Anatomical Heart #10 is the final issue of this mental health zine series. Bettie explains in Buy Her Candy #1 that she decided to stop writing Anatomical Heart because she didn’t want or need to write about mental health anymore – Bettie is currently training to be a mental health nurse, and so “my life still revolves around mental illness, just not mine”. Anatomical Heart #10 feels like a nice transition from mental health to perzine, a kind of preparation for Buy Her Candy, as there is more perzine content in here than in previous issues - we read about what Bettie has been up to and what she’d like to get up to instead, her visit to Birmingham Zine Festival 2010, the regret she feels after giving away most of her zine collection, and an open letter to a mental health nurse that changed her life. Bettie also briefly discusses making progress with her mental health and being able to reason her way through mental breakdowns, something she could never have done in the past.

This is a zine written by a librarian campaigning against the government cuts. Inside, the author discusses how libraries have featured in their life, from insomnia-fuelled reading binges in childhood, to the present day, where they spent four years to secure their first library job. We read about how they feel spending time at the library has had a positive effect on their development as a person, and how important the author feels libraries are for all members of the community. There are also a few statistics on library closures, and some recommended reading on the topic.

Brainscan #24 is a mini-zine with fun little facts about Alex Wrekk. It comes with #25, 'Pre-existing conditions', which is the epic-length story of how Alex's heart was broken by Paul, causing her to leave Utah in 1999, and how several years later her marriage ended and she and Paul got back together – they've been together ever since. She uses diary entries to narrate things as they were taking place, as well as looking back on the past to provide a more knowledgeable perspective.
What I found most valuable was her account of a relationship – her marriage – that took a long time to die, and the ways in which you can rationalise your way out of taking the action that, in hindsight, would have been the best. Trying and wanting and making promises and getting hurt. There are also discussions of non-monogamy. It's messy and because Paul had come back into her life, Alex experienced a lot of guilt: it seems like these complexities made it harder for her to identify manipulative behaviour by her husband, or at least to stay strong enough to call him on it and demand change. I say this, though, because I've been trapped in similar circumstances, and I do feel that it's really important for people to be able to read zines about topics like emotional abuse. If you've read Brainscan #21, 'Irreconcilable Differences', this one's a companion to it but tells more of the story.

This is a monster of a zine pack in its own envelope!

After explaining why she has started a new series (formerly writing Anatomical Heart), Bettie writes about being diagnosed with PCOS, and how she feels alienated by feminists who argue that women should grow out their natural hair, as these feminists tend to have light, sparse hair. Bettie also writes about same sex marriage and civil partnerships, and the politics of both, and moving in with her girlfriend. Also included are things she likes doing, and a playlist.

In this issue of Dig Deep Heather tells us about her favourite t-shirt (which has been with her for over a decade) and the memories that are bound to every patch and stitch she's sewn to it. She shares stories of a trip to London and Paris with her best friend. Talks about her experiences of street harassment and how it's affected her when on her travels around her own neighbourhood. Explains how joining a women's only dance class reminded her to go ahead and do the things she fears the most and tells of how she inherited a zine distro that lives on from being passed down from friend to friend. She also includes a list of things she's done since her last zine and things to do before the summer's out. The simple layout and great narrative makes me eager to read more about Heather's experiences in future zines.

The best thing about split zines is discovering new zines that you'll probably love. I got this because I enjoyed the last issue of Dig Deep so much, as well as Heather's other zine Into the Grid. As a public librarian she talks a lot about what it's like to work in a library, which is really inspiring to read even if you don't want to work in a library she'll probably make you reconsider. She talks about different patrons in her library, Evan in particular grabs my heartstrings, a heartbroken teenager seeking advice and solace in his local library. The Library as a safe space and creating Zine libraries are the other topics in this zine, both of which I found fascinating! As usual the layout is thoughtful and clever, with brilliant images. Your Secretary 10 is I must admit, the first issue of Your Secretary I have read, but I highly enjoyed it. Jami is also a library school graduate and she talks about her experience at library school, librarian stereotypes, all the libraries she has known and the use of technology in libraries. I loved her mix of collaged pictures, typed text and handwriting, it gave a really personal touch. If you're considering librarianship you must read this zine, but even if you aren't it's a really interesting read.

The doodle like butterfly surrounded by yellow on the cover give little away of the surprising depth and intelligence of this zine. Cindy Crabb discusses the need for revolutionary social change, an anarchic attitude to cynicism, whether people can change the world, shyness in the punk scene, the theory and her hopes for social ecology and the need for truth, using both writing and drawings.

I never read the self-help book Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, but Doris seems to take that message and run with it: maybe it's its autobiographical punk counterpart. In writing about things like moving crosscountry, leaving behind loved ones and starting anew, Cindy Crabb is clear that sometimes – maybe a lot of the time – she felt scared and awkward, but she didn't let that hold her back, even as she acknowledges the bad days of loneliness and depression. You can dip into any issue of Doris and find comfort and inspiration in Cindy's stories; this issue describes in particular how she got over worrying about whether she was a 'real' writer, how she set about the scary task of learning to make friends in new places, and the people she met and experiences she had going on tour with her band. “I remember teaching Dave to chainsaw. […] He wanted to be in a band and I said 'Everyone should be in a band. Anyone can do it' and he said 'Maybe everyone except me.' Until now. He's finally in one. They played with us at the zine library. And he looked shy and not shy, happy, and I was proud.”

I love this zine! I love the cover firstly, it really stands out and the cheery colours totally set the tone for a great debut from Sarah Beth. She explains the choice of title for the zine and introduces herself; going on to cover why food doesn't have a moral value, her current loves (with pictures!) her favourite albums for different seasons and appreciating friends. My favourite piece is the one about being brave and going to events alone, something I wish I could do more of myself! All in all this zine is adorable and a really positive start to what I hope becomes a whole series of zines.

This issue is about the Goddess from a Jewish feminist point of view. It's a nicely laid out zine, with thoughtful articles about religion and a very touching story about a long-lost daughter. As the first writer puts it, "Religion is a significant aspect of Israeli society" and this zine is a good example of that.

Gorgeous, hand-sewn zine with some impressive artwork. Content includes a piece on the zinester’s relationship with food, hatred of lettuce, “love of the potato” and the carrot, about trying to eat healthily whilst also allowing yrself treats, not feeling guilty about what you eat, a haiku, a piece on her size zero obsessed teenage niece and subverting the rule stating that “fat girls shouldn’t wear stripes”.

This zine is essentially about fat acceptance. I enjoyed it a lot. Included is general positive writing about body image and how it affects the way you feel about yourself, along with some cute little drawings. Good stuff.

This zine by Nicci is peppered throughout with the writers own illustrations and has a cool Japanese stab binding.
Nicci talks about her struggles to reconcile her identity as an artist with her identity as the titular fat girl: she questions why life models are always slender women and why we are forced to compare ourselves against unachievable standards of beauty.
Nicci takes her practice as an artist looking beyond standard ideas of beauty and applies it to other images that surround us on a day-to-day basis in magazines and on TV. In doing so, Nicci talks about how she has found self-acceptance and self-love for her own body shape and beauty.
It is an oft-discussed subject, but reading about it from the point-of-view of a trained artist – someone who relies on images and imagery in order to be an artist – is a fresh and fascinating take on the matter. Nicci’s writing had me nodding along in agreement a several times and it is wonderful to read something that so eloquently expresses something that we are all troubled with from time to time.

FAT Quarter bills itself as a "countercultural ladies' mag" and is the much-needed antidote to mainstream women's glossies that are so predictable, vacuous and insulting. If you're sick of magazine aisles force-feeding you trends, and being told to subscribe to unrealistic and worrying "norms" that are actually abnormal, here's a place for educational articles on a range of thought-provoking subjects
I was most struck by the article on a tourist's view of women in Japan - shocked to learn that there are women-only carriages on some metro trains in Tokyo because of the problem of groping from men, and irked to read about the proliferation of "maid cafes" with their cute little girl image and the continuance of the subservient female being served up as a quirk.
An article on the identity of the author JT Leroy provides welcome refreshing vision too. Then there are plenty of pages dedicated to literature and ethical / DIY fashion; there's a band interview with the all-female Warpaint, and music reviews; all combining to form a really enjoyable, passionate, dedicated alternative women's magazine.

I bloody loved this one! I’d never read an issue of Fat Quarter until this month, but had heard plenty of good things about it. My first issue did not disappoint! Subtitled “a countercultural ladies’ mag”, Fat Quarter aims to celebrate what women do, and discuss the issues that we really care about, with an emphasis on female creativity. Fat Quarter is styled in a very similar way to mainstream magazines - it’s printed in full colour on glossy paper, and contains regular features including interviews, reviews, upcoming events, and advertisements (but all female-friendly, of course). The articles in this issue cover topics including virginity, female drag, alternative places in the UK to visit, and Japanese bento.

A very cool zine by Fliss, the lady behind “Mix Zine”! It’s a “personal but practical guide” to growing your own food for the first time. It opens with a lovely piece on why gardening is so important – to get back to the true nature of things, to connect with the earth, and to watch something you’ve planted grow and develop is one of the most satisfying experiences one can have, according to Fliss. She also argues that home-grown food tastes so much better than mass-produced supermarket foods. Then, Fliss gives us some handy tips on allotment gardening, indoor growing, outdoor growing (either in your own garden, or a green space in your local community), and how to do all of this on the cheap. These guides include what equipment you need, how to weed and prepare the soil, where to find cheap or free seeds, and what time of the year to start planting. Fliss lists some common plants that are easy to grow with tips on how to take care of them (e.g. chives, courgettes, onions); she also recommends a number of books and websites for more info on home growing. It’s 4” by 11.5”, with lots of hand-written sections, drawings of vegetables and gardening tools, and cut-and-paste typed text. Unusual, and very informative.

Here. In My Head #3 is a special half-sized issue dedicated to the release of my debut demo, the Not Sorry EP (which is available to buy at marching stars distro!). Included are my thoughts on the music scene, the zine scene, my personal insecurity and jealousy issues, feelings of loneliness and guilt, and some lyrics from the EP. Cover also comes in a variety of colours. Enjoy!

This is the 5th issue of Cath’s zine, “Here. In my head”. Catherine’s zine gets better and better with each issue, and this is no exception. She writes eloquently about subjects such as girl hate, making friends, love, feminist books, self-esteem issues as well as including a load of lists, which is always good. Catherine always writes so honestly and openly about everything- you finish reading her zines and feel like you have just finished an in-depth heart to heart with a close friend. Issue 5= divine, as always.

Another cracking issue of Here. In My Head zine, this time taking the alphabet as its theme, as you may have gathered from the title. There’s an article for each letter of the alphabet: from A is for Alphabet to Z is for Zines, fittingly enough.
This zine is a super wordy affair, but is speckled with sweet collages and photos throughout. There’s writing on a wide variety of topics - music, hair, vulvas, quotes – and I found myself nodding in agreement as I read it. It’s sharp, funny and quirky and I thoroughly enjoyed the breadth of topics that this issue discussed.

This issue is a little different to Catherine's past zines and is a special issue written for a zine anthology published by Planned Parenthood of Northern New England on the subject of sexuality. In it, Catherine focuses on three topics: blood, sex and choice, giving us an insight into her sexual development from being a teen until now.
Important issues are discussed including abortion, where Cath explains how in her past she considered herself to be pro-life (because of her religious beliefs at the time) and how her opinion changed when she became detached from religion and found feminism, in her own words: "I realised that I couldn't put my shaky faith before my firm belief in the self-determination and importance of women".
There is a section on periods where Cath discusses how her schooling prepared her for menstruation and recalls her excitement as she left the nurses office after getting her first pad at the age of 13, how boys in school made a big fuss of girls and their periods and shares tips from her friends on how to make menstruation that little bit more comfortable.
A section on sex shows Cath's shyer side as she explains talking about her sex life and sexuality is a taboo due to her upbringing and the shying away from the subject in her family home, revels her mothers answer to her question of what an orgasm feels like and tells of her insecurities of being happy with herself as a sexual being.
Catherine is honest and open in her writing which makes for a fun read. I look forward to reading more in her next issue.

For this issue Cath is back to her usual zine of random topics that are all crammed into one lovely zine. In this issue she mixes more personal topics with the political and writes about: finishing her degree in theology, her diagnosis of depression last year and how she's improved with each month that passes, internet culture - how her twitter followers know more about her life than her family does and how she's challenged herself to have one internet free afternoon each week, lots of lists of top albums, zines, books, guilty pleasures and more, as well as some unsent notes. A section on 'Anti-feminist Bingo' shares her feminist views and was inspired after taking a class on ecofeminism, and is her response to some of the classes anti-feminist remarks. Lastly, a piece on theology introduces us to some powerful admirable goddesses from various myths and religions which are inspirational to women - I enjoyed reading this section, as it introduced me to something I'd never read about before. The fun layout and topical writing is quickly making this zine one of my favourites!

I was not expecting this zine to be as entertaining as it was, judging by the plain cover (but then that’s why they say “never judge a book by its cover, eh?)! It’s a nice long half-sized zine, with half the content by seasoned zinester lady Ocean, and the other half by Matt Hahn, who writes his sections while incarcerated in California. In the introduction, Ocean explains that she “met” Matt through a prisoner book program, when a witty letter he’d written amused her enough to write back and keep in touch with him. Both Ocean and Matt did their own typing and layout for their written pieces. At first it was difficult to keep track of who wrote what in the zine, as the written content isn’t divided neatly into two sections as split-zines usually are… but I think I worked it out correctly! Ocean writes about a day in the office where a colleague tried to recreate a Jackson Pollock piece using house paint and a posterboard. This prompts Matt to write about the relationship between authenticity and authority, concluding that those with power arbitrarily decide what is reality and what is fakery, which subjugates the masses. Ocean also writes book reviews in a haiku format, stories about winter adventures, and remembering the things that New York City has taught her. Matt’s sections gave me some food for thought, as he discusses some really interesting issues, including zombies and human autonomy (“is a zombie theoretically possible?”), the transformative experience that incarceration has been, calling his prison cell “home”, and his plans for when he is released from prison. Both write about things that happened to them in the year of 1997, which includes turning 15 and finding herself for Ocean, and a mystical metaphysical experience with his now-deceased friend for Matt. I’m really glad I read this zine, as every page was thought-provoking and well-written, with some intelligent ideas throughout.

Description thanks to Amber (who writes Culture Slut and Fight Boredom)!

This is the latest offering from Marching Stars distro owner, Lizzy. Sort of a companion piece to the first issue, she continues on the theme of travel by writing about following Canadian folk / pop duo Tegan & Sara on tour. She saw them 30 times in something like 10 different countries - now that is dedication! Inside are the tales of endless queues, long-distance friendship and meeting her favourite musicians. She reviews various shows, and makes mention of opening acts Northern State and Uh Huh Her. Cut and paste style, featuring many live photos (I admire Lizzy's ability to get good photos from the crowd, as I know how tricky that can be), ticket stubs, newspaper clippings and fliers.

This sharp little zine absolutely floored me! It had me from the delightful and simple cover, and the charming illustrations scattered throughout the text.
Julie’s zine is a perzine not quite like any other: it is a memoir of the author’s experiences in ‘unschooling’, written in the third person.
The zine tells the tale of creative and intelligent teenager Julie as she struggles at school, within an educational system which seems indifferent to her needs and her personality, leaving her to battle alone the meaninglessness of her studies and confusion over her mixed-race identity.
With the support of her parents, Julie discovers and decides to become un-schooled: a radical new form for education which emphasises the individual and creativity above all else. Unschooled teenagers don’t go to school, and they guide their own learning based on their own interests and passions.
Julie writes clearly, evocatively and poignantly. This unconventional and compelling zine is a must for anyone who enjoys perzines and/or is interested in education; it will resonant with anyone who had a less-than-perfect experience at school (that’s probably everyone, right?!).

Our hero and writer of this zine, Julie, has now quit school in order to become ‘unschooled’ (see review of issue #1 for details). This issue of the zine keeps the third person memoir style that Julie has chosen to write in: the zine resembles a short story, but it is, in fact, all autobiographical.
She writes of her experiences, emotions and difficulties she faces whilst adapting to her radically different new way of life: she feels a lot of guilt and anxiety as she recovers from the stresses and trauma of school life but writes ebulliently about the day she replaced her text books with sketchbooks (joy!!).
Julie also discovers zines on a trip to Portland and talks about their role in her new life which is guided by her own creativity rather than a school curriculum.
Julie’s writing about that ‘decompression’ phase that comes after a period of stress, is perceptive, intelligent and an absolute joy to read - something that everyone can relate to. The last few pages of this unconventional, brilliant perzine have a short bio of the real-life Julie and a list of resources for those interested in unschooling.