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.
While half mast flags in April marked the death of U.S. Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, our thoughts instead were on real people's hero, Ernest Mann. The 69-year-old editor of what must have been the longest running zine in existence, Little Free Press, was bludgeoned to death in March by his teenage grandson who then took his own life. The two had been living together in a Little Falls, Minnesota, trailer court. Formerly a successful real estate investor, Mann (a.k.a. Larry Johnson), "dropped out" in 1969 to live a contemplative life and promote his quixotic "Priceless Economic System." Described as "definitely the most idealistic, and arguably the most naive set of pamphlets" (High weirdness by mail, Stang, 1988), Little Free Press has been part crusade, and part autobiography about squirrel trapping, raft building, and grandson raising. Mann first received regional attention in 1978 when Minneapolis Tribune columnist Larry Batson wrote about his quest to promote freedom. By the time the national media noticed him ("A Thoreau of the city," Christian Science Monitor, May 16, 1990, p.13), he was already widely known throughout the zine network. Mike Gunderloy's September 1982 edition of Factsheet Five (#4) reviewed Little Free Press #41. Thirteen and a half years later, Mann was still at it, pumping out issue #138 and visualizing "peace on Earth and goodwill." We were not alone in corresponding with Ernest and wish we hadn't procrastinated with plans to interview him. Profoundly human, an enjoyer of books and simple pleasures, an anarchist and atheist who never ceased his one-person utopian experiment, he will be missed.
Mann's writings are compiled in his self-published I was robot (Utopia now possible) and Free I got, thanks to the Banneker Center for Economic Justice. For more on the birth of Little Free Press, see Joe Grant's "Stop the Presses, I Want to Get Off" in Voices from the underground, Volume 1 (1993).
"Most of us build prisons for ourselves and after we occupy them for a period of time we become accustomed to their walls and accept the false premise that we are incarcerated for life. As soon as that belief takes hold of us we abandon hope of ever doing more with our lives and of ever giving our dreams a chance to be fulfilled. We begin to suffer living deaths; one of a herd heading for destruction in a gray mass of mediocrity..." --Barb Katt, Plowshares trial testimony
By Cathryn Camper
From 1964 to 1975, the years of the Vietnam War, 123,600 workers died on the job in the U.S., over twice the number of soldiers killed in Vietnam. Surprised? While unions and workers may be struggling nationally, the city of Milwaukee recently recognized labor with a unique memorial. If you're traveling through Wisconsin this summer, you may want to check out the public art work in Milwaukee's Zeidler Union Square Park, designed by artists Terese Agnew and Mary Zebell. Agnew and Zebell's proposal was selected as the winning design in a competition sponsored by the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, the Milwaukee County Labor Council AFL-CIO and the Milwaukee County Parks Design and Review Committee, to honor Wisconsin workers who have died or been injured on the job. At the park's center stands a bandstand, made up of salvaged gears and steel. Visitors can run their hands along its the railings, and touch cast iron "instruments of work" - -wrenches, hammers, even a telephone and a calculator. Overhead, a giant clock forms its ceiling, symbolic of time clocks and the passing of time. Painted completely white, the bandstand is like a softened, ghostly memory of harsh workplace realities. Around the square are informative plaques that recall the working conditions of the past and sacrifices workers have made to make their workplaces more humane. The plaques are linked together by chains bearing workers' slogans--
chains that not only signify repression, but also the cooperation of workers united through unions to fight for better job conditions. The memorial's overall subtlety draws in even uninterested people and imparts to them--through facts read or tools touched--a remembrance of past workers. What makes the site especially meaningful is that it was built with the generously donated time, expertise, materials, and money of laborers themselves. The castings, electrical work, landscaping, and even the bandstand roof, are among many things which wouldn't have been installed without the assistance of Milwaukee labor unions and workers. By bringing together the diverse forces of labor, government, and historians to create something that otherwise would never have happened, Zebell and Agnew created a public work of art that truly practices what it preaches: "WE CAN DO IT."
In celebration of the United Nations Decade of Indigenous Peoples, 1994-2004, the fourth triennial World Indigenous Peoples' conference will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, June 15-23. Focusing on education, the conference will include workshops, cultural events, displays and field trips. For more info: Ray Barnhardt, Center for Cross-Cultural Studies, University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, phone: 907-479-4357, FAX: 907-479-4359, ffrjb@aurora.alaska.edu
World Indigenous Peoples Conference Web site
Check out the June 3 issue of The Nation which focuses on the corporate stranglehold on the mass media, complete with fold-out chart showing the pervasive reach of four giant companies, as well as commentary, "A twelve-step program for media democracy," and an essay by Andre Schiffrin on the corporatization of publishing. Visit The NationWeb page .
In a recent alt.zines posting, Chip Rowe reports on having spent a Saturday afternoon at the DePaul University library going through their "pretty nifty" zine archive. Officially titled the Chicago and Great Lakes Underground Press Collection, it centers mostly on Midwestern zines but includes publications from all over. For more information, or to contribute zines: Kathryn DeGraff, Special Collections Librarian, DePaul University Library, 2350 North Kenmore, Chicago, IL 60614, kdegraff@wppost.depaul.edu
"Zines for the farklempt hipster," an overview of "Jewish-themed zines" is the title of an article by Alissa Quart in Forward, April 12, 1996, p.14. The piece refers to zines as an "old-fashioned complement to the World Wide Web" and erringly places the founding of Fact Sheet 5 [sic] in 1995.
Folio, weekly publication on the magazine industry, has been publishing a regular Zine & Noted column since last year, focusing mostly on e-zines.
Counter Intelligence: zines, comics, pamphlets (1995) is an illustrated and annotated "catalogue of self-published and autonomous print-creations" which were exhibited "hands-on" in October 1994 at the 121 Centre in Brixton, South London ("a squatted social centre run by a collective"). Organized by Jason Skeet and mail artist Mark Pawson, the show included about 250 titles. The catalog includes short articles (on "dialectics of desk top publishing," as well as issues of pricing and regularity), material on e-zines, and resource listings of review publications, bookshops, distributors, and the like. ($3 cash to J. Skeet at BM JED, London, WC1N 3XX, England).
OBSCURE PUBLICATIONS & VIDEOprovides links to Seth Friedman's HotWired zine reviews and Folio's "Zine & Noted" columns, as well as a catalog of D-I-Y videos.
THE COSMIC RAY DEFLECTION SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICAfeatures dozens of good free speech links.
DREAMTIME VILLAGE'snew site features residency and internship info, Xexoxial Endarchy catalog, and--soon--a mail order list of sustainably produced musical instruments, herbs, tinctures, and seed jewelry:
NONVIOLENCE WEBincludes infor-mation and links to a dozen or so peace organizations, publishers and publications.
The UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM WOMEN'S STUDIES LIBRARIAN's home pagefeatures tables of contents and articles from Feminist Collections, bibliographies (e.g., "The Glass Ceiling"), core lists of women's studies books, and many links to other websites on women and gender.
Bilingual blues. By Gustavo Perez Firmat. Bilingual Press, 1995. 128p. Muy macho, these personal Cuban-American poems in Spanish and English recall Bukowsky far more than Neruda ("Sensitive--the word gives me the creeps"). A poet who writes about his foreskin, the semantic difference between "pussy" and "cunt", and whether or not his father deserves a poem, is bound to receive a mixed reaction from readers. That said, Perez Firmat's devilish wordplay is nearly irresistible. Check out some of his affirmations: insanity is not all it's cracked up to be; suicide is a dying art; coito ergo cum; I slink therefore I scram; a menos amor, mas turbacion; all roads lead to roam; hysteria repeats itself; a penis for your thoughts; there's safety in numbness. Whether writing about sex, his teenage son ("Dude Descending a Staircase"), or his love for limes, Perez Firmat's best poems can be read over and over. Others whose works we wish to enjoy often fail this simple test. (Hispanic Research Center, Arizona State University, Box 872702, Tempe, AZ 85287-2702, 602-965- 3867; $11, paper, 0-927534-47-9).
Sounding off! Music as subversion/resistance/revolution. Edited by Ron Sakolsky and Fred Wei-han Ho. Autonomedia, 1995. 352p. Ambitious, complex, arcane, and somewhat frustrating, Sounding off! is a cross- cultural anthology of essays and interviews, "gathered...in all our...caco-phonous disagreements and...glorious contradictions." Promising much, its wide scope ranges from surrealist music and John Oswald's wildly creative "Plunderphonics" productions, to the word "jazz," the history of salsa, and conflicting views on intellectual property rights, cultural appropriation, and acknowledgment. In its pages Hakim Bey writes provocatively on utopian strains in Western classical music, while Tom Frank (editor of The Baffler) rails against "the culture of consumption." Andrew Goodwin and Joe Gore weigh contemporary arguments about "world beat" and imperialism, while Billy Bragg and other participants in a forum at Toronto's W.O.M.A.D. (World of Music Arts and Dance) speak on musical politics as eternal compromise in which social issues and debate are at least heard. In order to do more than "preach to the converted," however, a work this pithy demands better organization, and better marketing. The lack of an index is especially shameful, considering the book's potential for casual or serious research; readers wishing to refer back to material they have previously read will also be at a loss. An overall glossary would have helped readers define at a glance such potentially unfamiliar terms as "rapso," "merengue," and "rave." (As it is, Ivor Miller's interviews with Cuban singers Celina Gonzalez and Merceditas Valdes is the only indivi-dual piece which includes such a list of terms.) Finally, it is distressing to see Autonomedia's ill- advised "if we publish it, they will come" mode of thinking echoed by co-editor Ho who says of his own music, "If you want [it], you have to come find us....I've accepted the fact that my music may not be found in record stores, but that's fine." Peppered with original artwork and lyrics, Sounding off! is a unique compilation which will reward diligent and tireless readers. Created as part of the "do-it- your-self" tradition best articulated here in an interview with Maximumrocknroll editor Tim Yohannon, it will be of lasting interest to musicians and producers more than to music "fans." A mind-opening 77-minute companion CD includes performances by some of the book's contributors, along with Brother Resistance, Thomas Mapfumo, Negativland, and others profiled in the anthology. Co-editor Sakolsky is set to appear at St. Paul's Hungry Mind bookstore July 23. (P.O. Box 568, Brooklyn, NY 11211, 718-963-2603; $14, paper, 1-57027-058-9; companion CD, $10).
Working stiffs, union maids, reds, and riffraff: an organized guide to films about labor. By Tom Zaniello. Cornell University Press, 1996. An excellent handbook for film enthusiasts looking for something other than car chases and shoot 'em ups, Working stiffs presents an alphabetically arranged canon of nearly 150 titles. Not limited to Hollywood movies, the selection includes significant independent features, non-U.S. films and documentaries about working class life, class struggle, and political movements tied to the interests of organized labor. Short readable essays cover the plot of each film, as well as notes about its historical and cultural context, cast info, and helpful pairings with other titles. The latter provides a cross pollination sometimes missing from A-Z guides. Knowledgeable and thorough (though not pretending to be exhaustive), the book includes black-and-white stills, recommendations for further reading about each film, thematic index, and address lists of sources. (Sage House, 512 E. State St., Ithaca, NY 14850; $18.95, paper, 0-87546-353-3).
Art on my mind: visual politics. By bell hooks. New Press, 1995. 224p. At its worst obtuse and strangled by academic- speak (count the times hooks uses terms like "palimpsest," "class positionality," "biomythography," and "materially privileged"), the clearest essays in this collection are those straight from the heart about why art matters and why it is undervalued, especially by Black and working class people. Especially notable are pieces on photography in African American culture ("In our glory"), everyday aesthetics ("Beauty laid bare"), the creative process, Black vernacular architecture, and new models for arts education and funding. On the other hand, interviews with such artists as Carrie Mae Weems and Margo Humphreys are bogged down by hooks' tendency to pontificate and talk about herself rather than truly draw the other person out. (450 W. 41st St., New York, NY 10036, 212-629- 8811; $15, paper, 1-56584-263-4).
Some zines 2: alternative & underground artists' & eccentric magazines & micro-presses. By Tom Trusky. cold-drill Books, 1996. 39p. Chronicling an exhibit limited to "beautifully and/or uniquely designed and produced" zines and artists' books, this catalog features illustrations (some unlabeled), as well as sporadic publisher-provided information. The latter includes (or doesn't) foundation date, frequency, price, produc-tion details, artistic statements, and individual editors' own "zine recommendations." Handsome, but an unwieldy 8 1/2 x 14", this companion to the 1992 exhibition catalog, Some zines: American alternative & underground magazines, newsletters & APAs. seems destined more for rare books collections and art libraries than for practical inspiration and use. (Dept. of English, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, 208-385-1999, FAX: 208-385-4373; $19.95, spiral-bound, 0-916272-64- 8).
Lesbian parenting: living with pride and prejudice. Edited by Katherine Arnup. Gynergy Books, 1995. 418p. Almost every lesbian parent will find her story somewhere in this diverse collection of essays. It includes the experiences of lesbians who entered parenthood either through artificial insemination, adoption, or by accepting a parental role with a partner's previously acquired children. The various ways lesbian families define themselves, both within their own family and to the community at large, are explored, as are ways families have addressed the political context and social challenges faced at every stage of parenthood. Most of the legal discussion pertains to Canadian law, although some reference to American and other law is made. A comprehensive bibliography is included, along with a very selective list of resources for Lesbian parents. Although an attempt is made to provide economic, geographic, and racial diversity, the majority of the essays come from middle class Canadian lesbians. Gay male readers may be disappointed, as this work deals only with lesbian parents. (P.O. Box 2023, Charlottetown, P.E.I., Canada, C1A 7N7; $16.95, paper, 0-921881-33- 9). -Kim Edson
The ultimate guide to lesbian & gay film and video. Edited by Jenni Olson. Serpent's Tail, 1996. Extensively covering films of the past twenty years, this filmography is geared for researchers, specialists, and film festival organizers. Begun as a thesis project at the University of Minnesota's Women's Studies Department, its focus expanded when Olson served for several years as guest curator and then co-director of the San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. Indeed, most of the annotations, for films as brief as two minutes long, were taken directly from the festival's catalogs. While longer essays are included for "important films of the last two decades...not shown in the festival," the book's value is increased more importantly by the addition of critics' and filmmakers' top ten lists, a programmers' checklist, directory of international lesbigay film festivals, and a short history of the San Francisco event begun in 1977 as the Gay Film Festival. Also included are broad genre, subject, and director indexes, as well as a directory of distributors. (180 Varick St., 10th Floor, New York, NY 10014, 212-741-8500, FAX: 212-741-0424; United States distributor: Consortium; $25, paper, 1-85242-339-0).
Company woman (a novel). By Kathleen De Grave. See Sharp Press, 1995. 235p. Marred by numerous errors, stilted dialogue (e.g., co-workers addressing each other as "Mr." and "Mrs."), and characterizations which strain credulity, Company woman is still notable for addressing such neglected issues as social class, worker-management relations, and union-busting. With a truck-driving woman protagonist, this novel had great potential but fails to get beyond the driveway. (P.O. Box 1731, Tucson, AZ 85702-1731; $11.95, paper, 1-884365-04-3).
A born-again wife's first lesbian kiss, and other poems. By Mary Diane Hausman. Relief Press, 1995. 73p. Absent even a hint of pretension, many of the three dozen pieces in this collection are less poetry than prose arranged in stanzas, but a handful are worth reading over and over again. Best are the title poem, two erotic pieces ("Dining on rosebud" and "This silk neck place"), and the richly euphonious "Anthem" ("All our ancient mothers' voices/Rising slowly from the/Deep and quiet wood/Rising in glory/Rising in reclamation"). (P.O. Box 4033, South Hackensack, NJ 07606, 201-641-3003; $9.95, paper, 0-9646371-3- 8).
HUES ("Hear Us Emerging Sisters") is a glossy biannual magazine published by and for young multicultural feminists. With an attitude comparable to the old Sassy magazine, the 64-page Winter 1996 issue (v.1 #6) focuses on body image, and includes a "stupid body product review," a "body-loving resource guide" (with info about size-acceptance organizations and zines likeI'm So Fucking Beautiful), and ex amination of whether "Black women have better body image than white women," as well as "Hello, kitty: a hands-on guide to masturbation" and pansexual advice column "Ask the Love Doctress." Also: an interview with author Pearl Cleage, a profile of "Rap City" host Leslie Segar, an essay on "welfare without apology," a column on "coping with college culture shock," reviews of records (and Jennifer Camper's Rude girls and dangerous women), and an article about Asian-white dating. (P.O. Box 7778, Ann Arbor, MI 48107-9924, 313-971-0023, FAX: 313-971-0450; $14.99/4 issues; http://www.hues.net).
Active for Justice ("A voice for social justice and nonviolence") is a tabloid published monthly by the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission. The 8-page March 1996 issue (v.17 #3) includes an article about antiimmigrant backlash and coverage of the crackdown against a Pastors for Peace caravan intended to provide humanitarian aid to Cuba, while the April edition contains reports on prison labor and the exploitation of Haitian workers, material on Puerto Rican political prisoners in the U.S., and an article on nuclear testing. Book reviews and event information are regular features. (235 E. Fountain, Colorado Springs, CO 80903-1329, 719-632-6189; $15).
Pennsylvania Expose is the newsletter of the Pennsylvania Expose Project (PAX) jointly developed by the Fight the Right Communications Working Group and People for the American Way. The 2-page April 17, 1996 issue (#4) contains brief alerts on "affirmative action battles," as well as news from the Focus on the Family publication Teachers in Focus, while the May 1 edition (#5) covers same sex marriage and the "funding crisis in Pennsylvania schools." (P.O. Box 2084, Philadelphia, PA 19103-0084, 215-389-1400, maggie@critpath.org http://www.libertynet.org/~exposepa) .
Too Much ("A quarterly commentary on capping excessive income and wealth") is co-published by the nonprofit Council on International and Public Affairs and grassroots organizing initiative Share the Wealth. The 8-page Winter 1996 issue (v.1 #4) includes analysis of flat tax proposals, an editorial imagining a maximum annual income ($100,000 for an individual), an article on college student Jed Ela's "Tax the Rich" poster campaign, and a profile of millionaire investor Anne Scheiber, along with questions and answers about "some corporate CEOs who'll make you sick," a comic strip by Howard Saunders ("Wretched excess"), and resource listings. (Subscriptions: CIPA, 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, FAX: 800-613-2739; $15; ISSN: 1080-9260; Share the Wealth: 37 Temple Pl., 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02111, 617-423-2148, FAX: 617-695-129 5).
The Long Haul ("Speaking out about poverty") is published monthly by End Legislated Poverty (ELP), a coalition of British Columbia groups "that want governments to reduce and end poverty." The 12-page May 1996 tabloid (v.3 #2) contains news about protests and rallies, political parties' answers to a questionnaire about "poor-bashing", profiles of anti-poverty activists running for office, international reports (e.g., "New Zealand: workfare didn't work" ), and organizing briefs, as well as material on single mothers who attend college, and information about a march against poverty and other upcoming events. Union-printed. (#211, 456 W. Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1R3, Canada, 604-879-1209, FAX: 604-879-1229).
NPC Magazine is a new publication of the nonprofit National People's Campaign. The 32-page Winter 1995/96 premiere issue contains articles by Gloria La Riva and Lucius Walker on U.S. effort s to destabilize Cuba, a report on the 21st AFL-CIO convention, coverage of the Caravans for Justice (with material by a striking Caterpillar worker), excerpts of an interview with Mumia Abu-Jamal, and commentary on the criminal justice system ("The rich get richer, the poor go to jail"), as well as the text of a letter by Ramsey Clark calling for an end to sanctions against Iraq. Also: mail order resource listings, an interview with Pat Tucker (Emergency Women's Action Committee), information about Nati ve American resistance to copper mines and nuclear waste dumps, and an update on attacks against affirmative action. (39 W. 14th St., #206, New York, NY 10011, 212-633-6646).
Human Rights Network News is a publicatio n of the nonprofit Montana Human Rights Network. The 12-page March 1996 edition features an article on the Fully Informed Jury Association (FIJA), a profile of "Christian Reconstructionist" Joe Balyeat ("Church , state & the ayatollah"), and coverage of a court injunction forbidding the state of Montana from enforcing a law prohibiting homosexual activity, as well as a "cranky crackpot update," news briefs about "corporate race baiting" and Native American voting rights, and a statewide look at Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday events. Also: material on the Militia of Montana (MOM) and the Christian Coalition of Montana. Union-printed on recycled paper. (P.O. Box 1222, Helena, MT 59624, 406-442-5506; $25, $15 low income).
Living Large is an apa zine about body image, looksism, and fat acceptance. The May/June 1995 issue (#13) collates zines by Lorraine Kraskowski (Life in General), Karen S. Smith (Space), and Jewel Sanchez, among others , and contains an Internet call for submission for a book tentatively titled Looking queer, a reprinted column by Daniel Pinkwater (from the April 1995 issue of Omni), a resource list from the Council on Size and Weight Discrimination, and related clippings from newspapers, Utne Reader, and the newsletter of National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. Previous numbers have included Karen and Richard Stimson's Largesse newsletter (Food for Thought), discussion a bout pornography, an annotated bibliography, and reproductions of ads and comic strips. (Kathleen Madigan, P.O. Box 1006, Elgin, IL 60121, 708-697-4430, mswhim@aol.com).
The Health Advocate is the newsletter of the National Lesbian and Gay Health Association. The 8-page Spring 1995 initial issue includes a preview of the 17th National Lesbian and Gay Health Conference, information about the NLGHA library, an a rticle on HIV home testing, and a report on a national meeting about lesbian health issues, as well as event listings. (1407 S St. NW, Washington, DC 20009, 202-939-7880, FAX: 202-234-1467; associate membership, $35; student/senior, $15 ).
55407 ("It definitely ain't 90210!") is a new comic zine "from a dyke's perspective," about "living in a predominantly lesbian section of South Minneapolis. The outrageous 20-page premiere issue features a Hothead Paisan wannabe with an out of control hairstyle who goes on a rampage against "nasty little hoodlums," street corner preachers, and police. (P.O. Box 8823, Minneapolis, MN 55408-0823).
What She Wants ("Cleveland's feminist monthly") is a collective effort distributed free of charge in the Cleveland, Ohio, area. The 12-page May 1996 tabloid (v.22 #12) contains an article on preserving feminist bookstores (along with a sidebar profiling Cleveland's Gifts of Athena), a report on lesbian battering, and a review of Mabel Maney's latest Nancy Clue novel, as well as event listings, networking information, and guidelines for "interrupting racism." (P.O. Box 18465, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118, 216-281-1668; $10-$20 donation ).
Paramour is a women-edited quarterly magazine of pansexual "literary and artistic erotica." The 36-page Spring/Summer 1996 issue (v.3 #3) includes short fiction (e.g., "Sex in the pre-apocalypse"), poetry, black-and-white photography, and reviews of books (e.g., Noirotica: an anthology of erotic crime stories), videos, and audio tapes. More explicit than Yellow Silk, more refined than Future Sex, this handsomely produced journal is kin to two titles we haven't seen for a while, Frighten the Horses and Slippery When Wet. (P.O. Box 949, Cambridge, MA 02140-0008, paramour@xensei.com; http://www2.xensei.com/paramour/, $18, $24 in Canada).
Ersatz ("The magazine of cheap imitation") is an eclectic little perfectbound zine (6" x 4 3/8") with idiosyncratic views on such topics as mass transit, fashion, corporate logos, romance, and slang, all of which have rated theme issues. The April 1995 "Bad Coffee" edition (v.26 #5) documents and comments upon the Starbucks invasion of New York City, analyzes the broader picture (yuppie connoisseurship in general), and includes a tour of Hell's Pantry" (complete with map), while the following issue is devoted almost entirely to bumper sticker slogans, with ratings, sources, and graphic keys. (441 W. 37th St., 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10018, 212-736-222 2, ersatzzz@aol.com; $20/10, payable to S.S. Pratt).
Asbarez ("Official publication of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Western USA Central Committee") is a bilingu al tabloid published five times a week. The April 27, 1996 issue (v.88 #10,243) focuses on news and events surrounding the 81st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915, including a resolution passed by the Greek Parliament recognizing the genocide, a protest at the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles, rally at UCLA, memorial service in Southern California (with a speech by Pasadena mayor Bill Paparian fully transcribed), and remarks in the U.S. Congress, as well as an editorial about comments made by Armenian Prime Minister Hrant Bagratian ("Treason"), and a review of Ara Baliozian's Undiplomatic observations. (Salpy Mardirossian Armenian Center, 419 W. Colorado St., Glendale, CA 91204, 818-500- 0609, 76635.2505@compuserve.com; $84).
EarthSave is the newsletter of the nonprofit EarthSave Foundation. The 16-page Fall 1995 edition (v.6 #3) contains brief articles on E. coli poisoning ("hamburger disease"), livestock grazing on public land, the politics of school lunch programs, and corporate hog farming, as well as material on vegetarianism, BGH, and the McLibel trial. Also: statistics on food choice, food safety, federal subsidies, and health. Printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. (706 Frederick St., Santa Cruz, CA 95062-2205, 408- 423-4069; $35 membership).
Harvest is the newsletter of the nonprofit Compatible Technology, Inc. (CTI), an interfaith organization "combating poverty in developing countries through improved technologies and job creation." The 6-page April 1996 edition includes material on "treadle power" equipment and water saving devices, as well as updates on projects in Zaire, St. Lucia, and El Salvador. Also: news of CTI's move to Hamline University and a report on collaboration between a St. Paul machine shop and the University of Zimbabwe to help women entrepreneurs more efficiently produce peanut butter. (Hamline University, Mail Box 1672, 1536 Hewitt Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104-1284, 612-659-3183, FAX: 612- 659-184, ctimpls@aol.com).
NeWest Review is a bimonthly Canadian "journal of culture and current events on the Prairies." The 38-page December 1995 issue (v.21 #2) contains an article on theater in Sarajevo ("Art under the gun"), a travelogue by a Serbo-Croatian visiting Banff, a report on black bear poaching, and an essay on press intimidation (written in response to city officials who said "it's the media's job to give a positive view of Edmonton"), as well as short fiction, book reviews, and material on "fringe festivals" taking place in Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg. (Box 394, RPO University, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 4J8, 306-934-1444; $16.05, $23.54 institutional; ISSN: 0380-2917).
Intersections is the newsletter of S.A.S.E.: The Write Place, a new Twin Cities-based writers' organization. The 12-page Spring 1996 issue includes an article about Cayenne, "a cross cultural, inter-age group of women poets from New York City," along with capsule bios of Cayenne's five members and information about the troupe's mentorship program and May residency in the Twin Cities. Also: poems by students at Minneapolis's Patrick Henry High School and a calendar of workshops, classes, and readings. (P.O. Box 8374, Minneapolis, MN 55408, 612-649-4977).
Request is a notable monthly pop music magazine which has been published since 1989. Semi-glossy, with liquor and automobile ads (not to mention one for Musicland--arghh!), it is a less pretentious, slightly less sold-out and hipper version of Rolling Stone, with numerous Minnesota contributors on its masthead. The 74-page April 1995 issue features a cover story on "queen of hip-hop soul" Mary J. Blige, an article about A&R (artists and repertoire) representatives, and commentary on Eric Clapton's Grammy nomination for "Best Traditional Blues Album" (!), as well as eleven full-length reviews and columns on "modern rock," metal, rap, country, jazz, blues, R & B, independent label rock, "geezers", and world music. Also: "A beginner's guide to ambient music," a list of rock musician academics, brief interviews (with rapper Nine and singer/songwriter Lida Husik), a tour of the Cambridge (Massachusetts) music scene, letters from readers, and coverage of other media--videos, zines, CD-ROMs, etc. (7500 Excelsior Blvd., Minneapolis, MN 55426; $12; ISSN: 1045-0084).
Dance Music Authority (DMA) is a monthly magazine covering rap, disco, Eurobeat, and other popular dance music. The 80-page Oc tober 1995 issue (v.3 #10) includes interviews (Michelle Wilson, Shawn Christopher and MAX-A-MILLION's Duran Estevez), profiles (e.g., Coolio), and a special section on freestyle music (complete with directory of labels), as well as hits lists, letters from readers, and over a hundred reviews. Also: industry news, a column on acid jazz, a report on the London scene, and a list of new releases. (7943 Paxton Ave., Tinley Park, IL 60477, 708-614-8417, FAX: 708-429- 7830, dmadance@aol.com; $30, $36 in Canada).
Lick ("The alternative to the alternative") is a Minneapolis- based African American-edited music tabloid. The 20-page issue #13 (v.2 #3, 1996) contains profiles of the North Side Hustlaz Clic, Flipp, and Casino Royale, as well as commentary on "Acquired Post Jim Crow Complex" and "Negromania," an article about the Universal Parliment of Hip Hop, and record reviews. (P.O. Box 580367, Minneapolis, MN 554 58, 612-438-7099, lick@bitstream.net, http://www2.bitstream.net/~lick/ lick1.html).
The Onion is a satirical weekly with a circulat ion of 32,000. Published in Madison, Wisconsin, it is partly a take-off on USA Today, complete with front page weather map and Dow Jones info (don't miss the fine print). Each issue features deadpan news stories which range from inane to hilarious, depending on your mood or sense of humor (a recent favorite focused on a basketball team that blamed God for its loss), as well as spurious interviews with people on the street, illustrated "true-life tales" of childhood embarrassment, Charlie Breunig and Bill Feeny's "Decline & Fall Calendar of Significant Events," and Dan Savage's incomparable sexual advice column ("Savage Love"), as well as reviews and interviews. The 36-page March 20, 1996 issue (v.29 #10) contains part two of a series of prank calls to armed forces recruiters. (33 University Square, Suite 270, Madison, WI 53715, editorial: 608-256-5902, business: 608-256-1372, subscriptions outside Wisconsin: 1-800-695-4376; $30).
Keplok Alok, the quarterly newsletter of the nonprofit Gamelan Society of Minnesota, provides "information on gamelan music and Indonesian cultural activities in Minnesota and the upper Midwest." The 8-page April/June 1996 issue (v.1 #2) contains an article about the Boston Village Gamelan and a report on St. Cloud's gamelan, as well as an Indonesian language primer, information about Indonesian dance classes, and two dessert recipes. Future issues are supposed to contain book reviews, discography, and material about gamelan on the Internet. (Membership: Deb Sittko, 5865 S. Robert Trail, Sunfish Lake, MN 55077, 612-455-0730; $25; editorial: Nelson Whyatt, 1847 Princeton Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105).
Central American Reporter (MSRRT Newsletter, Oct 90) is now The Reporter on Latin America and the Caribbean. (1151 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138, 617-492-8699).
D.F.L. Green Caucus News (MSRRT Newsletter, Sep 95) has new contact info: 228 W. 27th St., Minneapolis, MN 55408.
El Salvador Vencera (MSRRT Newsletter, Oct 91) has new contact data: 610 W. 28th St., Minneapolis, MN 55408, 612-872-0944.
The Fire Fly (MSRRT Newsletter Jun 94, Aug 92) has a new address: RR 4,Box 227, Brookings, SD 57006.
Industrial Worker (MSRRT Newsletter, April 92) has new contact data since last we noted it: 103 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti, MI 48197, 313-483-3548, iww@igc.apc.org
Karma Lapel (MSRRT Newsletter, Sep 95) has moved: Box 441915,Somerville, MA 02144.
Love & Rage (MSRRT Newsletter, May 90) has new contact data: P.O. Box 853, New York, NY 10009, 718-834-9077.
Obscure Publications (MSRRT Newsletter, Oct 91) has moved: 1305 Grand Ave., #101, St. Paul, MN 55105.
Greenfield Review Press's Nor th American Native Authors Catalog of books and tapes by people of Native American ancestry includes "more than 600 titles from over 90 different publishers." (2 Middle Grove Rd., P.O. Box 308, Greenfield Center, NY 12833, 518-5 83-1440, 518-583-9741).
Blowfish is a distributor of sex-positive books, magazines, comics, videos, and "products to enhance your sex life." The annotated 64-page Fall/Winter 1995/96 catalog features questions and answers about the company, as well as staff recommendations. (2261 Market St., #284, San Francisco, CA 94114, 1-800-325-BLOW, 415-285-6064, FAX: 415-282- 1618, blowfish@blowfish.com http://www.blowfish.com).
Womyn's r.p.m. is a nonprofit "dedicated to the distribution solely of womyn's music." Artists represented include Katari Taiko ("Canada's first taiko drumming group"), Faith Nolan, and Jane Field ("whose satirical songs highlight...people's attitudes to disability and the lesbian and gay experience"). (P.O. Box 266, Station E, Toronto, Onta-rio, M6H 2X0, Canada, 416-963- 9946).
Gurze Books publishes and distributes books on eating disorders, body image, size acceptance, and related issues. Sample title: W. Charisse Goodman's The invisible woman: confronting weight prejudice in America. (P.O. Box 2238, Carlsbad, CA 92018, 619-434-7533).
Red Crane Books new and recent titles include Teresa Pijoan's Listen, a story comes/Escuche, viene un cuento (bilingual children's literature), Spirit ascendant: the art and life of Patrocino Barela, and Joseph Marshall's On behalf of the wolf and the First Peoples. (2008Rosina St., Suite B, Santa Fe, NM 87505, 505-988-7070, FAX: 505-989-7476).
The fat new Oye Latin music catalogue (#5), includes short bilingual articles about Latin jazz, axe' ("the new Brazilian beat"), nueva trova, and tropical music. (El Boom, P.O. Box 1355, Los Gatos, CA 95031, 408-866-4789, FAX: 408-379- 7190).
Recent titles from Poetry Harbor include Patrick Mckinnon's Out past the chain links of time, Warren Woessner's Clear to Chukchi: poems from Alaska, and Linda Wing's Lover's leap. (P.O. Box 103, Duluth, MN 55801).
In One EarProductions offers ( through its quarterly Bueno catalog) language instruction materials, with emphasis on Spanish, including word games and comic books, audio/video cassettes, IBM-compatible software, bilingual books, and titles like Mexican slang: a guide. (29481 Manzanita Dr., Campo, CA 91906-1128).
ArtePublico recent titles (1996) include Oscar "Zeta" Acosta: the uncollected works, a bilingual children's picture book by Daniel Lechon (The gift of the poinsettia/El regalo de la flor de nochebuena), and Roberto Hernandez's satirical Holy radishes. (University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-2090, 713-743-2841, FAX: 713-743-2847).
Curbstone Press recent titles include Leo Connellan's Provincetown and other poems, Sergio Ramirez's Hatful of tigers: reflections on art, culture and politics, and Jose Ignacio Lopez Vigil's Rebel radio: the story of El Salvador's Radio Venceremos. (321 Jackson St., Willimantic, CT 06226, 203-423-5110, FAX: 203-423-9242).
The GEM Publications "Ideas in Conflict" series includes such new
titles as
The militia movement and hate groups in America , Human rights
and the politics of terror, Welfare reform: the politics of wealth
and poverty, and The conservative agenda. (411
Mallalieu Dr., Hudson, WI 54106, 1-800-290-6128, FAX: 715-386-7113,
"Postfluxpostbooklets" is the term Belgian mail artist Luce
Fierens uses for the miniature
collage pamphlets he has created in collaboration with Ken Friedman, Guy
Bleus, Serge Segay, Rea Nikonova, and other international networkers. Issues
seen (#37-38) feature Jose Vandenbroucke and John Held, Jr. (Grote
Nieuwedijkstraat 411, B-2800 Mechelen, Belgium; $50 U .S. cash or
international postal money order for the entire series of 39).
Silver dollar. Poems by
Carol Ann Russell. West End Press, 1995. 57p. Nominated for a Minnesota
Book Award (Russell teaches at Bemidji State University). (P.O. Box 27334,
Albuquerque, NM 87125; $8.95, paper, 0-931122-81-3).
Versed of. By Pete Lee. Don't Press. Twenty-four poems from
such previous Don't Press chapbooks as Mnmlsm, Perfeption, and
Povetry. One in its entirety: "neuromom/neurodad/neurosis."
(721 S. Allen, Ridgecrest, CA 93555; $1, paper).
Facilitator's guide to participatory decision-makin g. By Sam
Kaner, with Lenny Lind, and others. Foreword by Michael
Doyle. New Society Publishers, 1996. 255p. "Published in cooperation with
Community at Work." (4527 Springfield Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19143,
215-382-6543, FAX: 215-222 -1993; $24.95, paper, 0-86571-347-2).
Roberts' rules of lesbian living. By Shelly
Roberts. Spinsters Ink, 1996. 173p. Pocket-sized book of aphorisms and
one-liners ("Parents should be reminded, gently and often, that 'I love you
anyway' is not a compliment"). (32 E. First St., Duluth, MN
55802-2002, 218-727-3222, FAX: 218-727-3119,
spinsters@aol.com; $5.95,
paper, 1-883523-09-5).
The black book. Edited
by Bill Brent. 4th ed. 1996. 187p. "Directory of sex-positive services
and organizations throughout the US and Canada," with Web sites, multiple
indexes, and improved access to periodicals by subject. (P.O. Box
3115 5, San Francisco, CA 94131-0155, 415-431-0171; $15, paper,
0-9637401-3-X).
I am my own woman: the outlaw life of
Germany's most distinguished transvestite. By Charlotte von
Mahlsdorf. Cleis Press, 1995. (P.O. Box 8 933, Pittsburgh, PA
15221, 412-937-1555, FAX: 412-937-1567; $12.95, paper, 1-57344-010-8).
Return to the
MSRRT Newsletter homepage