A – E
Instructions for ordering from outside Australia
A Fresh Trail of Paper # 2
50c A6 24p 4g
An anonymous, ambiguous little zine that recounts, in snatches, a story that might be a half remembered dream illustrated with lovely old photos of the kind you find in op-shops and the like.
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Both by accident and design
$3.50 A6 32p 21g
Both by Accident & Design is a follow up to a zine we stocked last year which you may have been fortunate enough to read, entitled For Strength & Valour. Accident & Design chronicles the zinester’s movement from unemployment (having quit their job in an artist run initiative) to full time work as an admin assistant in a corporate office. Initially the zinester is enthusiastic about their new job and all the responsibilities it involves but soon finds that all their work colleagues are more or less bastards. In the proud tradition of zines that document crap jobs, this zinester recounts all the petty grievances that, once piled up, make for an insurmountable amount of workplace pressure and displeasure that leads to…well, you’ll have to read the zine to see where it leads to! The zinester asked us whether we thought the zine came across as bitchy, but we say no. Griping about work is nearly always justified, and nearly always makes for good zine fodder. It most certainly does in this case.
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Brainscan #21
$3 A5 44p 56g
If you’ve been kicking around the zine scene for any amount of time you’ll have heard of Alex Wrekk: she’s one very dedicated, hard-working woman who, along with writing her zine Brainscan, runs a custom button (badge) making business and wrote the definitive how-to-make-a-zine resource Stolen Sharpie Revolution. Brainscan #21 is a powerful and brave story of Alex’s coming to terms with being in an emotionally abusive relationship. It happens that the relationship in question was with someone else who had/has high standing in the international zine community, so this zine has had quite an impact within the zine scene, and sparked a lot of discussion that continues to this day. But the focus of this zine is not really the zine scene or anyone else in it; it’s about the nature of power and abuse of power within Alex’s relationship, and the long road she took to make the decision to leave that relationship and start regaining control of her life.
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Brainscan #26
$2 A6 32p 19g
Although it comes a few issues after Brainscan #21, this zine can be read as an accompaniment to that issue. The publication of Brainscan #21 raised a lot of difficult questions for the international zine scene. Although she never mentioned it directly in the zine, it was clear that the ‘J’ in the narrative of Brainscan #21 was Alex’s previous partner Joe Biel, owner of Microcosm Publishing. The biggest question that arose from the publication of Brainscan #21 was this: what are the ethics of supporting a business that is run by someone with a history of abuse who has made no real effort to amend their behaviour or to be account able for their actions? Brainscan #26 is Alex’s response to the frequently asked question, ‘So, what’s the deal with you and Microcosm?’. It contains reprints of statements of support and discussions that happened on the internet, and a rundown of the various failed attempts that have been made to make Joe Biel accountable for his behaviour. This is a zine that should be read by anyone who is serious about supporting the ideas of support, DIY, responsibility, solidarity, equality etc that are so often the subject of our zines.
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Brainscan #28
$2 12x12cm 28p + mini insert 17g
Alex made this zine for 2011′s 24 Hour Zine Challenge and was happy enough with it to turn it into a full-blown issue of Brainscan. Based on the theme ‘it’s complicated’, Alex writes about the complicated nature of the various types of ‘work’ she does, her living arrangements, the length of her relationship with her current partner and her like/dislike of cats. Alex’s knack for photocopier art is showcased in a glorious full colour cover!
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Briefly, Birds
$4 A5 46p 82g
Tamara’s beautiful cycle of poems that focus on the metaphor of birds and taking flight to describe emotional, physical and spiritual growth. That sounds awfully hippy, I know, but don’t be put off: Tamara’s skill as a writer is real, and the poems in this zine – a sort of chapbook, really – are elegantly balanced between verse and prose, memories and imaginings.
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Chasing Hot Air Balloons #7
$2 A5 45p 68g
Another zine that made its way to us via the Absent Zinester Table at the Snapdragon Fair, Hannah’s Chasing Hot Air Balloons is a collection of cute, silly and scribbly drawings and thoughts.
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Culture Slut #24/Motor City Kitty #16
$3 A6 48p 32g
If you’ve bought zines from us before you’ll be aware that Culture Slut is a consistent favourite of ours, so we’re very glad to have a new issue in stock. Sadly for us and other admirers of Culture Slut, Amber concludes this issue with the news that she’s going to take a break from zine making, for reasons she relates in the zine. Well, at least she’s left us with a very solid zine until she (hopefully) takes to the typewriter, scissors and glue again. This issue contains a winter survival ‘to do’ list, an essay which ponders why the grunge aesthetic has made a come back (rather disturbing if you lived through it the first time round – I’m beginning to appreciate how my parent’s generation must feel whenever the 70s undergo a revival), but without the all important feminism, and much more. And of course it’s a split with another great zine, which you can read about under its respective entry in the ‘M’ section of the catalogue.
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Disposable Camera – the Melbourne issue
$2.50 A6 12p plus A3 fold out 20g
This issue of Disposable Camera is, as it says, about Melbourne. If you’re familiar with Vanessa’s zines you’ll know that recent issues of Disposable Camera have all been accompanied by maps of Vanessa’s own construction that expand on the theme of the zine. This issue’s map is the biggest and most complex yet, illustrative of the number of time’s Vanessa’s visited Melbourne and the many adventures she’s had there. The main text of the zine is about a single night spent in Melbourne that evokes memories of other places and times.
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Instructions for ordering from outside Australia
A – E / F – J / K – O / P – T / U – Z / Badges / Music & Video
