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.
In "Silence, please: the public library as entertainment center," (Harper's Magazine, March 1997, pp.65-74), author Sallie Tisdale expresses nostalgia for the "hushed" library of her childhood. It was "the only sacred space I knew," she writes, "intimate and formal at once." As with Nicholson Baker's essays in The New Yorker, the article mixes spoonfuls of elitism and shortsightedness with a large measure of common sense that library administrators ought to heed. Tisdale writes first about noise in her library: arguing children, crying babies, someone on inline skates. Told libraries used to be "discouraging places," her mind reels--she would happily welcome back stern shushing librarians, it seems. Perhaps we can forgive her for this, though; she is irredeemably an adult. More on target is Tisdale's sense that libraries are infatuated by technology, especially the Internet. In fact, the "data panic" she describes, the presumption that "we are headed for an accelerated, saturated vanishing point," bespeaks problems less with noise than with hurry and the myth that "more and faster" is better.
Lamenting the loss of card catalogs, Tisdale reports frequent encounters with computer down time, and tattles on a rude "librarian" who didn't know where the section of animal books was located (further evidence that all library workers, from shelvers to volunteers, are seen as librarians). Some of her logic is specious--"cyberspace hopping" noisy? I think not--but a conversation she has with retired library director Charles Robinson helps pinpoint just how libraries are being dumbed down. Told of a research project Tisdale was working on, Robinson responded, "I'm not interested in helping you. I don't give a damn. Go somewhere else." His motto: "Serve 90 percent of the people 90 percent of the time." He'd probably pooh-pooh Tisdale's assessment that "one of the several ways I seem to be out of touch with the new library is that I consider 'potential use' to be one of the most important aspects of any library." By this she means "the things...often found nowhere else...the odd fact, the little known detail, the forgotten idea," things she seeks "without knowing what I am looking for." This is what the library does best, Tisdale says; "It provides a place where the culture is kept, without judgment or censor, a record of life as it was, is, and may be." While "there will be no shortage of Judith Krantz and John Grisham novels," she goes on, "there is, more and more, a threat to unique, anomalous, unconventional knowledge." The public library represents, at least in theory, "a truly radical vision of democracy," Tisdale writes. "At its best it is an amalgam of anarchy and meritocracy." So why does she end her piece with a description of the perfect library ambiance which exists at a Barnes & Noble with nary a comment about the "content" of this "library"? And why are an increasing number of libraries, if not contracting out, preselecting publisher-hyped "bestsellers" which haven't yet been published (and in some cases even written)?
Television programs now weave advertising jingles and skits "seamlessly" into the show ("Sabado Gigante') and businesses pay cab drivers to insert product plugs into their banter. Can library directors be far behind? Madge Aalto, head of Vancouver (BC) Public Library, writes: "If you had asked me 10, or even five, years ago whether a donor's corporate logo belonged on borrowers' cards, I would have answered with a shocked and horrified 'no.' Today, I am pleased to see a logo there." All hail cultural plutocracy!
The first issue of a newsletter called Progressive Clearinghouse Bulletin came out recently. In it a column headlined "Censorship in the progressive press" told how the sons of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg had submitted a 2400-word response to The Nation after reading an article with which they disagreed. Since The Nation didn't publish this commentary, but instead sought a shorter (700 word) piece, this was called censorship. On a related matter, Sandy Berman called to our attention a headline in the Spring 1997 Censorship News, the publication of the National Coalition Against Censorship: "Of Mice and Men 'Inappropriate' in Illinois." The scope of the article was actually an eighth grade class in Peru, Illinois (population 9302). The same issue reprints a New York Times obituary for Leanne Katz in which the NCAC newsletter's editor is quoted as saying "There isn't a book in the library that somebody hasn't tried to censor." Come again? If this were literature we could call these figures of speech synecdoche (in which the whole is used to a part) and hyperbole. Here, unhappily, it just seems to be more careless tossing around of the word "censorship," a practice which is ultimately self-defeating.
Partly a response to the failure of public libraries to meet the real needs and desires of young people and activist communities across the country, a network of alternative libraries and infoshops has grown during the 90s in North America. From the Civic Media Center in Gainesville, Florida, to the Autonomous Zone in Chicago, spaces have being staked out for use as zine libraries, meeting rooms, daycare centers, concert venues, and bookstores. Though seemingly ignored by library professionals and the mass media, a loose coalition of these counter institutions has met nationally and published a journal, (Dis)Connection. Typically organized by punk and anarchist groups, these radical collectives have faced a host of problems, from harassment and poverty, to internal political disagreements. In the Twin Cities, the Emma Center lived valiantly and died, while Arise! Bookstore and Resource Center struggles along. In "Demise of the Beehive Collective: Infoshops Ain't the Revolution" (Love & Rage, August/September 1995), Brad Sigal describes a community space in Washington, DC, which opened in '93 but lasted less than two years. What these places all share is a devotion to seat-of-the-pants information democracy. A cross between radical bookstores and movement archives, infoshops are a place for activists to go to "read or buy...literature; buy paraphernalia such as stickers, masks and spray paint; attend meetings, lectures or films; or just plain hang out," according to an article which originally appeared in Slingshot (Berkeley). Prevalent in Europe for decades, with over 60 in Germany alone, many are located in squats, while others may use part of a cafe, the piece notes. "Some are run by one collective, while others have a different group in charge each day. None of them have paid positions. Most infoshops have a women-only day either weekly or monthly." Noting that they often host educational workshops and house free schools, Sigal describes them as "a space where people involved with radical movements and countercultures can trade information, meet and network with other people & groups, and hold meetings and/or events." He believes the current wave of North American infoshops cropped up in the aftermath of the Gulf War, as a response to frustrations of trying to organize an anti-war movement without institutions to draw upon. In North America a few even have their own Web pages, including Berkeley's Long Haul Infoshop
For more about the history of the Emma Center, what it was and why it failed, a revealing interview, "The death of Emma," appeared in J. Cruelty #4, available from Erik Farseth (1450 Sheldon St., St. Paul, MN 55108; $2.50).
For more on infoshops, including articles, Web links, and directories (thanks to Chuck Munson).
The Second Annual Firecracker Alternative Book Awards (FAB) are coming up, and, yes, a zine category is included. Voters will be invited to "the loudest fastest coolest (and maybe even goofiest) book party ever," to be held during the American Booksellers Association convention in Chicago, May 31. More information, including a ballot (deadline April 25) and list of last year's winners
So To Speak is a new zine distribution service set up by the editor of AWOL (MSRRT Newsletter, Feb 96). Jenna's catalog contains descriptions of about forty zines, some of which we've seen--e.g., (Dis)Connection--and many we haven't, as well as music, pamphlets, and flyers on such issues as control unit prisons, immigrant bashing, GI rights, and war tax resistance. (Jenna, c/o Third Place Youth Center, P.O. Box 1266, Venice, FL 34284-1266, 941-379-2013).
Extreme Noise Records is one place in the Twin Cities to find new zines. They're now moved into a larger location next door to Sindbad Market (also worth checking out): 2524 Nicollet Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55404, 612-874-7393, FAX: 612-874-7196.
Unsurprisingly, a bevy of "zines" are showing up these days that are not zines at all: items written by young people but actually produced and directed by adults; publications from record companies and other for-profit businesses; even things issued by institutions (e.g., the Walker Art Center's new teen-targeted events calendar). If they look hip, it's because someone wants you to think that. What the heck are these things? Let's call them "not zines."
A discussion thread on alt.zines in April debated the Zine World policy of not reviewing "publications ...mainstream enough to purchase a UPC...or register for an ISSN." One poster called this a "euphemism for banning and self-censorship." Whatever happened to editorial prerogative? (Actually, a key issue here is how up front an editor is about what their publication's scope entails. We think ZW is "clean" in this regard.)
AMERICAN NEWSPEAK, Orwellian doublespeak "scavenged from the back pages of our finer newspapers"
ASIAN WOMEN OUT LOUD, dedicated to demolishing stereotypes
GEEKGIRL"cyberfeminist" ezine (with anarchist artist Freddie Baer profiled in #4)
LATINO/BORDER ISSUES, librarian Molly Molloy's excellent page of annotated Web sites, discussion lists & newsgroups
MICROPRESS REVIEWS and KASPAHRASTER underground culture and news; both compiled by Jean Heriot whose "Pages that link to this site" is also worth visiting
PROGRESSIVE LIBRARIANS international directory, with e-mail and Web links
PROJECT CENSORED , with links to media watchdog organizations, journalism resources, and alternative media sites
Death blossoms: reflections from a prisoner of conscience. By Mumia Abu-Jamal. Foreword by Cornel West. Preface by Julia Wright. Plough Publishing, 1997. 158p. On death's brink, Mumia Abu-Jamal writes, one begins to see things with particular vibrancy. In dehumanizing isolation, hope and epiphany can spring from watching a spider's work or experiencing the awesome power of a thunderstorm. Melding spiritual autobiography with political analysis, the short essays in this book profoundly examine basic questions about justice, God, and social values. One might expect Abu-Jamal to seethe with anger and frustration. A former Black Panther locked up behind razor wire in a "control unit" prison, his case has all the markings of a police and judicial set-up. Still, after fifteen years (including a chilling period after his death warrant had been signed and not yet vacated), Abu-Jamal holds fast to a vision permeated with love for life, community, laughter, and children. Clearly and briefly, he exposes here a society built more upon materialism and marked by hypocrisy and apathy. Among its upstanding citizens: a clergyman who visited Philadelphia's MOVE community but was unwilling to dirty his clothes and a "counselor" whose look of pure hatred Abu-Jamal can't see without the help of a white death row prisoner. Writing Live from death row (Addison-Wesley, 1995) meant institutional misconduct reports for "engaging actively in a business or profession," but Abu-Jamal accepts punishment as the price for speaking out. This quietly powerful book includes a 1996 interview conducted by Allen Hougland. (Spring Valley Bruderhof, Route 381 North, Farmington, PA 15437-9506, 412-329-1100, 800-521-8011; $12, paper, 0-87486-086-5).
Alice Walker banned. By Alice Walker, with an introduction by Patricia Holt. Aunt Lute Books, 1996. 105p. Since its publication in 1984, Alice Walker's novel The color purple has been challenged in schools and libraries around the United States, by people who have called it "unsuitable for younger readers" and condemned its "feminist agenda at the expense of Black men." Thanks in part to the carefully named Traditional Values Coalition, public school 10th-graders in California were similarly "protected" in 1994 from having to read and be tested on Walker's "anti-religious" and "anti-meat-eating" short stories "Roselily" and "Am I Blue?" In this volume these short stories appear in full, along with excerpts from the novel. What makes it unique and valuable are its appendices, a selection of letters first published in the San Francisco Chronicle (the paper heard from over 600 readers after it reprinted "Am I Blue?"), an essay on "Roselily" which originally appeared in the San Jose Mercury News (Edward Kleinschmidt's "We all want to have our beliefs challenged"), and statements made by speakers at a California State Board of Education public hearing. Ironically, California governor Pete Wilson attempted to name Walker a "state treasure" at the same time her works were removed from the tests. (P.O. Box 410687, San Francisco, CA 94141; $10.95, cloth, 1-879960-47-8).
Voices in the wilderness: American nature writing and environmental politics. By Daniel G. Payne. University Press of New England, 1996. 181p. No dry academic-speak here, just excellent straightforward commentary on Henry David Thoreau, John Burroughs, John Muir, Aldo Leopold, and others. If you're a contrary sort, start at the back with the essay on Edward Abbey. Radicalized when the area he had explored was flooded after the building of Glen Canyon Dam, Abbey fantasized about its destruction throughout his literary career. Reading this piece will either send you straight to Abbey's The monkey wrench gang and Desert solitaire, or to the rest of this book in which Payne shows clearly and interestingly how the thinking and politics of these important writers relate to one another. It bridges what may seem a chasm from "conservationist" Theodore Roosevelt who "itemizes a list of over 500 animals shot by himself and his son on safari," to Rachel Carson whose influential Silent spring was first ridiculed as "hysterical" and "over-emotional." (23 South Main St., Hanover, NH 03755, 603-643-7100; $15.95, paper, 0-87451-752-4).
Different daughters: a book by mothers of lesbians. Edited by Louise Rafkin. 2nd ed., revised and expanded. Cleis Press, 1996. 161p. It's heartwarming and somehow radical to read the words of initially homophobic parents who now proudly march in Gay Pride parades. First published ten years ago, this new edition features the "coming out" of mothers who've moved beyond mere acceptance to publicly affirm their daughters' lesbianism. They write about personal struggles with conflicting emotions and trying to understand "difference" in a way that is non-threatening. As editor Rafkin points out, all mother-daughter relationships are prone to conflict, whether over such pretexts as clothing or around more significant issues like sex. Happily, this book about the joy of learning to bridge conflict represents real and not just token diversity, with contributions by many women of color and coverage which extends beyond lesbianism to bisexuality and transsexuality. Highly recommended. (P.O. Box 14684, San Francisco, CA 94114; $12.95, paper, 1-57344-050-7).
Through the habitrails. By Jeff Nicholson. Bad Habit, 1996. 2nd ed. In this disturbing metaphorical graphic novel, an industrial artist learns to live with his head in a pickle jar filled with beer. Inhabiting a corporate culture nightmare in which executives literally tap heads like kegs, the wage slave's hopeful relationships fail miserably and he is driven to the brink of despair by a crown-wearing gerbil who urges him to end it all. A questioning "semi-autobiographical" tale about stultified creativity and shattered dreams, it arrives at a satisfyingly ambivalent denouement, but is weakened by an unnecessary "epilogue." The art remains effective throughout, combining realism with such exaggerated traits as "Little Orphan Annie" irisless eyes. Nicholson is also the creator of the comic book series Ultra Klutz, now anthologized, a take-off on Japanese superhero Ultra Man. (P.O. Box 1012, Petaluma, CA 94953, 707-763-5772, 707-763-7067; $14.95, paper, 1-885047-03-7).
For crying out loud: women's poverty in the United States. Edited by Diane Dujon and Ann Withorn. South End Press, 1996. Over thirty essays and manifestos in this book reflect personal experience, public opinion, media coverage, and government policy involving women, welfare, and related issues. With contributions by both organizers and academics, it ties together single parenting, homelessness, teen motherhood, woman battering, immigrant women's concerns, and job program critiques to expose "the feminization of poverty." A significant part of the book is devoted to presenting "visions of a new movement to abolish poverty." It includes bibliographies and an index. (116 Saint Botolph Street, Boston, MA 02115; $22, paper, 0-89608-529-5).
Top heavy: the increasing inequality of wealth in America and what can be done about it. By Edward N. Wolff. New Press, 1996. 111p. Statistics here confirm the growing gap between rich and poor in the United States. Includes material on income inequality, a look at systems of wealth taxation in Europe, and a proposal for a personal tax based on household net worth. (450 W. 41st St., New York, NY 10036, 212-629-8811, FAX: 212-629-8617; $7.95, paper, 1-567584-347-9).
Legally wed: same-sex marriage and the Constitution. By Mark Strasser. Cornell University Press, 1997. 241p. Analyzing marriage law, examining custody and adoption issues, and citing such cases as Hawaii's Baehr v. Lewin, Strasser argues that the Defense of Marriage Act "is both unconstitutional and a public policy disaster." Thoroughly annotated and indexed. Another new title on this topic is Prometheus Books' Same-sex marriage: the moral and legal debate. (Sage House, 512 E. State St., Ithaca, NY 14851-0250, 607-277-2338, FAX: 607-277-2374; $25, cloth, 0-8014-3406-8).
Rush hour. By Kevin FitzPatrick. Midwest Villages & Voices, 1997. 82p. Poetry is like baseball. A.300 batting average demarks excellence, though you may settle for something in the low .200's for home run hitters. I won't bat him leadoff, but Kevin Fitzpatrick can play on my team. Here he writes about first romance, the death of a childhood buddy, the ignominy of having one's hat thrown in a tree, a chance encounter with a friend's ex-wife. Some of these are good for extra bases. It's really up to every reader to decide: which ones are hits? Abandoning the baseball metaphor, this collection gets bonus points for titles with obvious young reader appeal: "The Boxer With the Withered Arm," "Plane Crash," "After the Burglary," "Bloody Noses Not Enough," and "Reading About Cockroaches." (P.O. Box 40214, St. Paul, MN 55104; $9, paper, 0-935697-08-X).
Reinventing anarchy, again. Edited by Howard Ehrlich. AK
Press, 1996. 387p. A reader (if not a primer) focusing mostly on anarchist
theory, this revision of the 1978 anthology is fragmented, pretentious, and
humorless at its worst, though not without some jewels imbedded within.
One such piece is Ruthann Robson's facetious "Living our lives," refreshing
evidence that "anarchist humor" is not oxymoronic. Excellent collage art
by Freddie Baer, Johann Humyn Being, and John Yates could have been more
extensively used, and an index would have provided access to historical
material cited within. Instead, the book is divided into sections of
mostly dry, obtuse writings on such topics as "what is anarchism," the
state, anarchafeminism, work, anarchist culture, the liberation of self,
and "anarchist tactics." Unenthusiastically recommended for larger
collections. (P.O. Box 40682, San Francisco, CA 94140-0682,
415-923-1429, FAX: 415-923-0607,
It's a good life if you don't weaken. By Seth. Drawn & Quarterly, 1996. 163p. Known for his magazine illustrations and Palooka-Ville comic book series, Seth's work is heavily influenced by New Yorker cartoonists like Charles Addams and Syd Hoff. It's no surprise, then, that this dry noirish tale looks straight from the Fifties. An autobiographical tale describing Seth's obsessive quest to find out more about an obscure cartoonist named Kalo, it's most likely to interest comics fans and history buffs. Portrayals of his friendship with fellow artist Chester Brown and careless relationship with a woman student may seem on the shallow side to others. Included are the artist's "meagre collection" of eleven Kalo cartoons and an interesting "glossary" with thumbnail prototypical sketches drawn by several dozen vintage cartoonists. (P.O. Box 48056, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H2V 4S8; $12.95, paper, 1-896597-06-8).
River tips and tree trunks: notes and reflections on water and wood. By S. H. Semken. Ice Cube Press, 1997. 112p. Handsomely produced, this extended essay on the meaning of rivers, and two shorter pieces about trees and the confluence of water and wood, promise much but generally fail to deliver. At their best they offer brief insights about nature's power to inspire awe. (While fly fishing, Semken says his vocabulary shrinks to about five words: "Wow, Dang, Man, Ugh, and Hmm.") Somewhat sloppily edited ("ultra-pasturized," missing conjunctions and punctuation, "natural" for "naturalist," etc.), it isn't aided any by its use of footnotes which might have worked better incorporated into the text. In one of these, Semken agrees with a friend who said that people enjoy classical music "with a frown." Has the man never heard Mozart? For river reveries, public libraries should buy more copies of Norman Maclean's A river runs through it. (205 North Front St., North Liberty, IA 52317-9302; $14.95, paper, 1-888160-63-2).
Not by fire but by ice. By Robert W. Felix. Sugarhouse Publishing, 1997. 254p. "Discover what killed the dinosaurs...and why it could soon kill us." Whether entertaining speculation or anti-global warming bunkum, this thoroughly researched book weaves together a tale of "earthquake lights," plate tectonics, woolly mammoths, and weather extremes. (P.O. Box 435, Bellevue, WA 98009, 206-451-9311, FAX: 206-454-9686; $15.95, paper, 0-9648746-9-5).
The Mystery and Adventure Series Review is published irregularly, "from one to four times a year," by Fred Woodworth (editor of The Match!). The 44-page Spring 1996 issue (#28) contains a rant decrying profiteers more interested in driving up prices of collectible books than in enjoying them, details about other outright malevolent series book "enthusiasts," and a related excerpt from Charles Mackay's Extraordinary popular delusions and the madness of crowds (about outrageous tulip price inflation in 17th century Holland), as well as an article about the Doc Savage titles, a piece on series book illustrations, and "a look at some boys' and girls' series that did NOT feature mystery or adventure." The Summer 1996 edition reprints interesting articles about the Nancy Drew books (including one about how Grosset & Dunlap strong-armed competing series out of existence) and includes letters to the editor, one by a book theft victim who also reports at length on distressing changes through the years at a branch library in Los Angeles. (P.O. Box 3012, Tucson, AZ 85702; $10/4 issues, cash, money orders, or checks payable to F. Woodworth).
SideTracked is a small zine with a big heart. Issue #7 contains personal writing about change, creativity, grades, parents, and attending a lousy concert (Menghsin vows never again to pay to see a show ending with "-palooza"), as well as an account of her typical day ("Why I hate school"), thoughts on a trip to San Jose and Reno, and criticism of people who call the places they live "hicktown" and "redneckville." Also: a painfully frank account of an ambivalent sexual experience and some mother-daughter turmoil, and a great list of "natural highs". To these reasons for living, add another: SideTracked itself. (Menghsin, 7534 Farmington Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49009; trades, donations, or stamps welcomed).
Splatterspleen is a moved-from-Minnesota mini-zine. After living in St. Paul for five years, the editor moved back to her hometown, Washington, D.C., and in issue #5 writes about a train trip to Texas, the people she meets, and Amtrak culture. There's also some commentary on Los Angeles and Mike Davis's City of quartz, info about Amanda's new band ("The Divisionaries") and places to get late night coffee in D.C., and some thoughts about androgyny and grammar. Also: half a dozen zine reviews, a list of "places that will buy your zine CASH UP FRONT," and an account of being snowed in for a week in "a city that doesn't understand the concept of cold weather." (613 Tuckerman St. NW, Washington, DC 20011, amanda@soundprint.org).
Constipation is an excellent zine "by prisoners, for prisoners and their supporters." The issue seen (#8) includes criticism of the Illinois pre-release program PRESTART, material on drinking water quality violations at the Dixon Correctional Center, and statistics regarding the death penalty and the costs of incarceration, as well as related commentary and news clippings. Also: a "top ten cellies from hell" list--#4 is "The Talk Show Addict", resource info (e.g., a citation for a manual on how to win disciplinary hearings), and a legal column. (Ron Campbell, #N-30537, P.O. Box 900, Ina, IL 62846).
Science Geek--a zine by and about a young instructor trying hard "not to be like those teachers I hated, boring and stuffy"--makes school sound positively fun. Edited by Doug Larkin, whose science labs investigate things like which cereals stay crunchiest in milk, it uniquely combines music reviews, physics, and pedagogy. The 64-page issue #2 covers Larkin's second year of teaching at his old high school (with a rundown of "positives" vs. "negatives"), compares particle accelerators with the pole vault, lists ten "things I don't know" (he found out how traffic lights are triggered by assigning the problem to students), and reproduces such items as humorous notes from students and a report from the wise guy who interrupted class by asking, "Do cows masturbate?" and was then given the question to research for extra credit. There's also a band interview and some good comic strips by co-editor Steve Spatucci (e.g., "Calculus Girl"). While Larkin headed to Kenya for a Peace Corps engagement after this issue came out, an issue #3 was promised. (Doug Larkin, U.S. Peace Corps, P.O. Box 30518, Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa; or: Steve Spatucci, P.O. Box 8641, Trenton, NJ 08650).
The White Dot is a quarterly newsletter intended "for television-free households." The 12-page August 1996 issue (#3) includes an account of following elections without a TV, a report on car televisions and VCRs, and advice on negotiating "turn-offs or cutdowns" with your family, while the Winter 1996/97 issue contains material on "holidays and the one-eyed monster," as well as an interview with Jerry Mander, the author of Four arguments for the elimination of television. Each issue also contains an alternatives column (literary soirees, anyone?), as well as letters from readers. (P.O. Box 577257, Chicago, IL 60657-7257, $8; http://www3.mistral.co.uk/whitedot ).
Newsnotes is published by the National Committee on Pay Equity, a nonprofit coalition of labor unions, women's and civil rights organizations, and other associations "working exclusively on the problem of wage discrimination." The 12-page Winter 1996 issue (v.17 #2) contains summaries of state news (with a report on pay equity adjustments paid by local governments in Minnesota), as well as coverage of a Democratic forum held last September to promote fair pay legislation. Also: resource listings and a statistical insert with charts and graphs depicting wage gaps. (1126 16th St. NW, Suite 411, Washington, DC 20036, 202-331-7343, FAX; 202-331-7406; membership: $35, $15 low-income).
Minnesota ADC Chronicle is the newsletter of the newly active Minnesota chapter of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. The Winter 1997 initial issue includes information about local subcommittees, a brief report on a "Celebration for Peace" conference sponsored by the Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers, and a review of Jean Said Makdisi's Beirut fragments, as well as an action alert from the national office. (P.O. Box 8269, Minneapolis, MN 55408-0269, 612-922-0501).
The Vision Maker is a quarterly newsletter issued by the nonprofit Native American Public Telecommunications (formerly Native American Public Broadcasting Consortium). The 8-page Summer 1996 edition includes an article about the AIROS network (American Indian Radio on Satellite), a report on distance learning provided by AIHEC (American Indian Higher Education Consortium) schools, and information about the first radio production of the National Museum of the American Indian, as well as "The Telecommunications Act of 1996: a tribal perspective." (1800 N. 33rd St., P.O. Box 83111, Lincoln, NE 68501-3111, 402-472-3522; ISSN: 1088-1824).
Home Alive, a Seattle-based collective of artists "hell bent on fighting all forms of violence and oppression," issues a quarterly newsletter focusing on women's self-defense . The 6-page Winter 1996/97 edition (#4) includes comics, news briefs, and action alerts about harassment and how to counter it, as well as event listings and info about internships at Seal Press. (1202 E. Pike St., #1127, Seattle, WA 98122, 206-521-9176, FAX: 206-521-9174, selfdef@homealive.org; http://www.homealive.org).
Task Force Report is the quarterly newsletter of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute. The 8-page Spring 1997 issue includes news of Urvashi Vaid's appointment as director of the think tank--John D'Emilio stepped down after receiving a fellowship to complete a biography of Bayard Rustin--as well as info about "Capital Gains and Losses," a new state-by-state review of gay-related legislation. (2320 17th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009-2702, phone: 202-332-6483, FAX: 202-332-0207, ngltf@ngltf.org, http://www.ngltf.org).
ICON is a news magazine published monthly by Dykespeak, a nonprofit project of the San Francisco Women's Center. The 54-page January 1997 issue includes an interview with California Assembly member Carole Migden (out since 1974), a profile of Australian lesbian activist Alison Thorne, and an article about the National Lesbian Political Action Committee, as well as national and California news briefs, reviews, event information, and cartoons by Leslie Ewing. Also: columns on topics ranging from Ebonics ("What's up wit dat?") to health care. (4104 24th St., #181, San Francisco, CA 94114, 415-282-0942, FAX: 415-648-0299, dykespeak@aol.com)
Human Rights Tribune/Des Droits Humains is a bilingual quarterly magazine published by Human Rights Internet. The 40-page August/September 1996 edition (v.3 #4) includes coverage of Habitat II--the Second UN Conference on Human Settlements (a parallel NGO Forum, also held in Istanbul, was harassed by Turkish police), an article about the prosecution of former government officials in Ethiopia, and a report on a community health program in Uganda aimed at educating about the dangers of female circumcision. Also: news briefs, book reviews, and event information. Most articles are in English. (8 York St., Suite 302, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 5S6, Canada, 613-789-7407, FAX: 613-789-7414, hri@hri.ca; U.S.: $25, $35 institutional; Canada: $30/40).
Snow Lion, the newsletter and catalog of Snow Lion Publications, offers a selection of titles on Tibetan Buddhism and culture, as well as related articles. The 32-page Winter 1997 issue (v.12 #1) contains an interview with Lama Lodu Rinpoche, coverage of forthcoming films on Tibet, news clippings and commentary, and an annotated list of periodicals. (P.O. Box 6483, Ithaca, NY 14851, 1-800-950-0313, 607-273-8519, FAX: 607-273-8508; snowlion@well.com; ISSN: 1059-3691).
Roma Rights is the newsletter of the European Roma Rights Center, an international initiative for monitoring the human rights situation of the Roma (Gypsies). The 28-page Fall 1996 issue contains interviews with Roma refugees from Bosnia, extensive news reports of police abuses and vigilante "justice" involving Romani people (a frightening record of rapes, beatings, arson and murder), a report on the first European Court of Human Rights case involving a Romani applicant, and an open letter to the German government. (H-1525, Budapest 114, P.O. Box 10/24, Hungary).
The ReUse Review is a new ad hoc newsletter of the ReUse Center, a project of the GREEN Institute intended to bolster "the economic and environmental vitality of the Phillips Neighborhood" in South Minneapolis. The 4-page initial issue contains information about classes, a rundown of Institute activities, and a list of materials needed. (2216 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, MN 55407, 612-724-2608).
Colombia Bulletin ("A human rights quarterly") is a new magazine published by the nonprofit Colombia Support Network, Wisconsin Interfaith Committee on Latin America. The 48-page Winter 1996 issue (v.1 #2) contains reports on the U.S. Army School of the Americas ("Teaching terror"), the drug war, and impunity in the Colombian judicial system, all from the Spanish-language Justicia y Paz published in Bogot?as well as coverage of issues facing Indigenous Colombians and material on the oil rush (led by British Petroleum) in the Andean foothills. Also: news briefs, action alerts, and networking data. (P.O. Box 1505, Madison, WI 53701, 608-257-8753, FAX: 608-255-6621, ISSN: 1090-719X; csn@igc.apc.org).
Our Toxic Times is a monthly publication of the nonprofit Chemical Injury Information Network. The 24-page May 1996 issue (v.7 #5) includes an article on workplace air quality, a summary of two research papers on multiple chemical sensitivities, and a primer on indoor air quality, as well as material on Gulf War syndrome, toxic carpet emissions, and disclosure of off-site chemical hazards to prospective real estate buyers. Also: resource listings and criticism of an Internet posting by Ronald Gots, Executive Director of "the industry-backed Environmental Sensitivity Research Institute." (P.O. Box 301, White Sulfur Springs, MT 59645-0301, 406-547-2255; donation).
Citizen Alert ("An alternative information source") is the publication of a nonprofit environmental organization by the same name, formed in 1976 "to educate the public on a proposal to store nuclear waste in Nevada." The 24-page August 1996 edition (v.2 #2) contains articles and commentary on reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty negotiations, the so-called "Mobile Chernobyl Act" (S.1936), and a proposal to turn Nevada Power into a member-owned cooperative, as well as a profile of Western Shoshone activist Bill Rosse. Also: an action alert regarding efforts to declare Reno a Nuclear Free Zone and a report on Department of Energy plans to modernize and "beef up" weapons design labs and the Nevada Test Site. (P.O. Box 1681, Las Vegas, NV 89125, 702-796-5662; $15).
Optic Nerve is an important comic book series that deals realistically with teenage issues and growing up. First self-published as a mini-comic, it is now available on a subscription basis from Drawn & Quarterly. In the 24-page #3, a story about twin sisters living with their ex-hippie father recounts a road trip to a comic book convention from Dylan's point of view. Her sister's being a jerk ("There's nothing she hates more than when someone starts liking the same things she likes, especially adults"), Dad's trying to be understanding, and then Dylan snoops in Donovan's diary. It's almost painfully poignant, and first-time readers may be shocked to discover that this comic, with its keen portrayal of girls' issues, is the work of a young man. Other pieces involve helping a blind man at the supermarket, suffering through the harassment of a fat bus passenger, and cleaning up a grandfather's room. (P.O. Box 48056, Montreal, Quebec, H2V 4S8, Canada; $8.94/4 issues).
Adventures in Entomology ("A newsletter of insects and science") is a spin-off from the related Adventures of an Unemployed Entomologist (AUE). The 12-page Autumn 1996 issue of the former includes an account of the editor's volunteer stint at an "Insect Family Day" at the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History and a report on a consultation with the New England Science Center about a grasshopper which showed up in the mail mysteriously, as well as coverage of recent museum exhibits involving ants and amber, book reviews (e.g., The quest for life in amber), and articles about cicadas and insect collecting. Recommended for amateur insect enthusiasts. The 12-page September 1996 issue of AUE (#7) contains a couple of the same pieces, as well as reviews of three insect books. (LL Publishing, P.O. Box 3026, Worcester, MA 01613-3026; $2/issue).
Stand Your Ground ("A journal of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness") is a new libertarian zine. The 12-page Winter 1996 issue (v.1 #2) contains two views on whether men should be held legally responsible for children fathered out of wedlock (editor Samantha Blythe defends marriage as "the most stabilizing force in our society"), commentary on rights ("people have the right to discriminate against others for whatever reason they choose"), and quotations about democracy and freedom. Do zip codes constitute government intrusion? None appears here, though the post office box is listed twice. (P.O. Box 377, Pasadena, CA [91102], 310-902-0958; $12).
Monorail is a monothematic zine focused entirely on the history of monorails, with an emphasis on the one in Seattle. Besides articles on monorails past and present, the 24-page initial issue (will there be more?) looks at the unique mode of transportation in films and television (e.g., episode 9F10 of "The Simpsons") and reviews related books, a newsletter, and Sun Ra's recording Monorails and satellites. Illustrated with black-and-white photos and reproductions. (Steve Mandich, P.O. Box 10412, Portland, OR 97296-0412; $2).
FolkMuse Review is the free monthly newsletter of the Homestead Pickin' Parlor, a Twin Cities music retailer "serving the needs of the acoustic music community." The 8-page October 1996 edition (v.2 #3) contains an extensive list of new recordings (emphasizing folk, country, gospel, bluegrass, blues, Cajun and international music), as well as information about classes and jam sessions, store news, and a concert calendar. (6625 Penn Ave. S., Richfield, MN 55423, 612-861-3308, folkmuse@aol.com).
Brat Attack, "the zine for leatherdykes and other bad girls" (MSRRT Newsletter, Feb 94), ceased publication with #5. Selections on the Web
Canadian Dimension (MSRRT Newsletter, Oct 90) has new contact data: 401-228 Notre Dame Ave., Winnipeg, MB, Canada R3B 1N7; http://www.canadiand imension.mb.ca/cd/index.htm
HONOR Digest (MSRRT Newsletter, Feb 93) has new contact data: 6435 Wiesner Rd., Omro, WI 54963, 414-582-7142.
MAPA Currents (MSRRT Newsletter, Sep 90) and the Minnesota Alliance for Progressive Action have new contact info: 1821 University Ave., Suite S-307, St. Paul, MN 55104, 612-641-4050, staff@mapa-mn.org.
Nukewatch (MSRRT Newsletter, May 89) has new contact data: P.O. Box 649, Luck, WI 54853-0649, 715-472-4185, FAX: 715-472-4184.
Verge, a key distributor of ambient, industrial and experimental music, also offers spoken word, indie jazz, 20th century classical and international recordings, and related videos and audio magazines. (215 Stewart St., Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, K9J 3M6, 705-742-1173, verge@ptbo.igs.net).
Shambhala offers books and tapes on Eastern religions, meditation, martial arts, and New Age psychology. New titles include Minnesota author Erik Fraser Storlie's Nothing on my mind: Berkeley, LSD, two Zen masters, and a life on the dharma trail. (Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, MA 02115-4555, 1-800-769-5561).
The Acres, U.S.A. catalog specializes in titles on "eco-agriculture," natural pest control, hydroponics, alternative veterinary medicine, homeopathy, "biomagnetism," and related topics. (P.O. Box 8800, Metairie, LA 70011, 1-800-355-5313, FAX: 504-889-2777).
da music distributes jazz, blues and instrumental CDs from such labels as Black Lion and Blue Orchid. Performers on the former include Thelonious Monk, Dexter Gordon, and Billie Holiday. (312-A Willow Ave, P.O. Box 3, Little Silver, NJ 07739, 908-530-6887, FAX: 908-842-5041).
Taxpayers for Common Sense publications include Pentagon follies: how the Department of Defense is wasting your tax dollars and Budget of the living dead: how 13 budget zombies are devouring your tax dollars. (651 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Second Floor, Washington, DC 20003, 202-546-8500, staff@taxpayer.net).
Northwestern University Press is now the sole distributor for FC2/Black Ice Books (e.g., Degenerative prose, Chick lit: postfeminist fiction, and Roberto Cortez Cruz's Five days of bleeding) and Tia Chucha Press (e.g., Nick Carbo's El grupo McDonald's). (Chicago Distribution Center, 11030 S. Langley Ave., Chicago, IL 60628, 312-568-1550, FAX: 312-660-2235, nupress@nwu.edu).
No Guff Records offers one-stop shopping for folk/protest singer Utah Phillips's recordings on such indie labels as Red House, Smokestack, Philo, and Righteous Babe, the latter representing a recent collaboration with Ani DiFranco. (P.O. Box 1235, Nevada City, CA 95959, 916-265-2476, utah@nccn.net).
New titles from Permeable Press, specialist in "speculative fiction, erotica, humor, and poetry" include The Marquis de Sade's elements of style, Hugh Fox's Stairway to the sun: rediscovering the origins of New World culture, and Peter Gelman's Flying saucers over Hennepin. (2336 Market, #14, San Francisco, CA 94114, 415-255-9765, FAX: 415-431-1456, bcclark@igc.org).
The Cinema Guild offers such important videos for sale as "Lowriders: The Real Story," "Hanan Ashrawi: A Woman of Her Time," and "The Other Half Revisited: The Legacy of Jacob Riis." (1697 Broadway, Ste. 506, New York, NY 10019-5904, 212-246-5522, thecinemag@aol.com).
Dark Horse Comics publishes graphic novels by the likes of Frank Miller (Sin City), Don Martin (Don Martin's Droll Book), Harlan Ellison, and Andrew Vachss. (10956 S.E. Main St., Milwaukie, OR 97222, 503-652-8815, FAX: 503-654-3218).
Left Bank Distribution specializes in radical and anarchist books, pamphlets & magazines, with titles from over a hundred different publishers. (1404 18th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122, 206-322-2868, jonkonnu@eskimo.com).
A Hero's Voice is a new all-color comic book "about the heroes of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Indians." Recommended for use in primary/intermediate schools, "especially grade 5," it includes an Ojibwe-English glossary and is accompanied by a teacher's guide with a chronology of important events in Mille Lacs Band history. (Mille Lacs Band, HCR 67, Box 194, Onamia, MN 56359, 612-292-8062).
Mary Tyler Marx (Video cassette). 28 minutes. A Simple Sense of Superiority Productions. In this re-dubbed episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," Mary's colleagues question the daily grind and consider such alternatives as quitting, suicide, and data entry training. As with Woody Allen's "What's Up Tiger Lily," an amusing idea that doesn't quite work. (Box 6381, Minneapolis, MN 55406-0381, 612-722-7369; $9.99 + $2 shipping).
The heart of progress: an illustrated guide. By Paul Klem. Black Crow Books, 1996. 60p. What sounded good--"hard-hitting, socio-political illustrations" for use as clip art--turned out to be appropriately nightmarish images, but ones too jumbled together to be useful in any but the roughest zine. The "prose-poems" accompanying them are an incoherent welter of words representing dystopia. (P.O. Box 414, Station E, Toronto, Ontario, M6H 4E3, Canada; paper, 0-9681535-0-X).
Who pays? A distributional analysis of the tax systems in all 50 states. Citizens for Tax Justice/Institution on Taxation & Economic Policy, 1996. various pagings. (1311 L St. NW, Washington, DC 20005, phone: 202-626-3780, ctj@ctj.org; http://www.ctj.org; $25, $5 for members).
Confessions of a lost mother. By ElisaM@ aol.com. Gateway Press, 1996. 157p. E-mail correspondence and discussion list postings by adoptees, adoptive parents, and birth mothers who "live with the pain of having relinquished children." (E. M. Barton, 744 Clarendon Rd., Narberth, PA 19072, 610-660-9419, 610-617-9186, menocal@aol.com; $14.95, paper, 0-9650795-0-3).
Black milk (Compact disc). By Horse & Nose. Serf Music, 1997. "Improvised duets for guitar and electronics," performed by Anthony Moffoot and Chris Atton. Ambient noodling to some, this imaginative music is only for those unafraid to hear the unhummable. (14 Cambridge Gardens, Edinburgh, EH6 5DJ, Scotland; $15).