free, 24 pgs., half-size, photocopied, 4 in stock

"I'm not stoopid. I know all about valuable commodities and stuff. People need blood, that's why. If you want food and air and stuff, that costs money. Nothing's free. Everybody's gotta work and pay for their keep somehow. That's what Jack says." 

 Exciting stories from a subversive with a good sense of humor. Articles include, "Apologies for all occasions," "The one that got away," "I'm not stoopid," "Playing with authority," "A sound strategy for volatile markets," "Basic behavior and obedience," "COINTELPRO, white vans, and coffee," "The good neighbor," and "Vote for sale." This is a well- written zine that makes for a great read. And according to the testimonials on the back page, it will make your or your partner's penis larger too.

free, 16 pgs., half size, 4 in stock

"A city is a conflict. It's neighbors vs. developers, city planning vs. collective memory, nature vs. our attempts to tame it, police vs. our attempts to redefine our relationships to the world. We want this zine to reflect this game of contribution."

This zine is a compilation of pieces by four underground writers from the Minneapolis area. The first essay is by Mike Puddnhead, about the immortalized glory that comes with writing for a mainstream audience compared to the fleeting, but poignant and immediate influence that belongs to obscure underground media. The next part is Iliana's piece is about the intensity of teenage rebellion, followed by Wil O.'s overview of the rhythm of protest in the city. "Underwater,' contributed anonymously, is an interesting bit of history about a huge storm that flooded Minneapolis streets in 1987, and the man who drowned after trying to warn the city council of the impending danger. The last contribution is another by Iliana that deals with the ongoing troubles of people arrested for protesting the RNC in 2008. Overall, this zine contradicts it's name with inspired stories from the underground contributors.

$2, 24 pgs., half size, photocopied, 8 in stock

"Tonight I'm lying in a bunkbed in a halfway house on Houston's Northside, tapping my boots to American Steel. Hopefully, it will be the final resting place of my addiction. Over the years this addiction has been many things, none of them pleasant. It's been: A first arrest at 12 years old, periods of homelessness and hunger, overdoses, abcesses, and collapsed veins, changed locks and revoked bonds, knifefights and loaded guns, running down alleys, hopping fences, and hiding in ditches. It's been painful. It's been exhausting. It's been confusing and terrifying. It has been lonely, cold, and desperate. It's been way too much, and it's gone on way too long." (Bits and pieces taken from the first story.)

This is Chuck's zine about some experiences he had as a teenage heroin addict. He manages to talk about some of the low points of his life- being arrested and imprisoned, the deaths of some of his old friends- without self- pity or bitterness. Chuck wrote this zine in rehab and a halfway house after waking up from his four year nightmare.

$2, 44 pgs., half size, photocopied, 12 in stock

"So maybe moving out here wasn't everything I thought it would be in my "California dream." Maybe I'm not South enough, maybe I need a friend with me... or maybe it's all internal and I'll never feel right no matter where I am. Typical human, always searching for something more. It's hard to just sit and enjoy this new world, when I'm so painfully homesick. I am so far away that not even the trees are the same. It's hard to identify and make connections to keep me grounded, but I still try."

(Here's a review I wrote of this zine for Razorcake magazine:) Remember feeling really excited, totally out of place, completely invincible, and absolutely homesick the first time you traveled on your own far away from your hometown? Read about Halley, punk rock adventurer, leaving Massachusetts to attend a semester of art school in California, and it will all come back to you. This zine covers the entire semester, which she spends skating, hanging out with new, diverse friends, and dealing with occasional lovesickness. The writing is good; typos and awkward wording are forgivable because there’s enough voice behind it to come alive. I’m having trouble trying to describe how cool the illustrations are, but like I said, she’s an art major, so just take my word for it.

$2, 36 pgs., photocopied, hand- colored cover, 15 in stock

"Oh what the hell, an extra night in Gainesville! The 13 of us agree on splitting a hotel for this one last night of living outside the boundaries of normal living, in this paradise of everyone- is- your- instant- friend and life stories unfold and overlap like you've known each other for years. James and James are best friends from England, Montreal Kev and his Canadian friends are obsessed with hockey, the other girls are from North Carolina, and everyone's accents are just flying all over the place and 'What the hell are you saying!' 'What kind of word is that?!'"

Halley starts off this zine with an introduction about coming home from California, gushing with hometown pride and excitement about all the little things that she rediscoved after being away from Massachusetts for so long. Halley's got another semester of art school ahead of her, and friends both new and old to accompany her on a whole new series of adventures, like a trip to the Fest in Gainesville! This issue of Infecticitis also brings out Halley's intellectual side: An essay on Neo- Impressionism and Anarchism compares the art style and the political philosophy and their shared emphasis on harmony and the natural order of the world, and in another essay, Halley ponders how the Chaos theory and the infinity symbol represent and relate to her lifetime. The layout in here is made up of cut- and paste collages and scribbled sketches that add to the frantic, fun feel of the zine.

Free, 4 pgs., full size, photocopied, 3 in stock

"The Juniper is a biannual zine published by Juniperbug productions. It is an advocate for guerilla gardeners, seed bombers, soil stewards, bike punks, and tree- huggers alike. It represents a return to the slower life and a simpler existence. It is proof positive that the groundswell is in full effect, and that the good- for- nothing mad hatters will continue to be challenged."

This issue's articles include a very well written extended metaphor comparing planting seeds to planting ideas for the revolution, instructions for planting indoors, and calls for readers to drive less, and buy food locally.

Free, 12 pgs., half size, photocopied, 4 in stock

" We live in a world of disconnect and chaos. Not only are we consuming too much too fast, but we rarely even know where that which we consume comes from. We are blind to that concept because as a culture we have allowed ourselves to slip slowly away from reality and connectedness. We have tunnel- visioned ourselves by deciding that the only real important thing is that we have our suff and lots of it regardless of the cost and with little thought about where it came from or what it took to get to us." 

In this issue of Dan's garden punk zine, he opens by analyzing his way of life, and how his day- to day life can either confirm or contradict his radical beliefs. Also, "Why We Farm: A Primer," "Why We Farm: A Rant," "Growing Cover Crops," and "A Call To Action." Dan also relates his experiences and how it feels to work on a farm or ride his bike around a small town. This zine is so informative, yet it has the style of a personal zine; pretty cool.

Free, 4 pgs., full- size, photocopied, 5 in stock

"Rot, ruin, decay. These words typically have a negative connotation. They are used when referring to things that are used up and falling apart, things that no longer have vitality or purpose. But there are certain things that benefit from breaking down, things that become advantageous and more useful as they disintegrate."

The tenth issue of The Juniper is the best yet. The added background makes it more like a zine than a newsletter. It starts off with "A Rotten Reality," an essay in which Dan draws inspiration from compost piles to talk about living positively in a world that can seem hopeless. Also has a how- to article on food preservation and a recipe for the meat substitute Seitan, letters to the editor, and write- ups on Food Not Bombs and Critical Mass. A sincere, down to earth zine, by a guy who puts a lot of love into writing about living a slower life.

Free, 12 pgs., half- size, photocopied, 9 in stock

"Also, proof of the need for positivity can be found in the IWW's plea for bread and roses: we want bread, but we want roses too (sustenance and hope). We can learn to look at the bright side and embrace positivity as we steadily chip away at our relentless, negative core."

Another beautiful introduction to a new issue is an affirming reminder to take care of yourself by relaxing, staying active, and self- reflection. "Farm and Garden 2008" is a thoughtful recount of the work Dan did at a community garden and a student farm. He focuses on the learning process and includes some great information about the benefits of growing herbs, basics for composting, and instructions for a cold frame that helps extend the growing season for some plants. Each issue of this zine sheds some light on different aspects of living simply, but they always leave me in the same thoughful, enlightened mood.  

$0.50, 24 pgs., quarter size, photocopied, out of stock

"I spent the last school year working with 30 kids and my co- worker Matt in an afterschool program in an elementary school for five hours a day. Since our supervisor, Alan, was in charge of several afterschool programs in the area, he only visited the school every other week. Matt was left officially in charge because he had been working for the program for six months longer than I had. So while Matt wasn't technically my boss, he took that bit of authority to heart and abused it as often as he could."

Monsters In Our Heavens is the first zine that I have made entirely on my own. This first issue is my story about being bullied at work. It talks about some of the physical and sexual harassment I had to deal with and what I finally decided to do about it. There's also some advice in the back from others who have encountered harassment problems at their workplace.

$1, 32 pgs., quarter size, out of stock

"This zine was certainly fun for me to make, considering how many countless hours I spend happily working on arts and crafts projects anyway. Art is a huge part of my life: It is a way for me to express things I don't have the words for, an excuse to start up a conversation, a way to spend time doing domething constructive, and a source of ideas that help me make sense of the world."

 The "Art Class" issue of Monsters in Our Heavens starts off with profiles of each of the art teachers I've had since middle school.  Next, are seven pages of artwork I've done over the years. The last pages are full of instructions and examples of my favorite arts and crafts projects.

$2, 28 pgs., half size, 9 in stock

 "We started up the street, and I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the train window. My eyebrows were piched together, my forehead creased with wrinkles. I looked very somber. The  train was dead quiet, but then again, that's how it normally is."

$2, pgs., half size, photocopied, out of stock

Craven Rock describes his night terrors as "a long continual uncomfortable feeling or a creepiness or oppressive feel that lasts through the whole night." In the pages of this zine are some of the creepiest dreams that he can recall, illustrated appropriately with shadows and monsters by Kinoko. He talks also about his frustrating experiences trying to uncover the cause of his night terrors, the difference between Type A night terrors and type B night terrors, and what to do if you're around someone who is in the middle of a night terror. I was excited to read creepy stories and see weird, intricately detailed illustrations- as well as learn about a condition I had never heard of- all in this one zine!

Free, 12 pgs., half size, photocopied, 2 in stock

This is a fanzine like most people think of them in the classic sense: a small photocopied zine that has interviews with bands that come through the kid's hometown, record reviews, comics, and a couple quick peeks into the author's life. My favorite part of this zine is the first comic, where a guy makes his first zine and shows it to his friends, who all look at it and reply, "This zine is very neatly formatted." It reminded me of when I made my first zine, and my friends had to try and think of something nice they could say about it.  

Free, 20 pgs., half legal, photocopied, 7 in stock

Unbeliveably detailed illustrations with incredibly silly subject matter. Short stories and throwaway jokes about cutting off your own finger and instructions to use a penis pump (?!) serve as irreverant distractions from some of the better quips, which are remarkable fot their wit and deceptive simplicity. It's alternately weird and cute and disgusting, but you can't help but focus on the incredible talent in the drawings.

Free, 20 pgs., half legal, photocopied, 5 in stock

"Are you fat? Are you rich? Are you greedy? Here's a drink only for you: OIL! Makes you feel powerful! Makes you ignore your conscience! Makes you delusional! So fuck everyone else, you piece of shit, and go buy yourself a can of oil!"

Prevailing Nonsense #2 picks up where issue #1 left off. Literally. The pages are numbered starting at 21, and this issue continues with twenty more pages of witty observations and skillful crosshatching. Different characters on every page get their fingers chopped off, their heads replaced, eat bacon instead of vegetables (...again, oops) rip out their sister's arm and watch television all alone. Scribbles, quotes, comics, cartoons, and sketches all included. The more I see of Yann's artwork, the more I am learning to appreciate his style.

Free, 20 pgs., half legal, photocopied, 5 in stock

"I got into bed, opened the bottle, worked the pillow into a hard knot behind my back, took a deep breath, and sat in the dark looking out of the window. It was the first time I had been alone in five days. I was a man who thrived on solitude; without it I was like another man without food or water."

I'm better understanding where Yann is coming from after reading pages 41-60 describing the desperate, shithole world contained in this zine. These pages start out with the world commiting suicide, followed by a baby who tricks her parents into eating shit, and a puppy who wants to ruin your life. I realized that pieces like the illustrated "How to gouge out your own eyeball" piece are a metaphorical reaction to the sickening state of the world. Somehow, this issue helped me see past it's cynical surface and find the ultimate sadness in the world inside this zine.

free, 8 pgs., full size, photocopied, 7 in stock

"It used to be a hangin' offense in Texas to poison another man's well," laments a cartoon character on the front page. This half- text, half- comics zine explains in simple but lively terms how privatizing "keeps the nosy public out of the industry's hair and especially out of the records," and how privatizing atomic waste is endangering Texas' environment and the health of its' citizens. The corrupt politicians and sell- out scientists and college students are going along with the industry leaders, but don't believe their shit; read about what's really going on here!

$5, 130 pgs., half size, photocopied, metal binder ring- bound, out of stock

 "While I was smoking, I started thinking. I was like, what if I went to the credit union, took out $1000 out of the account where my mom used to deposit our child support checks, wrote a few goodbye notes and left them on my pillow next to my cell phone, quit my job, then drove to Kansas City without telling anyone I was leaving? A couple hours later, I had done all that and was headed south on I- 35 with one blanket, one bag of dog food, and one mangy gray dog."

 After a bad break up, Mike starts to lose his mind, so he grabs his dog, fills up the gas tank, and starts down the highway for an extended road trip that he eventually wrote this 130- page monster of a zine about. He stays in punk houses with strangers and acquaintances and trys to tak starbucks baristas in every city  into starting a union (he's an IWW organizer). If you think too many people are doing travel - themed zines these days, you should know that this is one of the best zines I have ever read on that topic. It includes clever footnotes and "people reviews" at the end of each chapter to summarize the new people that he's met in each city.