Zines N-Z

Paruresis is the very real condition in which a person has trouble urinating in certain situations, such as in public spaces,  or while other people are waiting.  I never knew that this was a thing!   Reading this zine taught me a lot about what it's like to live with  this condition.  Not only does it give lots of information about the  condition itself, but it gives a very personal account of what it's like  to live with paruresis.

This perzine is full of personal stories of anguish, embarrassment, and torment.   He even tells about the childhood bullying incident that created his  mental block.  This zine is sad, but excellent.  If you, or anyone you  know, is pee-shy, this is a must.  Actually, it's sort of a must no  matter what.

Quarter-size, B&W, 24 pages.     

This is the "College" issue, all about Mark's time in college.  Having room mates for the first time, trying to date, coming to terms with the fact that this small detail about himself is actually a  huge fucking deal.

Mark tells stories of going to bars and  drinking all night long, having fun with his friends until his bladder is full.  Unable to pee in public he lives a life of constantly finding excuses to leave the room, leave the bar, or leave the party.

This story is heartbreaking, sad,  exciting, and intriguing.  Feel the uncomfortable embarrassment right  along with Mark as he navigates this world.  This is the only zine I've ever read on the topic, so it's worth $3 just for that.

Quarter-size, color cover, 28 pages.   

This issue is the "vacation" issue.  Mark talks about the extensive planning he has to go  through just to travel.  How long will his plane ride be?  How long will  he be on a bus from one city to another?  The lengths he must go to in  order to urinate are simultaneously fascinating and depressing.  This condition dictates so much of his life, and all his activities are planned around his use of the toilet.

Yet, this zine isn't depressing.  If anything it feels empowering.  He has accepted that this is part of his life, and he works through it.  Rather than simply say, "No, I'm not flying anywhere," he has said, "Yes, I can fly there, but  here's how I need to do it."  Part of his empowerment seems to come from  a new girlfriend, the first person he's ever dated who has known about  his condition.  Having her love and support certainly seems to help him.

Quarter-size, color cover, 32 pages, all text. 

We all have challenges when it comes to getting hired at a new job.   Some people are unable to pass a drug test, which sucks, but Mark isn't even sure he can TAKE the drug test!  He doesn't do drugs, he just can't pee in the cup when he knows there is a nurse outside waiting on him.   Good writing to make you feel the nervousness he goes through in these situations.  Also in this issue is a story about Mark discovering that another friend has a similar bathroom secret...  Does he confront her and bond over their similar problems?  Get this new issue and find out.

Quarter-size, color cover, 32 pages.

Part of dating, part of relationships, part of love, is the process of  familiarity.  Getting to know someone so well that little by little  there are no more secrets.  But Mark has a big secret, and it takes  a lot to keep this secret from one girlfriend after another.   He wants to tell them, but is too embarrassed.  While hanging out with  his love interest, or her family, he finds excuses to go outside, then  pees there.  Or waits until his lover is asleep, just so he can get up  and pee in the middle of the night.

Something that is not so much  as an after-thought for 95% of us is the ONLY thing Mark can think  about most of the time.  When should he pee?  And where, and how?

This issue is the dating issue, the one we've all been waiting for.

Quarter-size, color cover, 40 pages.

Ed Tillman talks about all kinds of art, old and new, from websites that sell custom stickers to photography to movies.  The real chore, of course, is for Ed to figure out where his artistic mind fits within all this mess.  It’s obvious from this zine that Ed loves all things art, and making zines is just one small part of that puzzle.  He uses QRK5 to explore his relationship with art, but along the way his zine becomes a piece of art itself, with an eclectic mix of photos, drawings, and perfect penmanship.  

Quarter-size, cardstock cover, full-color, 20 pages.

I love the drawing on this cover.  More drawings, more paintings, more writing about art.  This one has several prints of portraits Ed has been painting, and they are so beautiful to look at.  He also has some photography, as well as a section talking about his Holga camera.  If you know what a Holga is, you’ll dig this little zine.  The highlight though, for me at least, was the story he tells about seeing a homeless man bathing in the LA River.

Quarter-size, full-color, 20 pages.

Kris has banged out another excellent piece of writing, as he documents his road trip from Spain down to Morocco.  He and his partner, Lola, as well as some other friends, travel by car through Morocco, a country they are vaguely familiar with, but not exactly comfortable in.  What makes this zine a lovely read is how well Kris describes each and every scene, taking the time to really describe not only the FACTS of the situation (time, place, scenery) but also the FEELINGS of the situation.  Are we excited to be on an adventure?  Are we scared that we might get robbed?  Are we relieved to finally find that restaurant we’ve been looking for?  Kris makes you smell the food, feel the sweat, and hold your breath when danger lurks.  Peppered throughout the zine are beautiful linocut art pieces, and as an added bonus, every copy includes an actual bag of Moroccan Mint flavored tea.  Half-size, B&W with a blue cover, 44 pages.

Another travel-zine from East Coast Ed!  Ed runs a distro called The Word Distribution, and also writes the zine Pencil of the Week.  But his touring zines are really starting to take shape as well.  For this issue he heads all the way across the country to visit Seattle!  This great perzine reads like a diary, taking us along for the adventure, day by day.  And it’s fantastic how Ed uses 2 of his passions, zines and pencils, to help guide the way.  He meets up with some zine-friends, he meets up with some pencil-nerds, and of course he eats all kinds of good food along the way.  For only $2 you can live vicariously through him.

Half-size, color cover, color photos, 16 pages.

New Zinester on the block!  Sharaya O. out of California brings a zine full of words!  Sharaya likes to read a lot, and when she comes across an interesting word, she writes it down.  Looks it up.  Tries to understand it.  This zine documents that process.  But this isn’t a dictionary, this isn’t just a list of words.  This is a linguistically-themed perzine.  The words are fun, and interesting, and largely unknown to me, but what makes this zine fun is reading Sharaya’s experience and opinions of the words.  Comments like “Reserve this word for when writing a gothic novel” is what keep you turning the pages.  Short zine; quick read.

Quarter-size, full-color, 8 pages.