MIRLEFT

Mirleft By Barnaby Goode///// barnabygoode@hotmail.co.uk//// www.barnabygoode.tumblr.com/ This is a photographic essay about a small town in Morocco. As presented in this zine, the landscape in this area appears barren and unforgiving. The photos of empty dirt roads, lawn-less yards, and flat concrete buildings in various states of disrepair with a smattering of people and livestock scattered about are reminiscent of some generic Mexican village in an old western movie. The people look to live simple, dedicated lives. This is the impression I got from viewing these photos and knowing nothing about this town previously. Because I’m naturally curious about everything, I looked Mirleft up online after viewing this, and it’s actually a strikingly beautiful coastal resort town surrounded by absolutely stunning beaches. That’s the beauty of this essay and perhaps art in general; the idea of perspective and how it varies so much from person to person in everything. This is one person’s perspective as documented through his camera. I’m not sure I did the essay justice by utilizing 21st century technology to investigate that perspective further. Regardless, Mirleft is a truly wonderful photographic series, that transforms this small village, which is surely a tourist destination full of all the dirty deficiencies and shortcomings of those types of places, into a place with a pulse, a living breathing community of steadfast residents eking out a living in a desert climate with an incredible beach.

Grunted Warning #18

Grunted Warning #18 $2…or trade…or friendly letter// STRATU POB 35 Marrickville NSW 2204 Australia /////// Nothing to worry about if you’re a lazy bastard with a taste for the obscene, Mr. Stratu is your man. He finds it, cuts it, pastes it, and presents it to you on a shiny platter of yummy. I can’t believe it took me this long to review this zine....What the fuck? I know my life is crazy right now, but whatever, this zine kind of reviews itself….so I have no excuses. Mr. Stratu has a very sick sense of humor which he meticulously uses to peruse the newspapers with the eye of a hungry raptor, picking out headlines that satisfy his incurable disease. I love this man. Grunted Warning is the source. This zine should be on the back tank of every toilet in the English speaking world.

Rad Dad: dispatches from the frontiers of fatherhood

Rad Dad dispatches from the frontiers of fatherhood Microcosm 636 SE 11th Ave Portland, OR 97214-2405 $15

This is a great collection of writings from fathers, and interviews with fathers whose perspectives are often at odds with, or in direct opposition to the traditional cultural, political, and spiritual values of early 21st century North America. These are stories from dads who are trying to raise their children to the best of their abilities in a world whose ‘Road less traveled’ has long been paved over and replaced with an Ikea warehouse. The challenges that any parent faces on a daily basis are always difficult, throw the 21st century into the mix with all of its technological temptations and dangers (video games, porn, gore, online predators etc.) and a very precariously balanced global political and environmental situation, all the while trying to navigate it with an outlook that is already at odds with contemporary way of doing things, and you begin to see what the fathers in this book are dealing with. This collection of stories from Rad Dad, is kind of like sitting in on a group therapy session for fathers that fall into that category, with all the failures, missteps, and wrong turns included. But there is also a lot of joy included within these pages. While reading it I got a feeling that tackling these challenges brings with it a profound sense of accomplishment and something that none of the authors would trade a second of. This isn’t a handbook on how to raise your children as political radicals, it’s merely a unique (and often entertaining) look into some alternative perspectives on parenting.