Author Archives: jenna

About jenna

Zine Librarian at Barnard College, publisher of Lower East Side Librarian, Before I Forget, and Unprecedented zines.

Announcing PGH-ZLUC scholarship

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Zine librarians are pooling their money to offer a scholarship to this summer’s Zine Librarians Unconference in Pittsburgh on July 28th & 20th. The scholarship is meant to help someone from an underrepresented group attend the unconference and currently stands at $150 $170 $190 $210.

Applicants should send a short summary of their interest and qualifications to zines@barnard.edu by July 1st. Notifications will be sent out by July 7th.

If you want to contribute to the scholarship fund, please write to the same address.

MKE ZLUC happened

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Check out the notes from the Zine Librarians Unconference held in Milwaukee earlier this month. Go to the schedule page to see what was discussed and to read any notes posted.

Two highlights

not a zine

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I was disappointed that we didn’t get around to discussing this at the collection develpment session at the Zine Librarians (un)Conference: what are the factors that help you determine that a publication is not a zine?

Of course there are zines that meet one or more of the following criteria, but this list is a place to start. Please add yours in the comments.

  • has an ISBN or ISSN
  • has a masthead
  • not self-distributed
  • has a third person bio
  • not self-published (!)
  • motivated by desire for fame or fortune
  • makes a distinct profit
  • price ends in .95
  • has a spine
  • has any paid staff
  • reads like the author is auditioning for a book deal

ZineLibCon

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Laura posted a query to the zinelibrarians list about if folks would be interested in having a zine librarians gathering, perhaps as part of the Madison Zine Fest in October.

I’m curious who all would be willing and able to attend such an event in Madison, and also what other cities and times would be possible for a Zine Librarians Conference or Unconference. And also who would be willing and able to help organize such a thing.

Please respond in the comments or write to me (Jenna) directly zines @ barnard dot exx (not really xes).

To be clear, what we’re soliciting comments on are:

  • Would you like to attend a zine librarians con/uncon?
  • If location is an issue, which locations are good for you?
  • Do you have a preference for specific dates or the general time of year?
  • Would you help organize the event?

Though feel free to say whatever you want!

Zines for Teens

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This question comes up routinely on the ZineLibrarians list, and yet I’ve never seen a nice list.

If others will provide the titles (and annotations would be nice, too!) , I’ll be responsible for posting them here. Suggest something in the comments or email them to me.

I don’t work with pre-college teens and so don’t have a good sense of what is appropriate/will fly, but I’m suggesting a few zines anyway, just to get the list started.

  • 12 items or less : a grocery shopping zine edited by A.J. Michel
  • Adorn, by Bree Friend. The last issue I’ve seen is from 2006, and Bree is 22 and separated or divorced. Teens like to read about folks slightly older than themselves, right? Bree’s zines are very visual, and I gotta say cute. heartlikefoil@ hotmail
  • After School Special by Nia King
  • Art Freak by Carol Parks
  • Bad Grades by Carla Marie Yacenda
  • Beards? Beards!: and other matters pertaining to facial hair by Ingrid
  • Best Zine Ever edited by Greg Means. Zine reviews, many written by librarians.
  • Call & response by Gianni Simone
  • Caboose, #4 Ridiculous Issue by Liz Mason
  • Caesar by Jeff Sharp
  • Clutch by Clutch McBastard. Daily minicomic by a librarian. I don’t recall the language getting much worse than the author’s nom de plume.
  • Controller by Robin Enrico
  • Danger! Hole, by high school student Lucy in the Sky. Bravely feminist, riot grrrl oriented zine, with different themes each issue. grrrlriots8me @ hotmail
  • Diary of a mosquito abatement man by John Porcellino.
  • Do you work here? by Nathalie Wilson.
  • Don’t go where I can’t follow by Anders Nilsen with Cheryl Weaver. (Actually a book we have as a zine)
  • Doris 15: antidepression guide by Cindy Crabb.
  • Dropping out (for students), by Cavegirl is available for download from Crimethinc, and it’s just what it sounds like. It discusses dropping out of high school and how to get by. It’s about one person who couldn’t tolerate school, but it’s not especially disrespectful.
  • The Dvorak zine : changing the world one keyboard at a time by Alec Longstreth
  • The East Village Inky by Ayun Halliday. Handwritten and illustrated mamazine by a Brooklyn mom with two young kids and a Tony award winning spouse.
  • Empower : a young mama’s guide to taking control, by Allison Crews. This is the kind of stuff that is actually useful to a pregnant or parenting teen, because the people that wrote the articles have been there. allison @ girlmom .com (not sure if the link is still good. The copyright statement encourages copying and distribution, so write me if you want a copy.
  • Extranjero, # 5 : tales of life and travel by a big, dumb Yank & his Spanish wife by Kris and Lola.
  • The Fall by Stephanie Wu
  • Figure 8, by Krissy Durden. One of the best zines out there on fat acceptance and debunking bullshit about health risks and other issues. ponyboypress @ yahoo
  • First semester : chronicles of the classroom by Jeff Sharp
  • Flummery by Jeff Sharp
  • The Future Generation by China Martens. Anti-authoritarian parenting zine.
  • Girls are not chicks coloring book, and anything else by Jacinta Bunnell. These are great feminist, genderfucking zines and coloring books (that don’t use naughty words like genderfucking).
  • Glossolalia, by Sarah Contrary. Sarah is a mad bike enthusiast from PDX who does all these macho solo bike trips around the US and Europe, which is very inspirational. She’s also an excellent writer and artist, in her 20s. She writes about feminism and sex discrimination in a way that I hope teens will take to. enormajean @ hotmail
  • Gschwandtner, Design by A. Lucille Shanik
  • Guardians of the Kingdom by Tom Gauld
  • Hello, my name is : a ‘zine about how people got their names by Cristina Montejo
  • Here it is by Erin Tobey
  • Hey 4-Eyes edited by Robyn Chapman
  • Hunter & painter by Tom Gauld
  • In a Lonely place by Jeff Sharp
  • In which I think about drowning by Josie Whitmore
  • Infandum, #2 by Molly Lawless
  • Invincible Summer by Nicole Georges. Minicomics by queer, vegan, zine workshop leader, band member, animal lover, etc.
  • King-cat Comics by John Porcellino
  • Knit Knit edited by Luren Jenison, Concept by Sabrina
  • Kyle Bravo’s punk rock guide to saving money, fighting capitalism, & having fun while you’re at it by Kyle Bravo
  • La Primavera by Alexis Frederick-Frost. Actually a graphic novel, rather than a zine?
  • Ladyfriend : for ladies and all their friends, by Christa. Each issue has a different theme. Check the website and decide for yourself how teen friendly you think they’ll be.
  • A late freeze by Danica Novgorodoff (an awesome comic but has a drawing of a bear giving birth — just FYI in case your community says “NO!” to bear genitalia)
  • Laundry basket, April 2002 : tales of washday woe : come clean with us and let us dye for you.
  • Long tail kitty : outer space by Lark Pien.
  • Lower East Side librarian winter solstice shout out by Jenna Freedman. Personal zine by NYC librarian. Book and zine reviews, journal entries essays about jobs, activism, and in recent issues, married life.
  • Leeking Ink by Davida Gypsy Breier. Personal zine by now 30something zine mainstay.
  • List, by Ramsey Beyer. Her zines are comprised of her own lists, as well as those contributed by others or that she just finds in the street. Ramsey is a straightedge vegan punk art student, who doesn’t have a potty mouth. The illustrations are great and the list style makes it super accessible. ramseybeyer @ gmail
  • Make something an anthology of Portland zinesters edited by Greig Means.
  • Maria of Montmartre by Alexis Frederick-Frost.
  • The monkey & the crab by Sara Edward-Corbett and Shawn Cheng
  • The most romantic wedding in human history by Christoph Meyer
  • My brain hurts by Liz Baillie
  • On being jealous of invertabrates, volumes 1 and 3 by Jess S. One cel minicomics. Adorable.
  • On subbing : the first four years by Dave. About being a substitute teacher’s assistant working with special needs kids. PDX punk rock vegan straightedge.
  • Ouija interviews by Sarah Becan (very dark but not worse than a lot of YA fiction)
  • Out of water / by Matthew Bernier
  • Peko peko, #1, winter 2001 : a zine about food
  • Personal charm : a collection of comics by zine queen Missy Kulik ; edited by Jordan Weeks
  • Phase 7 by Alec Longstreth
  • Platform : notes from the underground by Elizabeth Genco
  • Potluck, April 2004 : a cooking compilation A.J. Michel
  • Positive consumption Jenny Ferretti
  • Regina Rich middle school detective, issue #1 : the missing money!
  • Scars Alex Longstreth
  • Scout, #6 : food and cooking issue
  • Scratch, queer youth peer education. Issues 4 and 5 available for download via QZAP
  • Scrappy, #1 : a crafty zine for scrappy people / Niku
  • Secret mystery love shoes, #3 Androo Robinson and Maria Goodman
  • Shut eye by Sarah Becan, based on a story by David Becan
  • Sidewalk bump 1 and 2 ed by Dan Moynihan
  • Simple Routines by JP Coovert
  • Skate tough you little girls by Celia C. Perez is a fanzine about women’s skateboarding. Should be accessible to all teen readers. perezeeb @ yahoo
  • Slave to the needles
  • Squarecat comics, vol. 1 / by Jennifer Omand.
  • Stolen sharpie revolution : a diy zine resource ed Alex Wrekk. Pretty much the go to guide for zine making and zine community and resources info.
  • A strange day Damon Hurd & Tatiana Gill.
  • Sugar Needle by Corina Fastwolf and Icona Phlox. An adorable hand colored in short fanzine about candy. Distro’d by Microcosm.
  • Support. “This is a zine about supporting people who have been sexually abused”–Intro. Edited by Cindy of Doris zine fame.
  • Sweet treats, #1, September, 2004 : a collection of vegan desserts
  • Time enough at last : a reading log, by A.J. Michel. Book recommendations from prolific zine publisher and MLS holder.
  • The true heart Hilary Florido.
  • True swamp : underwoods and overtime [written and drawn by Jon Lewis]
  • Turtle, keep it steady by Joseph Lambert
  • The waiting sun : a happy town tale words and pictures by Justin Madson
  • Walk to work by Jason Turner
  • What did you buy today?? : daily drawings of purchases, May 2006 Kate Bingaman
  • Wive’s Tales, by Britton. Women’s health, reproduction, STDs, all that good stuff (including some things that might get you in trouble but really really should be available to young women). This zine has been widely reproduced, so shouldn’t be too hard to find.
  • Xerography Debt ed by Davida Gypsy Breier. Zine review zine.
  • Zine World edited by Jerianne. Zine review zine with extra zine scene content.

That’s all I’ve got for now, but will resume going through the Barnard catalog when I can keep my eyes open. posted by Jenna 2/14/2008

Integrated Milo and Miriam’s suggestions 2/15/2008.

Zine Reviews: another list?

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No one probably really cares about seeing the answers to this one, but I said there were seven questions, so if I only published six, you’d all be wondering what the last one was.

Q. Would it be too annoying if I set up another discussion list for this discussion?

    Answers:

  • Maybe you can create a second Yahoo group where these things can be discussed–someone isn’t sure about a topic, get other opinions.
  • I think it would be good to keep the discussions we have available. I’ll want to come back to some of the details later.
  • Another discussion list for this would be fine.
  • No, I think another list would be fine.
  • I would be fine with another discussion list.
  • I’d prefer not to have another discussion list, but I’m not going to drop out if you make one 🙂

 

In thinking about what zine reviews in a major library publication would look like, I posed several questions to a group of potential zine reviewers. This is #7 of 7.
(people who contributed, let me know if you want me to remove your comment–or to cite it with your name)

Zine Reviews: other thoughts

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Sorry for the vague title, but that’s how I phrased it in my original email. This question followed the one about bad reviews if that helps.

What are your other thoughts on this?

  • Mostly I’d use zine reviews to find out the general topic of the zine, if it’s YA or Adult (and any specific things that make it such), and if it’s not something I can Google, how to get it.
  • Here’s a few thoughts & questions about the review column: What is the goal of this column? Is it to introduce zines as a material worth purchasing to all librarians? Or to help libraries with active zine collections further develop and refine their collections? Could make a difference in whether we do multiple reviewers with no specific topic or if we do a themed column each time. …
  • Are we going to categorize zines and have a lexicon of what the terms mean? I wrote “personal zine” but I know some people use “perzine” and I don’t know that LJ reader will know what any of that means.
  • Also, I think in addition to reviews it would be very helpful to eventually include some background and history on zines, how libraries can work with distros, successful zine programs etc.
  • Also, if the zinester has a website or has produced other zines under a different name or title, that information could be linked with the review somehow.
  • Do we want to include information that isn’t on the zine itself, like people’s last names (if available) or the page count?
  • About word count – I review for Library Journal already and I have to say I often have an extreme struggle trying to write a meaningful review in only 175 words. If there is a need to make zine reviews shorter, I really think it would be better to set a word count of 100-150 words. My concern is that it is quite difficult to succinctly describe contents and provide an evaluation in less than about 100 words.

 

In thinking about what zine reviews in a major library publication would look like, I posed several questions to a group of potential zine reviewers. This is #6 of 7.
(people who contributed, let me know if you want me to remove your comment–or to cite it with your name)

Zine Reviews: Bad Reviews

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Q: Should we run bad reviews, or only good ones?

Answers:

  • I say we skip bad reviews. I never bother writing down even the titles of zines I read that I don’t think I’d write up for BZE–just seems like a waste of space when there’s good stuff out there that can be highlighted.
  • I would think that we’d want to review zines that librarians are likely to purchase. If there’s a popular zine that isn’t very good, we’d want to address it. I’m assuming that in the beginning, the column will be more of an introduction to standardly available zines – for some reason that’s my logic. We’d want to start providing fodder for libraries.
  • In general, I’m in favor of posting the occasional bad review, but I wonder if we shouldn’t because we’re trying to encourage building zine collections, or at least not yet.
  • I think running bad reviews is okay if the reviews are critical and not just, “This zine was a boring pile of crap.” (God knows there are a lot of lousy zines out there, so this may be difficult to do.)
  • As for bad reviews vs good reviews: Are we going to accept submitted materials for review? Or are we only going to review what we bring to the table? If it’s the latter, that seems more likely that by default we will only present good reviews. Personally, as you might know from Zine World, I think bad reviews deserve to be published, too. So I would leave it open to include “not recommended” reviews. Again, it comes back to the question of what is the goal for this column.
  • Only good ones unless a magazine tries to pass itself off as a zine to try to encourage libraries to order it (a la the crappy “graphic novels” I see coming through the library system)
  • Since there are so many good zines, and in the spirit of the DIY supportive community, it would be nice to see more good reviews than bad. I think a time for a bad review would be when companies are trying to sneak their advertizing into zinester’s hands by producing an ad in the form of a zine…
  • We should run reviews based on content, which means sometimes bad reviews, sometimes good reviews with reservations, sometimes actual good reviews.
  • Maybe not at this point, if part of our goal is to attract librarians to an entire format of reading material.

 

In thinking about what zine reviews in a major library publication would look like, I posed several questions to a group of potential zine reviewers. This is #5 of 7.
(people who contributed, let me know if you want me to remove your comment–or to cite it with your name)

Zine Reviews: Other Elements

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Q: What are the other elements that should be present in each review?

Answers:

  • Are we going to be able to include one or more cover images, like they do with books? If so, how are we going to manage that?
  • Is the zine of regional or local interest only? Does it speak from or to a particular identifiable community? Does it provide information not available in materials in other formats? How is it regarded in the zine community? Does the reviewer judge that the zine is especially useful for particular, established patron needs/interests?
  • Do we want to come up with general types of zines (such as perzine, music zine, art zine, etc.) to make it easier for librarians to distinguish between overarching types of zines that are out there? Size might also be something we want to include, considering a 1/4pg. zine might be harder to display than a full page or half page zine.

 

In thinking about what zine reviews in a major library publication would look like, I posed several questions to a group of potential zine reviewers. This is #4 of 7.
(people who contributed, let me know if you want me to remove your comment–or to cite it with your name)