MSRRT Newsletter's alternative news, views, and resource listings were sent via snail mail to members of the Minnesota Library Association Social Responsibilities Round Table (MSRRT). Others subscribed by making a donation ($15 suggested) payable to MLA/MSRRT. Editors: Chris Dodge/Jan DeSirey.
Imagine a collectively-run library which archives alternative press publications and zines, a radical bookshop with a photocopier for use by customers, and a neighborhood center with programs on bookbinding and "how to make your own menstrual pad." Combine the three into one and you have the Crescent Wrench Infoshop in New Orleans. While some attendees of the Midwinter Meeting of the American Library Association in New Orleans last month participated in an official "Volunteer Day" project (shelfreading books at a community college), others-- members of ALA's Alternatives in Print Task Force (AIP)--went infoshopping. Now located at the corner of St. Mary and Magazine Streets, Crescent Wrench has its origins in Autonome Distribution, a mail order business specializing in anarchist and anti-authoritarian materials. First located in the Faubourg-Marigny neighborhood, it went into storage for several months last year ("a long story, having to do with greedy, evil landlords," according to collective member Chantel Guidry), then moved in December. Open about as many hours as the main branch of the New Orleans Public Library (11-7, Tuesday-Sunday), the infoshop serves everyone from people searching for books on self-sufficiency to neighborhood children for whom it is a magnet (there's a table with rubber stamps and art supplies). Concerns of the day during our visit included stolen bikes, squatted residences posted with "unfit for human habitation signs," and a solidarity ride in memory of a local herb gardener (killed earlier in the week when he was run over after his bike ran into an open car door). The collective also does weekly Food Not Bombs preparation, dishing up each Thursday evening in Jackson Square. Contact Crescent Wrench via: P.O. Box 30058, New Orleans, LA 70190; 504-527-0077, voicemail: 504-944-4907.
While Social Responsibilities Round Table meetings at ALA Midwinter were largely concerned with budget issues, we hope this wasn't a turnoff to first time attendee Lynn Anderson from the Durland Alternatives Library at Cornell University. While some might call the Durland Library a "clean well-lit infoshop," that description also fits the nonprofit Civic Media Center, founded in 1993 in Gainesville, Florida. Besides being an alternative library run on a membership basis, the CMC has served as a performance venue for musicians and a place for local activist organizations to meet, we've learned.
If some infoshops are being run out by landlords (the Lucy Parsons Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for one), new ones crop up like dandelions. In Minneapolis, the Action Resource Center has appeared, a "non-hierachical, collectively run, non-profit space dedicated to providing information and support to our community." Located at 520 West Lake Street, the infoshop promotes "non-violent direct action as a means of empowerment and social change." Open hours are theoretically 3-7 p.m., Monday-Friday; 12-6 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, but we suggest calling beforehand: 612-825-4745. Also in South Minneapolis, the Arise! Resource Center and Bookstore now offers free Internet access, and continues to be a venue for meetings and programs of Minnesotans for a United Ireland, Earth First!, and other organizations. Arise! is open Monday-Friday, 3-8 p.m.; Saturday, Noon-8 p.m.; and Sunday, Noon-6 p.m. For more info: 2441 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis, 55408, paarise@mtn.org, 612-871-7110, FAX: 612-871-9597.
Infoshops on the brain, perhaps: until recently we'd heard of "bunko artists" but never bunko, the "homemade libraries" in Japan "typically run by groups of women for their neighborhood children." Ann Miyoko Hotta's article, "A grassroots library in Japan" (Journal of Youth Services in Libraries, Winter 1998, pp.143-152) describes this do-it-yourself phenomenon. "Bunko," Hotta writes, are a network of "tiny outposts which may be found in homes, converted train cars, community centers, or even log cabins." Is this an infoshop cousin?
For those interested in learning more about "homemade libraries," the ALA conference this summer in Washington, DC will include an Alternatives in Print Task Force program, "Infoshops: Street Libraries & Alternative Reading Rooms," Sunday, June 28, 9:30-11 a.m. Participants will include Alexis Buss (Wooden Shoe Books, Philadelphia), Brad Sigal (former Beehive Infoshop, Washington, DC), and Chuck Munson (virtual Mid-Atlantic Infoshop).
"I'm not paying them to tell me how to run the library."
"Unions thrive on everyone being equal...I can't get rid of the mediocre staff."
"Our country has achieved its greatness because of competition....At the professional level, employees would be better off alone."
"If a staff member is unhappy, he or she should find another job."
[Library directors (all unwilling to be named), "Directors' take on unions," Library Journal, Nov. 1, 1997]
Greetings at home to MSRRT's Sandy Berman, recuperating nicely now after quintuple coronary bypass surgery on January 29. To the big guy: "Be well!"
"Library Juice" is a promising new email-based Internet clipping service, focusing on library-related news briefs gleaned from the Net, relevant new web sites, and reference sources, many with a "social responsibilities" flavor. To be added to the mailing list, send an email request to compiler Rory Litwin: rlitwin@earthlink.net.
A reading recommendation from West Virginia colleague Yvonne Farley: Margaret F. Stieg's Public libraries in Nazi Germany (University of Alabama Press, 1992). PARTIAL CONTENTS: Politics, power, and the takeover of the profession. -The national administrative organization of public librarianship. -Library collections and collection policy. -Librarians and their jobs.
The editors of Chicago-based Tail Spins have put out Zine Guide #1. The 96-page magazine-format publication contains contact information for "1650+ zines" arranged alphabetically. Annotations are sparse and unlikely to generate interest, but zine insiders may find this a useful adjunct to Factsheet Five for looking up addresses. Most ambitiously, it indexes bands, musicians, and other persons. In addition it contains survey results and a directory of record labels. A forthcoming "Spring 1998" update (#2) may be obtained for $6 postpaid. (Box 5467, Evanston, IL 60204, 847-424-9910, FAX: 847-424-9978, tailspin@interaccess.com; $4 payable to Tail Spins).
Now zines are even written about in airlines' in-flight magazines. Ambassador, published by TWA, ran mini-profiles of Giant Robot and At-Home Dad in its January issue, complete with contact data.
A zine-ography update: Thomas McLaughlin's "Criticism in the zines: vernacular theory and popular culture," in his Street smarts and critical theory: listening to the vernacular (University of Wisconsin Press, 1996, pp.52-77). Positing an elite fandom of "publishers, editors, and writers of zines" who act as cultural critics and (gasp!) show occasional "flashes of insight," this somewhat patronizing look at zines at least avoids use of the word "hegemony."
Latest in the "Was a Zine, Now It's a Book" Department: Keffo's Best of Temp Slave! (Garrett County Press, P.O. Box 896, Madison, WI, 53701, 608-251-3921; $10) and Al Hoff's Thrift score (HarperCollins, 1997).
Mailed anonymously from New York City in early December: a half-sheet of paper urging the recipient to "Be part of the problem: send zines to Missouri" and listing addresses of ten small town libaries around the state. Myrtle Smith at Lilbourn Public Library may have received some interesting mail around the holidays.
Pander (zine distro) and Ericka Bailey have moved to Minneapolis (Box 582142, Minneapolis, MN, 55458-2142) from Kansas City. Specialty:"girl-powered" zines; check out the Pander catalog.
AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN'S LINKS
BLACK LITERARY SHOWCASE, with short reviews, directory of Black bookstores, and many links
GLBTF (American Library Association Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Task Force)
HEEBIE JEEBIE MUSIC (African American arts & culture videos)
REFORMA (National Association to Promote Library Services to the Spanish Speaking)
ROOTSWORLD ("Online magazine of world music, roots, folk")
Finding freedom: writings from Death Row. By Jarvis Jay Masters. Padma Publishing, 1997. 179p. Mundane details of prison life--violent, depressing, and absurd--are the subject matter of the first part of this book. A guard picks up "some of the bastard's teeth" and tosses them onto a gurney, "like craps...against a wooden ledge." No analysis, just description. As the monotony threatens to become unbearable, though, these writings turn autobiographical and take on deeper significance. Masters writes intensely about abuse he witnessed and withstood as a young child, describes nightmares on Death Row and the suicide of a young friend in the next cell. Like Walter Moseley's excellent Always outnumbered, always outgunned, redemption is the theme here. How can a person grow beyond the past? The latter third of Finding freedom is devoted to writings about practicing Buddhism in prison. Masters improvises always, from making prayer beads by stringing Tylenols onto a jeans thread, to inciting blockmates to flood their cells as a protest thereby stemming an attack on a guard. Especially recommended for young adults, this book pulls together material previously published in such diverse sources as Brotherman, Body Memories, Utne Reader, and Men's Studies Review. (P.O. Box 279, Junction City, CA 96048-0279, 916-623-2714, info@padmabooks.com; $12, paper, 1-881847-08-X; http://www.PadmaBooks.com).
From Bughouse Square to the Beat Generation: selected ravings. By Slim Brundage. Edited & introduced by Franklin Rosemont. C. H. Kerr, 1997. 175p. If television now anaesthetizes the masses, once there was a time when lecturers and authors packed theaters. Soapbox speakers drew throngs of listeners (and hecklers), while "hobo colleges" brought debates into storefronts and saloons. Though the venues have changed over the years (as well as the names, from "free schools" to contemporary infoshops), a "workingclass intellectual" tradition of public discussion and debate continues. A part of this fascinating history is brought to light in these writings by and about Slim Brundage (1903-1990), Wobbly house painter and founder of the Chicago-based College of Complexes. A free speech jester before Paul Krassner was conceived, Brundage settled in the Windy City during the Twenties after spending most of the Depression on the road or in prison. At places like the Dil Pickle Club where he worked as a bouncer for several years, Brundage was part of a group that included tramps, budding authors, Communists, poets, "free-speech zealots," and curiosity seekers. During the Thirties he started the Hobo Forum ("it folded in a few weeks") and then ran a "Hobo College" called The Knowledge Box. It was in the Fifties, though, during the rise of the Beatnik era, that his College of Complexes thrived, despite moving from one location to another. Tavern, comedy club, and alternative school rolled into one, it would feature a rowdy presentation on "The psychology of sex" one week, followed by Marx Brothers films and a talk by Olympic track star Jesse Owens the next. Though he retired to Mexico in 1975 (and later to Southern California), Brundage made an impression on Chicagoans. Thanks to this book, an unconventional and unsung hero lives again. (1740 W. Greenleaf Ave., Chicago, IL 60626, 773-465-7774; $14, paper, 0-88286-232-4).
A girl's guide to taking over the world: writings from the girl zine revolution. Edited by Karen Green and Tristan Taormino, with an introduction by Ann Magnuson. St. Martin's Griffin, 1997. 221p. Since zines are almost by definition ephemeral, many of the spin-off books reprinting excerpts have a definite shelf life. Not so with A girl's guide to taking over the world which reprints highlights from zinedom's feminization. Some of the articles may seem old hat to zine readers; for example, there are several pieces describing what it's like to work as a stripper--not a new subject in punkdom. Others are a breath of fresh air, though, including "The Fat Truth" by Max Airborne (FaT GiRL), about being fat and gay in a straight, anorexic society, and "I like things to be small...," where Cindy describes how she chooses which people she'll give copies of her zine Doris. While the black and white artwork isn't spectacular (much of it is anonymous, and artists aren't included in the back with the writers' biographical blurbs), a useful list of the zines' addresses and ordering info is included. Mostly this collection, like the zines themselves, gives voice to real opinions that young women's magazines like YM, Seventeen, and Sassy only hope to emulate. On topics like teen pregnancy, sexism, racism and being female there are plenty of adults talking at kids, but few opportunities for young people to express themselves where their peers (and interested adults) can read them. Bottom line, that's the value of zines and of this compilation which libraries may find easier to add to their collections than the zines themselves. ($14.95, paper, 0-312-15535-2). --Cathy Camper
Hunger's table: women, food & politics. By Margaret Randall. Papier-Mache Press, 1997. 109p. These "recipe poems" and other poems about food transcend the author's memories of her mother's "rubberized" spaghetti ("Ode to Velveeta"). If "still a large woman on the edge of neurotic eating," Randall has gained the wisdom to marry hunger and enjoyment in these sensual accounts of camp cooking, comfort food ("Shirley's Kugel"), and love. Thoughtfulness pervades descriptions of Sandra Cisneros' fried bologna tacos ("Sandra's Poor People's Recipes") even as it does a dreamy chocolate mousse ("Mud of Heaven"). Randall's grape pie "calls for 4 cups blue grapes/and asks that skillful fingers/slip the pulp from their skins./It requires you to cook the lush mass/until its seeds loosen,/and begs you to keep your fantasies in check." Still, when it has baked, she begs you: "listen for the voices of Cesar's people/in the grape fields of California./If you hear them striking/you must refuse to serve or eat this pie." (135 Aviation Way, #14, Watsonville, CA 95076; $10, paper, 1-57601-000-7).
Sweet words so brave: the story of African American literature. Written by Barbara K. Curry and James Michael Brodie. Illustrated by Jerry Butler. Zino Press, 1997. 64p. A history of African American writers from Phyllis Wheatley to Toni Morrison, this important book lends itself to being read with an adult. It is attractively presented, with photos and bold original paintings, and contains accessible poetry selections by the likes of Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks. The book may inspire children themselves to write and eventually to read works which, as is noted here, "may not be suitable for younger children" whether Amiri Baraka's The autobiography of Leroi Jones or Alice Walker's The color purple. A glossary and bibliography provide further information. (P.O. Box 52, Madison, WI 53701, 608-836-6660, ext. 3008, FAX: 608-831-1570, madzino@ku.com; $24.95, cloth, 1-55933-179-8).
Talking about people: a guide to fair and accurate language. By Rosalie Maggio. Oryx Press, 1997. 436p. With minds on automatic pilot, writers and speakers spout clichis. Empty or imprecise linguistic conventions can have detrimental consequences, however. While adults may argue that "man" means "human" and "he" means "he and she," study after study demonstrates that children perceive "man" as "men." This tremendously useful book, an updated and greatly expanded version of The dictionary of bias-free usage (Oryx, 1991), offers a wealth of thoughtful suggestions for countering ambiguity, not to mention sexist, classist, racist, and otherwise biased language. In no way proscriptive, the bulk of it consists of entries on "how to say it" better, from emotionally loaded words and phrases ("queer" and "nigger," for example), to alternatives for such words as "manhandling" and "man-made." Arranged alphabetically, mini-essays are worked in which examine such terms (and concepts) as rape, violence, sexual harassment, and welfare. Besides the book's reference value, an introductory section titled "Writing Guidelines" ought to be read by all. Concisely covering language exclusivity, gender issues, pseudogeneric terminology, and self-definition, it also counters alarmists who decry such "corrective" constructions as "personalhole cover" which no one has seriously suggested. Maggio rightly points out that people who complain of being "tired" of having to learn to watch what they say are quite skilled at picking and choosing appropriate words when they choose to do it. Once again, catalogers at the Library of Congress have missed the boat on this title, assigning NONSEXIST LANGUAGE but neglecting the broader NON-BIASED LANGUAGE which its scope entails. (Box 33889, Phoenix, AZ 85067, 602-265-2651, FAX: 602-265-6250; info@oryxpress.com; $27.50, paper, 1-57356-069-3; http://www.oryxpress.com).
The left guide: a guide to left-of-center organizations. Edited by Derk Arend Wilcox. Economics America, 1996. 516p. Given that new associations form and old ones disband daily, the premise behind this hardcover directory seems a bit dubious. Why not a format which allows for easier updating? Arranged alphabetically, it lists over 2000 organizations roughly pigeonholed as "left," with more detailed profiles for "over 1,100" of them (including mission statements, tax and financial status, names of board members and publications). Inevitably an arbitrary selection, it is interesting to see the American Library Association, National Council of Senior Citizens, and United States Student Association as three of the left-wing outfits listed. Unions are heavily represented here, as are ACLU chapters. The scope also includes magazines; these are listed in a separate section. Representing the tip of an ever changing iceberg, The left guide is a marginal purchase for academic and large public libraries. Though reasonably accessible via keyword, geographic, and broad subject indices, its long lists of organizations and publications under "status unknown" and "no forwarding address" are telling. (612 Church St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104, 313-995-0865, FAX: 313-747-7258; $74.95, cloth, 0-914169-03-3).
The joy of soy: vegetarian cartoons. By Vance Lehmkuhl. Laugh Lines Press, 1997. unpaged. Poking fun at both vegetarians and carnivores, this uneven collection is good for a few chuckles. "Naw, I don't particularly love animals...I just do it for health reasons," says someone who's unpacking a grocery sack of ice cream, doughnuts, peanut butter, and chocolate milk. Although a few of the gags here have political bite and some will cause nods of recognition, too much of the artwork looks straight off a paper napkin. (P.O. Box 259, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, rozwarren@aol.com; $8.95, paper, 1-889594-03-2).
Boots, Volume 1. Art by Spain Rodriguez. Story by Harry Kamper. Precipice Press, 1997. The first of a three-part series of graphic novels, Boots is based on a premise straight from "The X-Files," "Twilight Zone," and "The Rapture," if shallower and more muddled. Cashing in on end-of-millennium fears of crime (already pumped up by newspapers and Hollywood), government, and thought control, it is guaranteed to be popular. Spain's talents would be better served creating ads for soft drink companies. (P.O. Box 2756, San Rafael, CA 94912, 415-453-0940, FAX: 415-456-1580; $9.99, paper, 0-9659588-0-9).
Don Slater, 1923-1997: a gay rights pioneer remembered by his friends. Edited by Joseph Hansen. Homosexual Information Center, 1997. 30p. This festschrift for the librarian founder of ONE ("the first openly-distributed gay magazine") includes contributions by Jim Kepner, Harry Hay, and Vern Bullough. (Box 8252, Universal City, CA 91618).
The Sun ("A magazine of ideas") is noteworthy for its compelling writing and photos, along with the fact that it carries no ads. Contemplative in tone, each issue features personal essays, short thematic writings by readers (on topics ranging from hunger to "starting over"), and several poems and short stories (generally above average). Occasionally an interview will appear (e.g., a David Barsamian discussion with Noam Chomsky). The 48-page September 1997 edition (#261) contained letters from readers excoriating The Sun for running two "pseudoscientific" articles; more letters ought to be forthcoming, since the same issue prints a credulous piece on "an encounter with Carlos Castaneda." Highlights of late: a piece by a recovering alcoholic, one on working as a nurse practitioner in rural Mississippi, and Judith Joyce's writing about "my fat lover." As one reader puts it, The Sun at its worst is self-indulgent; at its best it reveals "our connections to one another." Recommended. (107 North Roberson St., Chapel Hill, NC 27516, 919-942-5282; subscriptions: P.O. Box 3000, Denville, NJ 07834; $32).
FAMM-gram is published several times a year by Families Against Mandatory Minimums Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to educating the public and policy makers about the injustice and high cost of mandatory minimum sentences. The 36-page January-July 1997 issue (v.7 #1) includes case profiles (e.g., a woman with no prior record doing life without parole for limited involvement in her ex-boyfriend's drug trade), Supreme Court decisions and other legal summaries, state-by-state updates, and coverage of a report showing that mandatory minimums are the least successful means of reducing illicit drug use. (1612 K St. NW, Suite 1400, Washington, DC 20006, 202-822-6700, FAX: 202-822-6704, famm@famm.org).
Hmong American Journal is a bilingual newspaper published twice monthly. The 8-page December 16, 1997 issue includes information about the Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans and its 1998 legislative priorities, as well as a report on the launch of the Minnesoa Alliance with Youth. Formerly Suab Hmoob (MSRRT, Aug 94). (379 University Ave., Suite 201, St. Paul, MN 55103, 612-222-4939, FAX: 612-222-2171).
The TV-Free American is published quarterly by the nonprofit TV Free America, an organization encouraging voluntary reduction of television viewing. The 8-page Spring 1997 newsletter (v.3 #1) includes an editorial by Adam Hochschild, reprinted from the New York Times, on "force-fed TV" ("Taken hostage at the airport"), while the Summer 1997 issue reports on National TV Turn-Off Week, reprints criticism of "Sesame Street," and reviews David Shenk's Data smog: surviving the information glut. (1611 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 3A, Washington, DC 20009, 202-887-0436, FAX: 202-518-5560, tvfa@essential.org).
The Freedom Voice is published quarterly by the National Child Rights Alliance, an organization "directed entirely by survivors of abuse and neglect." The 20-page Spring 1997 issue (v.12 #1) includes commentary on curfew laws (complete with Web citations), material on Channel One ("Pentagon invades schools"), an article on Arizona's decision to scrap "boot camp" programs for first time offenders, and coverage of legislation funding "abstinence-only" sex education, as well as a detailed chronology ("Ten years of NCRA in action") and the text of NCRA's "Youth Bill of Rights." Also: resource listings, letters from readers, and consideration of "the need to strike a balance between protecting the public from predatory sex offenders and safeguarding the rights of those who have already been punished." (P.O. Box 61125, Durham, NC 27705, 919-682-5509; $10, $30 institutional).
Antipode: A Radical Journal of Geography is a quarterly about to begin its thirtieth year of publication in 1998. Recent and forthcoming issues have included articles on anti-homeless laws, maquiladoras, environmental racism, eugenics, children's competence in negotiating public space, the Algerian diaspora, and photography of nuclear tests. Each edition also contains book reviews. Indexed in Alternative Press Index and many other indexes and abstracts. (Subscriptions: Blackwell, 350 Main St., Malden, MA 02148, 1-800-835-6770; $45 individual, $25 low income, $155 institutional; ISSN: 0066-4812; http://www.staff.uiuc.e du/~dwilson2/sgsg.html).
NAPRA ReView is an ad-laden magazine put out bimonthly by the New Age Publishing & Retailing Alliance. The 96-page Summer 1997 issue (v.8 #4) lists independent music award nominees in several categories (e.g., New Age, Native North American, and Traditional World), and briefly describes over 200 new books ("from fiction to health to UFOs"), as well as audio tapes, videos, and such sidelines as the "Aura Video Station" (just $7499), "totem power stones," and the "Ask Bob" Pendulum. (Box 9, Six Eastsound Square, Eastsound, WA 98245, 360-376-2702, FAX: 360-376-2704, napra@pacificrim.net; $50).
Common Ground: Archeology and Ethnography in the Public Interest is published by the National Park Service Archeology and Ethnography Program. The 66-page Summer-Fall 1997 issue (v.2 #3/4) focuses on consultation with American Indian sovereign nations, with articles about the National Historic Preservation Act, Native American park interpreters, and relations between the Park Service and Native Alaskans, as well as news about Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act implementation. Also: "Sitewatch," a column about prosecution of relic hunters and looters. (1849 C St. NW, Suite 210, Washington, DC 20240, 202-343-4101, FAX: 202-523-1547; ISSN: 1087-9889).
The ALC Reporter is a newsletter published three times a year by the Asian Law Caucus, a nonprofit promoting "the legal and civil rights of the Asian Pacific Islander communities." The 8-page November 1997 (v.19 #2) issue reports on the effects of "welfare reform" on monolingual immigrants who are psychiatric patients (and efforts to assist them in becoming U.S. citizens) and information about an audit of violence against Asian Pacific Americans, as well as news briefs, one about garment shop minimum wage violations, another on the police shooting of Kao Kuan Chung last April in Rohnert Park, California. Also: material on cuts in food aid to Laotian and Hmong refugees. (770 Market St., Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94102-2500, 415-391-1655; free).
News Watch Project Quarterly Journal is put out by the Center for the Integration and Improvement of Journalism at San Francisco State University. Working with Unity '99 (the four "journalism associations of color" plus the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association), the Project monitors the news media and advocates for fairer coverage. The 18-page November 1997 issue contains articles on media treatment of Indian gaming, coverage of the Andrew Cunanan story ("the media could hardly utter the nouns "killer" or "prostitute"...without the requisite modifier "gay"), and how images of African Americans are disproportionately used to represent poverty (with corresponding public misperception). Each of these pieces is accompanied by a sidebar with tips toward better journalist practice. Also in this issue: "Wanted: Asian male broadcast journalists" and a piece about the growing number of Latino publications. (924 Market St., Suite 309, San Francisco, CA 94102, 415-398-8224, FAX: 415-398-8706, newsproj@sirius.com, http://newswatch.sfsu.edu).
The Ark is the membership newsletter of the nonprofit National Organizers Alliance, an organization which grew out of a 1992 meeting at the Center for Third World Organizing on Oakland and whose ranks have grown from 26 to "nearly 800." The 32-page February 1997 issue (#8) contains an essay on "framing the issues" and "avoiding division in our ranks," an article on the AFL-CIO's Union Summer program, a comic about pensions (written by Alec Dubro and illustrated by Gary Huck), and a report on a school reform campaign in San Diego, as well as related news clips, resource listings, and job postings. (715 G St. SE, Washington, DC 20003, 202-543-6603, FAX: 202-543-2462, noacentral@aol.com).
On the Prowl is the news bulletin of Anti-Racist Action, Toronto. The 24-page Fall 1997 fifth anniversary issue (#10) contains material on "confronting the anti-Native agenda" (complete with bibliography), a brief history of the skinhead movement, and an article about Toronto police ("in 1996, four people of colour were killed by cops in the... area"), as well as book reviews (e.g., Settlers: the mythology of the white proletariat), and a photo-history of ARA Toronto. Also: "Where the local fascists are...today," "Learning anti-racist principles," and a directory of ARA groups across North America. (P.O. Box 291, Station B, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5T 2T2, ara@web.net).
Clips is a publication of Videazimut, "an international coalition for audiovisuals for development and democracy." Published twice a year, each issue contains reports on video projects--both in developing and developed countries, as well as information about publications like The video activist handbook. The 12-page October 1997 edition (#13) focuses on "images of and by women," with articles about video and filmmaking projects in Nepal and Northern Ireland, and reports on women and the media in Malaysia, Peru, and South Africa, as well as the text of the Antipolo Declaration ("Regional Meeting on Gender and Communication Policy"). Also: "helpful web sites for women working in the media or in audiovisual communications." (3680 rue Jeanne-Mance, bureau 430, Montreal, Quebec, H2X 2K5, Canada, 514-982-6660, videaz@web.net; $10, $5 for "countries in the South").
Gay Black Female is a zine published since 1990. The 40-page December 1997 issue (#68) examines "the myth that same-gender love among Africans and African-Americans denotes...cultural betrayal," and contains a response to a November piece titled "The 3-month lesbian," as well as an advice column, resource listings, and a raunchy short story. Also: material on positive self-image, "BGF's in the biz," and ads for jobs delivering meals to "clients homebound with AIDS." (6312 Hollywood Blvd., #23, Hollywood, CA 90028, 310-288-6315, FAX: 213-462-1740, gbfinfo@gayblackfemale.com; $15; http://www.gayblackfemale.com).
Boys Who Wear Glasses is a channel for Mark Hain's "obsession for female vocalists and affinity for bespectacled boys." Issue #3 contains an interesting (and occasionally hilarious) account of going home to small town Nebraska for the winter holidays with Mark's partner Don Dwan editor Donny Smith), annotated lists of "things that make my life a bit more O.K." and "crap-ass things that make my life hellish," and a personal filmography of "sexy priest movies," along with an article about singer Kay Starr, complete with annotated discography. There are also reviews of zines and "records I got for Christmas," as well as material on French actress Maria Casares. The first two editions included pages devoted to adoration of Connee Boswell, the Boswell Sisters, and Anita O'Day. (c/o Mark Hain, Box 411, Bellefonte, PA 16823; $2.50 for current issue).
OFRF Information Bulletin is a publication of the nonprofit Organic Farming Research Foundation. The 16-page Spring 1997 issue (#4) includes commentary on "eco-labeling," as well as details about research on biological sprays for tomato foliage (fertilization and disease control), a report on "hazelnut establishment trials" in Iowa, and an examination of results from OFRF's National Organic Research Policy Analysis project, along with letters from readers, news briefs, and resource listings. (Box 440 Santa Cruz, CA 95061, 408-426-6606, FAX: 408-426-6670, research@ofrf.org).
Oblivion is a zine focusing on such "youth rights movement" issues as curfews, Internet restrictions, and age of consent. The 22-page Winter 1997 issue (#6) contains news briefs (one about Kevin Gillson, the 18-year-old Wisconsinite convicted after consensual sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend), a legislative update, book reviews (e.g., William Ayers' A kind and just parent), and thoughts by the editor on his high school graduation and why he wasn't planning to attend the ceremony ("I'm not wearing your stupid fucking cap"). Web site contains links to Americans for a Society Free from Age Restrictions and YouthSpeak. (P.O. Box 95227, Seattle, WA 98145-2227; jestapher@oblivion.net; http://www.oblivion.net).
Ten Thousand Things is a little zine covering whatever editor K. D. Schmitz is thinking about. In issue #21 that meant coriolis force (and which direction water spirals when going down a drain), use of antihistamines and belief in their effectiveness, and coincidences, while #22 centers around a somewhat belabored recollection of a mild prank phone call made in 1979 by one of K. D.'s college friends. (Box 1806, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, ttthings@aol.com; 3 stamps or trade).
Imps in the Inkwell is a Minnesota-made zine contending in the "most fonts used" category of design idiosyncrasy. (Since the fonts are so noticeable, it would be nice if they were named and their sources given.) Each issue contains clip art with added captions, "poems" which made this reviewer wince, and a serial comic titled "God goes through hell." The best parts of issue #3, which focuses on the human body, are an editorial about coping with an eating disorder ("what is more pathetic than a would-be bulimic?") and "Reflections on voluntary baldness." (P.O. Box 6724, Minneapolis, MN 55406, jewel@gleeful.com; $1 or trade; http://www.gleeful.com/hellespont).
Psrf (The PhotoStatic Retrofuturist) is a new publication continuing both PhotoStatic (MSRRT Newsletter, Dec 89) and Retrofuturism (Mar 90), with editor Lloyd Dunn's interests evolving from "electrostatic" (copier) art to neoism, "recombinant art," anti-copyright, and plagiarism. The first edition (#48 since there were 47 total issues of the first two magazines) contains material on alternative calendars and a boycott of the new millennium, an essay by Ebon Fisher on "swarm intelligence" (recounting an experience at New York Public School 64's annual talent show) and "The true uncensored story behind the demise of the Tape-beatles," as well as a list of experimental poetry/art magazines and reviews of artists' books, zines,and recordings. Utterly experimental, intellectual, and avant-garde in tone. (Box 3326, Iowa City, IA 52244-3326, psrf@detritus.net; $15/4; http://www.soli.inav.net/~psrf).
Azmacourt is a personal zine, the best part of which is about coping with asthma. About a third of the content of the first two issues (Fall 1997) is devoted to related questions and answers, autobiographical comics, and notes on watching an episode of "Rescue 911" which promised coverage of "severe asthma attacks," while a third of the second issue (Winter '97/'98) reviews medications and covers non-CFC inhalers. Loosely written zine reviews make up another part of each edition, while too much space is devoted to "anti-poetry" and accounts of attending television talk show tapings. (P.O. Box 890535, Oklahoma, OK 73819, azmacourt@aol.com; $5/3 issues; free to "asthmatics who send in a doctor's note, photocopy of a prescription...or photo of them[selves] holding a nebulizer").
Your Flesh used to be a zine, didn't it? Now it's a fat, ad-laden music magazine with a glossy cover published by Fantagraphics (though still edited in Minneapolis). The 160-page Summer 1997 issue (#36) includes a profile of the late stand-up comic Bill Hicks ("Obituary of the truth"), a profile of The Swans, interviews with indie record label honchos (e.g., Larry Hardy) and musicians (Cobra Verde's John Petkovic) and dozens of reviews of books, recordings, and films, with an apparent attraction to the lurid and nihilistic. There is also an article about prehistoric homicide (complete with grisly photos), and brief essays on the reading tastes of sailors and the joys of attending a pro hockey game. (Editorial: Box 583264, Minneapolis, MN 55458-3264, 612-925-6011, yourflesh@worldnet.att.net; subscriptions: 7563 Lake City Way, Seattle, WA 98115, 800-657-1100; $15/4; 1089-8514).
Working USA is a new bimonthly magazine featuring accessible articles on economics and workers' rights, along with related reviews, resource listings, etc. The first issue (May/June 1997) included a piece by Ruth Needleman on organizing low-wage workers, as well as contributions by David Moberg ("The resurgence of American unions") and William Greider. Subsequent editions have covered the UPS and Detroit newspaper strikes, interviewed union leaders, investigated conditions faced by temporary workers, and described labor-related web sites and Internet discussion lists. Among the highlights: a report on the time pressures of work and home and an excerpt from Thomas Lynch's The undertaking: life studies from the dismal trade. Each 96-page edition also contains photos, cartoons, news briefs, and letters from readers. (M.E. Sharpe, 80 Business Park Dr., Armonk, NY 10504, 1-800-541-6563, FAX: 914-273-2106; $45 individual, $30 students, $84 institutional; ISSN: 1089-7011).
New Labor Forum ("A journal of ideas, analysis and debate") is a similar new title scheduled to appear semi-annually. With smaller type and fewer graphics than Working USA, the 96-page Fall 1997 initial issue contains an article on "the new urban working class," analysis of New Party and Labor Party alternatives, and pieces on "organizing in the NAFTA environment" and why international labor standards won't necessarily stop unfair competition, along with several book reviews. Working USA is a better choice for public libraries unless its higher price is prohibitive. (Labor Resource Center, Queens College, City University of New York, 25 W. 43rd St., 19th Floor, New York, NY 10036; $14, $25 institutional; ISSN: 1095-7960).
Sipapu (MSRRT Newsletter, July 88), while it ceased publication some time ago, continues to draw mail. Editor Noel Peattie asks prisoners to cease requesting free subscriptions. (He's been compelled to answer one or two of these requests weekly). Also: belated R.I.P. notice regarding Common Cause (MSRRT, Sep 88), Frighten the Horses (Jun 91), Labrys (Dec 94), and Womenstruggle (Jun 93).
Nonprofit Aperture is an important photography publisher whose works by Jock Sturges have been attacked recently by body-phobic zealots. New and recent titles: Juarez: the laboratory of our future, Antonio Turok's Chiapas: el fin del silencio/the end of silence, Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide's Images of the spirit and Dona Ann McAdams' Caught in the act: a visual history of contemporary multimedia performance. (20 East 23rd St., New York, NY 10010, 1-800-929-2323, FAX: 212-598-4105; http://www.aperture.org).
Filmakers Library distributes independent films and videos of all kinds, including such recent titles as "The Artist Was a Woman" and "South Central Los Angeles: Inside Voices." (124 E. 40th St., New York, NY 10016, 212-808-4980, FAX: 212-808-4983, info@filmakers.com, http://www.filmakers.com).
Forthcoming from Pathfinder Press: Frank Kofsky's John Coltrane and the jazz revolution of the 1960s and White Business, Black music. (410 West St., New York, NY 10014, 212-741-0690, FAX: 212-727-0150).
Shen's Books specializes in children's literature dealing with Asian culture. Recent titles include Jouanah: a Hmong Cinderella and To swim in our own pond: a book of Vietnamese proverbs. (821 South First Ave., Arcadia, CA 91006, 1-800-456-6660, FAX: 818-445-6940, info@shens.com, http://www.shens.com).
Writers and Readers new titles include Aliona Gibson's Nappy: growing up Black & female in America, Ron David's Toni Morrison for beginners, and Deborah Wyrick's Fanon for beginners. (P.O. Box 461, Village Station, New York, NY 10012, 212-982-3158, FAX: 212-777-4924).
New poetry from West End Press: Paula Gunn Allen's Life is a fatal disease: selected poems, 1964-1994, Levi Romero's In the gathering of silence, and nila northSun's A snake in her mouth. (P.O. Box 27334, Albuquerque, NM 87125).
Noble Press new titles include When divas get ready (an African American gay mystery), Soulful travel (a Black travel guide), and Spirit speaks to sisters: inspiration and empowerment for Black women. (1020 S. Wabash. Ste. 4-D, Chicago, IL 60605, 312-922-3910, FAX: 312-922-3902).
Cinco Puntos Press new and recent titles include Modelo Antiguo: a novel of Mexico City, The late great Mexican border: reports from a disappearing line, and Message to the nurse of dreams: a collection of short fiction, the latter part of the "Hell Yes! Texas Women" series. (2709 Louisville, El Paso, TX 79930, 1-800-566-9072).
Monthly Review Press recent titles include Gender politics in Latin America: debates in theory and practice and Doug Dowd's Blues for America: a critique, a lament, and some memories. (122 W. 27th St., New York, NY 10001, 212-691-2555, mreview@igc.apc.org; http://www.igc.org/MonthlyReview/mrpress.htm).
Hungry Mind Press new and recent titles (Fall 97): John Jiler's Sleeping with the mayor (about New York's "Kochville," sprung from a vigil against homelessness) and Without a guide: contemporary women's travel adventures. (1648 Grand Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105, 612-699-7038, FAX: 612-699-7190, hmindpress@aol.com).
Beacon Press new titles include Geoffrey Canada's Reaching up for manhood: transforming the lives of boys in America, Nancy Mairs' Waist-high in the world: a life among the non-disabled, and I begin my life all over: the Hmong and the American immigrant experience, by Lillian Faderman with Ghia Xiong. (25 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02108-2892, info@beacon.org; http://www.beacon.org).
Cleis Press' latest offerings include PoMoSexuals: challenging assumptions about gender and sexuality, Pam Keesey's Vamps: an illustrated history of the femme fatale, and Tristan Taormino's The ultimate guide to anal sex for women. (P.O. Box 14684, San Francisco, CA 94114, 415-575-4700, FAX: 415-575-4705, cleis@aol.com; http://www.sapphisticate.com/c leis.htm).
Void where prohibited: rest breaks and the right to urinate on company time. By Marc Linder and Ingrid Nygaard. ILR Press, 1998. 244p. (Sage House, 512 E. State St., Ithaca, NY 14850, 607-277-2338, FAX: 607-277-2374; $27.95, cloth, 0-8014-3390-8).
Wizards of media oz: behind the curtain of mainstream news. By Norman Solomon and Jeff Cohen. Common Courage Press, 1997. 294p. (Box 702, Monroe, ME 04951, 207-525-0900, FAX: 207-525-3068; $15.95, paper, 1-56751-118-X).
"We called each other comrade": Charles H. Kerr & Company, radical publishers. By Allen Ruff. University of Illinois Press, 1997. 312p. Includes extensive notes and index. (1325 S. Oak St., Champaign, IL 61820; $19.95, paper, 0-252-06582-4).
Che Guevara reader: writings by Ernesto Che Guevara on guerrilla strategy, politics & revolution. Edited by David Deutschmann. Ocean Press, 1997. 400p. As Rolling Stone said of Jim Morrison, "He's hot, he's sexy, he's dead." This selection of articles, speeches, and letters includes a glossary and index. (P.O. Box 834, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-617-7247, FAX: 201-864-6434; $21.95, paper, 1-875284-93-1).
African anarchism: the history of a movement. By Sam Mbah and I. E. Igariwey. See Sharp Press, 1997. 119p. (Box 1731, Tucson, AZ 85702, $8.95, paper, 1-884365-05-1).
The junior partner: Edith Loring Fullerton, Long Island pioneer. By Anne Nauman. Scrub Oak Press, 1997. 206p. "The story of a woman who left a comfortable village life to pioneer in the so-called scrub oak waste lands and central pine barrens of Long Island in the early 1900s." (P.O. Box 34691, Las Vegas, NV 89133; $24, paper, 0-9637126-2-4).