind of cool, maybe, if half-sung over a warped calliope record. #7 brings darker, heavier, shittier-looking artwork and more empty angst ("We live in clouds of smoke / An endless romance / Nothing revealed.") This is okay for what it is, but don't hock your Bauhaus albums. Reviewed by Emerson Dameron [$?, 14pp, 22 pp, half-legal]
 
#'s 5, 9, 10. I can't recommend these zines to anyone looking for a story, interesting observations, good drawings, or well-written poetry. Instead the creators of these zines offer: hugely naïve half-thoughts and an over-used formula of images cut from fashion magazines, clipped hair, burn holes and other scribblings copied at too high of a contrast. I prefer the several pages that just read the word "blah" over and over (literally) to the poetry ("pout like an angel, speak like a demon, suck like a carp"). I've been to poetry nights where the theme has been "pre-teen journals", these zines would fit nicely being read aloud there, though I suspect the authors aren't really aiming for laughs. Reviewed by Kelly Froh. [price unknown, half-size legal] Think Like Me, Attn: Robert Abplanalp, 90 Canal St. #404, Rochester, NY 14608, thinklikeme@gmail.com.

#6. This humor zine, when it makes any sense at all, focuses on cheeseball celebrities and smelly physical affairs, with a molestation-themed gag ("Do You Trust Your Gynecologist?") thrown in as a bonus. It's a bit like hanging with people who don't do much except smoke pot, watch TV, look at each other and giggle over nothing. That's good enough for some of you, I know, but at least call the singing lunch lady ahead of time (510-351-7654) so you can laugh about the idea of doing shots with her. Confession time: It's hard for me to unconditionally slag anything with a marginal sense of humor *and* pictures of cats. Reviewed by Emerson Dameron. [$1, 24 pp., digest, colored] Wendy & Wendy, wendy@wendymagazine.com, wendymagazine.com.

(No. 5; July 2005.) You can call it a zine if you want ... I say it's a book. There's a spine with print on it and everything. ¶ In any case, it's one of a series about commercial fishing in Alaska. This "strike issue" consists mainly of three sections: Win (1997), Lose (2002), and Draw (2005). Each section details a dispute between the fishermen (Moe calls herself a "fisherman", so please ... no complaints about sexist language) and the canneries. There's a comic, several press releases from the USA (the United Salmon Association, of course), some song lyrics, and what have you, but most of it's good old-fashioned prose, and most of it by Moe herself. Pretty darn well-written prose, too: I read the whole thing. Parts of it do start to feel pretty much like reading a stock report when you don't have any investments, though. And here's one hint: when you run an interview, for heck sake edit out the "um"s and other such false starts and whatnot. Geez. Free to commercial fishing women. Published by Microcosm. Reviewed by Indy. [192 pages (the height of a "massmarket" paperback but wider); $6.] Moe Bowstern, PO Box 6834, Portland OR 97228

#23. A new issue of Zine World appears but once a year these days, and this causes it to be instantly dated. Mine arrived one week after the Portland Zine Symposium, although the event is advertised within. Regardless, ZW remains as the preeminent self publishing resource, and is without equal. Here is how I go through a new copy: (1) I read the News section, because it never gets hold hearing about school kids in America having their civil liberties suppressed. And I enjoy being outraged by tales of the Homeland Security Department reading international mail. (2) I peruse the Letters. Yul Tolbert sends in what he promises to be his last poison pen letter. Another nut prattles on about why he reported "that Merchant of Vengeance" Seth Friedman to the IRS (truly brilliant). (3) I seek out comments from my favorite Reviewers -- Emerson, Susan, Jerianne, artnoose, and Karlos. One fun new face Jaina Bee ends each of her reviews by saying what a zine tastes like. E.g., "think like me . . . Tastes like: bulima." (4) I go through the issue all over again, with a highlighter, and order zines. This continues for months, and months, until the next issue shows in my mailbox. Highly recommended. Reviewed by Marc. [$3 / standard / 48 pp. / printed] Jerianne, Editor. PO Box 330156, Murfreesboro, TN 37133-0156. www.undergroundpress.org

Marc Parker spent the summer cashiering and painting signs ("Cantaloupe 60¢ per lb.") for a farm market on Sauvie Island. He also does outreach work with the IPRC. This, he says, is why it's been forever since the last update. Marc promises a return to schedule, with more new reviews by December 2006. Although I personally do not trust a word from his mouth anymore. Send three bucks to the address above for issue #1 of his new zine, No Fucking Way, which is so "new" it hasn't been written.
 
Kelly Froh is the creator of the self-published mini-comics Slither, Unlucky with Pets, I've Been Forced To Get To Know You, Beating Up Little Brother, Upstanding Folk, Puke Stories, and many others. She's been frequently reviewed in Xerography Debt, Zine World, and Comixville. She's finishing her last year of art school in Vancouver, BC and hopes that her drawing skills miraculously improve in the next 9 months before graduation, "otherwise it was all for naught, in 4 years all I learned was a bunch of shitty theory."
 
Indy Ana Jones reviewed zines for The Ten Page News
(and Indy Unleashed) back around the turn of the century. Indy's enormous zines index was probably the most extensive such project ever available on-line. Hasn't been updated since early last year, though. Want more? Ask Vlorbik.
 
Emerson Dameron lives in Chicago, IL, where he occasionally publishes the zine Wherewithal. He's about like most people. Because of the city's omnivorous gentrification, his address changes with the wind, but he can always be found near his website (http://dameron.wordpress.com).