Month: July 2016

Riot Don’t Diet!

Radical Cheerleaders of Santa CruzLiving in this cissexist, patriarchal, queer-hating world can sometimes make a queer want to yell. And, hey, if you’re gonna yell, why not yell in rhythm? For all your queer chanting needs, turn to the Radical Cheerleaders of Santa Cruz Cheerbook. This peppy zine has something for every queer guy, gal, and nonbinary pal, including the rallying “Riot Don’t Diet”, a Coming Out Day cheer, hair, body and sex positivity cheers, radical socioeconomic battle cries, and so much more. Want something to psyche yourself up before you masturbate? It’s in here. Want to say, “fuck you” to the man? You’ll find no more effective phrasing anywhere. Want to affirm your kinky lifestyle? Oh yeah, baby, you better believe there’s a cheer for that. In fact, if you search, you’re bound to find a cheer about almost any social issue a queer could think of. The Radical Cheerleader’s Cheerbook is an essential tool for the budding radical queer. So rah, rah, sis boom bah, read this zine and burn your bra!

Dac Cederberg is a summer intern here at QZAP. He’ll be reading and reviewing zines on the blog through August.
Dac recently graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. He’s a cisgender gay man, he/him pronouns, from Missoula Montana. His alter ego is drag-queen bombshell Lady Dee. He doesn’t quite know what he wants to do with his life yet, but he loves reading, writing, TV, pop culture, and all things queer. He’s a Gemini and his favorite color is purple. Feel free to contact Dac through QZAP with any questions or comments.

 

Forever Young

Homobody #6 coverYou feel empowered a lot, as a young person, because pretty much the whole world is reaching out to you saying “Do you like this? Will you buy this? Do we look cool?” Zines, however, are not always so eager to pander – many are very attached to the time period they have been written in, and as such you can feel out-of-touch as a young person without having done some background research first. So, here is a list of great zines for the young newbie looking to get a feel for what queer zines are like:
  1. Homobody #6 (and not just because QZAP is interviewed!) – I felt like this zine is a really accessible look at what I’ve come to know as a “queer zine” – a mix of humor, reflection, and most of all, attitude. And it also has that great interview with QZAP.
  2. Mevis is Feminist – I loved the attitude and personality of this zine, and how it moved discussion past traditional “old people feminism” (AKA white, rich, hetero women). Melvis hip-thrusted his way into my heart, and I think he’ll do the same for yours.
  3. Booty #19 – I mean, who doesn’t like booty? But aside from the title, this zine takes a really introspective look at the creator’s life and highlights how zines are personal as well as public artifacts.
  4. Cosmo Queer – This zine was angry, which was great, and I loved how it made a point of emphasizing that not all “queer people” feel included in mainstream “gay culture” (to the extent that it exists). Like Melvis, Revolution in Pink, the creator of this zine, moves discussions solidly into the 21st century.
Dylan Larson-Harsch is a summer intern here at QZAP. He’ll be reading and reviewing zines on the blog through August.
Dylan is a sophomore at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, the self-described town of cows, colleges, and contentment. He doesn’t have a major yet because Carleton is a hoity-toity liberal arts institution, but when he does, it will probably be English. When he’s not working at QZAP or the equally-thrilling job of relabeling the zones of a shoe warehouse, Dylan likes to run, write, and read all manners of things. Feel free to contact Dylan through QZAP with any comments or questions.

I’m Your Psycho #1 Fan

There’s something deeply endearing about total, over-the-top, unabashed obsession. No matter what it is, getting a look at something through the eyes of someone who really digs it is a deeply satisfying experience. Thus, Psycho #1 Fan.
Gary Coleman is the centerpiece of this striking zine’s front page, and a sizeable chunk of space is devoted to describing the author’s odd obsession with him. From there, P#1F covers the “5 Trashiest Girls in the USA” competition, including a deeply compelling description of how one contestant would handle being trapped on a desert island with JonBenet Ramsey and a bunch of hot dudes, a full two-page Donny Osmond spread (pre-1973 Donny Osmond, not the contemporary Y2K Donny Osmond), heart felt reviews of several other anachronistic male celebrities, a “what kind of fan are you” quiz (on a scale from “sorry excuse” to “psycho #1”), and so much more it’s hard to keep track. The splashy pages and crowded photos make this zine read like a punk parody of Tiger Beat, and it couldn’t be more effective. Because, really, at the end of the day, don’t we all have a little psycho in us?

Dac Cederberg is a summer intern here at QZAP. He’ll be reading and reviewing zines on the blog through August.
Dac recently graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. He’s a cisgender gay man, he/him pronouns, from Missoula Montana. His alter ego is drag-queen bombshell Lady Dee. He doesn’t quite know what he wants to do with his life yet, but he loves reading, writing, TV, pop culture, and all things queer. He’s a Gemini and his favorite color is purple. Feel free to contact Dac through QZAP with any questions or comments.

 

But I’m A…

A few nights ago we were sitting around the table with some of the zinesters-in-residence, finishing dinner and talking about lesbian movies of the 90s.  But I'm A Cheerleader came up, and we wondered collectively why we had never seen a Clea Duvall fanzine… so Dianne and Milo have decided to make one:

Call for Submissions:

But I'm A…Clea Duvall fanzine

We're looking for essays, non-fiction stories, and artwork about Clea Duvall.  It could be the first time you saw her on screen, or a movie of hers that rocked you, or that time you said "hi" in a barely audible whisper when she was working the merch table at a Need show…

• Articles should be 300-1000 words
• artwork/images should be scanned @300dpi

• zine will be released with a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike license
• please include the name that you want attributed to your piece 😉

DEADLINE: September 30, 2016
Please email your submissions to cdfanzine[at]qzap.org

Call for submissions flyer

Get QZAP Swag!!