Reviews!

from riot grrrl review #2

SOMEONE HEARTS ME IN OHIO #1
Jeannette
2543 Fenwick Road Cleveland, OH 44118
($1 + 2 stamps or trade)
Jenny quit A Lighter Shade of Peroxide and started SLMIO. This is the first issue after 12 LSOPs, and it contains articles/rants on kid revolution, which seems to be quite the hot topic of the last year or so, fucked-up friendships, shit jobs, resolutions, “My So-Called Life” trivia, that is really for die-hard fans (i.e. “What is Brian wearing when he calls the help line?”, whose quote is this: “Two words: Ti-no”?; Jenny is offering a prize to the one who can master her trivia), wanting to be a stewardess, being bulimic, and miscellaneous bits. When Jenny lets her guard down, she produces some really powerful stuff. 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, 28 pages.

SOURPUSS #9
c/o Sara McCool
Student Mailroom
Antioch College
795 Livermore Street
Yellow Springs, OH 45387(a stamp and change?)
Sara is really friendly and has some incredible stories. This issue is the “talk show freak” issue with stuff about her appearance on Oprah, which I saw. It was extremely weird. Also, an interview with Pinchu Macha, stuff on growing up, peeves, and a really funny and annoying and gross letter from an asshole in Sara’s dorm. 5” x 5 1/2”, 24 pages.

SPECTRUM #2
RR #2 Box 179
Cresco, PA 18326
($1)
This zine has a bit of a straight edge/hardcore slant to it, and has stuff on humanity, voting, an account of a shitty day, douching, raves and drugs, body image, arguments/the pledge/being preachy, anarchism, the pressure to be in a relationship, connection with others and the relationship to overall health, an i-view/article on hardline that shows it in a somewhat positive light, Navajo medicine, and more. I like how Julie seems to be very thoughtful and well-informed, and uses her zine to explore different issues in an open manner, instead of spout dogma. Spectrum is breaking the mold on this tired genre. 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, 40 pages.

SPORK #1
PO Box 18804
Washington, DC 20036-8804
($1
I was taken aback by Spork at first because it’s alarmingly straight-forward in content and clean in layout, and reading it only furthered it’s good impression with me. It’s very well-written with a high vocabulary level and features the consistent theme of ambiguity. Hence, the title. Really good articles on gender roles, redefining men, queerness, homo stuff, bi men vs. bi women in communities/society, desire in lesbian/gay communities and what influences it (patriarchy, homophobia?), “The Missing Link”, stuff on IQs and insanity and more... Highly recommended, very solid, essential for those trying to gain a wider understanding of feminism, gender issues, queer issues, and the way they fit together. 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, 32 pages.

SSC #4
19311 1st Ave. SE
Bothell, WA 98012
($1)
Alot of this is clippings from magazines and short rants on animal rights, childhood and punishment, an interview with Joel Robinson, a local artist, art reviews, music, zines, stuff on eating 7-11 hamburgers (???). 7” x 81/2”, 24 pages.

STRANGE FRUIT #1
3435 20th St. B
San Francisco, CA 94110-2517
($2.50, also available from Outpunk)
This is a literary zine with a really heavy queer slant and slick production. There’s so much stuff in here - the highlights include “The ‘B’ word” (about existing notions about being bisexual), “Still Just a Chink” by Ted Young-Ing, “Pornography” (on working in the porno industry), “King Size” (about boy-to-boy rape), and more. Other contributors include Barry Paddock and Jason Roe. Also features Kim from Sparkmarker, Fagbash, and fiction. Excellent stuff, while not always consistent from page to page, will keep you busy thinking for a long time. 8 1/2” x 11”, 116 pages.

SUBURBIA #5 and #6
521 Golden Gate Ave.
Point Richmond, CA 94801
($1 or stamps or trade)
e-mail: cecibeans@gurlmail.com
#5: Ceci is a great girl, I love her to bits! Suburbia is sweet and noisy and fun, so get it right away, okay? This ish is crammed with small type, fun clip art, and hilarious tidbits. Ceci starts out with a long article on her relationship with her mom, which is really fucked-up, dissolving friendships, quotes and pictures from “Pete and Pete” and “Heathers”, stuff from ten-year-old issues of Flipside she found, an i-view with Jeanette of the Chubbies, uppity adults and privileged kids in her town, her thoughts on sxe (featuring a quote by me!), animal rights stuff, making purses out of panties (!), anti-Christian stuff, a profile of Kiki (an actress and model in the 1920s), going to China, tons of zine reviews, and more. Alot of Ceci’s interests come across as near obsessions in her zine, which is definitely a good thing. 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, 68 pages.
#6: This just came in the mail today, and my heart leaped into my throat. I haven’t even read all of it yet because it’s so huge... This issue has more exciting writing on Marin shows, the Shen-Shen saga, being pro-choice, statutory rape - is it fair?, is it sexist?, having an abusive personality (I know, me too), not having a best friend, more about her mom and Ceci’s resentment/anger towards her, really scary stuff on a rapist that many of you may know that I’m sure will get alot of backlash, a hilarious article by her dad about “Jesus” breaking into her house (you’ve got to read this to believe it), religious debate, thorough information on re-usable maxipads, including how to make them, comix by an 8-year old, a guide to zines by kids 15 and under, a confessional piece by Ocean about how she uses physical self-abuse to relieve emotional pain, silk-screening for dummies, school stuff, a detailed account, a really gross thing on a cattle branding a contributor had the misfortune of witnessing, fall fashion tips (by a boy), pictures from the Santa Barbara Riot Grrrl Convention, “Bunny” comix (which are drawn on a computer! I love those kind!), her Hole obsession, and duh, more. Plus, Marilyn Monroe graces the cover. What more do you need? This is one of the best fuckin’ zines evah. 8 1/2” x 11”, 42 pages.

SUPERGIRL
Angela
400 Gordon
Zeeland, MI 49464
(a stamp?)
This zine has a heavy emphasis on childhood; The clip art is all from kids books, and most of the writing revolves around childhood, reclaiming it, etc. I recommend this to people who are into “kid revolution” and stuff like that. 4 1/4” x 5 1/2”, 28 pages.

TALLY #5
Heather
6356 Summit Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3L 1R9
Canada
This is a small zine that opens with a chronology of events and publications concerning birth control in Victorian era western society, fawning over Eric’s Trip, scene stuff, spiffy comix with a 50’s era NYC feel to them, interviews/profiles with/of activists/musician/film-maker, Paul Gailiunas and Helen Hill, and contacts. 5 1/2”x 81/2”, 20 pages.

TECHNICAL TIPS FOR ZINE MAKERS
c/o Global Mail
PO Box 410837
San Francisco, CA 94141
($1?)
This is an excellent guide that explains, as the title indicates, technical tips for zine makers. After doing zines for years, I got alot out of it, so it’s really for people of all experience levels. Ashley also explains the process of getting your zine off the ground and into the hands of people. 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, 24 pages.

THAT GIRL #6
Kelli Williams
PO Box 170612
San Francisco, CA 94117
($1)
If you like pop culture and feminism, you’ll like this zine. Stuff on body image, being a caffeine addict (as a serious problem, not a fun pastime), a New Bad Things centerfold, a fucked-up evening, a really researched and informative essay on forced sterilization in America and choice, period stories, lists of good/annoying stuff, and loads of Kelli’s trademark choice in clip art. This is a vast improvement over the last That Girl I read, which was a few years ago because it’s more personal without the slogans. Enjoyable. 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, 28 pages.

U-DIRECT #9
PO Box 476617
Chicago, IL 60647-6617
($3)
This is a literary zine put out by the people behind Mary Kuntz Press. There’s pieces on abortion, family values, understanding violence, poetry on the Internet, reviews of books and zines, tons of poetry, and surrent events and letters. There’s a decent balance here in every way. Recommended if you are into poetry and such. 8 1/2” x 11”, 32 pages.

VIVID #1?
1655 Sacramento St. #11
San Francisco, CA 94109
($1?)
“Art, music, and words” is the subtitle here, which seems to fit. This zine, done by a boy and a girl, features an i-view with Kristin Thompson and Jenny Toomey (Simple Machines, Tsunami, etc.), a guide to SF area clubs, reviews (books, zines, music), and fiction. Plus, comix, a roundtable discussion of “Just Say Roe”, and little artsy bits, like hand-stamped pictures and such. 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, 36 pages.

WAAAH #1
Maddy
96 Cedar Road
Leicester
LE2 IFY
England
($1 or trade)
Maddy also does Fantasy Bus Queue, which is in the same vein, both in content and in appearance, but this is a bit more raw, since this was Maddy’s first zine venture by herself. The cover is hand-decorated, lots of self-declared filler and waffling (I love that word!), and prose. My favorite page is the one that features a picture of pretty Maddy with writing on beauty. 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, 20 pages.

WAIT ‘TIL THE SUN SHINES, NELLIE ?
Maria
517 Kennedy St.
Juneau, AK 99801
($1? or trade)
I’m not sure about the title of this... This is mostly clippings and random thoughts, a funny list of interesting Jews vs. non-interesting, non-Jews, dreams, going to shows alone, cereal reviews, lip gloss reviews, books, and more. The Jewish/non-Jewish list and the stuff about going solo to shows were both pretty entertaining. I think it’s more fun than most zines I read. 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, 28 pages.

WATCH YOUR PEANUTS, DREWDITH
Judy Panke
RR #1
Golden Lake, ON
KOJ 1XO
Canada
($1 in Canada, $1.50 elsewhere)
Is Judy busy as hell or what? This zine is almost exclusively poetry and prose about being lonely, rape, and other emotional issues.. I’m not really into poetry too much, so I’m not a very good critic of it, I suppose. 4 1/4” x 51/2”, 20 pages.

WATER FROM THE MOON #?
Steph
c/o 13 Spencer Drive
Sutton Heights, Telford, Shropshire
TF7 4JY
UK
(Self-addressed envelope) This is a small book of poetry, most of which conjures up images that appear frequently in Wicca - Earth, the moon, blood, goddesses, etc. Again, I’m really not good at describing or judging poetry... 4 1/4” x 51/2”, 24 pages.

WEST OF VENUS #1
Anna
6255 E. via de la yerba
Tucson, AZ 85750
(75c or 2 stamps or trade)
Anna is the youngest grrrl I’ve ever heard of - she’s 11 (well, probably 12, now), and she’s so cool! She hates JTT, sexism, and middle school (sometimes) and Audrey Hepburn was her cousin! This is cute and rad and I showed it to my 12-year old sister. 4 1/4” x 5 1/2”, 16 pages.

WORDLESS #1
Tracy
6 Richards St.
Danvers, MA 01923
($1?)
This is my friend Tracy’s new zine and she’s really cautious about letting people read it, but I don’t think she should be because it’s a really good first effort. Wordless is adamantly pro-grrrl and features pieces on different emotions, revolution, feeling silenced, passion, and various clippings. I didn’t agree with contributor Rena’s point on “degrading rap shit” - not all rap is sexist, but other than that, it’s a bold step. 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”, 28 pages.

YOU MIGHT AS WELL LIVE #2
c/o Lauren Martin
Bard College
Annandale, NY 12504
($1 + 2 stamps or trade)
Lauren rocks, and if you don’t know it yet, you might as well.. get this! (ha ha, me and my silly puns). This is Lauren’s emo outlet with stuff on duh, emotions (baring them), winter (with rad sketches, too), being hypocritical (I am all for this kind of self-analysis), shaving, rg nyc stuff, a reprint by me, thinking about a rape that happened at her school, and more. This ish seems to jump around a bit, maybe to make up for all the theme issues she’s been doing. 7” x 8 1/2”, 28 pages.

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