Because there is such a huge volume of alternative material being published, in any single issue we are only able to review a hundred or so of the periodicals we receive. Zines and magazines go in and out of publication daily, so don’t be surprised if a few of those listed here have already folded. You’re almost always better off sending cash or stamps (or IRCs—international Postal Reply Coupons) for smaller zines, unless the review specifies otherwise. If you want to be sure whether a zine or magazine is still available, send a SASE with a request for current information first.
APR will send a free exchange copy to every publication reviewed in these pages (as long as it is at least 16 pages in length in standard 8½x11 sixe or 32 pages in smaller format). Please be aware that we receive hundreds of periodicals, more than we could ever review, and are constantly backlogged. Also keep in mind that the APR issue we send for exchanges will be the one a publication is reviewed in (when it is reviewed), so please be patient. APR does not exchange with non-English language publications. All reviews in this issue are by Jason McQuinn [JM], Tom Wheeler [TW] or Chuck Munson [CM].
If you'd like your zine to be reviewed, please click here.
#11/1998 (POB 378293, Chicago, IL 60637) is another kick-ass issue of this 128-page must-read literary/critical journal. This issue features editor Thomas Frank’s “Triangulation Nation: Affirming Mediocrity in a Jaded Age” (with its excellent exposure of the insidious success of the Gannett newspaper chain—publisher of USA Today and a slew of mediocre monopoly rags), Paul Maliszewski’s hilarious (although almost unreadable due to too-small type) “I Am a Fugitive from Business Journalism,” Marc Cooper’s personal account of his escape from the CIA/ITT coup against Allende’s Chile, and Kim Phillips-Fein’s succinct summary of “The Wages of Credit” (on the significance of Chapter Eleven bankruptcy in the modern domestic economy). Past numbers have already sold out, so send these folks $6 immediately for a sample copy, or better yet $20 for a 4-issue subscription. [JM]
Vol.9,#3/May-June ’99 (POB 2363, Binghamton, NY. 13902; web: www.bodypolitic.org) is an informative 36-page, bimonthly “National Pro-Choice News Report,” including a “Legislative Watch” in each issue. In the May-June issue editor Anne Bower recounts the Spring anti-abortion actions in Buffalo (a shadow of the 1992 Operation Rescue blockades there), and interviews secular humanist Tom Flynn. Single copies are still $4 postpaid; subscriptions are now $25/year. [JM]
The Guide to Alternative Culture in Canada
#8/Winter ’99 (POB 203, Station P, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2S7, Canada; e-mail: halpen@interlog.com) is now an 90-page, semi-annual review magazine, basically aiming to do purely for Canadians what Factsheet Five & Alternative Press Review have attempted to do for pretty much the entirety of the English-speaking world. And given its much more modest aims, it does better at approximating its goal. This issue’s cover story, “Zine Writing the the Death of Literature,” is a somewhat pretentious introduction to a new generation of Canadian writers and publishers. The issue includes an assessment of the current state of independent Canadian book publishing, a brief history of the Montréal alternative zine scene from the perspective of the editor of Fish Piss, and a “Special Fiction Supplement,” along with the usual province by province listing of Canadian zines. Sample copies are $5; subscriptions are $12/3 issues in Canada & $14/3 issues in the U.S. [JM]
Vol.10,#3/Spring ’99 (I.S.I., 3901 Centerville Rd, POB 4431, Wilmington, DE 19807-0431; phone: 1-800-526-7022; web site: www.isi.org) is a professionally produced, 24-page right-wing tabloid that bills itself as “the only national student-edited, student-written newspaper for college students.” This issue features Marc Levin’s “Closing the Pocketbook: Eliminating Mandatory Fees for Political Groups” (aimed at defunding black, ethnic, gay rights, PIRGs, and social activist student groups). Subscriptions are free with (free) I.S.I. membership or $10/3 issues for non-members. [JM]
#66/Winter ’99 (1500 Massachusetts Ave. NW #732, Washington, DC. 20005) is an essential magazine covering the hidden political and economic machinations which maintain US hegemony behind the scenes around the world—every issue containing important revelations. This issue’s cover story is Greg Speeter’s “More Bucks for the Bang: Tomahawks, Technology and Terror” (on the high-dollar Pentagon budget sending resources down the drain), but the best articles cover the massive US government lies about last year’s US bombing of a Sudan pharmaceuticals factory, the current state of the farcical prosecution of two Libyans for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, the long-term goal of Bosnian leader Izetbegovich to create a fundamentalist Islamic state, and the implications of the Pinochet prosecution by Spain. And, of course, there’s lots—too much to list it all. You don’t know what the real score is or how the US government actually operates if you don’t read this magazine. Check it out today! Subscriptions are well worth the $22/year. [JM]
#93/Jan.-Feb. & #94/Mar.-April ’99 (POB 1564, Grand Rapids, MI. 49501) is a 32-page assortment of letters and reprinted articles primarily from the anti-market, non-statist radical milieu. Each issue usually includes several ongoing debates over the meanings of communism, Marxism, unionism, democracy and revolution, with some occasionally interesting and enlightening comments. The March-April issue includes John Bekken’s (mild) criticisms of Noam Chomsky, and a debate over whether the ruling class “conspires” or “does what comes naturally.” Wide open to participation from readers. Subscriptions are $3/year (6 issues). [JM]
EARTH
FIRST!The Radical Environmental Journal
Vol. 19, No. 2/Dec-Jan 1999 (POB 1415, Eugene, OR 97440; e-mail: earthfirst@igc.apc.org; web: www.envirolink.org/orgs/ef) is a 40-page, bi-monthly newspaper from the radical direct action wing of the environmental movement. This issue covers the Earth Liberation Front arson attack in Vail, Colorado, a lengthy article about the latest list of victims getting pied by the Biotic Baking Brigade, the Makah Whale Hunt, and recent actions against Home Depot. On the international front, there is news about Nigerian youths occupying oil wells, the indigenous uprising in Venezuela, and recent actions in Kenya to sabotage upscale residential developments in Nairobi’s Karura Forest. A subscription is $25/6 issues, $20 for low-income. [TW]
Vol.12,#1/Jan.-Feb. & #3/May-June ’99 (Subscription Services, POB 170, Congers, NY 10920-9930; web: www.fair.org) is the 28-page bimonthly magazine of FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting), a “national media watch group that offers well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship,” published from a left-liberal perspective. The March-April issue covers Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott’s longstanding association with the racist Council of Conservative Citizens (successor to the old White Citizens Councils which fought the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s & 1960s), along with the covert racism of the conservative American Enterprise Institute “think tank.” The May-June issue features criticism of the asinine coverage of Social Security by the corporate press, along with editor Jim Naureckas’ attempt to resituate the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia within a more revealing historical context in “Rescued from the Memory Hole.” Recommended. Subscriptions are $19/year (including the bimonthly newsletter, EXTRA! Update). [JM]
#352/Winter ’99 (4632 Second Ave., Detroit, MI 48201) is a 36-page anti-civilization, anarcho-primitivist tabloid, often publishing some of the more intelligent writing in the radical milieu. The Winter ’99 issue includes G.L. Doebler on the continuing debasement of the Haymarket Monument in Chicago by labor goons and their lapdog historians in “The Contest for Memory,” Miguel Xolotl (David Watson) on the sickening record of “Israel: 50 Years of Conquest,” along with an “Interview with a Chinese Rebel” now living in Barcelona named Mu Xidi. Single copies are $2; subscriptions are $8/4 issues. [JM]
Celebrating Reason and Humanity
Vol.19,#2/Spring ’99 (Box 664, Buffalo, NY 14226-0664) is a slick, professionally-produced 68-page quarterly magazine published by the Council for Secular Humanism. The Spring ’99 issue features a series of articles once again warning us about “The Population Bomb” (typically, treated as though the question of population has no wider social or political context beyond that of monopoly capitalism), a short interview with science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, and a reprint of Barbara Epstein’s “Why Postmodernism is Not Progressive” (from the Socialist Review). Despite the often shallow level of most articles, including the irritatingly conservative assumptions that capitalism and statism should never be questioned, this magazine remains an important source for current humanist thinking. Subscriptions are $28.50/year. [JM]
Anarchist Fortnightly
Vol.59,#20/17 Oct.’98 thru Vol.60,#10/15 May ’99 (84b Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX, England; web: www.tao.ca/~freedom; e-mail: freedom@tao.ca) is a long-running 8-page tabloid of anarchist news and comment on British and international social struggles. The Nov. 14 issue continues this publication’s coverage of last year’s failed MAI (Multilateral Agreement on Investment) negotiations. The Nov. 28 issue includes a survey of “Anarchism in Colombia” (South America) by the Alas de Xué (“Earth ”) group there. And the cover story for the April 17 issue is aptly titled “Hi-tech cowardice over Balkans”—I haven’t yet seen a better 5-word description of NATO’s rain of aerial destruction. North American subscriptions are £22/year (24 issues). [JM]
#23 (PO Box 353, Mentor, OH 44061; e-mail: jenangel@mindspring.com) is a personal zine so popular that it has ads from record labels. The popularity of Jen Angel’s zine doesn’t detract from the fact that she has an interesting life and is an excellent writer. Too many personal zines are simply written by people who really live rather dull lives. In this issue Jen writes about her move away from San Francisco, where she spent a year editing the punk magazine MaximumRockNRoll. She also elaborates on her general theory of crushes, in other words, the various stages of falling in love.The best personal zine around. $2 for a sample issue. [CM]
Exploring the Limits of Free Expression
#15/1998 (Gauntlet, Inc., Dept. 98A, 309 Powell Rd., Springfield, PA 19064) is a 138-page magazine devoted to exploring the limits of free speech. This issue deals with “The Many Faces of S/M.” An underlying theme is American S/M subculture and how it is being discovered and mainstreamed by straight people. An intense interview with Mistress Ilsa Strix focuses on the practice of erotic piercing. Ilsa Strix also contributes some samples from her personal diary. A series of photographs by Justice Howard depicts religious themes with a mixture of fetish fashion and religious icons. An interview with comedian George Carlin touches on drugs and ends with Carlin agreeing that “property is theft.” This issue also includes a Carlin humor piece titled “Politically Correct Language.” Everyone doing S/M should play safe, so check out “When Good Scenes Go Bad” and “Keeping You Safe in the Land of Danger,” the latter penned by Charlie Latour. Always interesting and always provocative. Sample is $6.95 + $2 p&h; Subscriptions (two issues) are $16 [CM]
Vol.4,#11/Nov.’98 thru Vol.5,#6/June ’99 (3415 Cesar Chavez St., Suite 101, San Francisco, CA 94110) is a super-glossy, colorful, 48-page advertising-saturated, “Magazine of Lesbian Enjoyment.” The March issue cover story gives a quick run-through of the new Hollywood action-heroine film genre from Barbarella to the upcoming Danger Girls. The May issue includes an interview with the star of Claire of the Moon, Trisha Todd. The June issue includes a rather disgusting “Girlfriends 1999 Lesbian Career Guide,” in which the ten most lesbian-friendly corporations from the Fortune 500 are listed without a single word about their myriad corporate crimes (in fact, the listings all sound more like paid advertisements than editorial—no hints are given that it might make a lot more sense for anyone to avoid work in mega-corporations like Chase Manhattan, Monsanto Chemicals or Chevron Oil). Single copies are $4.95; subscriptions are now $29.95/year. [JM]
A Journal of the Western Inner Tradition
#50/Winter ’99 & #51/Spring ’99 (POB 14820, San Francisco, CA. 94114-0820; web: www.gnosismagazine.com & www.lumen.org) is a well-crafted, nonstuffy, 74 to 80-page quarterly journal of gnostic spirituality. Unfortunately the Spring issue is the last that will appear, as publisher Jay Kinney has announced that “a confluence of circumstances and people that have enabled Gnosis to exist up till now have been unraveling at an ever-increasing pace.” However, current and back issues remain available. The Winter issue, on a theme of “Good & Evil,” features Jack Boulware on Anton LaVey’s disintegrating Church of Satan, and an interview with loose cannon Robert Anton Wilson on conspiracies, aliens, media and Timothy Leary. The Spring issue covers the theme of “The Grail.” Sample copies are $10 postpaid, but back issues are now half price at $5 each. [JM]
The Champion of Californiana
#12 (POB 491, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254-0491; e-mail: pan@cyberverse.com) is a 122-page journal about California that is definitely not one of those glossy travel magazines that look like they are written by the Chamber of Commerce. “Gold Nuggets” is a round-up of brief news items about California, such as the recent closure of the submarine ride at Disneyland. “Site Specific” looks at landmarks and their connection to offbeat events, including a house on Topanga Canyon Road (L.A.) where Buffalo Springfield was busted for pot in 1968. One of the more interesting features, “L.A.: In search of the city,” is a reprint of Michael Fessier’s 1970 series of articles on working class towns around L.A., including Cudahy. This issue also includes art, cartoons, books and music reviews (with an emphasis on California culture). Sample copies are $4. Subscriptions are $12/4 issues, Canada add $1.50 per copy. [CM]
For the destruction of Civilization
#54-5 (double issue)/Spring ’99 (BCM 1715, London WC1N 3XX, England) is an always interesting 28-page eco-anarchist, anti-civilization tabloid with a big emphasis on direct actions, but unfortunately-small type. The Spring issue has a GAndALF court case update by co-defendant Paul Rogers titled “Breaking the Teeth of Leviathan” (for those who haven’t yet heard, the GAndALF defendants were all released after a £10 million prosecution!), a reprint from John Zerzan’s “Nihilist’s Dictionary” column, Glenn Parton’s call for “Humans-in-the-Wilderness,” a reprint of John Moore’s less than convincing essay on “Bewilderness,” along with his more coherent call to “Maximalist Anarchism, Anarchist Maximalism.” Each issue also includes a “Diary of Ecodefense,” a “Diary of Animal Liberation,” and a “Diary of Community Resistance” (for those patient enough to sort through hundreds of headlines), as well as reviews, commentary and much more. This zine is well worth the price at £5/5 issues. [JM]
A Journal for Human Research Subjects
#6 (POB 42531, Philadelphia, PA 19101)
is a zine on human test subjects, i.e. “guinea pigs.” This issue includes a fascinating account of the 19th century guinea pig Alexis St. Martin, a trapper who suffered a terrible accident that resulted in his stomach remaining open to the outside world. This article details how one unscrupulous doctor exploited St. Martin’s bizarre condition for science experimentation, in a manner similar to some 20th century doctors. The famous Dishwasher Pete contributes report cards on two human research facilities. The editor includes his congressional testimony on delayed informed consent. Also includes zine, book and movie reviews as well as several news items on issues of interest to human guinea pigs. Highly recommended! $3/sample copy. Subscriptions: $10/4 issues U.S.A., $16 Canada. [CM]
The Digest of Heady Philosophy
#14/Winter ’98 (POB 141, Allston, MA 02134; web: www.birdhouse.org/words/hermenaut/; e-mail: editors@hermenaut.com) is a handsome 170-page journal of pop philosophy, or the philosophy of pop-culture, or pseudo-philosophical pop, or something like that. In practice it consists of highly personal visions—from wise to witty and from wilted to worthless—woven around themes you may well never have wanted to think about, even if they’re tapping you on your shoulder. Readers may find it charming or chimerical. It’s your call. The cover theme for this issue is “Anorexia/Technology.” Look here if you have a hankering for a mini-bio of (fanatically) saintly seer Simone Weil by editor Joshua Glenn, Lisa Carver’s predictably sanguine “Interview with an Anorexic,” an exhumation of Karen Carpenter by John Marr, or Clarke Cooper’s erudite put-down of pumped up asteroid flicks in “My Life as a Wookiee.” The cover price is still $6; subscriptions are $20/4 issues. [JM]
Vol.23,#11/May 2,’99 (Institute for Public Affairs, 2040 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60647; web: www.inthesetimes.com) is a professionally-produced, 30-page fortnightly “alternative newsmagazine” providing an ongoing left-liberal perspective on major national and international news stories in a uniquely timely manner—impossible for periodicals appearing less frequently. The May 2nd issue features stories on the attempt to pass a state constitutional amendment in Illinois making health care a “right,” the current attempt to gut Medicare in favor of vouchers, and stories on the continuing Israeli war against Palestinians. Subscriptions are $34.95/year (26 issues), or $18.95/6 months. [JM]
#16 (PO Box 23184, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523; e-mail: in@ripco.com) is a 98-page magazine devoted to industrial music. The influential band Chris and Cosey is interviewed, as well as The Legendary Pink Dots, Scot Jenerik, Front Line Assembly, Rx (Ritalin), and Clan of Xymox. Includes 24 pages of music reviews, which are thorough, quite critical, and often situate a record in the history of the genre. Cover price is $2.95 [CM]
A Social Anarchist/Anti-Authoritarian Publication
#36/Winter 1999 (POB 1836, Guelph, ON N1H 7A1 Canada; e-mail: mbernhar@uoguelph.ca) is a much improved 50-page magazine, back after a long absence. KIO has always been interesting because it focuses on practical projects. In this issue A.F. Moritz explores “The City in Anarchy” and Joseph Heathcott looks at ways to create more anarchists in “Broadening the Anarchist Gene Pool.” Heathcott argues that anarchists possibly have more to learn from communities than communities have to learn from anarchists. An interview with the late Art Bartell, an Italian-Canadian anarchist, is inspiring because it shows how much one can do in a lifetime of activism. This issue concludes with an essay on anarchist art by Richard Kostelanetz. Cover price is $3.75; subscriptions are $14.50/year (US funds). [CM]
Vol.13,#3/March thru #7/July ’99 (POB 1167, Port Townsend, WA. 98368) is now a 64-page monthly “libertarian” magazine which attempts to make something of an intellectual case for its religious faith in “free market” economics and “private property.” The March issue includes a warning that government Y2K preparations include military options for dealing with potential discontent, a look at the frenzied acquisition of Ayn Rand’s manuscripts (who’d want to own such inferior prose besides cultists and speculators?), and an interesting update on “The Politics of Marijuana: The People Strike Back” by Paul Armentano. The July issue includes an excellent, skeptical look at the absurdity pro-NATO-bombing propaganda by David Steele. Subscriptions are now $29.50/year (12 issues). [JM]
A Journal of Sex and Sensibility
Vol.10,#4/Winter 1998-99 (POB 146721, Chicago, IL 60614) is a slick 81-page journal of sexuality which offers everything from erotic stories to photography to short news items. This issue includes the winners of the 1998 Libido Fiction Contest. The winner is Wayne Jones’ “Thing Can Move” which is about a sensual relationship between two men and a visiting German woman. This story is more literary than erotic, but a good example of the high quality prose that Libido publishes. The erotic photography is excellent and far more interesting than your typical porn. Sexologist Carol Queen reports on efforts to save a historical whorehouse in Butte, Montana, which operated from 1890 to 1982. There are plans to turn it into a museum. Also included is an excellent review section. Cover price is $8 and subscriptions are $30/year. [CM]
#17/Spring ’99 (POB 4358, Boulder, CO 80306-4358; e-mail: ryam@lovemore.com; web site: www.lovemore.com) is a comfortably readable, quarterly 40-page polyfidelity magazine for all those unhappy with the limitations of monogamy, whether it be lifetime or serial! This issue’s theme is ‘New Relationship Energy,’ including many short pieces like Roma Weiss’ on “My Husband’s Girlfriend,” Leanna Wolf’s interesting research on “African Polygamy,” and Deborah Anapol’s ‘On Jealousy.’ Also included in each issue are reviews, personal ads and news briefs. Cover price is $6; subscriptions are $24/year. [JM]
Real Music Alternatives
#39/April-May 1999 (1218 Chestnut St., Ste 808, Philadelphia, PA 19107-4816; e-mail: magnetmag@aol.com; web: www.magnetmagazine.com) is a slick, professional-looking, 100-page alternative rock music magazine featuring plenty of news, information, interviews and reviews of indie artists and alternarock hipsters. This issue features interviews with Sleater-Kinney, Beth Orton, Cobra Verde, Olivia Tremor Control, Built to Spill and XTC’s Andy Partridge. If indie rock is your bag, Magnet does a pretty decent job of covering the scene. A subscription is $14.95/6 issues. [TW]
#93/Winter ’98-99 (POB 3012, Tucson, AZ 85702) is an irregularly-published 72-page anarchist journal, lovingly self-printed by always cantankerous—but increasingly loony—editor/publisher Fred Woodworth. The articles in this issue continue to focus on the rampant abuses heaped upon innocent people by authoritarian institutions, especially by cops, courts and prisons, along with criticisms of the authoritarian and labor-increasing effects of computer technologies. In this issue, though, Woodworth seems to be finally going over the edge, launching vituperative denunciations at everyone and everything from Anarchy magazine (“a creepy, downright horrifying magazine,” etc., etc.!) & Lorenzo Komboa Ervin to the Spanish anarchist movement, and from the Independent Press Association to the Spanish language. Subscriptions are still worth the $10/4 issues (cash only) if the editor’s increasingly violent denunciations of almost all other anarchists don’t put you off. [JM]
#192/May 1999 (POB 460760, SF, CA 94146-0760; e-mail: maximumrnr@mindspring.com) is a thick, newsprint punk zine that continues to chug along despite the death of founder Tim Yohannan. The format hasn’t changed much since his death so you can continue to read the latest rantings from over a dozen columnists including such stalwarts as Mykel Board, “Lefty” Hooligan, Mark Hanford and Ted Rall, scene reports from diverse places as Washington state, Nepal and Burma, and lots and lots of punk rock interviews. On the political side, this issue features an interview with San Francisco mayor Willie Brown who apparently became more and more agitated as the interview progressed which eventually deteriorated into an argument. There’s also an overview of the Biotic Baking Brigade and the six-month sentence handed down to three SanFran pie tossers, and part 2 of Noam Chomsky’s “Propaganda and Control of the Public Mind.” Your fingers will get pretty filthy from all the cheap newsprint but it’s definitely worth it. Send $3 for a sample, $18 for a 6-issue subscription. [TW]
MONOZINEVol.12,#1/Spring ’99 (Chris Dodge/Jan DeSirey, 4645 Columbus Ave. S., Mpls, MN. 55407) is now a quarterly 12-page “socially-responsible” librarians’ newsletter. Each issue includes library news, interesting alternative periodical reviews and a few capsule small press book reviews. Subscriptions are $15/year. [JM]
Vol.29,#5/May ’99 (2337B 18th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009) is a longstanding 18-page feminist news tabloid with a strong emphasis on international coverage and lesbian separatist issues. The May issue focusses on “Women and War in Kosovo,” with views (mostly) for and against the disastrous NATO bombing campaign, including a sadly naive and ahistorical vote for imperialist war by longtime oob collective member Carol Anne Douglas. The issue also includes “Liberal Feminists Sell their Souls for Clinton” by radical feminist Judith Paige. Each issue now includes a long listing of “Festivals and Meetings.” Subscriptions are now $25/year (11 issues).
Vol.6,#1/First Quarter ’99 (3318 Gregory St., Madison, WI 53711; website: www.prwatch.org) is a very important 12-page newsletter of “Public Interest Reporting on the Public Relations Industry,” certainly one of the pillars of capitalist ideological strength. This issue features a profile of Peter Sandman, whose unorthodox PR “risk communication” strategies are influencing many major corporate polluters in their choices of how best to co-opt community opposition. This is valuable stuff—of which every activist should be aware. Subscriptions are $35/year. [JM]
The Magazine About Music That Matters
#43/early 1999 (POB 14806, Portland, OR 97293; e-mail: puncture@teleport.com) is a 68-page glossy alterna-rock magazine featuring an interview with Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hanna, the Mekons, Olivia Tremor Control, and flamboyant showman Bobby Conn. Puncture also has a huge record review section with lengthy, detailed reviews of the latest records ranging from remote and obscure indies to the latest releases from more well-established artists. Subscriptions are $10/4 issues. [TW]
#2 & #3 (POB 391302, Cambridge, MA 02139; e-mail: rude@rudeinternational.com; web: www.rudeinternational.com) is a bi-annual, 68-page music magazine covering the reggae, ska and punk scenes. #2 is their “punk” issue featuring Rancid, The Business, The Suicide Machines, and the Slackers. There’s even an article by Mark Higgins, stage manager for the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, on “The Do’s and Don’t of Stage Diving.” Issue #3 has a rather light but entertaining interview with former Clash frontman, Joe Strummer, and a more sobering in-depth look at last year’s Las Vegas skinhead murders. Subscriptions are $12/4 issues. [TW]
Vol.23,#3/May-June ’99 (Box 703, Buffalo, NY 14226-0703) is the always readable and often interesting 72-page bimonthly “Magazine for Science and Reason,” published by the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP). Although its writers too often promote a dogmatic scientism, they nevertheless occasionally provide genuinely unbiased evidence to debunk many of the non-scientific targets that they investigate and analyze. The May-June issue includes debunkings of Bigfoot (in “Bigfoot’s Screen Test” and “Tracking Bigfoot on the Internet”) and urban legends (“The Snuff Film: The Making of an Urban Legend” and “Bitter Harvest: The Organ-Snatching Urban Legends”), along with a valuable review of Philip Davis’ The Goddess Unmasked. Despite its often overt biases and conflicts of interest, this journal includes worthwhile & critical information for our overly gullible society. Subscriptions are $35/year. [JM]
A Journal of Theory and Practice
#24 thru #26/1998-99 (Atlantic Center for Research and Education, 2473 Maryland Ave., Baltimore, MD 21218) is a 96 to 112-page biannual anarchist journal with an intended bias towards the social over the individual, although in actual practice it tends towards eclecticism. The tone is predominantly sober and academic, and the slant is liberal to radically reformist with occasional pro-revolutionary contributions. Issue #24 features a moderately interesting account of “Ebonics, Language and Power” by Mike Long, along with the start of a symposium on “The Anarchist Agenda” including invited contributions from a range of anarchists with predictably inconsistent results (Brian Martin wants non-violent action, Joseph Heathcott wants anarchist activists to submerge themselves in non-anarchist struggles; Michael Bacon wants anarchists to move to Philadelphia to help create “alternatives to capitalist economics”; while Richard Kostelanetz argues against anarchy and in favor of capitalism; and editor Howard Ehrlich states that our “primary task...is to create anarchists”). Issue #25 features Jeff Ferrell’s “Against the Law: Anarchist Criminology,” along with a few more radical attempts at suggesting “The Anarchist Agenda” (including my own). Issue #26 features a long “Look inside Japan’s Seikatsu Club Consumers’ Cooperative” by Richard Evanoff (for whom cooperatives are strangely non-capitalist), an unconvincing “anarchist” defense of politically separatist and nationalist “self-determination” by Matt Hern, an apology for the continued existence of anarcho-syndicalism penned by Jeff Stein, and Jane Meyerding’s bizarre reinterpretation of individual differences (arguing from her own experiences) in terms of “neurological differences” (with barely a hint of concern for historical or social theory). Single copy $4.00; subscriptions $14/4 issues or $20/4 issues (foreign). [JM]
#12/undated ( POB 8284, Madison, WI 53708-8284) is a mischievous and wildly amusing zine documenting the often unpleasant and bitter experiences of temp workers and the drudgery of the workplace. This long awaited issue serves up yet another vicious thrashing of the temp industry with a variety of folks writing about their job experiences, their crappy bosses and shallow lackeys, and their creative acts of workplace sabotage. Stories include a temp worker’s horrendous experience working for a “tickets-by-mail” program run by the 3rd rate Grateful Dead-wannabe rock band, Phish, a list of tips for suitpukes (a term for bosses and supervisors), Keffo shares his thoughts on the Y2K hype and recounts his experiences promoting his book in “Circle of Pain – On the Road: The Temp Slave Book Tour.” Send $3 cash for a sample copy or $8 for a 3-issue subscription. [TW]
#91/Jan.-Feb. thru #93/May-June ’99 (POB 7459, Red Oak, IA 51591-2459) is by now a mostly-mainstream, advertising-infested, 128-page “alternative press” reader for new age/baby boom liberals, concentrating on reprinting articles from mainstream & marginally “alternative” publications, along with a very small number of genuinely alternative pieces thrown in. The Jan.-Feb. issue features a cover theme of “Good Work: Find your Way to a Job that Matters” (don’t look for any critique of capitalism here, just remember that “We must be patient with ourselves and others as we being the difficult personal and collective search for good work.”) Subscriptions are $19.97/year (6 issues). [JM]
#98/June ’99 (POB 1275, Gramling, SC 29348) is a nicely-printed, 8-page bimonthly newsletter promoting voluntary social relations and private property (and “not voluntary communal property”). This issue features John Hasnas’ “The Myth of The Rule of Law: Part II,” which argues the unavoidable truth that law is intensely political and not an objective or natural phenomenon (if only this same critique could be turned on the rule of capital & market as well, this zine would be a whole lot better). Subscriptions are $18/year (or .045oz or 1.4gm of fine gold!). [JM]
#39/May-June ’99 (1463 E. Republican St., #178, Seattle, WA 98112; web: www.speakeasy.org/wfp) is a bimonthly 16-page alternative community tabloid serving the Seattle area. This issue features a section of “War News,” including information on the reckless disregard NATO has shown for the human, cultural and ecological results of its bombing campaign in Yugoslavia. Greg Bates interviews media critic Norman Solomon. And Greg Turner contributes his “Confessions of a Corporate Bookseller,” recounting all the petty compromises he was forced to make during his years working at Borders and Barnes & Noble stores. There’s no excuse for missing this paper if you live in Seattle, but it’s worth a read wherever you live. Subscriptions are still $12/year. [JM]
#10/Spring 1999 (537 Jones Street #2386, SF, CA 94102; e-mail: ZineWorld@bigfoot.com) is a real big, thick 104-page review zine with hundreds of reviews here. Zine World used to have a very stringent review policy—devoting its pages strictly to small-scale periodicals—but that policy has been relaxed over time. Now you can find reviews of glossy periodicals with UPC symbols like Angry Thoreauan, even Alternative Press Review, along with the usual fare. Zine World also includes some double reviews, allowing readers to get the perspectives of two different reviewers for the same zine. Some of the reviews can be a bit nasty and critical but there are some thoughtful and enthusiastic reviews too. Zine World is also a tremendous resource guide chock full of information and listings, as well as a very informative news section. Definitely recommended. Samples are $3; subscriptions are $11/4 issues. [TW]
The 1998 Killer Frog Anthology
(Janet Fox, 519 Ellinwood, Osage City, KS 66523-1329; e-mail: foxcav1@jc.net; web: www.cza.com/scav/index.html) is a 28-page zine anthology of horror poetry, prose, and art. It’s put out by the folks who do Scavenger’s Newsletter (a “marketletter” for SF/Horror writers). The highlight here is a poem about a baseball-obsessed guy and his “Lesbian Vampire Wife.” Also includes a short story on haunted plumbing and too many bad drawings of frogs. Sample copy is $4.50 ppd. [CM]
Actualizing Industrial Collapse
#1-#3/undated (POB 11331, Eugene, OR 97401) is an energetic, promising new 8 to 16-page zine that “wants to hasten the disappearance of this whole stinking order.” No truck with liberalism or leftism here. The first issue includes “The Promise of the 90s,” Theresa Kintz’s “Fanning the Flames of Resistance” (on the recent Vail ski lodge arson, the Earth Liberation Front and Earth First!), and a letter from Ted Kaczynski encouraging the formation of a tighter, more cohesive eco-radical movement. The second issue includes some trenchant comments by Bob Black on press reports of the trashing of a cop’s van by Oregon anarchists, and reprints from Fredy Perlman’s Against His-Story, Against Leviathan! and of John Zerzan’s “Niceism” from Anarchy magazine. The third issue has an impressive overview of “What’s Happening in Kosovo? An Anarchist’s Perspective,” a reprinting of the “Preface to the Second Edition of Elements of Refusal” by John Zerzan, and a centerfold insert consisting of a pair of posters. Send a contribution for a copy. [JM]
#2 (PO Box 517, New Paltz, NY 12561; e-mail: PeteM@bruderhof.com) is a 32-page activist zine that now includes a CD with every issue. Activists associated with the Bruderhof religious community in New York publish Blu. From a design standpoint, this is one of the most handsome activist zines around. It’s refreshing to see activists make full use of computer technology and still manage to publish something that is readable. Features include Desmond Tutu and the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, updates on political prisoners, and a look back at the Young Lords Organization, which was the Puerto Rican equivalent of the Black Panthers. The CD includes hip hop and a cool song by an a cappella choir. An activist zine worth checking out. Sample copies are $5 and subscriptions are $27/year. [CM]
#3/undated (POB 5021, Richmond, VA 23220) is an unpaginated little personal/political zine featuring accounts of squatting, road trips, recent demos attended, a revolutionary tourist trip to Chiapas, and an interview with George Jackson Brigade member Ed Mead (released from 18 years of prison in 1993) on “Armed Struggles in America.” This is a simple, amusing, entertaining zine. Sample copies are 55¢ each or 2 for $1. [JM]
“Drunk Genius: Euphoria, Inebriation & Creativity”
#6/Fall 1998 (510 Eighth Avenue Northeast, Minneapolis, MN 55413; e-mail: conduit@bitsream.net) is a nicely-designed literary magazine featuring poetry, drawings, prose, and an interview with Terence McKenna. $4 sample, $12/3 issues. [CM]
a journal towards wildness
#1/Spring ’99 (530 Divisidero, #321, San Francisco, CA 94117; e-mail: highwater@hotmail. com) is a beautiful new quarterly, 30-page zine (with a very nice full-color cover) that wants to put a lot more wildness into the ecology & anarchist movements. Unfortunately, the contents are disappointing, with poor writing, a lack of editing, and less than consistent reasoning evident in too many articles of this first issue. Contents include Joanne Lauck on “The Transformative Power of the Wild” (speaking primarily of insect/human encounters), Patricia Freund’s incoherent tract on “Endangered Species: Techno-Humanism and Vanishing Humanity—A Beginner’s Guide” (in dire need of editing and re-writing), James Barnes’ absurd sermon on “Biocentrism as a Moral Imperative,” and David Orton’s confused attempt at the amalgamation of leftism and deep ecology in “My Path to Left Biocentrism.” On the brighter side, this issue also includes a couple pages of often-stimulating questions titled “The Politics of Daily Life,” along with a couple decent reprints from Anarchy magazine by Feral Faun (“Feral Revolution”) and John Zerzan (“Postscript to Future Primitive: On the Transition”). This zine shows some promise. Let’s hope for more coherent writing next time. The cover price is $3. [JM]
Vol.21,#4/Fall 1998 (401 Richmond St. West, Suite 454, Toronto, Canada, M5V 3A8; e-mail: fuse@interlog.com) is a quarterly Canadian magazine of the arts. In this issue, Laura U. Marks examines Inuit television and video-making and analyzes how southern Canadian critics have reacted to these native auteurs. It looks like cooperatives of all kinds have problems in capitalist economies. Curator Reid Shier writes about Artist-run Centres, which get government funding, and their tendency over time to become more professionalized and less artist-run. In “Black W/Holes,” M. Nourbese Philip rants about what it is like being dark-skinned in white supremacist Canada. This personable essay stands out from the typical rant about living under white supremacy. Some of the writing is a bit academic, but otherwise this magazine is suffused with political consciousness. $20/year, $24 U.S.A. [CM]
Leaving the 20th Century
#2/undated (Crimethinc, 2695 Rangewood Dr., Atlanta, GA 30345) is an important new 12-page tabloid which takes the idea of a “revolution of everyday life” more seriously than most. An interesting mix of provocation, critique, radical evangelism & anti-evangelism, and calls to utopian action. This issue includes an amusing rant aimed at anarcho-leftists titled “Face it, your politics are boring as fuck” by Nadia C., an analysis of spectacular culture titled “We Look for Life in the Image of Life,” and a lengthy examination of “What’s so Bad about Capitalism?” Here’s a sample quote from the latter: “Don’t be paralyzed by the seeming vastness of the forces arrayed against us, or be tricked into serving other forces agaist them. Find ways to escape...in your own life, and take others with you when you can....” Send for a copy today. The price is right. It’s free for the asking, though it might be nice to include a donation. [JM]
January-February 1999 (POB 3587, Duluth, MN 55803-3587; e-mail: newmoon@computerpro.com; web: www.newmoon.com) is a slick magazine that aims to empower young women. Of interest in this issue is a great educational article on one woman’s struggle with genital warts and an interview with sexologist Carol Queen. Lisa Miya-Jervis puzzles over taking her husband’s last name when they get married. Several women of various racial backgrounds discuss the challenges of having relationships with people from a vastly different background. Cover price is $3.95 and subscriptions are $19.99/6 issues. [CM]
Our National Dialogue on Race
#7/Spring ’99 (Owen Thomas, POB 9651, Columbus, OH 43209; e-mail: vlorbik@delphi.com; web: people.delphi.com/vlorbik) is a 12-page zine consisting of literate reviews of zines and comics. Enjoyable, light reading. Too bad it’s not longer. Sample copies are $1.65. [JM]
#11/Jan.-Feb.’99 (1400 West Devon #243, Chicago, IL 60660; e-mail: lip@entteract.com) is a very nicely-produced 64-page magazine of “radical common sense.” My major complaint is the exceedingly small typeface which makes reading it a pain. But if you have good eyes, this is an interesting, sometimes provocative read. The Jan.-Feb. issue includes a good overview by Kari Lydersenn of the “Shame of the Cities: Gentrification in the New Urban America” (though it unfortunately doesn’t cover wider historical connections of capitalist development), an interesting “where are they now” update on 1970s urban guerrillas now out of prison and back in the midst of mainstream U.S. society by Daniel Burton-Rose, and Greg Ruggiero on “Pirate Radio vs. Corporate Piracy: Who Owns the Air?” Subscriptions are $24/year (six issues). [JM]
Journal of Science Gone Awry
#1.1/Winter 1998 (Media-Arts, PO Box 4765, Clearwater, FL 337 58) is a 42-page color laserprinted zine that aims to tell a science fiction story set to pictures, but the whole effort, including the poor binding, comes across as a zine done by somebody in high school with too much time and computer equipment on their hands. The story and content is juvenile and the art uninspired. There are many teenagers doing excellent zines out there, but this is middle-of-the-pack material. Samples are $5 and subscriptions are $20/4 issues. [CM]
“Abolish the White Race—By any Means Necessary”
Vol.2,#2/April & #3/May ’99 (c/o D.C. Abolitionists, 326½ 16th NE, Washington, DC 20002; web: www.newabolition.org) is an 8-page newsletter critical of the white race as socially-constructed, rather than a biological or natural phenomenon. “The key to solving the social problems of our age is to abolish the white race....” The April issue mainly consists of anecdotes about racist mistreatment of North American blacks, along with “Eight Questions for the Free Mumia Movement” asking why more people supporting Mumia don’t extend their critique to call for the abolition of the entire “legal system.” Cover price is 50¢; subscriptions are $10/year. [JM]
The Magazine for Girls and their Dreams
Vol.6,#3/January-February 1999 (POB 3587, Duluth, MN 55803-3587; e-mail: newmoon@newmoon.org; web: www.newmoon.org) is a magazine for and written by girls. In this issue, Normalynn Ethelbah recounts her coming of age ceremony (Sunrise Dance) on the White Mountain Apache Reservation, 16-year-old Handarmaa writes about what it is like being a girl in Mongolia, and Michelle Perez talks about going through Quiceñera, a Hispanic coming-of-age ceremony. It’s good to see Deb Mylin and Bridget Grosser’s article “Rights vs. Rites” which delicately deals with female genital mutilation in Africa. Regular features include “Ask a Girl,” “How Aggravating,” and “Howling at the Moon” where girls can share their concerns about sexism and gender equity. New Moon also provides a secure pen pal service. I’m getting my niece a subscription to New Moon when she gets old enough. Subscriptions: $29/6 issues, $34 Canada. [CM]
#1/Winter 1999 (35 Barker Ave. #4G, White Plains, NY 10601) is a 32-page zine published by an activist couple, which means more attention is paid to musings about political things than your typical personal zine. Vincent ruminates on what it means to live in a capitalist society in “Individual Choice and Responsibility.” Claire talks about doing civil disobedience at the School of Americas in Fort Benning, GA. Finally, Vincent reviews 3 audio and videotapes published by the Free Radio Maine project. Samples are free, but send some money so they can buy stamps. [CM]
#1 (POB 63232, St. Louis, MO 63163) is an exciting 70-page zine of interviews with anarchists living and struggling in America’s Midwest. People would probably be surprised to find out that there are anarchists in the Midwest and even more amazed to discover the interesting things they are up to. Smell the pleasant odors coming from the City of Little Bread cooperative bakery in St. Louis and the “Back Alley Bakery” operating in a secret squatted space somewhere in the Midwest. Learn from Sarah about the Women’s Health Education Project and how DIY women’s health projects work. John Johnson discusses his work with the ecological direct action group Dogwood Alliance in Tennessee and how it relates to his anarchist beliefs. This is just an awesome collection of interviews with people involved in practical anarchist projects: microradio, infoshops and community spaces, housing cooperatives, alternative publishing, community organizing, alternative media and culture, anti-hunger, radical ecology and queer activism. Sample copies are $4. [CM]
#11 (POB 381198, Hollywood, CA 90038-1198) is a slick 36-page magazine for Satanists. This issue kicks off with several good-byes to Satanism’s recently departed spiritual leader, Anton LaVey (author of The Satanic Bible). After the obligatory religiosity, this zine has a music review section, an interview with the band Death in June, and only two other features of interest. Alternative publisher Adam Parfrey (Feral House) is interviewed and we learn that he is working on a new edition of the infamous anthology Apocalypse Culture. Also of interest is an interview and photospread of an anonymous artist who does some interesting photorealist figure drawings with blood smeared on them. Single copy is $5 and subscriptions are $15. [CM]
(Growing up with the music of Liz Phair)
(Low Hug Productions, A.J. Michel, Station A, PO Box 2574, Champaign, IL 61825-2574) is a little zine about how the music of Liz Phair has interacted with the life of one woman. The writing is excellent and the personal approach really helps one understand Liz Phair’s music, which is full of her own personal references. The author shows maturity about her subject and is able to be critical without worshiping Liz too much. $1 each. [CM]
#20/undated ( 8315 Lake City Way NE #192, Seattle, WA 98115; e-mail: tenthingszine@yahoo.com; web: www.10things.com) is a lively and engaging punk zine that shares some similarities with MRR and Punk Planet, but with a more regional flair (there is plenty of coverage of the Pacific Northwest scene), and a bit more of a free-wheelin’ attitude. The similarities include plenty of columnists, including former MRR columnist Ben Weasel who takes a few shots at MRR, band interviews (the Catheters, Misfits, Portrait of Poverty, June of 44), regional news and scene reports, plus lots of zine and record reviews. Other items of interest includes a pair of short interviews with erotic performance artists who operate their own DIY live-cam websites, a series of answers from folks talking about how and when they lost their virginity, and editor Dan Halligan tells us about his experiences drinking, gambling and getting married in Las Vegas. Who said punk isn’t fun anymore? A sample copy is $3. [TW]
Spring 1999 (News Source Inc., POB 269, White Plains, NY 10602-0269) is a new, professional-looking 44-page magazine that claims it will “print nothing but the truth as researched by professionals.” The main article is yet another spin of the Kennedy assassination as a massive government conspiracy and the editor has dedicated this issue “to the Kennedy children and grandchildren of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, our beloved president who was assassinated because he wanted to disband the FBI and CIA.” This ought to generate plenty of skepticism regarding the definition of their so-called “truth.” Other articles include examining the Trilateral Commission’s effect on the Middle East and the FBI’s program on library awareness. Nearly one-third of the magazine is a reference listing of *all* the US house & senate members, with their address, fax, & tel #’s. There is also has a list of demands that range from disbanding the CIA, to mandating life in prison for rapists, to finding a cure for genital herpes. My favorite: “Get the dictator out of power in Iran and allow the new shah to return to lead his country.” Now that is an odd way to promote true democracy. Send $3 for a sample copy. [TW]
#1/Winter 1998 (Post Adolescent Press, Cooper Station, POB 1032, New York, NY 10276; e-mail: Dear21@aol.com; web: www.21mag.com) is a new 32-page zine aimed at the swing dancing, twenty-something crowd. Includes “Bar Etiquette for Beginners” and some tips on “How to be a Jerk,” as if anybody would really want to be one. Pretty superficial stuff, typical for a lifestyle zine. $3 ppd. [CM]
#100 (POB 640471, Oaklawn Gardens Station, Flushing, NY 11364; e-mail: lekkerspikkels@msn.com) is a sports zine devoted to exploring the historical roots of wrestling. This is their 100th anniversary issue, a rarity in the zine world, which gives them reason to pause and look back at their history and the history of the genre. The latter is fascinating, because at some point years ago there were dozens of wrestling zines around, but now only a few. Now the genre seems to be dominated by glossy magazines that slavishly follow the WWF tour. Most of the essays in this issue are from folks who pay tribute to WTN’s staying power and look back at the history of the genre. Don’t miss the column by regular columnist Killer Kowalski. $2/copy; $10/six months; $20/year. [CM]
#2/Winter-Spring 1999 (POB 5467, Evanston, IL 60204; e-mail: zineguide@interaccess.com) is a 190-page zine that is an invaluable reference tool for just about any serious zinester. I even consulted this zine once while writing a review for another zine. This looks like Factsheet Five, but it really doesn’t review the contents of zines, it just lists their contents and contact information. But the scope is so massive that a majority of zines now being published must be included. Lots of zine covers are depicted, which greatly enhances the look of this guide. Many of the zine entries include a review blurb from another zine publisher. Some of the zines are ranked according to reader surveys such as “Favorite Zine Among Other Zines” and “Favorite Zines Among Females.” Other reader survey results are compiled into special sections, for example: “Who did you interview in your first issue?” and “What zines were your inspiration?” Also included are a Band/Musician index, a Person index (who’s who in zines), a Subject/Place index (an attempt to create a subject index of zines), a Record Label index, and Zine Classifieds. If you are a librarian, this zine belongs in your reference collection. Highly recommended. Send $6 for a sample copy. Subscriptions are $18/4issues. [CM]
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