Monthly Archive for March, 2025

Zine Club Chicago Online: Writing a Letter Zine Workshop, April 15th!

Apr
15
7:30 pm

A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with the image of a piece of paper sticking out of an envelope, and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Writing a Letter Zine Workshop; Online! Free! Zoom info on quimbys.com; 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, April 15, 2025”

Zine Club Chicago Online: Writing a Letter Zine Workshop
7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Online! Free!
On Zoom, RSVP details below

Do you love snail mail? This month, Zine Club Chicago will be making letter-inspired zines! Producer Cynthia E. Hanifin will lead a fun workshop designed to tap into your epistolary leanings.

Grab your zinemaking supplies*, BYOS(tamps + Snax) and join us on Zoom for Zine Club Chicago Online: Writing a Letter Zine Workshop at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, April 15, 2025!

** RSVP required ** We want to make sure that our online Zine Club Chicago events are a safe space, so we won’t be releasing the Zoom link publicly. If you’d like to attend, please email zineclubchicago@gmail.com to RSVP by 9 p.m. CT Monday, April 14 (the evening before our event). We’ll email you the Zoom link by 5 p.m. CT on Tuesday, April 15.

Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago. This free event series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck is the creative force behind our visuals.

Facebook event is here. More info on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago

* You’ll need a few sheets of 8.5×11” paper, a stapler or some tape, whichever implements you prefer for writing/drawing/etc., and your creativity!

Image description: A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with the image of a piece of paper sticking out of an envelope, and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Writing a Letter Zine Workshop; Online! Free! Zoom info on quimbys.com; 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, April 15, 2025”

New Stuff This Week

 

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Zines & Zine-Related

Debt Collector #1 $3

TRiP MAGAZEEN: The Complete Collection 1992-1994 by Peter Wohelski, Grumptronix, DJ Three $40

King Bourbon #5 First Anniversary Issue by Steve Gentry $5

Misfit Cinema Journal by Derek Abbott issues #1 and #2 $5 each

Zines by Lee Fearnside: Seventy Six 76 Community Is Real $4, Ohio Frontier Animal Conservation Then and Now $7

Zines by Colin Putman: A bunch of zines about pigeons! various prices!

Graphic Novels

Beautiful Monster by Maruo Suehiro $24.99

Squeak Chatter Bark: An Eco Mystery by Ali Fitzgerald (Fantagraphics) $24.99

Honoria: A Fortuitous Friendship by Janice Shapiro (Fantagraphics) $39.99

Haruki Murakami Manga Stories 3, illustrated by Jean Christophe Deveney & PMGL $19.99

Politics & Revolution Books

Anarchy in the Big Easy: A History of Revolt Rebellion and Resurgence by Max Cafard, illustrated by Vulpes (PM Press) $15.95

Music Books

Fearless Vampire Killers: The Bad Brains Photographs by Glen E. Friedman (Akashic Books) $37.50

Dressed In Black: The Shangri-Las and Their Recorded Legacy by Lisa Mackinney $24.95

So It Started There: From Punk to Pulp by Nick Banks $20

Teddy Boys: Post-War Britain and the First Youth Revolution by Max Décharné $16.95

Fiction

Sour Cherry: A Novel by Natalia Theodoridou $17.95

Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers $14.99

Poetry, Chap Books & Lit Journals

Luminous Beings Are We #2 (Back to Print) $15

Snow of Snow by Leon Pradeau $8

Super Gay Poems: LGBTQIA+ Poetry after Stonewall edited by Stephanie Burt $29.92

Transat #2 $10

New Stuff This Week

 

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Zines

The Man In the Clock a Novel by David G. Cookson $10

Sisyphan #1 & #2 by Aunty $10 each

Proof I Exist #48 Corolla Buddies by Billy $3

Behind the Zines #19 $4

Scrapbooking 101 $10

Music zines by Meli, 42.50 each: Synth Punk, Third Wave Ska

Whatever #28 by Adam Courter $2

Glass #2 See Thru $8

Snake Year by Jilly Foo $5

Near Death Trip #1 $5

Room Tone #6 by Kurt $3

Zines by Pilot Lee: Things That Bring Me Joy: A Zine About Living $12, The Disability Center Told Me I Wasnt Disabled Enough: A Story About McBurney $16, The Before: An Essay on the Weapons of the Weak $6, How to Start Vending Your Art (With Basically No Money) $6

Microcosm Publishing stuff: War on Addiction: A Drunk Punk Project – How to Treat the Overdose Epidemic and Be Involved in Your Own Treatment by Tim Spock $6.99, Womb Witch: Herbal Magick for Reproductive Health by Angelica Merritt $19.95, Your Cozy Life: DIY Nesting Skills for a Sustainable Home by Raleigh Briggs $19.99, A Pocket Guide to Natal Astrology: Birth Chart Basics by Maira Sky $7.99, Unfuck Your Tarot: Using the Cards For Growth and Overcoming Trauma by Dr. Faith G. Harper $5.99, Asexual Things I Did Before Realizing I Was Asexual by Cooklin $7.99, Transition Diaries by Animal Bro $4.95 & more.

From Jacinta Bunnell: Believing In That Which Does Not Exist: Visions of Guaranteed Income $22, Hideaway Grove Apartment Complex $12

Comics

Deep End Diaries: A Sketchbook Anthology by Cole Winners $10

Graphic Novels

There’s No Time Like the Present by Paul B. Rainey (D&Q) $24.95

Swimming Studies by Leanne Shapton (D&Q) $22.95

Season of the Roses by Chloe Wary (Fantagraphics) $29.99

Goes Like This by Jordan Crane (Fantagraphics) $39.99

Politics & Revolution Books

Imagination: A Manifesto by Ruha Benjamin $12

Too Late to Awaken: What Lies Ahead When There Is No Future? by Slavoj Zizek $23.95

You Can’t Kill a Man Because of the Books He Reads: Angelo Herndon’s Fight for Free Speech by Brad Snyder $37.99

Outer Limits & Mayhem

Compendium of the Occult: Arcane Artifacts, Magic Rituals, and Sacred Symbolism by Liz Williams $29.95

Essays

Like Love: Essays and Conversations by Maggie Nelson $20

Another Bullshit Night In Suck City: A Memoir by Nick Flynn $18.99

Music Books

Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival by Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour $32

The Secret Public: How Music Moved Queer Culture From the Margins to the Mainstream by Jon Savage $35

Interficial ARTelligence: The Moments That Met Me Chuck D $24.95

To Ease My Troubled Mind: The Authorized Unauthorized History of Billy Childish by Ted Kessler (Akashic) $31.95

Monument Eternal by Alice Coltrane (Akashic) $19.95

Fiction

Beautyland: A Novel by Marie-Helene Bertino $18

No One Knows by Osamu Dazai $15.95

Beta Vulgaris by Margie Sarsfield $18.99

Poetry & Lit Journals

Mostly Soldiers: Poems by Cora Ruskin $13

Ladies Ladies Ladies by Kristen Zory King $13

Stanchion #16 & #17 $13 each

Sexxxy

Butt Magazine #36 $20

Magazines

Gush Magazine vol 2 #1 $10

From the Archives March Edition

Liz here, and I was having a great time in the basement organizing. Well, I mean, real talk: define “great.” But you know what I mean; I was amused by some of the things I rediscover as I get it all in order down there. But also, again, real talk: define “all in order.” YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, STOP SASSING ME, PEOPLES. Still though. The stuff I have for you! Dig it.

Well what do we have here? It’s famed sculpture artist legend Cynthia Plaster Caster and former Quimby’s employee and CUFF legend Bryan Wendorf at an event here, talking to whoever’s hand is in the photo. Are they talking to the hand? You know it. The best I can triangulate the date is as follows: this is from before I started here because whatever this event was, it was pre-me at Quimby’s, so it would be sometime before 2001. It was clearly after Quimby’s moved from the original location at 1328 N. Damen to here at 1854 W. North Ave., so it was definitely the late ’90s. And the guy all the way on the right has a chinstrap beard that screams 1998 in a way that I can’t even begin to describe. So I think somewhere between 1998-2000. No YOU go do the carbon-dating, I’m too busy scanning weird mail art.

Sir! My soul is beaten down! Me too, bucko. I’m 90% sure we included this postcard in one of our MiniMagalogs but it is totally worth showing it off in its full glory here. How did this get here with no post date? And notice it is addressed to “SQUIMBY’S.” I understand why that happened. If you look at our logo, if you didn’t know otherwise. Allow me to explain once you look at the picture below.

Check out our patches through the ages. The one we have now is the one on the left. Why did I not put them in order? Because I am a fool. When I placed them down on the scanner I accidentally put them in the reverse order because I am just that sort of absentminded hippo. Don’t @ me, people. And no, we don’t have the white or yellow rimmed ones. Just the peach-y salmon ones, which you can get here. ANYWAY, notice how close that S is at 8:00 to where Quimby’s starts at 9:00, you know what I’m saying? That’s why I know someone is a Quimby’s nube when they’re like “SQuimby’s!” But still, I understand how they arrived at that, even if there’s a color separation.

Well look at that! It’s Matt Fagan, of Meniscus comic fame. And one of the founders of Brainstorm comics, which used to be down the street. The Evil Dead lunchbox! Can I tell you I forgot we even carried that? Or did he come in carrying it? Like on his way to work with a sandwich in it? Or maybe a necronomicon or something? No, you know what? I think we did sell that lunchbox.

As the flyer says, Adrian Tomine and Seth did events at both here and Chicago Comics, but what really grabs me are the incidentals: the Chicago Comics phone number! It has a 312 area code. The 773 area code didn’t become a thing until 1996. And the event was at the OQ (Original Quimby’s, as coined by Billy McCall). So was this pre-1996? Wow. And anybody who has done stuff with print and photocopiers recognizes that white tape. It’s so that you don’t see the marks of the paper underneath. Yesssssss. Or if this was 1996, should I say “rad” and “booyah?” You’re welcome.

I’m pretty sure Shappy (RIP) made this. He worked at both Quimby’s and Chicago Comics, so he dealt with the alternative comics vs superhero comics dichotomy on the regular. I loved his signs. But boy did he hate working! He said to me once, “Can’t I just sit and read issues of Eightball?” Chicago poet Robbie Telfer told me that Shappy got in trouble for using up all the toner in the printer for printing out pictures of Hanna-Barbera characters. Oh Shappy, I miss you. I’m so glad I was never your manager though.

It’s Jake Austen, editor of the famed Chicago zine Roctober and Chic-a-Go-Go cable access impresario! With baby! So this must have been two decades ago. But I can tell by the placement of the lighting overhead that he was standing in front of the counter, and it was taken by whoever was sitting in the very spot I am sitting in at this very moment. It was me. I think I took this photo. At least, I’m pretty sure. There was a period of time before smart phones in which I always a had a camera with actual film in it, and then we’d take the film over to the Walgreen’s at Wood and Milwaukee to get developed. We’d pick it up like a million weeks later when we remembered it was there.

Thanks for those super sick Gremlins in 2012, Cara Bean! These are excellent. We get a lot a lot of good mail art on envelopes. We could do a zine or a book of just the correspondence we get from people.

Jesus saves big money! Thanks for the mail art in 2014, Peter Sickman-Garner! I bet this contained Hey, Mister. Sent Media Mail, the postal choice of self-publishers everywhere.

A Quimby’s ad in a 1998 edition of Lumpen! That font is so fabulously 1990s-cocktail-exotica-space-age-bachelor-pad-revival that I just want to go drink a martini and listen to Combustible Edison.

That’s what I got! Now go get in your time machines and listen to the Four Rooms soundtrack.

xoxo

Liz @caboosezine

2025 Chicagoland Indie Bookstore Day Challenge! April 26th

Apr
26
12:00 pm

On Saturday, April 26th Quimby’s will participate in celebrating Independent Bookstore Day with Chicago bookstores from all over the city!

One of the best ways to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day is the annual bookstore crawl (aka, the Chicagoland Indie Bookstore Day Challenge)! The crawl promises to be bigger and better than ever this year! Dozens of stores—both brand-new stores and old favorites will be participating.  (See the complete list at www.ChiLoveBooks.com.) And, yes, the bus tour will be BACK!

Again this year, the goals will be:
• Visit TEN stores in one day and get 10% off at all participating bookstores for an ENTIRE YEAR!
• Visit FIFTEEN stores in one day and get 15% off at all participating bookstores for an ENTIRE YEAR!

Readers are encouraged to post a snapshot of themselves and their Independent Bookstore Day haul on social media with the hashtags #TeamIndie, #ChiLoveBooks, #IBDCHI25, plus the hashtags of each store they’ve visited.

Independent Bookstore Day is the last Saturday of April, and yet again, Chicagoland proves itself to be the dream destination for book lovers and readers of all ages! More than 50 independent bookstores in the greater Chicago area — from Lake Forest to Beverly, and Naperville to the Loop — are collaborating on our annual Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl, which encourages book lovers to indulge in bookstore tourism by visiting 10 or more stores in a single day.