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398 #10
11 fairy tale type stories: some reprinted from previous issues and some new *full description coming soon*
weight = 3 stars £1.00
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Against The Flood #2
This zine is “bigger, broader and more in-depth” than the last issue but despite featuring contributions for other writers I still think it has a very honest heart-felt extended letter to the reader feel. Danger Mouse’s interest and belief in alternative ways of addressing mental health problems (specifically depression) is apparent. There’s advice on non-medical approaches to managing mental health; a piece about the poet/novelist Stevie Smith and the inspiration and support she provided Katie (La La Theory); letter writing and art (of all kinds) as therapeutic (including “how to sharpie watercolours” and more. Parts of this zine deal explicitly with self harm and suicide. These sections are clearly marked but bear that in mind if you find such things triggering. The zine ends with a couple of mental health zine reviews and a resources list. If you liked On Edge, you’ll like this!
weight = 4 stars £1.00
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Anatomical Heart #1 This zine is quite a quick read, but I chose to stock it as I feel that what Bettie has to say is important. She opens by saying “I planned this zine to be personal but with a broad spectrum of content. As it turns out, it’s mostly about mental illness. I’m okay with that if you are.” This zines spans Bettie’s calm thoughts on happiness as a spectrum and how perhaps her expectations are too high, to her (understandable) frustration with being told she’s not entitled to incapacity benefit based on a 20 minute interview with someone who doesn’t know her case history. The sparse layout with the occasional appropriate quote or simple picture is very effective. I look forward to seeing where Bettie takes this if she makes a 2nd issue. weight = 2 stars £1.00
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Anatomical Heart #2 *description coming soon* weight = 2 stars £1.00
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Brainscan #21 I’m not sure if I can do this zine any justice if I describe it myself. All I can say is that it is every bit of how Alex describes it, and more. “I haven't made an issue Brainscan in four years and I hope that this zine helps to explain why. Brainscan 21 explores my recognition of being in an emotionally abusive relationship, the attempts on both parts to right wrongs, the failure to do so, and gathering the strength to take the next step. What if your private life in your relationship is vastly different than what other people see? When do you know you are in an emotionally abusive relationship? How to you gain the strength to get out of it? What do you do when you know you can't handle the burden alone? What do you do when you feel so alone and terrified of the consequences of leaving, when if it means losing friends, a home, a job and a way life that you love? These are just some of the ideas explored in this zine through a three year personal narrative that also challenges you to examine your relationships with power, to identify how you express the power you have, and also how you relate to the power that of others possess. But most of all this, zine is about revelation, rebirth, and growth.” weight = 7 stars £1.50
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Brainscan #22 Titled “A Practical Body Modification”, this is both an informative and personal zine about using Intra Uterine Devices as birth control. Alex talks about her personal reasons and experiences choosing this method of birth control as well as answers questions she has received from curious friends and family. A really interesting read which will no doubt broaden your outlook on birth control. weight = 3 stars £1.00
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Briefcases *description coming soon* weight = 2 stars £1.00
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Crazy With Good Intentions A first perzine by Wyatt, good friend of Jenny of Not Sorry zine (you can see the inspiration) that I picked up at Portland Zine Symposium. Wyatt writes passionately about being a radical queer dental assistant, being told he is too emotional as though it's a bad thing; unlearning "someone + me = together always"; finding his Grandma collapsed in her assisted living bedroom and how the event is so deeply ingrained in him; having an alcoholic father and choosing not to drink because of that and realising that when he drinks he has the mentality of an alcoholic too; the power of positive thinking' the number 1017 following him and more! This zine reads like a letter to a future friend and I really hope Wyatt makes more zines in the future! weight = 1 star £1.00
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Culture Slut #10 Amber's product from the 24 Hour Zine Thing challenge. Beautifully set out in a cut/paste layout with her handwritten thoughts in-between various cuttings (her source of wonderful pictures seems to be endless!). She talks about why she writes lists, her "art days", her journal, dreams for the future, plans to help achieve those dreams, her cashier job, her comp zine 'Fight Boredom' (available in zines i-p section!), celebrities and self-esteem. I <3 Culture Slut way too much, it's like the perfect perzine in quarter size! weight = 2 stars £1.00
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Culture Slut #11 + 11.5
Nicknamed “the feminist rage issue”, this newest Culture Slut contains everything one loves and expects from Amber’s great perzine (she now has a compilation zine too! Go check out Fight Boredom!). This zine includes tales of overflowing washing machines, productivity levels, a new job, books that inspired her, being (really!) angry about sexism, leg hair, girl hate and lots more! Still one of my absolute favourite zines, I think everyone should read all of Amber’s zines. Comes with #11.5 – a super cute mini zine about why she loves “the boy” in her life!
weight = 2 stars £1.00
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Culture Slut/Telegram Ma’am #12 Split Split zine between Amber (Culture Slut) and Maranda (Telegram Ma’am) all about being twins! Amber writes about how she believed they were destined to be famous, what it might be like to lose her twin (something she admits she has seriously had to consider at times), what not to do or say to twins and a review of the book “Twins” by Marcy Dermansky. Maranda writes about always comparing herself to Amber and feeling sometimes as though she is “the broken one”, moving (physically) apart, her relationship with Amber as well as answering a couple of common twin related questions. I loved this zine despite finding it more serious than I would have expected. I felt as though I saw a very different side to both of them in this zine. Also definitely worth a read if you have any twins in your life! weight = 2 stars £1.00
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Culture Slut #13
Description by Fliss - thank you! This is another compact zine from Amber of Fight Boredom fame. In it, she discusses personal image and how things like hairstyles and tattoos can be just for your own benefit and not there to attract attention (especially negative) or invasion of space, and people’s reactions to her vegetarianism. There’s also stuff on smalltown isolation, and starting a girl gang, and she has a very spirited and get-go attitude to life, which is fun to read about.
weight = 2 stars £1.00
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Culture Slut #14 / Fight Boredom #2.6 split
Description by Fliss - thank you! This is a cute split zine between two of Amber’s zines - Culture Slut and Fight Boredom. weight = 2 stars £1.00
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Danger!Hole #2 This new, heavily feminist, zine from America us packed full with interesting pieces on chivalry, “Boy, the Poster Girl”, the use of words, an “I am a cliché quiz”, a book review of “Bitches, Bimbos and Ballbreakers”, an interview with “The Hourglass” (a company offering women old fashioned pin up glamour photography) and muc more. Theme of the issue: “redesigning girl”. weight = 7 stars £1.25
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Danger!Hole #3 Another packed issue of Danger! Hole and this time Lucy is on the war path of negative body image. There’s pieces on everything from Dove commercials to book reviews (Vagina Monologues and Cunt), to girl-loving music recommendations, to “Hairless: A Theory in Male Fascination with Paedophilia”, to a look at pro-ana/mia sites, to a mocking of beauty products, to a multitude of people’s responses to “my body…” and much more! Throughout are also eye-opening facts and statistics and at the end a very extensive resources sections with comments about each. weight = 8 stars £1.75
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Danger!Hole #4 Lucy is like a one woman (with some help from a few friends) zine machine! This zine is huuge and stuffed with interesting pieces on the theme of sexual harassment under this issue’s subtitle of “when ‘no’ means ‘yes’”. A selection of what’s packed into this issue includes: history of the word “cunt”, information on common date rape drugs, lots of contributions of peoples own sexual harassment stories, appropriate lyrics courtesy of The Dresden Dolls, common sense ways to keep yourself safe, how to use items found in your purse in defence, a date rape themed maze, “Reality Show Rapists-in-Training”, links between porn and rape, a look at sexist jokes and a 14 page support section for sexual harassment including myths, identifying types of harassers, common signs of sexual harassment and abusive relationships and support. There is more too! weight = 10 stars £1.75
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Danger!Hole #5 Yet another educational, informative and just generally fantastic issue of Danger! Hole. This time the subtitle of the issue is “Cross My Legs & Hope To Die (pt 1)”. As always there’s a great mix of Lucy’s own (well researched) pieces and outside contributors. Pieces include: “The Teaches of Peaches” (including lyrics and a concert experience), research that says that feminists have better sex, both sides of the ongoing pro-sex v. anti-porn feminist debate, sex toys, a fun comic about silicon boob implants, information on different birth control/contraception methods, thoughts on the role of sex-ed and lots of contributors experiences, abortion and the worryingly growing number of “Crisis Pregnancy Centres” and an interview with Sam of ‘Codeword : Cereal’ zine, and more! weight = 8 stars £1.75
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Danger!Hole #6
Description by Fliss - thank you!
This zine is absolutely packed with over 100 A5 pages. The theme is women as cultural revolutionaries, with plenty of provoking essays, interviews, manifestoes, thoughts, and analytical articles.
There is a break down of the Riot Grrrl! movement, and whether or not it still exists. D!H zine asks important questions like What makes a girl a rioter rather than in it for the badge of cool? There is alook at media misinterpretations and portrayals of the movement, analysis of the gross assumptions made, lazy generalisations, and consequent backlash.
There is an article on Riot Grrrl! that NME never published which challenges the more superficial portrayal of RG. There are personal takes on the RG experience, including personal opinion from Bri of Motor City Kitty zine. And there is an insightful interview with Kerri Koch, director of "Don't Need You: Herstory of Riot Grrrl!"
There is so much more content besides that it is impossible to distill it into this short description! But essentially, if you're keen on thought-provoking Riot Grrrl! text that sheds new light, ideas and action, you'll love Danger!Hole zine.
weight = 15 stars £1.75
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Eighteen Long Days Leann describes this wonderful zine as “a perzine travel journal in comics, sketches and words”. Her two and a half week trip across 4 states to visit family, attend a writing workshop and visit Chicago for the first time is beautifully documented with adorable drawings and doodles. A real visual treat for those who like their zines handwritten and illustrated! weight = 9 stars £1.50
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Fight Boredom #2.5 A super cute mini zine with one suggestion for fighting boredom for each day of the week! weight = 2 star £0.50
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From Here To There And Back Again #1 In the intro Shannon says “This zine started out about my four months in Amsterdam and became about my body… These pieces are connected through experiences of my body.” Honest, detailed and intelligent writing links together just some of her thoughts on a significant relationship, the nature of “coming out”, her need for multi-issue communities (particularly addressing her Latina heritage), being fat, her definition and experiences of violence and more. weight = 3 stars £1.00
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From Here To There And Back Again #2 I think you just have to read this zine to appreciate how powerfully Shannon writes. She describes the unofficial theme of this zine as “surrender” and much of the zine is about her identity (although not always directly) in terms of fat, femme, queer, Latina and more. Oh, and she has the most wonderful piece names: “Femme as in Fabulous”, “Take What You Can Get”, “Fuck (ed, ing, you)” and “Connecting Me To You”. If you like Not Sorry zine, you’ll love this. weight = 2 stars £1.00
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From Here To There And Back Again #3 Building on themes from #2 as well as introducing new ones, FHTTABA #3 includes pieces on: money and anti-consumerism especially in radical/political/queer communities, her first kiss, Fat Girl Speaks 07 convention, the decision to start taking medication for anxiety and what Shannon describes as “I’m a radical homo and I heart god, or something like that”. She also includes some great zine reviews. I find it a little difficult to adequately describe Shannon’s zines as I’m not sure I really have suitable knowledge or vocabulary to do them justice… so I hope my rather mundane descriptions don’t put you off – her zines are brilliant! weight = 3 stars £1.00
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Hoopla #2
*description coming soon* weight = 4 stars £1.00
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