New Zines for February 2011

Let’s try our best to shake off the winter blues with some new and inspiring reading material, courtesy of your Zine Collection. We’ve got a REALLY mixed bag of items this time around. Look closely, you might find some VERY pleasant surprises in there.

Al Burian Goes to Hell.
America Go Fly a Kite.
Bejeezus. Vol. 10
Blood Moon Rising. Vol. 18
Brainscan. Vol. 20: Irreconcilable Differences
Caboose. Vol. 5: The Improvement Issue
Caboose. Vol. 6: The Health and Recreation Issue
Croq. Vol. 5
Doom Emotiiion.
Duplex Planet. Vol. 179
Funwater Awesome. Vol. 3
The Gay Utopia.
Gendrfailz. Vol. 1: The First Appointment
Greenblooded: An Introduction to Eco-Friendly Feminine Hygiene.
Helios Eye: Hey Hey Hey.
Humanbeing Lawnmower. Vol. 1
Ink Nineteen: December 1995
Ink Nineteen: January 1996
Ink Nineteen: February 1996
Ink Nineteen: March 1996
Ink Nineteen: April 1996
Inside Front. Vol. 12
Jaded Hipsters Dig Whiskey Sours: Short Stories by the Urban Hermitt.
Lissajou: Tsy Misy.
Maximum Rock n Roll. Vol. 204
Mishap. Vol. 28
Movement Magazine. Vol. 18.1
The National Science Fair of Amazing New Discoveries.
Papercutter. Vol. 11
Phase 7. Vol. 7
Rad Dad. Vol. 17
Razorcake. Vol. 57
Razorcake. Vol. 58
Skin deep: A Smile Hon, You’re in Baltimore! Production.
Smile Hon, You’re in Baltimore. Vol. 13
Syndicate Product. Vol. 12
Tenacious. Vol. 16: Art and Writings From Women in Prison
Tough Junkie: Grab What You Can.
You Know What They Say.
Zisk. Vol. 15

Remembering Alan Justiss

We’re sad to report that friend of the Zine Collection and Jacksonville writer par excellence Alan Justiss passed away over the weekend. Though he created a vast body of work, mixed it up with the likes of Alan Ginsberg and Charles Bukowski, and had a huge influence on at least two generations of young Jacksonville writers and creatives–and much will no doubt be written about that–we remember him fondly for his work above and beyond the call of duty in promoting the first Much Ado About Zines event last spring. Though obviously in ill health, Alan, acting as the grand old man of Jacksonville zines, undertook a hectic two-day schedule promoting and participating in the event. He appeared on WJCT’s First Coast Connect radio show (listen to that episode here) talking about the history of zines and chapbooks, gamely attended the gala fundraiser for the event, adding some much needed grit to the champagne bubbles, got up bright and early to do a reading on the day, signed books and chatted with fans, and finally attended a lunch with all of the other zine writers. His performance, shunning a microphone and relying on the gravitas of his voice for amplification, was just electrifying and incantatory. He easily held his own against savvy wordsmiths like Patrick Hughes and Duncan Barlow. It was a great thrill to be able to gather such a diverse and talented group of zine writers; but at the end of the day, it was Alan Justiss who sat at the head of the table. He will be missed.

Joe Berg Seminar

Thanks again to the students of Jacksonville’s Joe Berg Society for being so interested in the Zine Collection!  Hopefully now we’ve got another 80 rad teens stoked on the collection and the library.  They had really good questions and checked out some of my favorite zines.

For more information on our new favorite group of high school students, go here.

Donations!

Call me biased, but librarians are awesome – whether it’s a public library or university.   I ran into my friend Mr. Ross Martin at a show in Deleon Springs last week.  He works as a librarian at Seminole State College.   Apparently he was jumping the gun on some spring cleaning, and low and behold he had a giant plastic tub of zines to donation to our collection.   It was amazing.

His donation has a lot of older punk zines in it that will really help fill out our collection.  A lot of them are specific to Florida as well.  Thanks so much again Ross!

Zine of the Week: The Amish Elf by Chris Kerr

The Amish Elf
by Chris Kerr

You could be forgiven for taking a look at the cover and title of Chris Kerr’s minicomic and think it a one-note joke. C’mon an Amish Elf? There’s gotta be a bad standup routine in there somewhere about oversize buggies? And yet, to his eternal credit, artist Kerr takes this limited concept and weaves a touching and bewitching mythos around it.

The plot is oblique and impossible to sum up in a brief manner to anyone’s satisfaction. Let’s just say that it’s a travelogue the likes of which you’d never read in a Disney story or Piers novel. Surreal phantasmagoria contrasts nicely with the more Spartan reality of an Amish village in a very entertaining manner.

No dialogue, bereft of any text, the weight of the storytelling falls on Kerr’s simple pen-and-ink line drawings. His art style is very familiar (I’m thinking of Magnus Carisson’s Robin and Russian dolls for some reason) and very individual at the same time. Whereas the lead characters–the Elf, the Wizard, and the Amish–are drawn in a very naive, cartoonish style, suddenly he’ll throw you for a curve by drawing, say, an alligator or an opossum in stunning photo-realist detail. Yet it’s the cartoons that pack the emotional punch, a page where a squirrel triumphantly teaches the Amish Elf to throw nuts at targets blindfolded is uplifting, and a shot of stoic Amish parents fighting back tears over the supposed death of their son is wrenching.  And that last page? Man…

Read it, give it to your friends to read, and then argue over the plot more than you did with Twin Peaks!

Listen To This Zine!

It’s happened to all of us, you finish reading a zine, and wonder what exactly the band that gave that great interview sounds like? Sure, you could trawl around iTunes, but where’s the fun in that? The Zine Collection has teamed up with the Popular Media department at the Main Library to offer you a selection of albums from bands featured in the pages of some of our finest, cutting-edge music zines. They’re displayed with the new zines on the first floor of the Main Library, and we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by some of the selections. As always, maximum volume yields maximum results.

Maximum Rock N’ Roll Vol. 288
Clockcleaner – “Babylon Rules”

Maximum Rock N’ Roll Vol. 278
The Fall – “Hex Induction Hour”

Maximum Rock N’ Roll Vol. 278
Thee Headcoats – “Knights of the Baskervilles”

Maximum Rock N’ Roll Vol. 308
The Cramps – “Live at Napa State Mental Hospital” (DVD)

Maximum Rock N’ Roll Vol. 283
Jay Reatard – “Singles 06-07″

Maximum Rock N’ Roll Vol. 191 AND Razorcake Vol. 4
Minor Threat – “Complete Discography”

Razorcake Vol. 48
Otis Redding – “The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul”

Maximum Rock N’ Roll Vol. 179
Boysetsfire – “After the Eulogy”

Maximum Rock N’ Roll Vol. 289
Southern Death Cult – “Southern Death Cult”

Tail Spins. Vol. 33
Melt Banana – “Cactuses Come in Flocks”

Tail Spins. Vol. 19
Sebadoah – “III”

Many more to come…

Video Zine Review #1

Welcome to Video Zine Review #1

This first episode features reviews of Publick Occurances #12, Beyond the Porch #1 and Burn Brandon #14.

It also has an introduction about what zines are, and important information about the Jacksonville Public Library.  That’s probably stuff you already know since you are visiting the Zine Collection blog, but just in case!  This premiere is a bit longer than future episodes will be for that reason.  Following episodes will be 100% zine, 100% of the time.  Enjoy!

Katie Monnin talking about the Graphic Novel Workshop on WJXT

WJXT’s Morning Show did a segment last Saturday with Katie Monnin, who was promoting her book “Teaching Graphic Novels” and her upcoming class for parents and kids at the Main Library.   Watch the news segment here.

Get more details about the class in our original post here.  The class is Saturday, January 15 from 3-4pm, and you must register to attend!

Crap Hound. Vol. 4

Crap Hound Vol. 4
Edited by Sean Tejaratchi
Show and Tell Press

When thinking about starting your own zine, the would-be zinester will often get tripped up on where to find the right imagery. Clip art is just too tacky and generic (plus David Rees has staked that claim) , and who has the money to buy a mountain of old comics and Argosy magazines? Well friend, you’re in luck. Crap Hound has done all the legwork for you! This issue compiles an absolutely jaw-dropping collection of found art, advertising ephemera, forgotten iconography, old library books, and Jack Chick drawings all based around the themes of clowns, devils, and bait. And editor Sean Tejaratchi has crammed full an entire oversized zine with nothing but images drawing from one of those three themes! Even without text each page is overloaded with all manner of vintage eye candy, from Ronald McDonald seemingly drawing a finger across his throat menacingly to a full page diagram of the best insect bait to use to catch fish to an old-timey logo for Red Devil Quick Drying Grout.

The overall effect is almost psychedelic in terms of sheer mental overload; an unending parade of disorienting, eerily innocent images swims in front of your eyes as you turn page after page. But in another way Tejaratchi is rescuing these incredible, quirky images from oblivion and giving them another life, stripped of context or message, to be used in perpetuity for new projects. Crap Hound has been going since 1994. Along the way it has become a favorite of both zine readers and “serious” outlets like the New York Times and the American Institute of Graphic Arts. It’s not hard to see why.

Graphic Novel Workshop for parents and kids at the Main Library – Jan 15th at 3pm

Graphic novels and zines go together like chocolate and marshmallows, not all the time, but when they do – it’s awesome.  Especially when it’s involves kids, and the opportunity to get some guidance for you child creating his or her own graphic novel.

On January 15th you and your child have the opportunity to learn why reading graphic novels are “really” reading!

Katie Monnin, one of the most enthusiastic speakers I’ve ever heard (seriously!!), is coming to the Main Library.  She’s published two successful books about the literary merits of graphic novels, how to use them in the classroom, and why they rock!   As a parent, you get to come learn the who-what-when-why of you and your children reading graphic novels together, and your kids get to come and participate in a graphic novel creation activity.

Parents, sign up today for by calling the Main Library’s Children’s Department at 630-2417.