oleandrsstudio

[oleandrsstudio]

This week's #zine #review is "Codename: Fireball" by anonymous!

This zine illustrates the song "Codename: Fireball" by Palette Knife. It uses full-color photo collage. The text fits in the collage so perfectly that when I first read this I thought it was an original poem for the zine.

I read this before listening to the song, and it made me think the song would be sad and slow throughout. It's actually got some energetic parts. It feels like a true indie pop song.

[oleandrsstudio]

A Pinned Post Just In Time for the Summer Solstice

Hey cats, what’s good? I’m Jessie, a 40-something queer, nonbinary person; I use they/them, she/her, and he/him pronouns—I like it best when people mix ‘em up—or just stick with they/them if that’s easier. (I could get into a further breakdown and details of my identity, but it would be a motherfuckin mouthful, so we’ll leave it at that.)

The main thing that’s going on in my life right now is that my husband and our two kiddos and I just moved from where we’d been living to a new town, 200 miles away. We moved up here for lots of reasons: we just needed a change; it’s an area where the kids are safe to ride their bikes and walk to the playground because there’s a lot less traffic; and finally because there are better job opportunities for my partner and I.

So, hopefully very soon, I’ll have to make fewer of these types of posts. But in the meantime: I have a GFM going to help us cover moving expenses. I raised about 1/4 of it earlier on in the campaign, but then it stalled out, cuz I quit posting about it or making updates because I was too busy getting ready to move.

FIND MY GFM HERE

(Photos of me outside my old house and new house, respectively, cuz I know posts tend to do better with a picture or two.)

Here’s where we’re at right now, as of today (June 20): $2180/$7000. And now is the crunch time. The movers moved in everything from our old place to our new one today. We’ll be here for a few days unpacking, then we have to go back to our old place one last time to clean (cuz I want our security deposit back!) The rest of the money that I raise will be used for: filling the car with gas to get back to the old place to clean, getting some necessities for our new place, getting some cleaning supplies for our old place, and, mostly—paying July’s rent and bills for our new place (including getting a PO box; our new place doesn’t have mail delivery) so that we have a little more time to look for work while we get settled in.

—

There are other ways you can help, too:

Venmo: JessieLynnMcMains

PayPal: coeur.de.fantome@gmail.com

(If you donate through either of those accounts, I’ll mark it on the GFM as an offline donation; and in fact, getting a little money that way would be ideal right now. Cuz I can access it instantly and get my family some takeout meals so we don’t have to worry about cooking while we unpack/clean.)

Or you could consider:

Becoming a paid subscriber of my Substack (I’m running a little series there right now, which will culminate at the end of the month with a brand new piece for paid subscribers only).

Buying something or hiring/commissioning me via my Ko-fi. (Just keep in mind that if you hire me or order any physical item from the shop, it’ll be at least mid-July til I can send it.)

As always, everything helps, including keeping this post circulating.

Thanks in advance, and happy Solstice!

[oleandrsstudio]

This week’s #zine #review is “Buggin: A Bug Pokemon Mini Zine!” by @droseattack!

Bug-type Pokemon are so fun! My favorites are Vikavolt and Scizor -- they're tough battlers!

This zine celebrates bug-type Pokemon through illustrations of Pokedex entries. The artist has a colorful, bright style. I enjoyed how dynamic the illustrations were as well.

#pokemon #artzine #fanzine #zinereview

[oleandrsstudio]

This week’s #zine #review is of “Stuff I Threw at the Wall” by @jordan.leetung!

This zine’s cover is cardboard and duct tape. A note inside the cover mentions that the contents were “inscribed during The Great Quarantine of 2020 by hand, like the monks used to do.”

And the inscriptions! This collection of short poetry brings a humorous light perspective. I was impressed with how clear the handwriting was -- especially taking into account that the zinester had to write every poem in every copy of this zine.

#poetry #minizine #crafts

[oleandrsstudio]

I joined a

Zine Bundle!!

Click here and get it!

[oleandrsstudio]

This week's #zine #review is of "Queer Because I Say So: Recognizing Our Literary Elders" by Jules Ray!

There's a scale used in scientific research called "inclusion of other in the self" (Aron et al., 1992). In this scale, a participant is asked to to consider their relationship to another person, to a community, to society. Then they are shown a series of circles which interlink to varying degrees. They must decide which set of circles represents the relationship.

This zine reminded me of this scale. In recognizing queerness of literary characters, the zinester connects with them. I could feel a kind of closeness there. It reminded me that queerness can be a connection even while the world tries to make it a separation.

#minizine #infozine #litzine #artzine #zinereview

[oleandrsstudio]

This week’s #zine #review is “Adventures of the Outsiders” by @schnellville!

The first comic I remember reading featured Luke Cage and Misty Knight. I was taking a comics class for small children, and the teacher brought this huge box of comics for us to read. It was a wonderful experience, being welcomed into this whole new universe.

This minizine is about a similar experience from this zinester. They share the memory of reading this "Adventures of the Outsiders" issue for the first time. They managed to find it again as an adult! I'm happy I got to read about this memory.

[oleandrsstudio]

This week’s #zine #review is “Keep on Holding On: A DBT Activity Zine” by Amy Irvine!

DBT stands for Dialectical Behavior Therapy. It's a therapy used to treat mental illnesses and support mental wellness. This zine has some information about DBT and exercises you can do to practice your skills. It's all handwritten and hand-illustrated, so it felt casual and comfortable.

[oleandrsstudio]

This week’a #zine #review is of “Good Grief” by Stumbleweed.

I picked up this zine at the 2024 Detroit Zine Fest. This is about loss and grief: how it feels, how to live when it's there. It's art-focused. These past years have been so heavy. This zine makes me feel distant. I see the grief, and I hold space for it. I hope it helps.

#perzine #zinereview

[oleandrsstudio]

This week’s #zine #review is of “Hexarc issue 002” published by @hex_arc!

Zineception time! I'm reviewing a zine that features a review of one of MY zines. I love the community-building involved in reading/reviewing other people’s work.

Hexarc explores music and culture with articles, photography, and reviews. This is the kind of zine that I could see being distributed at a local show, the kind that gets shared among friends and talked about. I'm glad Hexarc exists.

#zinereview #musiczine #communityzine

[oleandrsstudio]

This week’s #zine #review is “Self-Harm: A Zine About NSSI” by Sharaya O!

Content notice: as the title says, this zine is about non-suicidal self injury/NSSI. As a person who struggles with this myself, I waited until I was in a good headspace to read this. Please be careful.

I'm unsure how much to say about this. I don't want the Social Media Algorithms to think I'm asking for pro-NSSI posts on my feed. So, about this zine: it's a first-person account of what it's like to struggle and recover. It's respectful. It's not edgy, it doesn't aim for shock value. It might be helpful for people going through it or supporting loved ones.

[oleandrsstudio]

This week's #zine #review is "MSUL Early UK Punk Zine Highlights" by Joshua Barton and Michigan State University Libraries (MSUL)!

On April 12th, Lansing had its first Independent Comics & Zine Fest. I got there a few hours in and had a wonderful time.

The local university's library system (@msulibraries) had a table there, and that's where I got this zine. I had known the library had a zine collection, but I'd never thought too deeply about what kind of zines they had. Barton shares pictures and descriptions here -- lots of 70's punk and typewriters!

I'm really happy the library had a table there. It's such a perfect event for libraries and I'm surprised I don't see more libraries at zine fests.

#zinereview #infozine #zinesaboutzines

[oleandrsstudio]

This week’s #zine #review is “Pamper Yourself” by Lin Martin!

I love the little things that make life special. This zine is full of them, sharing recommendations for rituals to bring a little joy into life. As I write this, I'm recovering from a cold. This zine has a comfy, warm vibe. It created a cozy experience reading it.

#minizine #selfcare #selfcarezine

[oleandrsstudio]

IT’S FINALLY HERE!

ISSUE 04! OUT NOW!

Read the other issues, here:

Issue 01

Issue 02

Issue 03

[oleandrsstudio]

Today’s #zine #review is of “Blue Hour: a poem zine” by Victor Malamutya! Other zines from this zinester can be found at victorly.itch.io !

Victor has this beautiful art style, something I've noticed both in this illustrated zine and the photography zine I reviewed before. The way he uses light makes me feel warm. This story captures the feelings of the blue hour, that liminal time where the sunlight changes the world. It's a quiet, thoughtful story.

#artzine #poetryzine #zinereview

[oleandrsstudio]

This week’s #zine #review is “License Plates: 50 States” by Eve Gordon @from.eves.studio!

At the 2024 Grand Rapids Zine Fest, my brother picked up this one. License plates are a kind of art that we see so often we may overlook them. This zine, made of illustrations of plates, shines a light on them. It makes me more appreciative of the creativity that surrounds us every day.

#artzine #minizine #zinereview

[oleandrsstudio]

This week’s #zine #review is of “Mothcoven Presents: An Unofficial Companion Guide for Stardew Valley” by @mothcoven!

My friends are into the Stardew Valley game. I picked this up looking to get some more fan perspective about it. Like the title says, this is a sort of guidebook, featuring information about the characters and items one can find.

I got this at the 2024 Grand Rapids Zine fest! These zines were labeled “misprints,” so I expected the text would be blurry or something, but everything looked great. It turns out the misprint was a mistake in one of the checklists. I loved how the zinester included an insert to correct it.

#StardewValley #fanzine #gamezine #infozine