AVOW #22

AVOW #22
$2 Keith Rosson 1615 SE Main St.,
Portland, OR 97214
keithrosson.com
Avow has been around for a long time. I picked this one up the other day when I was on a work-related road trip to Portland and had a few hours to check out Reading Frenzy and Powell’s. This is a collection of stories about Keith’s life. To be honest, this zine started slow for me, I had a hard time getting into it. This wasn’t due to a lack of talent on Keith’s part, I immediately recognized his talent for the written word, but for some reason I couldn’t connect to the first three opening stories. That having been said, there are 12 stories in this zine and from the fourth, “Our Children’s War” on, I was hooked. At times this is a hard zine to read in that it deals with a host of painful issues, foremost of which is the death of his father. It also deals lost love, mortality, substance abuse, and child abuse. Keith’s writing is insightful, engaging, and he has an uncommon knack for bringing the reader into whatever scenario quickly and personally. This is a heavy read that regularly made me uncomfortable, angry, and even happy, often in the same story. But this zine isn’t entirely about the horrors of the real world, case in point is the hilarious story, “Tim Armstrong is Porn” which is quite possibly the funniest thing I’ve ever read in a zine. It explores the insecurities that many of us feel when buying things that may inaccurately stereotype us by the various employees behind the counter. I could relate all too well. This is a fantastic read.

THE MATCH! a Journal of Ethical Anarchism #108

THE MATCH! a Journal of Ethical Anarchism #108
donation (give what you can)
POB 3012
Tucson, AZ 85702
The Match has been around since 1969 unapologetically keeping tabs on elite power, religion, authoritarianism, and all statist laws. I haven’t read the Match in a while, 8 years to be exact. It’s still as beautifully laid-out and informative as I remember it. It is inspirational to know that the Match hasn’t lost its razor’s edge over the years. This issue explores the topics of workplace politics, Islamic apologists: not so fast!, a very scary story about a botched hernia that left the patient impotent (and just how common this has become), and a host of other pertinent issues explored from the perspective of well-informed anarchists.

THE FURY #11

THE FURY #11
Mark Novotny
5413 6th ave
countryside, IL 60525
formerly known as Shazzbut, this is a straight-up hardcore punk zine that I got in the mail in trade. Its old, I think it came out around ’02. Interviews with Soophie Nun Squad, Frontside, and a funny story about dressing up like nerds and going out on the town.

EXTINCTIONS #5

EXTINCTIONS #5 &
POLVO 1-5
$1ppd, prefers trades
Joseph Delgado
2290 Peck Rd
Mohave Valley, AZ 86440
Extinctions is a really beautiful zine. Joseph’s drawings are haunting, moody, and meld seemlessly into his poetry to create thought-provoking and, at times, graphic imagery.

Whereas Extinctions is focused on the personal life of the author, Polvo is more radical and protest-oriented. Like Extinctions, Polvo is also a mix of collage, drawings, and poetry, but has more of a “Fuck you” attitude. The author does not hold back his opinion which appears to be totally fed up with the straight world of Draconian Arizona politics. Intense stuff.

I AM A SILLY BITCH

I AM A SILLY BITCH &
AN UNEDITED MIND
by The Force of Nature
$1ppd rabblemonster@gmail.com
These are two zines that completely explore the author’s every waking thought. He explains at the beginning of An Unedited Mind that, “I promise when I am sitting at this type writer I will write everything that pops into my head. No matter how dark, or evil, or cheesy, or random, or embarrassing it may be” and that is exactly what you get. Most of this consists of thoughts, reflections, and regrets about a past relationship. He doesn’t hold back and lets it all out

I Am a Silly Bitch is also a random collection of stories and thoughts. Topics explored are, Douche Bags (which I thought was hilarious), the idea of being completely honest, drinking, do we really care about the environment, and some interesting stories about the author living in the psychiatric ward of a hospital for a while. These zines are both well written and written on a type writer. They are pretty bare-bone and raw, which I always like.

I’M ONE OF AN ODD FAMILY

I’M ONE OF AN ODD FAMILY #1
meandmyfamily@ymail.com
This is an incredibly sloppy and very odd zine. I liked it a lot. It’s sloppy sloppy sloppy, purposely sloppy and full of sloppy colors and sloppy interviews. The author is young (I’m guessing high school) and is tapped into some pretty interesting music. Most of it appears to be underground hip hop and noise. There’s also an interview with the Brown Panthers and some weird drawings. I liked this zine because it feels kind of subversive and edgy, but looks so goddamn cute.

YOU DON’T GET THERE FROM HERE #13

YOU DON’T GET THERE FROM HERE #13
$2ppd, Carrie McNinch, POB 49403
Los Angeles, CA 90049
One of my favorite things over the past 18 years of reading and writing zines is opening the mailbox to find a new issue of anything that Carrie is involved with. I love her art, her humor, and her ability to be vulnerable and honest about her daily life. She really lets the reader into her world, sometimes that world sucks, sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s embarrassing, and sometimes it’s touching enough to make a big guy like me tear up and cry. This issue primarily deals with the steady decline and heartbreaking loss of her cat Jesse. It also has stories about the ever-present rattlesnakes along her jogging routes, as well as loneliness, booze, and food. If you haven’t seen her comics before, its time.