Landing

“Landing, a poem by a Vancouver poet Angela Caravan, is a frank and lyrical meditation on the moon landing and what it means – to the moon, to the feet that touched it, and those stuck here on earth.“ This was the synopsis which caught my eye and made me decide I needed a copy of this in my life. Needed.

It is a mini zine featuring the poem in a cut and paste design over top of a beautiful moon watercolour painting that was done by Post Ghost Press. There’s not a whole lot I can say without spoiling the experience of reading this poem for yourself. It is a beautiful poem that inspires deeper thought. It’s all the good stuff you want in a poem, and it’s assembled so wonderfully as a zine. This zine is printed in a limited run of 50, so get it before it’s too late!

To get a copy of this zine check out their Etsy shop. 

If you are interested in subscribing and having them mail you new zines they make as they make them or postcards written to you, then check out their Patreon page.

For more information about Post Ghost Press check out their website.

Null Point - Happy

I discovered Graham on Reddit. He was one of the first zinesters I was ever brave enough to ask to trade zines with. He was super awesome at making it not seem like a big deal to ask to trade [which it isn’t, but I felt that way at the time and still do sometimes if it’s an Etsy account that has hundreds of sales or an Instagram page with thousands of followers. Eeep!]. He was part of my introduction to the zine community, and he definitely left a positive impression. Made me really feel like a part of the community. So thank you dearly for that!

Null Point is a zine series created and assembled by Graham. It’s a zine about expressing yourself anonymously. He prints it and mails it out for free, however, if you would like to support the zine he has previous issues available on Etsy for the cost of production and shipping. No profit.

Each issue, which comes out bi-monthly, has a theme. The theme for the issue I received was “Happy.” It is a 24 page black and white zine with drawings, stories, poetry, mini-comics and photos. A lot of what is in this zine is a sincere account of what people think of when they think of the word “happy” in today’s society. There are a few entries that I loved so much and related to. The feeling like we were told that we have to be happy, but no one really knows what it is. It’s poignant.

It is an amazing collection of work from an amazing anonymous group of people. I think the fact that it is anonymous adds to how open and raw people will allow themselves to be. It can be very difficult to express yourself and put it out into the world, so I am very happy [no pun intended] that this project exists. Although, as it states in the Null Point Manifesto, “This is not about you, this is about your idea.” 

If you are interested in getting a copy then check out the Null Point Instagram page. And if you want to help support the project then check out the Etsy page or BigCartel page.

If you are interested in supporting the project by submitting some art then check out the official website. http://nullpoint.org/

Pocket Thoughts

In my first batch of zines from fellow Canadian zinester Ryan I received Silly Stanzas, Pocket Thoughts 1 & Pocket Thoughts 2. A lot of my review will be what I also said in my review on his Etsy shop, mainly because it’s still an accurate summary of my thoughts. I ended up finding Ryan on Etsy and had his zines waiting in my cart until I had money. As I was waiting I saw a video from fiveoclockzine on Instagram. He said Pocket Thoughts was humorous and entertaining and just thinking about the zine brought a smile and a chuckle to him, so I knew I had to have it.

Silly Stanzas

This is a great collection of poetry and art. You really get to see a unique voice given to common topics such as Full House, Super Mario Bros, and clouds. I believe my favourite poem was “Girls Will Be Girls,” such a different take on the thought. And as it turns out some of the poems featured in this zine are actually songs he made. Click here to listen to Girls Will Be Girls on Youtube. [It’s too late Ryan. You already told me about the song. You can never take it back!]

Side note: I have very poor and rusty French, in fact, I never really knew French despite having been forced to take it in school for years… But I am fairly certain it says, “I am a great bicycle yes yes, no no” in French. And that made my day.

Pocket Thoughts 1

What a great assortment of random thoughts. This definitely had me laughing out loud at some points, and a moment later it had me questioning if I am using soap to it’s fullest potential (and other deep thoughts). He has such a unique sense of humour. Loved reading this!

Pocket Thoughts 2

Not only is this an amazing assortment of thoughts, but it was a lot of relatable of thoughts. Just like with Pocket Thoughts #1 this issue continues to be a perfect combination of laugh-out-loud funny thoughts and ponderings of depth. So glad I have a copy.

Check Pocket Thoughts out:

On Etsy – On Instagram – On Twitter – On Tumblr

PS - This video exists and you need to see it.

Fairy Tales For Cynical Girls

These little guys are short stories. Volume One is Little Mermaid and Volume Two is Sleeping Beauty. Modern, angsty versions of the classic tales though. Even though they are short stories they didn’t feel cut short. The author knew what story she wanted to put down, and did a great job writing it. They were just as fun to read the second time as they were the first time. I loved the endings as well!

Check her out on Twitter or Instagram to see about grabbing your own copy.

Zines!

As you can see I have a lot of zines to review. I will also look into getting a PO Box so I can post my mailing address online without worrying about having my house address posted online, y'know? Better safe than sorry. The rental fee where I live is $200 CAD/year. If you’d like to help support this project by donating funds to help rent a PO Box you can check out www.ko-fi.com/crashreynolds or www.patreon.com/utopiabycrash

Thanks a bunch for your time. Stay posted for more reviews coming soon.

The Streetlamp

The Streetlamp is a collab zine put together by Andrew T. The first issue features work from some of his friends and inspirations. Andrew explains the backstory of how The Streetlamp zine came about and includes messages to each of the contributors. The messages take this zine from being a regular collab zine to a personal project. You can tell this matters. These words and images matter. Andrew wants to share the importance of these words, images and people with others.

Issue Two continues what he set out to do in the first issue. The cover is still the same streetlamp but now it’s progressed to a new season and so they updated the cover to show that. This issue has two new contributors which he introduces in the welcome message on the first page. Which shows that this project is continuing to expand and reach new people, which I think is brilliant.

Loved these zines. I recommend checking out The Streetlamp’s Instagram page. From there you can contact him to receive a copy of your own or to participate in submitting to the next issue. Click here to see his Instagram page.

Zine Reviews

Hey guys!

So, I have a lot of zines on my desk currently that I need to read. Almost 150 of them. I don’t know how this happened, but happened it has.

I figured I should post some reviews. As a way to keep track of everything. Also, to share everything with y'all.

I love seagreenzines & fiveoclockzine on Instagram. They do zine reviews, and I have discovered so many amazing people through them. So maybe I can help you discover amazing people as well.