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 subscribe by making a donation ($15 suggested) payable to MLA/MSRRT. Editors: Chris Dodge and Jan DeSirey.
The third annual Firecracker Alternative Book awards have been presented, and so have this year's Lambda literary awards. Both were announced at the recent Book Expo America in Chicago. Next is the American Library Association conference in Washington, DC. How many children's librarians have ponied up the $78 advance registration to attend the Newbery/Caldecott/Wilder banquet there? An event like this can be beneficial, we admit. Besides highlighting worthy books, for example, the annual Coretta Scott King Award breakfast raises money for the Social Responsibilities Round Table. Once upon a time, though, there was another literary award. Initiated in 1972 by Kathy Weibel and other librarians, the Newcott-Caldebery Awards were intended as a constructive, informal counterpoint to ALA's "highly organized, publicized, and stylized" Newbery-Caldecott event. The originators wanted people to "get together outside the convention, have some fun, think about awards and who gets them, and celebrate books not previously honored." Accordingly, the annual awards were typically presented at a joyful, nonglamorous luncheon held in a community center some distance from the conference site, the proceeds going to such local groups and projects as Chicago's El Centro de la Causa, in 1972, Las Vegas' Youth-With-A-Purpose in 1973, and Brownsville's Ann W. Littlejohn Memorial Scholarship Fund in 1974. The chief award criterion was that kids like the material.
Are librarians willing to get dirt under their nails? For those whose travel budgets preclude award banquets and hotel dining, DC-based librarian Chuck Munson has created an ALA Disorientation Guide. It lists "cheap places that have vegetarian items on the menu," recommends area bookstores, provides public transportation tips, and notes events which will not be appearing in the official conference program (e.g., Anarchist Librarians Beer Night and a Saturday rally at the White House in support of Leonard Peltier).
Speaking of prisoners and libraries, some MSRRT members have been active lately in an important program designed to connect prisoners with their children through books and reading aloud. A number of staff members at Hennepin County Library are collaborating with the County's Adult Correction al Facility in a program called Read-to-Me. Over the course of four one-hour sessions, in a small class setting, participants learn about the variety of books available, why it is crucial to read aloud to young children, and how to use a library effectively. Each then gets to record themselves reading, after which tapes and copies of the books are sent to their designated children (who may be younger siblings, grandchildren, or even nieces and nephews). For at least one of us, conducting these sessions meant revisiting memories. Do other people have sisters who scared the bejeebers out of them with their dramatic readings of James Whitcomb Riley's "Little Orphan Annie"? Do others still own copies of their very first book? As always, teachers can learn from students. A grandfather whose reading ability was low did a beautiful job of "talking" a book, patiently pointing out details about its pictures, for example. Obviously an important aspect of reading aloud to children is simply the time spent together alone with them. For more info about Read-to-Me, contact Gretchen Wronka (612-694-8546, gwronka@sun.hennepin.lib.mn.us ).
MSRRT's Sandy Berman has been elected to ALA Council as a petition candidate, receiving 3904 votes, exactly 1200 more than the next leading candidate. Though he wasted no time in joining debate on Council's electronic discussion list, Berman notes, "I've been lately informed that newly-elected councilors will not be allowed to take part in listserv discussions until after the DC Conference. Until then, access is 'read only.' Doesn't it strike anyone as a little absurd that we newcomers are permitted to look but not talk in a medium operated by an organization dedicated to intellectual freedom? Since no actual 'business' is transacted on the listserv, why not allow and even encourage the widest possible participation?"
A message to ALA Councilor and Hennepin County Library director Charles Brown notes: "At midwinter, New Orleans, you volunteered to be a 'buddy' or mentor to a new councilor. If you are still interested, would you consider being a 'buddy' for the coming year to newly elected councilor, Mr. Sanford Berman? I assume you know Mr. Berman." We're not forecasting, but someone's already been talking up a Sandy-for-president campaign, and envisioning an inaugural banquet held at a soup kitchen, with benefits going to homeless people.
Is it something in the water? Another new infoshop is in the works in Minneapolis. Called the Insur-Recreation Center, it's located at 816 East 38th Street, just off Chicago Avenue. Started by ex-Bombshelter collective members and friends as a new gig space, a wider picture entails creation of "a radical infoshop and resource center for activists, punks, and the community." At this point there are no signs on the building which is located just off a busy intersection (and on a major bus route, the "5"). Fliers announce a "Vegan Cafe" to be held there each Wednesday evening at 7, as well as film screenings. Stay tuned for details.
According to the last quarterly report of the Metropolitan Library Service Agency, the Scott County (Minnesota) Library board has adopted a policy of allowing food and drink in all areas of the library except where equipment is located. Consensus opinion? "Staff loves it and so does the public."
The coordinator of an economic reform project approached us recently, seeking alternative and labor-oriented commentary on Social Security. While the Alternative Press Index was helpful in this case, search efforts would have been greatly aided by an index citing articles from union publications and labor relations journals. Such a labor index was proposed recently at a meeting of the Committee of Industrial Relations Librarians (CIRL) held in Minneapolis. The proposal, introduced by Chuck D'Adamo from the Alternative Press Center in Baltimore, outlined a budget for the indexing of 183 periodicals, from Against the Current to Working USA. As we see it, the newspapers and business periodicals most apt to be indexed currently are dominated by the views of CEOs and self-proclaimed investment experts. To a lesser degree, they represent the views of middle managers and corporate shareholders. A labor index would more fully represent workers' views and provide more extensive access to discussion of topics otherwise underrepresented, from union-busting and corporate welfare, to sweatshops, management fads, and workplace democracy. For more information about the proposal, contact D'Adamo c/o Alternative Press Center, P.O. Box 33109, Baltimore, MD 21218, 410-243-2471, FAX: 410-235-5325, altpress@igc.apc.org).
People's Culture editor Fred Whitehead is disturbed by media trends. "It's the old classic idea of overproduction, for the 'Info Age,'" he writes. "How can librarians, let alone citizens keep up with all of this? They fall back on making sure 'the public' is well served with comic books, popular videos, software, and the rest of it. I'm not against things that are new, but we have a true cult of the New in this country... [Regarding alternative publications] I think that a lot of what we do is try to keep each other's spirits up. In spite of the chaos, much strong and useful literature is coming out, mostly because of the desktop publishing revolution. But...we are like evanescent weeds, here and there, instead of great powerful trees." Disputing the "remarkable claim" that information is becoming more democratic, Whitehead says he sees the reverse. "Slick magazines abound, Wired and its clones, not to mention old stand-bys like The New Yorker." His diagnosis: "there truly is an information glut." Though libraries weed collections for a variety of reasons, Whitehead is concerned about what he sees as the careless selling and trashing of old books and newspapers. "I've started to develop a bunker mentality" he says, "saving and hoarding archives. I have 130+ cubic feet in storage, and many shelves and boxes filling my house. It costs me a lot for the storage, but I do it out of love for books and letters and the sheer defense of culture, against an age of barbarians on the move."
Our own concern is greater when it comes to librarians' ignorance (or perhaps worse, dismissal) of small, alternative, independent, and radical materials. We wish historical society librarians would pay more attention to newspapers put out by new immigrants and collect more diversely from "marginal" political people of all sorts: anarchists, libertarians, pro-hemp activists, anti-abortionists, zero population growth proponents, African American conservatives, and transsexuals, to name a few. We are also concerned about nonexistent or limited catalog access, by subject, for example, with thorough authority control for variant (including commonly misspelled) forms of authors' names. Little good does it do to "save" a rare book if one can neither find it by browsing stacks (because it was misclassified) nor by coming upon it via a catalog search. Sure, old magazines and papers contain great illustrations, notes Wisconsin Historical Society periodicals librarian Jim Danky, "but given the costs of deacidifying and encapsulating in mylar, the only real option at $25-30 per sheet, who can consider this, unless the Defense Department budget comes to libraries?"
Read Whitehead's call for a Working Group for Defense of Library Collections in "To Thy Own Shelves Be True" or contact him directly: whitehe@kumc.edu.
ARAB FILM DISTRIBUTION (focuses on "the Arab world in North America")
CENTER FOR DEMOCRATIC STUDIES (includes Promise Keepers Watch)
HATEWATCH ("Confronting and containing hate on the Internet")
HAWAII SOVEREIGNTY (1998 is the centennial of the illegal annexation of Hawaii)
INTUIT (Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art)
MARGINAL DISTRIBUTION (Canadian alternative press specialist)
NATIVE AMERICAN RIGHTS FUND (includes links to treaty collections and texts)
PAYWATCH (monitors excessive CEO pay)
RAW VISION ("International journal of intuitive and visionary art")
We'll call you if we need you: experiences of women working construction. By Susan Eisenberg. ILR Press, 1998. 216p. When Melinda Hernandez went to her first job site, the foreman there thought she was looking for her father. A bank guard in Boston imagined a toolbox-carrying woman to be a terrorist bomber rather than an apprentice electrician. Karen Pollak was paired with a laborer who took a sledgehammer and demolished her car. Based on interviews with thirty women carpenters, plumbers, electricians, painters, and ironworkers, as well as the author's own experience, this contemporary oral history dates from 1978. In that year the Department of Labor set hiring goals and timetables intended to increase the percentage of women in trades to 6.9% of the work force in three years. Instead the ratio grew to only about 2% in the early 80s and then leveled off. This book addresses, in a personal way, factors which have prevented equality. Organized "thematically, beginning with women's decisions to enter the industry," it covers apprenticeship, harassment, "exceptional men" (an unfortunately short chapter), "custom treatment" for women of color (i.e. racism), trust issues, and entrenched nepotism. There are dozens of gut-wrenching stories about assholes, men not simply unkind but violent, along with some accounts which offer rays of hope. If there is any consensus among these women, it is for enforced federal regulations. For now, twenty years later, the terminology still hasn't even changed. "I'm willing to journey," says Hernandez, "but I'm not a man." (Sage House, 512 E. State St., Ithaca, NY 14850, $25, cloth, 0-8014-3360-6).
Pioneering: poems from the construction site. By Susan Eisenberg. ILR Press, 1998. 61p. Women construction workers form a sisterhood based on the shared "mysteries of our trade," Susan Eisenberg writes, "recharging each other's determination/with stored-up capacitance for derision/shunning/loneliness." These concise poems nicely articulate what the experience entails, often in the context of working with male partners. Not an altogether pretty picture, it ranges from coping with harassment and overt threats (and disappointment when the "Shop Gentleman" lashes out with a defensive comment), to summoning a degree of hope. Work partners can create music "surpassing the depths of the solo instruments" when both are in tune. A master electrician, Eisenberg strings her poems like wire, little slack in their details. In one, maggots spill from an electrocuted rat, "pencil-thick and one-inch long." In others, small talk warns of a layoff, fingers go numb from working outdoors in January, and a revenge fantasy is entertained. Pioneering excellently continues the groundbreaking work of such poets as Sue Doro. (Sage House, 512 E. State St., Ithaca, NY 14850, $12.95, paper, 0-8014-8526-6).
Images of American radicalism. By Paul Buhle and Edmund B. Sullivan. Christopher Publishing, 1998. 462p. History hides, buried in archives and old people's memories. Unearthed, it makes us realize that many contemporary events reflect things which happened generations ago. A Tompkins Square Riot took place in 1874 and unemployed workers marched cross-country twenty years later. A biracial civil rights movement took to the streets in the 20s and 30's, while demonstrations were held as early as 1940 to integrate big league baseball. This significant book illuminates a fascinating hidden history. Heavily pictorial, it emphasizes rare photos, artwork, and graphic reproductions of posters, magazine covers, cartoons, and other ephemera. Its scope ranges from 17th century utopians and Native American resistance leaders, to 20th century Wobblies, socialists, communists, and anarchists. Thirty or so sidebars profile individuals from Tom Paine and Sojourner Truth, to E.P. Thompson, but the book's text primarily whets interest. Fortunately, suggestions for further reading appear at the end of each chapter, providing leads for learning more about red diaper babies, Progressive Dentist, and the Highlander School. While separate indexes provide adequate access to both graphics and text, these could have been more extensive. Also, captions are occasionally inadequate, naming an individual without picking the person out of a group. Those quibbles aside, this astounding resource is a useful companion to Encyclopedia of the American Left (Garland, 1990), which Buhle co-edited. Besides bringing interesting items to light from private and institutional collections, it importantly provides new life to lost or destroyed works, such as the P-9 mural in Austin, Minnesota. The volume grew from an exhibition, "Voices of the Left, 1870-1960," held at the University of Hartford's Museum of American Political Life in 1990-91. Co-author Sullivan is founding director and curator at the Museum. (24 Rockland St., Hanover, MA 02339, 617-826-7474, FAX: 617-826-5556; $60, cloth, 0-8158-0509-8).
Seizing the airwaves: a free radio handbook. Edited by Ron Sakolsky and Stephen Dunifer. AK Press, 1998. 211p. A growing movement of micropower radio do-it-yourselfers is aflame. Even Time Magazine has recognized its proliferation ("Radio Free America," April 20, p.4). Flouting FCC regulations requiring a metaphorical "golden soapbox" to start and run a station, programmers from New York to L. A. run 2- and 4-watt operations out of bedrooms and storefronts. A diverse lot, these advocacy journalists, political satirists, and hip-hop fans air the music they want to hear and report on topics that otherwise go uncovered, from squatters' struggles to union organizing. This interesting and useful collection of writings is at its best when it lets the microprogrammers themselves do the talking. Mbanna Kantako, for one, creator of a tiny but vibrant radio station in the projects of Springfield, Illinois, articulates resistance. Kantako and his family have been on the air since 1987 despite harassment, eviction, and even a shooting. Equally stalwart, Black Liberation Radio's Napoleon Williams urges that kids be taught to pick up a soldering gun, not an Uzi. Free Radio Berkeley founder Stephen Dunifer provides a detailed technical chapter emphasizing not only how to do it, but also responsible filtering practices to "help deprive the FCC of one of its main arguments," that micropower outfits interfere with other broadcasts. Other useful articles place "pirate" radio in context, describing the history and growing constraints of public and community radio in North America. Robert McChesney argues persuasively that National Public Radio represents niche programming at best, Charles Fairchild describes NPR's role in tightening already restrictive policies, and Jon Bekken exposes disturbing trends in community radio: stations moving toward satellite feeds, "professionalization," and reliance on grants. Dunifer's lawyer Louis Hiken presents analysis of the FCC's failed efforts to secure an injunction against Free Radio Berkeley, most recently thrown out of court last November. (Consensus has it here that the movement has gained publicity thanks to the FCC's failed efforts to suppress it.) Finally, there is interesting material about microradio efforts in Haiti and Chiapas. A cavil: the book is unindexed and could have used a more stringent editorial hand. It's riddled with annoying and sometimes confusing punctuation (e.g., missing question marks and commas) and misspellings (e.g., "Hmong" is rendered phonetically, "Mung"). This is a problem not limited to works issued by small presses. (Box 40682, San Francisco, CA 94140, 415-864-0892, $12.95, paper, 1-873176-99-6; http://www.akpress.org).
Liberating minds: the stories and professional lives of gay, lesbian, and bisexual librarians and their advocates. Edited by Norman Kester. McFarland, 1997. 256p. Conveying important messages about what it means to be a lesbigay library user, college student, and librarian, this cross-cultural anthology ought to be read widely. Since its contributors are primarily librarians, not writers, it reads unevenly. In part and in total, however, its effect is rewarding. Steven Riel discusses homophobia in David Reuben's Everything you always wanted to know about sex, countering this by mentioning how another book was bibliotherapeutic. Martha Stone talks about playing library as a child, the way other children played "house." Sandy Berman models expanded catalog access, providing a list of subject terms (e.g., BUTCH AND FEMME) as yet unrecognized by the Library of Congress. Ina Rimpau touches too scantily upon her work at the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States; more detail would have been welcome. Barbara Gomez importantly writes about how libraries continue to come up short of being representative and truly inclusive, while Robert Evans does the same exposing a case of homophobia in Sedalia, Missouri. One contributor, a closeted small town librarian in British Columbia, chooses to write anonymously. Some of the pieces seem a bit perfunctory and dry, but others are straight from the heart. Bonita Corliss writes about her first job, a prison librarian position for which she was fired on the pretext of being "a threat to the security of the institution." Deborah Ann Turner relates the difficulties inherent in claiming various identities (e.g., black, bisexual, woman, incest-survivor, southern); how does one present oneself? Anthony Adam provides useful Internet-related material, as does Ellen Greenblatt in an appendix listing related organizations and electronic discussion groups. Thumbs up to this book for its mentions of self-censorship (too rarely discussed by librarians), for its contemporary language (the editor uses "queer" and "lesbigay" alike), and for representing a variety of perspectives including a bookstore owner and librarians of color. Niggling alert: it's Joycelyn Elders (not "Jocelyn Elder"), MSRRT (not "MSSRT"), and Alison Bechdel (not "Alyson"). (Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640, 910-246-4460, FAX: 901-246-5018; $42.50, cloth, 0-7864-0363-2).
Woody, Cisco, and me: seamen three in the merchant marine. By Jim Longhi. University of Illinois Press, 1997. 277p. Woody Guthrie shipped out in 1943 carrying "a seabag over his shoulder, a guitar strapped to his back, a violin case, a mandolin case, a stack of at least ten books, and a portable typewriter, all tied together by a length of clothesline and somehow wrapped around him." Didn't he know he was headed to war and not a hootenanny? Ostensibly a "messmate" with fellow folksinger and anti-fascist Cisco Houston, Guthrie's role was one part food service, one part rebellion against authority, one part struggle against injustice, and five parts morale building. This page-turner by shipmate and pal Jim Longhi relates the terrors of traveling in U-boat-infested waters. Surviving rough seas and tough crew members (not to mention torpedo hits), seeing other ships in their convoy destroyed by enemy fire, this might have been thoroughly grim and claustrophobic. Instead it is leavened with hilarity. Take a shore-leave-extending ruse suggested by legendary maritime lawyer "Courtroom" Kelly, for example. Longhi describes the trio's attendance at a farcical 4-week cooking school program, and his own subsequent catastrophic attempts to fake his way along as a shipboard baker. Then there are such Guthrie-led stunts as the creation of his patent pending Ship Speeder Upper Aerodynamic Wind Machine. (A practical joke? Not to the men who bet on it.) Here are shipboard sing-alongs, unionism, and philosophical discussions (avowed atheist Houston versus Italian-American Catholic-raised Longhi). Here are crooked dice games and an ongoing poker tab with an ultimatum: "torpedo cancels all debts." During shore leave in Algeria, the friends bluff their way past MPs with phony Arabic; in Sicily they track down the mother of a friend. Making history come alive, this book may well spark enthusiasm for wanting to learn more about Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston, and World War II in the Atlantic. (1323 S. Oak St., Champaign, IL 61820; $24.95, cloth, 0-252-02276-9).
23 shades of black. By K.j.a. Wishnia. The Imaginary Press, 1997. 270p. Tough and smart, Ecuador-born Filomena Buscarsela is a New York City cop assigned to shitty drug stakeouts and four-to-midnight rape duty. She'd rather be hanging out in East Village punk bars, investigating an artist's suspicious death that has something to do with toxic chemicals. Entertaining throughout, this mystery is reminiscent of the Juzo Itami's "Taxing Woman" films. Its protagonist is more multifaceted, though. Sassy and vulnerable, Fil faces racist and sexist behavior not just on the streets but within the NYPD, and copes with a personal drug problem. Told from her point of view, the book's running commentary helps define a personality. "I can appreciate the soul music of any oppressed people," Fil says. "No matter what angle of the world it comes from, it's all got the heartbeat of truth in it." For those who want taut action, this book has plenty. As for ambiance, the precise settings could only be New York, from a Chinese deli whose employees are Latinos, to the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine. Marred only by several typos, the book was nominated for the Edgar Award for best first novel by an American author. Blessedly short on clichis and long on fresh metaphors, it is certain to have readers looking for the next title in the series. In the meantime, a Filomena Buscarsela novella and short story are featured in Wishnia's Flat rate and other tales of mystery and weirdness, also available from Imaginary Press. (Box 509, East Setauket, NY 11733, imaginary_press@iname.com; $7.95, paper, 0-9656814-1-6).
You're not alone: conversations with breast cancer survivors and those who love them (Audio cassette). Voice Arts, 1997. 2 cassettes. 125 minutes. (Voices of healing series.) In the United States, about one in eight women is at risk of developing breast cancer in her lifetime. The disease is the leading cause of death for women between the ages of 35 and 54. Putting aside risk factors and prevention, You're not alone speaks directly to women who have breast cancer, as well as to their partners, family, and friends. It offers the sort of confidential and candid advice only someone who has gone through the experience can relate. In their own voices, women talk about the trauma of diagnosis, encounters with physicians, decision-making options, what they experienced while going through treatment, and how they coped (and continue to cope) despite a roller coaster of emotions, from anger and fear to depression. Partners and children,too, provide insights about their feelings, as well as ways they have learned to be supportive. With excellent production values, evenly-modulated narration, and easy-to-follow conversational interviews, these tapes are highly recommended for all public libraries. (2203 Regent St., Madison, WI 53705, 608-238-1000, 1-800-261-1705; $14.95, 0-9660516-0-2).
Mumia Abu-Jamal/Man is the Bastard (Compact disc). Prison Radio Project/Alternative Tentacles, 1997. At the heart of this recording are five short, articulate, and incisive commentaries by Death Row prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal, the person National Public Radio does not want you to hear. These appear along with related statements by Assata Shakur, Allen Ginsberg, and Jello Biafra, but are followed abruptly by four incoherent "songs" by Man is the Bastard. At least Alternative Tentacles has thoughtfully provided transcriptions. (Box 419092, San Francisco, CA 94141, 415-864-0892, FAX: 415-864-0893; atradio@aol.com, $10.97, Virus 206CD).
Worth the price? (Video cassette). Plough Publishing, 1998. 14 minutes. This disturbing video profiles the effect of U.S. military attacks and subsequent economic sanctions on Iraqi children. Their schools destroyed and water supply contaminated, the children are starving, wounded, desperately ill. An estimated 4,500 die monthly of war-related diseases and injuries. Hospital shelves are devoid of medicine and basic supplies. Secretary of State, Madeline Albright says it was worth the price. What do you say? (RD 2, Box 446, Farmington, PA 15437, 1-800-521-8011; $10).
Full-frontal: male nudity video guide. Compiled and edited by Steve Stewart. Companion Press, 1998. 2nd ed. 127p. Fans of theatrical videos delivering what "The Full Monty" only promised--frontal male nudity--will find this book useful. Leonardo DiCaprio and Antonio Banderas buffs may consult it fruitfully. Arranged alphabetically by title, it contains brief scene descriptions, quotations (from actors and critics), and useful indexes, accessible by both name and "naked category" (e.g., auditions, erections, flashing, sex scenes, showers, strip searches). Gone from the first edition are photos and listings of "special interest/nudist videos." Included are a directory of mail order video sources and a bibliography of other book sources, for those interested not just in penises but also "male butts." (Box 2575, Laguna Hills, CA 92654, 714-362-9726, FAX: 714-362-4489, sstewart@companionpress.com; $12.95, paper, 1-889138-11-8).
Low-hanging fruit. By G.B. Mann. GrapeVinePress, 1997. 127p. These nine short stories "about same-gender like, love, and lust between Black men" smolder on the pages. Erotic and smart, they waste no words. Explicit sex, couched amid cultural references (e.g., Al Green and grits) and prose poetry: mission accomplished. (Box 56057, Los Angeles, CA 90056-0057, 213-737-1475; $18.95, cloth, 0-9655117-0-7).
Cargill: going global. By Wayne G. Broehl. University Press of New England, 1998. 419p. "An enormous amount of money to recycle" is the way Wayne G. Broehl, Professor Emeritus of the Science of Business Administration, Dartmouth College, depicts the challenge faced by Cargill--trader, transporter and processor of just about everything agricultural and the world's largest private company--as a result of the huge profits made in the years 1973-76 ($179-212 million) selling grain to the Soviet Union. Broehl does not really give much understanding of what Cargill actually did with the money, but then the purpose of the book--the second volume in a company-authorized and -financed history of itself, covering the years 1960-1977--appears to be the exoneration of the good name of Cargill and its owners, the Cargill and MacMillan families of Minnesota. Just as the district court in San Francisco recently "vindicated Cargill in a class action lawsuit alleging conspiracy with other companies to fix prices and allocate market share for citric acid", according to a company press release, the court of Wayne Broehl exonerates Cargill from any charges of questionable practices in grain trading in 1963-4, or again in 1971-75. They were just going about their business. These were two periods of extreme instability in global grain markets as a result of massive grain purchases by the Soviet Union that opened up a wide range of opportunities for windfall profits from grain storage, transportation and trading activities. I found Broehl's first volume (covering 1865-1960) surprisingly lacking in concrete details about Cargill, and the second volume also uncovers little while giving the impression of revealing a lot. This is accomplished by treating the company history episodically, providing excessive but selected particulars about certain sensitive periods, while providing no broad context or structural analysis of the company as a whole. The result suggests to the skeptical or cynical reader that Cargill has been involved in a lot of perhaps legal but nevertheless shady practices--and tax 'deferrals'--over the years. It has always been family policy to plow virtually all earnings back into the company. In 1997 that amounted to $814 million on sales of $56 billion. A lot of power, and influence over national and global trade and agricultural policy can be bought with that kind of money. (23 South Main St., Hanover, NH 03755-2048; $26, cloth, 0-87451-854-7). --Brewster Kneen [author of Invisible giant: Cargill and its transnational policies, Pluto, 1995]
Stay Free is a substantial and professional-looking zine with a critical eye toward "advertising, technology [and] pop culture." The 74-page issue #14 contains press clippings about marketing trends, a report card on "racial miscasting" in films, and material on product "repositioning" (using two "liquid meal" products as examples), as well as a conversation with Negativland's Mark Hosler and critic Leslie Savan, "a brief look at the anti-ad ad," and an interview with Stuart Ewen, author of PR! a social history of spin. Also: a review essay covering David Shenk's Data smog: surviving the information glut and articles on digital profiling, "one-to-one marketing," and Pantone's ColorTrends ("A color wheel for the '90s"). A less slick and more personal cousin to Adbusters, Stay Free promotes critical thinking. Selections from previous issues (e.g., "Not-so-public broadcasting") are available on the web. (P.O. Box 306, Prince St. Station, New York, NY 10012, stayfree@sunsite.unc.edu, http://sunsite.unc.edu/stayfree).
Mix ("The magazine of artist-run culture") is a Canadian visual arts quarterly. The 64-page Spring 1998 issue (v.23 #4) contains an interesting report on an Ottawa event in which two people spent a week in a wire cage ("WIRE"), an interview with members of the Ganbari Girls project of the National Association of Japanese Canadians Art Committee, and a portfolio of recent and forthcoming exhibitions (including "Selfish Slaves of Zines and Animation" at A Space in Toronto), as well as a personal essay by novelist Marwan Hassan which relates three stories in an attempt to illuminate the "predicament" of copyright law and intellectual property. Also: an index to the magazine's past three volumes and listings of Canadian "artist-run centres, project-based collectives, and artist-service organizations." Some articles appear side-by-side in both French and English versions. (401 Richmond St. W., Suite 446, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5V 3A8, 416-506-1012, FAX: 416-340-8458, mix@web.net; $25, $35 institutional; Canada: $20, $30 institutional; http://www.mix.web.net/mix).
Anti-Airport Alert (formerly RURAL '98 Newsletter) is a zine featuring information about the fight against a third Chicago-area airport, particularly a plan which would locate one just south of Chicago in Peotone. The 32-page issue #2 features news clippings from regional papers (which indicate a surprising alliance of citizens and airline officials versus politicians), as well as suggestions for who to contact and how to express political views competently. The first issue includes "Population health hazards of airport noise and air pollution: a case against the proposed south suburban airport." (Anthony Rayson, 27009 S. Egyptian Trail, Monee, IL 60449).
Inquiring Mind is a semi-annual publication of the Vipassana meditation community. Now an independent nonprofit endeavor, it existed for its first fourteen years under the umbrella of the Dharma Foundation. The 48-page Spring 1998 journal (v.14 #2) includes interviews with Thich Nhat Hanh (titled "Peace becomes possible"), former Burmese political prisoner U Tin U, and the Dalai Lama (the latter conducted by Jerry Brown and Orville Schell), as well as Ronna Kabatznick's "The Zen of eating" (about forming an organization called "Dieters Feed the Hungry") and a personal essay which incorporates material about the International Bird Rescue Research Center. Also: reviews (e.g., Being bodies: Buddhist women on the paradox of enlightenment), a worldwide schedule of retreats, a directory of North American sitting groups, and "Does the Buddha have breasts?" Previous issues have focused on such topics as parenting, Buddhist ethics, and storytelling. Vipissana means "to see things as they really are." (P.O. Box 9999, Berkeley, CA 94709; donation).
The Mindfulness Bell ("Journal of the International Order of Interbeing") is published three times yearly by the nonprofit Community of Mindful Living. "Intended to be an inspiration and practical support for anyone who finds the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh [a.k.a. "Thây"] helpful," it has covered such topics as health, relationships, nonviolence, and workplace mindfulness. The 48-page April 1998 issue (#21) focuses on "training and mentoring," and includes the transcript of a talk by Thây, short personal writings related to mindfulness (e.g., one about a nature walk with a child), news about community support in Vietnam, and reports from retreats. Also: retreat schedules and a directory of sanghas. (P.O. Box 7355, Berkeley, CA 94707, 510-527-3751, FAX: 510-525-7129, parapress@aol.com; $18, $12 for "simple living/student/elder"; http://www.parallax.org).
Car Busters is a new quarterly magazine launched last fall at the "Towards Car-Free Cities" conference in Lyon, France. International in scope, its articles are primarily in English, but most are accompanied by summaries in French, German, Spanish, Russian, and Esperanto. The 32-page initial issue contains international news briefs on topics ranging from a Polish protest against highway subsidies to a proposal to "pedestrianize the street adjacent to Buckingham Palace...known as 'The Mall,' as well as a pro and con look at "park and ride" programs, commentary on "the sexualization of cars," and advice on how to organize a street party. Also: related action alerts, contact information, book reviews, and event info. (4 Rue Bodin, 69001 Lyon, France, carbusters@wanadoo.fr; $14, $16 in Canada, via international postal money order; add 15% if paying by check).
Guide to Lost Wonder is a zine devoted to a "search for all things lost." The 12-page issue #3 ("The darker side of museums") contains a history of the "not so splendid" ways in which collectors, clerics, politicians and curators have operated, from Ptolemy to the Smithsonian. Some keywords here are plunder, hoarding, subjugation, obsession, and authority. "Museums in a democracy" argues that P.T. Barnum "put the public in control of their own reasoning machinery." A centerfold "do-it-yourself" museum is provided--to copy, cut, fold, and construct, along with a "catalogue entry card" intended to invest personal meaning to trinkets. Bibliographic citations on the history of museums appear "for prestige purposes only." The first two issues examined metaphysics and epistomology. (Jeff Hoke, 570 Foam St., Monterey, CA 93940, muses@mbay.net; $2/issue).
Survival News is a project of ARMS (Advocacy for Resources for Modern Survival), a welfare rights institute at the University of Massachusetts. The 28-page Winter 1998 (v.12 #1) tabloid contains material on a campaign to fight time limits for welfare users, the text of a speech by a university student who is a single mother, a profile of community activist Joan Miller, and reports from a class titled "Reclaiming Rights," as well as extensive survival tips on everything from food stamps to child care subsidies. The Spring 1998 "special labor/welfare issue" (v.12 #2) shines light on "divide and conquer tactics" which pit low income people against one another, with articles on organizing "non-wage workers" and how unions can work in solidarity with them for "fair work, not workfare." Each issue contains two or three pages in Spanish. (Dottie Stevens, 95 Standard St., Mattapan, MA 02126, 617-298-7311, masswelf@aol.com; $10, $25 institutional; free to low-income people).
Independent Politics News is a tabloid publication of the Independent Progressive Politics Network. An alliance of organizations and individuals, the IPPN is working toward "an alternative to the corporate-controlled Democratic/Republican system," possibly through an alliance of existing third parties (e.g., Socialist, Greens, New Party, Labor Party). The 20-page Summer 1997 issue (#2) contains reports from the National Independent Politics Summit held last May in Decatur, with transcripts of talks by Staley workers and other union activists, Rob Richie (director of the Center for Voting and Democracy), and many others, along with coverage of workshops on topics ranging from "building multiracial unity" to labor law reform. Reporters include Don Fitz and Kwazi Nkrumah. The 12-page Fall 1997 issue covers regional organizing, and includes an essay by IPPN Steering Committee member Philip Tajitsu Nash which compares Pacific Americans to South Africa's "colored" class and challenges them to get involved in third party reform. (P.O. Box 170610, Brooklyn, NY 11217, 718-624-7807, FAX: 708-643-8265, indpol@igc.apc.org; $10; http://www.ippn.org).
From the Flames ("Radical feminism with spirit") is published two or three times yearly as a "women-only space... to exchange ideas, news and opinions." UK-based, its contributors include women from the United States. The 42-page Winter '97/98 issue (#20) contains commentary on anger, an essay on "feminist eco-paganism and veganism," letters regarding the death of Princess Diana, and a report on the International Conference on Violence, Abuse & Women's Citizenship, as well as news briefs, book reviews and poetry. There are also action-oriented items, such as a call to support Stacey Lannert, a woman prisoner in Illinois. Importantly, it is full of contact data for feminist publications and organizations worldwide. Back issues have covered such topics as sexuality, post-natal depression, anti-feminism among pagans, child sexual abuse by women, lesbian parenting, transgenderism, and "goddess politics." (42 Mapperley Rd., Nottingham, NG3 5AS, UK, flames@codadata.demon.co.uk; subscriptions on sliding scale).
KaWOMENan is the bimonthly newsletter of GABRIELA Network, "a US-based women's solidarity organization with GABRIELA Philippines." It covers both "struggles confronting Filipino women" and "relations between Filipina-Americans and the larger US society." The 8-page November/December 1997 edition includes information about a film series focusing on Filipina domestic workers, a call to regulate the "mail-order bride industry," and an action alert regarding proposed "partial diplomatic immunity" for U.S. military personnel on duty in the Philippines." Also: reports on protests and rallies in the Philippines for self-determination and higher wages, and against the Mining Act of 1995. (P.O. Box 403, Times Square Station, New York, NY 10036, 212-592-3507, bardoza@mail.idt.net).
Achilles Heel ("The radical men's magazine") is collectively produced on a biannual basis. The 44-page Summer/Autumn 1997 edition (#22) focuses on men and power, with essays on the split between "expressing power and experiencing being powerful" and how men can learn to be 'on patrol' rather than 'in control.'" It also contains a profile of the London Men's Centre, an article on anti-sexist work with boys, and suggestions for men wishing to enter feminist circles, as well as pertinent web site listings and book reviews. Back issues have covered such topics as fatherhood, health, men's anger and fear, racism in sports, and men-women relations. (4 Wesark, Whitechurch Rd., Horrabridge, Devon, PL20 7TY, England, nimrodd@msn.com, http://www.stejonda.demon.co.uk/achilles; ISSN: 0141-2752).
La Bandera is a bilingual Denver-based publication intended "to serve the Chicano community...unlike the Hispanic rags and the mass media who owe their souls to advertising monies." The Winter 1998 issue contains a report on repression in Chiapas, coverage of a Columbus Day protest and counterprotest in Pueblo, commentary on "Hispanic" sell-out to Coors, and material on the English Only movement. (P.O. Box 8901, Denver, CO 80201).
Chronicle of Community is published three times yearly by the nonprofit Northern Lights Institute. Its intent: to explore "emerging and changing ideas of community in the western United States." The 55-page Winter 1998 issue (v.2 #2) includes an article on reintroduction of grizzlies in the Bitterroot Mountains and point/counterpoint essays about the "perils of devolved collaboration" ("Of Californicators, quislings and crazies") and "finding a political niche for collaborative conservation" ("Of imposters, optimists, and kings"). Also: a profile of conservation easements in Colorado's Yampa Valley, an alliance of ranchers and enviromentalists against the threat of developers. (P.O. Box 8291, Missoula, MT 59807, 406-721-7415; $24, $33 insititutional; http://www.BatesInfo.com/chro nicle.html).
The Food Activist is quarterly publication of Consumers United for Food Safety (CUFFS). Did you ever wonder about fruit flies? They are not generated spontaneously, but rather hatch from maggot-laden fruit. According to the 4-page November 1997 issue of this newsletter, irradiation doesn't prevent insects from developing and laying eggs, but a "High Temperature Forced Air" alternative treatment has been used successfully. Did you know that new FDA legislation reduces the size of labels for irradiated foods to "no larger than ingredients"? That info is also here, along with a related action alert focusing on meat safety and an item about control of toxic E. coli in meat. Bring on the organic tofu, thank you. (P.O. Box 22928, Seattle, WA 98122, 425-747-2659).
No More Hiroshimas! is the English-language bulletin of Gensuikyo, the Japan Council Against A & H Bombs. The 14-page December 1997 issue (v.40 #2) includes coverage of a court decision ordering the Japanese government to recognize Hideko Matsuya's disability as "A-bomb disease," a report on the 1997 Japan Peace Conference for the Abrogation of Japan-US Military Alliance and Removal of Foreign Military Bases, and criticism of so-called "new guidelines" for Japan-U.S. defense cooperation. (6-19-23 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0004, Japan, antiatom@twics.com, http://www.twics.com/~antiatom; ISSN: 0029-0823).
Sugar Needle is a kicky new zine focusing on candy: sweet memories, new products, packaging, and even confectionery history. It has visual appeal too, with hand colored photocopying and a folded standard (4.25 x 11") format. The first issue contains a librarian's report on how licorice is made, while #2 examines candies from the UK ("Sherbet Fountain" contains a licorice whip intended to dip into "sherbet" flavored powder), comments on stupid rebate offers, and relates a tale from the editor's childhood when her parents served Phlox's little sister a special "all-candy dinner." From this event "the traumatic effects still linger," she writes. (1174 Briarcliff, #2, Atlanta, GA 30306, phlox@mindspring.com).
Dateline Unknown is a road zine put together by a middle-aged, van-driving father of two. Intended for quarterly publication, it documents architectural photographer Rick Waldroup's highway travels, but is best when it tells the stories of people he meets along the way in their own words. In the 36-page Spring 1998 issue (#2), that includes Ruby, an abortion clinic defender in Albany, Georgia (an older woman wearing "stretch capri pants and a flowered print blouse") and Amy, a young Black mime whose father's goal was for all his children to become doctors. The first issue featured a Korean War vet reminiscing about his hellish combat experiences. There are flashbacks to earlier times in Waldroup's own life (e.g., covering a 1979 KKK rally in Dallas), but as a personal zine this falls short. Endless route details ("I took I-10 east and then took the ramp north on I-17"), searches for the nearest Motel 6, and trivia ("I woke up at 10:00...I had a hot shower") are not nearly as interesting as the oral history. (Box 3265, Arlington, TX 76007; $10/4).
Flyer Times is the newsletter of the Small Publishers Co-op. The 16-page March/April 1998 issue (v.3 #1) includes contact data, ordering info, and thumbnail cover illustrations for about 65 member zines and comics, from Black Lavender ("a midwestern magazine for lesbians of color") to Pez Collector's News. Also: printing rates and deadlines. (2579 Clematis St., Sarasota, FL 34239, 941-922-0844, spcoop@nflnet.com; http://www.spco-op.com).
Room 101 ("A zine of anarchist politics and culture") is Geoffrey McNamara's vision of a better world, a blend of anti-authoritarianism, nonviolent direct action, and punk rock. The issue seen (#5) includes notes from the editor's cross country road trip with his family (he visited Crescent Wrench Infoshop in New Orleans), a piece reprinted from No Compromise which could turn the staunchest cheese-eater into a vegan ("What's wrong with milk?"), and commentary on the latest Iraq crisis, as well as radical quotations and contact addresses. Also: a paean to punk band Crass (complete with discography), an "anarchopunk view of the new Black Panthers," and reviews of zines, recordings, books, and films. (P.O. Box 11136, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110; $1).
The Nude & Natural Newsletter, published monthly by the Naturist Action Committee, Naturist Education Foundation, and the Naturist Society, is a watchdog service for those concerned about government restrictions on getting naked. Each 4-page issue contains news and commentary on indecency laws, nudity bans, and related court cases. The March 1998 edition contains material on the Alabama indictment of Barnes & Noble for selling "child pornography" (e.g., books by Jock Sturges, photographer of nudist families) and proposed legislation (HB 739) that would allow local obscenity standards. (P.O. Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54902, 920-426-5009; $20 donation; ISSN: 1075-735X).
Nova Express is a science fiction review zine which includes small presses in its scope. Cleanly produced and text-heavy, the 45-page Winter/Spring 1998 issue includes an interview with novelist Stephen Baxter, a symposium on "postcyberpunk," review essays covering short story collections and two reference titles, and about twenty substantial reviews. Contact data is provided for small presses. (P.O. Box 27231, Austin, TX 78755-2231, lawrence@bga.com; $12/4; http://www.delphi.com/sflit/n ovaexpress).
Asian Americans United, publishers of a newsletter with the same name (formerly known as Asian American Justice Watch; MSRRT Newsletter, Aug 93), has new contact data: 801 Arch St., Philadelphia, PA 19107, 215-925-1538, FAX: 215-925-1539; http://www.libertynet.org/~asianau
Chew Magazine (MSRRT Newsletter, Sep/Oct 97) has new contact data: P.O. Box 2042, Madison, WI 53701, 608-245-1808.
CultureWatch (MSRRT Newsletter, Aug 93) and DataCenter have new contact info: 1904 Franklin St., Suite 900, Oakland, CA 94612-2912, http://www.igc.org/culturewatch
Hermenaut (MSRRT Newsletter, March 1995) has new contact data since last we noted it: P.O. Box 731, Williamstown, MA 01267, 413-458-2876, josh@hermenaut.com
Toward Freedom (MSRRT Newsletter, Apr 91) has new contact data: 150 Cherry St., #3, Burlington, VT 05401, 802-658-2523, FAX: 802-658-3738, TFmag@aol.com, http://www.towardfreedom.com
Third Woman Press specializes in works by Latina authors such as Sandra Cisneros and Marjorie Agosin. Recent titles include Living Chicana theory and Mascaras; both are critical anthologies from the publisher's "Series in Chicana/Latina Studies." (P.O. Box 11187 Berkeley, CA 94712-2187, 510-525-7935, FAX: 510-525-8236).
Fernwood Publishing new titles include Jenny Kelly's Under the gaze: learning to be Black in a white society and Parnesh Sharma's Aboriginal fishing rights: laws, courts, politics. (Box 9409, Station A, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3K 5S3, 902-422-3302, FAX: 902-422-3179, fernwood@istar.ca).
PowerHouse Books specializes in photography and artists' books. New titles include Steve Lehman's The Tibetans: a people's struggle to survive and Joseph Rodriguez' East Side stories: gang life in East LA. (180 Varick St., Suite 1302, New York, NY 10014-4606, 212-604-9074, FAX: 212-366-5247, http://www.powerHouseBooks.com).
The Women's Press in London (not to be confused with the one based in Toronto) issues fiction by women authors, as well as such recent titles as A Stranger at my table: women write about mothering adolescents and Women & alcohol: a private pleasure or a public problem? (34 Great Sutton St., London EC1V 0DX, England).
South End Press forthcoming titles include Aurora Levins Morales' Medicine stories: history, culture, and the poltics of integrity and Elizabeth Martinez' De colores means all of us: Latina views for a multi-colored century. New address: 7 Brookline St., #1, Cambridge, MA 02139, 617-547-4002, FAX: 617-547-1333, southend@igc.org, http://www.lbbs/org/sep/sep.htm
Essential Media distributes zines and other "alternative print, video and sound." (P.O. Box 661245, Los Angeles, CA 90066, 310-574-1554, FAX: 310-574-3060, http://www.essentialmedia.com).
Shenandoah Film Productions is an Indian-owned distributor of videos made by Native American filmmakers across North America. A 40-page 1998/98 catalog lists and provides details about videos related to Indian arts, education, history, and health. (538 G St., Arcata, CA 95521, 707-822-1030, FAX: 707-822-5334).
Seven Stories Press new and forthcoming titles include Gary Webb's Dark alliance: the CIA, the contras, and the crack cocaine explosion and Octavia Butler's Parable of the talents. New contact data: 140 Watts St., New York, NY 10013, 212-226-8760, FAX: 212-226-1411, info@sevenstories.com, http://www.sevenstories.com
Island Press recent titles include Joan Nassauer's Placing nature: culture & landscape ecology, Leslie J. Sauer's Once & future forest: a guide to forest restoration strategies, David Barash's Making sense of sex: how genes & gender influence our relationships. (1718 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20009, 212-232-7933, FAX: 202-234-1328, ipress@igc.apc.org, http://www.islandpress.com).
The National Council of La Raza publications catalog lists handbooks, factsheets, policy papers, statistical analyses, on Latino civil rights and social conditions. (1111 19th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036, 202-785-1670).
YYZBOOKS recent titles include By the skin of their tongues: artist video scripts and Jeanne Randolph's Symbolization and its discontents. (401 Richmond St. W., Suite 140, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3A8, Canada).
Recent titles from Firebrand Books: Riki Anne Wilchins' Read my lips: sexual subversion and the end of gender and Cherríe Moraga's Waiting in the wings: portrait of a queer motherhood. (141 The Commons, Ithaca, NY 14850, 607-272-0000).
The 1998 North American Native Authors Catalog features "more than 800" books, periodicals, and cassettes from "over 90...publishers." Includes indexes "by tribe, by author & by title." (Greenfield Review Press, 2 Middle Grove Rd., Greenfield Center, NY 12833, 518-583-1440, FAX: 518-583-9741, http://nativeauthors.com).
Haworth Press new titles include Defective bosses: working for the "dysfunctional dozen," Breasts: a woman's perspective on an American obsession, and Queer kids: the challenges & promise for lesbian, gay, & bisexual youth. (10 Alice St., Binghamton, NY 13904, 1-800-HAWORTH, http://www.haworth.com).
A little matter of genocide: Holocaust and denial in the Americas, 1492 to the present. By Ward Churchill. City Lights Books, 1997. 531p. (261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco, CA 94133, 415-362-1901, FAX: 415-362-4921; $19.95, paper, 0-87286-323-9).
Bad girls: the media, sex and feminism in the '90s. By Catharine Lumby. Paul & Co., 1997. 192p. First published in Australia by Allen & Unwin. (P.O. Box 442, Concord, MA 01742, 508-369-3049, FAX: 508-369-2385; $16.95, paper, 1-86448-076-9).
Shaking off the dark. By Tino Villanueva. New edition. Bilingual Press, 1998. 101p. Clásicos Chicanos/Chicano Classics, #11. Includes a section of haiku and tanka not in the original edition (Arte Público, 1984), as well as a new bibliography and afterword. (Hispanic Research Center, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 872702, Tempe, AZ 85281, 602-965-3867, FAX: 602-965-8309; $9, paper, 0-927534-73-8).
Revolution, she wrote. By Clara Fraser. Introduction by Joanna Russ. Red Letter Press, 1998. 399p. Columns and speeches by "the founding mother of socialist feminism." Includes "The love that dare not speak its name in the Army." (409 Maynard Ave. S.,# 201, Seattle, WA 98104, 206-682-0990, redletterpress@juno.com; $17.95, paper, 0-932323-04-9).
Mothering teens: understanding the adolescent years. Edited by Miriam Kaufman. gynergy books, 1997. 319p. Includes material on gender roles, racism, class issues, physical disabilities, and parenting lesbian and gay teenagers. (Box 2023, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, C1A 7N7, 902-566-5750, FAX: 902-566-4473, gb@gynergy.com; $16.95, paper, 0-921881-46-0).
The Mamie papers: letters from an ex-prostitute. By Mamie Pinzer. Ruth Rosen, historical editor. Sue Edmiston, textual editor. Feminist Press, 1997. 463p. First published in 1977, these letters were written 1910-1922. This edition includes new afterwords. (311 E. 94th St., New York, NY 10128, 212-360-5790, FAX: 212-348-1241; $19.95, paper, 1-55861-143-6).
Return to the MSRRT Newsletter homepage