Zines have always flouted the conventions and constraints of mainstream media, making them an ideal vehicle for journalists with important information to convey and the desire to skirt corporate restrictions, gatekeeping editors, and clickbait clichés. This month, we’ll be exploring our favorite journalism zines with special guests Megan Kirby and Aim Beland, who will co-facilitate our discussion. Megan, a zinemaker (Coffee Spoons) who covers pop music for the Chicago Reader and runs the live zine-making/storytelling showcase Meanwhile, will lead an interactive journalism activity.
Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome to join us for a fun discussion and snacks at Zine Club Chicago, the city’s only book club-style event for people who read zines. This free monthly series is produced by Chicago Zine Fest/Midwest Perzine Fest organizer Cynthia E. Hanifin and hosted by Quimby’s. Thank you to Zine Club member Aim Beland for suggesting this month’s theme and curating the event.
pictured: multiple issues of Frontier by Lauren R. Weinstein, Hannah Waldron, Anatola Howard & more. $8 each, Crap Hound Big Book of Unhappiness by Sean Tejaratchi (Feral House) $42.95, Four White Horses and a Brass Band: True Confessions from the World of Medicine Shows, Pitchmen, Chumps, Suckers, Fixers, and Shills by Violet McNeal (Feral House) $16.95, Pieces #15 On Altered States by Nichole Baiel $3, Go All The Way: A Literary Appreciation of Power Pop edited by Paul Myers and S.W. Lauden (Rare Bird) $27, Rotten Faith by Corinne Halbert $5, Dayglo!: The Poly Styrene Story $36.99, Cults! Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know: A Guide to the Highly Unusual by Kim Cooper $14, Hallowzine Horror Anthology: Sometimes They Come Back $9.95
Zines
Crap Hound More Unhappiness 2019 Zine by Sean Tejaratchi $15 – Companion Issue to The Big Book of Unhappiness.
Joy Ride by Madi Baker $10
Welcome to the Keep You Miracle – A Neural Network Poetic Zine by Erin J. Watson $5
Held Safe Hold Space by Nick Disabato $15
Comics & Minis
My Dog Ivy by Gabrielle Bell (Uncivilized) $5
Sweaty & Upsetty Autobio Comics Sort of by Kathryn Hemmann $2
Lovers Only #2 Love Triangle by Sophia Foster-Dimino, Carta Monir, and Mickey Zacchilli (Youth In Decline) $6
When Do You Stop Growing and Start Aging by Madi Baker $10
Graphic Novels
Dog Days of Snake Pit by Ben Snakepit (Silver Sprocket) $25
Holy Hannah by Will Dinski (Uncivilized) $24.95
Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows adapted by Nathan Carson and illustrated Sam Ford (Floating Worlds) $12.95
The Complete Curvy by Sylvan Migdal (Iron Circus) $50
Winter Warrior by Eve Gilbert (Fantagraphics) $19.99
The Tower In The Sea by B. Mure (Avery Hill) $12.95
The Arab of the Future 4: A Graphic Memoir of a Childhood in the Middle East, 1987-1992 by Riaf Sattouf $30
Palimpsest: Documents From a Korean Adoption by Lisa Wool-Rim Sjöblom (D&Q) $24.95
Art & Design
Arcade Game Typography: The Art of Pixel Type by Toshi Omagari $34.95
Protest! A History of Social and Political Protest Graphics by Liz McQuiston $39.95
The Art of the Devil: An Illustrated History by Demetrio Paparoni $45
Silver Skate Seventies: California Skateboarding 1975-1978 by Hugh Holland $40
Politics & Revolution
Sticking It to the Man: Revolution and Counterculture in Pulp and Popular Fiction, 1950 to 1980 edited by Andrew Nette & Iain McIntyre (PM Press) $34.95
Outer Limits
The In-Betweens: The Spiritualists, Mediums, and Legends of Camp Etna by Mira Ptacin $26.95
Jack the Ripper’s New Testament: Occultism and Bible Mania in 1888 by Nigel Graddon $19.95
Lee Harvey Oswald, Lyndon Johnson & the JFK Assassination by John Delane Williams (Trine Day) $24.95
Magic Is Dead: My Journey into the World’s Most Secretive Society of Magicians by Ian Frisch $16.99
Music & Film Books
Frightfest Guide Werewolf Cinema by Gavin Baddeley (FAB Press) $24.95
Defying Gravity: Jordan’s Story by Jordan Mooney with Cathi Unsworth $28.99 – Jordan Mooney was described as the first Sex Pistol by Derek Jarman, Jon Savage and those who dared to walk up to 430 King’s Road between 1975 and 1981. Her achievements include being the public face of SEX, Seditionaries, and World’s End, as well as the motivating force behind Jubilee and the first manager of The Ants.
Crossover the Edge: Where Hardcore, Punk And Metal Collide by Alexandros Anesiadis (Cherry Red Books) $27.95
Bowie’s Bookshelf: The Hundred Books that Changed David Bowie’s Life by John O’Connell $18
The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick by Mallory O’Meara (Hanover Square Press) $26.99
Hollywood’s Eve: Eve Babitz and the Secret History of L.A. by Lili Anolik $17
God Save the Queens: The Essential History of Women in Hip-Hop by Kathy Iandoli $27.99
Fiction
Talk Like a Man (Outspoken Authors Series) by Nisi Shawl (PM Press) $14
Vernon Subutex 1: A Novel by Virginie Despentes $16
Some Trick by Helen DeWitt $15.95
The Factory by Hiroko Oyamada $13.95
Little: A Novel by Edward Carey $17
Essays
Rebent Sinner by Ivan Coyote (Arsenal Pulp Press) $19.95
Local Interest
Chicago’s Lollapalooza Days: 1893-1934 by Jim Edwards $21.99
Magazines
Wire #428 october $12.50
Mojo #312 october $11.99
Poetry & Lit Journals
Collected Poems of Bob Kaufman edited by Neeli Cherkovski, Raymond Foye, Tate Swindell (City Lights Books) $19.95
Swimming In Darkness by Lucas Harari (Arsenal Pulp) $27.95
Nancy by Olivia Jaimes $14.99
Dakwakada Warriors by Cole Pauls (Conundrum) $20
Brain Bats of Venus: The Life and Comics of Basil Wolverton (1942-1952) vol 2 by Basil Wolverton and Greg Sadowski (Fantagraphics) $44.99
Politics & Revolution
On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal by Naomi Klein $27
Problem With Everything: My Journey Through the New Culture Wars by Meghan Daum $27
The Chapo Guide to Revolution by Chapo Trap House and Felix Biederman $17
Fiction
Mycelium by Annette Weisser $15.95
Outer Limits & Mayhem
Sunshine On an Open Tomb by Tim Kinsella (Featherproof) $16.95
The Science of Monsters: The Truth about Zombies, Witches, Werewolves, Vampires, and Other Legendary Creatures by Kelly Florence and Meg Hafdahl $14.99
The Good Reverend’s Guide to Infused Spirits: Alchemical Cocktails, Healing Elixirs, and Cleansing Solutions for the Home and Bar by Steven Grasse & Sonia Kurtz illustrated by Michael Alan $22.99
How to Behave Badly in Elizabethan England: A Guide for Knaves, Fools, Harlots, Cuckolds, Drunkards, Liars, Thieves, and Braggarts by Ruth Goodman $17.95
Fungipedia: A Brief Compendium of Mushroom Lore by Fungipedia Lawrence Millman and illustrated Amy Jean Porter $16.95
Music Books
Out of Step: Washington D.C. Punk Interviews by David A. Ensminger $12
Girl In a Girl Band by Malia James (of the Dum Dum Girls) $35
Massive Attack’s Blue Lines (33 1/3 #140) by Ian Bourland $14.95
LiartownUSA’s Social Justice Kittens 2020 Calendar by Sean Tejaratchi $18
The New Woman’s Survival Catalog: A Woman-made Book by Kirsten Grimstad and Susan Rennie (Primary Information) $30 – At once practical and creative, this book was feminism’s Whole Earth Catalog.
plus…
Zines
Lullaby for the Drowned by Jonas $1
Cook Zine by Beau Campolo $8
Radix Media zines, $10 each: What You Call a Science Fiction Series by Germ Lynn, Hard Mother – Spider Mother – Soft Mother by Hal Y. Zhang & more.
Attential Cane – Twenty Six Dogs Found on Street View by Laurel Hauge $12
Antonia by JB $3
Lobster Quest by Daphne $5
Queer Sailors #5 Marine Biology $8
Comfort Zone by Annie Leue $4
Comics & Minis
Coin Op by Maria & Peter Hoey: #8 Infatuation $19.95, #11 Karl Marx Bolan (Spaceball Ricochet Alt Take) $8
Kids With Guns by Alex Nall $8
Bubbles #4 An Independent Fanzine About Comics and Manga $6
Ghosts Who Know People I Know #3 & #4 by Kaitlin Martin $17 each
All Time Comics Zerosis Deathscape #4 by Josh Bayer and Josh Simmons $4.99
The Best American Comics 2019 edited by Jillian Tamaki & Bill Kartalopoulos $25
Qualification by David Heatley $26.95
Commute: An Illustrated Memoir of Female Shame by Erin Williams $24.99
Revenger and the Fog by Charles Forsman (Bergan Street Comics) $18.95
Check Please Book 1 Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu $22.50
Flaming Carrot Comics Omnibus by Bob Burden $24.99
Grease Bats by Archie Bongiovanni $19.99
Girl Town by Casey Nowak $19.99
Return to Romance: The Strange Love Stories of Ogden Whitney edited by Dan Nadel & Frank Santoro (New York Review Comics) $19.95
Beasts of Burden Volume 2: Neighborhood Watch by Evan Dorkin & friends $29.99
Politics & Revolution
Luigi Galleani: The Most Dangerous Anarchist in America by Antonio Senta (AK Press) $18
The Little Book of Queer Icons: The inspiring true stories behind groundbreaking LGBTQ+ icons by Samuel Alexander $9.99
So You Want to Talk About Race SC by Ijeoma Oluo $16.99
Art & Design Books
Godless Utopia: Soviet Anti-Religious Propaganda edited by by Roland Elliott Brown, Damon Murray & Stephen Sorrell (Fuel) $34.95
Tree of Life by Tim Biskup $35
Daniel Champion Drawings by Shelf Shelf $15
Music / Film / Media
Face It: A Memoir by Debbie Harry $32.50
Disgraceland: Musicians Getting Away with Murder and Behaving Very Badly by Jake Brennan $28
The Song of the Machine: From Disco to DJs to Techno, a Graphic Novel of Electronic Music by David Blot & Mathias Cousin (Black Dog & Leventhal) $24.99
Disasterama!: Adventures in the Queer Underground 1977 to 1997 by Alvin Orloff $16
Downtown Pop Underground: New York City and the literary punks, renegade artists, DIY filmmakers, mad playwrights, and rock n roll glitter queens who revolutionized culture by Kembrew McLeod $17 – Now in soft cover.
Movies (And Other Things) by Shea Serrano & illustrated by Arturo Torres $25
Hardcore Fanzine – Good and Plenty 1989-1992 (Draw Down Books) $25
‘Til Wrong Feels Right: Lyrics and More by Iggy Pop $35
Outer Limits
The Ghost: A Cultural History by Susan Owens $19.99
Fiction
Hex Life: Wicked New Tales Of Witchery edited by Christopher Golding $24.95
Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky $30
Killing Commendatore: A Novel by Haruki Murakami $17 – Now in soft cover.
Magazines
Adbusters #146 $14.95
Uppercase #43 $18
Tape Op #133 oct nov $5.99
Lit Journals & Poetry
N+1 #35 Fall 19 $14.95
Water the Plants While I’m Away by Emma Debono $16
Coffee People Zine #6 $15
Sexxxy
Phile, The International Journal of Desire and Curiosity #4 Predicaments $23
