Utne Reader's library is abuzz with a steady flow of 1,500 magazines, newsletters, journals, weeklies, zines, and other lively dispatches from the cultural front that are rarely found at big-box bookstores, newsstands, or even online. So we share the highlights (and occasional lowlights) of what's landing in our library each week in 'From the Stacks.' Check in every Friday for the latest edition.
This week's 'From the Stacks' is inspired by the third annual Madison Zine Fest on October 21, when more than 1,000 people buzzed around 50 treasure-laden tables, sharing stories, ideas, and zines. Here are some of our favorites from the excursion.
Midway through my
initial get-the-lay-of-the-fest walk around the room at the Madison
Zine Fest, I found myself standing in front of a table so loaded
with zines -- nary an inch of bare surface showing -- that I almost
took cover under a neighboring exhibit of anarchist publications. I
had arrived at the table of
Microcosm Publishing, the esteemed Portland,
Oregon-based publisher and distributor of zines, books, pamphlets,
DVDs, and other fun stuff. Among the staggering trove of booty I
plundered (or rather, placed gently into my canvas tote bag) was
Xtra Tuf #5. At first glance I wondered
about the breadth of its appeal -- the 192-page zine is written
by a commercial fisherwoman about her profession -- but soon
found myself caught up in a fantastic net of gracefully told
stories. Issue #5 is 'the strike issue,' featuring a range of
voices from Alaskan fishermen recalling successes and failures
from strikes past. There's also a surprisingly engaging history
of salmon fishing on Kodiak Island and a helpful glossary with
entries like 'fo'c'sle' (crew's resting place) and 'hoochies'
(squid-like attachments for lures). I don't know if I've ever
learned so much from one zine. -- Danielle
Maestretti
Mutate Zine thoughtfully explores gender
and sexuality with a tone that runs the gamut from serious to
lighthearted, often nimbly mixing the two. Throughout,
Mutate remains thought provoking without preaching. Topics
in the #10 issue include 'genderfucking' (think gender-bending to
the extreme), post-break-up celibacy, sexual fantasies with
cartoons, conscientious objector registration, and a critique of
the Suicide Girls, to scratch the surface. The first
Mutate came out six years ago and the introduction to #10
claims that this may be the 'penultimate Mutate.' Not to
worry, however: The zine's maker is moving on to new adventures in
the realm of DIY publications, including SoyBoi!: Queer
Adventures in My Vegetarian Kitchen. -- Suzanne
Lindgren
Molly the Popsicle is a delightful comic-zine by father-son duo, Christoph and Herbie Meyer. The cover features an orange-colored (and -flavored) talking Popsicle, complete with a real wooden Popsicle stick! Some may know Christoph as the maker of the charmingly handcrafted zine 28 Pages Lovingly Bound With Twine. Molly is 5-year-old Herbie's story-time conception about a popsicle taken from her frozen habitat only to be forgotten, left at a table's edge to melt into sticky goo. Christoph found the tale 'so delightful, so childishly grim, that I had to adapt it into a minicomic.' Herbie also has another zine (edited by his pops) called Mean Zine Submarine. -- Suzanne Lindgren
Fashioned with an X-Acto knife, some ink washes, and a vintage cookbook, Crumbs on the Cutting Board waltzes through a rhyming ode to food. Created by Alexis 'Lex' McQuilkin, the zine features some intricate paper-cuttings of foodstuffs, such as dim sum and quiche, pasted atop dated cooking guides and recipes, along with a singsong poem ('W is for weiners/boiled and slick/X is for xanthan gum/making sauce thick'). Despite her description of Crumbs... as free of 'an overwhelming amount of thought and emotion,' McQuilkin succeeds in creating a visually impressive piece of zine-art. -- Rachel Anderson
Longtime residents and visitors alike will love
