MSRRT Newsletter's alternative news, views, and resource listings were sent via snail mail to members of the Minnesota Library Association Social Responsibilities Round Table (MSRRT). Others subscribed by making a donation ($15 suggested) payable to MLA/MSRRT. Editors: Chris Dodge/Jan DeSirey.
According to the Labor Department (and its Occupational Outlook Handbook), the following positions are expected to have the greatest job growth in the coming decade:
1. Cashier
2. Janitor/cleaner
3. Retail salesperson
4. Waiter/waitress
Also high on the list: "top executive" and security guard.
Welcome to the American Nightmare, where prisons are a growth industry,
libraries outsourced and Disneyfied, and bullying rewarded. Stir together
measures of paranoia and inequality. Beat immigrants. Add a dash of media
bias, then bring to a boil. Coast to coast during the 90s, gated
communities have sprung up. Sometimes referred to euphemistically as
"enclosed" or "controlled-access" developments, these communities are not a
new phenomenon. Still, the institution is growing at an alarming rate. In
1992, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that as many as 300,000
Californians were living in these barred subdivisions, with over fifty
"private towns" under consideration as well. An estimated 4 million
Americans now live behind gates, according to a piece in the Columbus
Dispatch last year. Dale Maharidge's The coming white minority:
California's eruptions and America's future (Times Books, 1996) is one
important look at issues surrounding this trend. Including material first
published in Mother Jones, it focuses on the experiences of four
California citizens, including a Black sheriff in Sacramento, a
Vietnamese-born woman attending Cal-Berkeley, a first generation Chicana
legislator, and a "community activist... against affirmative action."
Despite evident racial and economic divisions, some see gated communities
as a generational polarization, between the young poor and the old rich.
Others claim the trend isn't fear-based, but simply about "building
neighborhoods." These latter analysts must be wearing blinders. World Wide
Web marketers tout "luxury gated communities" on sumptuous golf courses in
which one can "live like a king or a queen." One can even peruse a Private
Communities Registry, "devoted exclusively to the presentation of private
residential communities." It's plain the trend is not simply cocooning,
but keeping other people out. A parallel movement in the social control of
poor people is described in Mike Zielinski's
Be the first on your block to wear the Alternative Library
Literature T-shirt, featuring original artwork by labor cartoonist
Mike Konopacki. A benefit project for MSRRT Newsletter and
Counterpoise, the shirt reproduces three-color front and back
covers from the forthcoming 1996/97 edition of Sandy Berman and Jim Danky's
biennial A.L.L. (due from McFarland next year). The 100% cotton
shirts are available in two sizes (L and XL) at $15 each, plus $3
shipping/handling per shirt. To order, send a check, payable to J. Danky:
A.L.L. T-shirts, 261 Hwy. 138 S., Stoughton, WI
53589-4017.
Thanks to youth services librarian (and MSRRT member) Ali Turner, in early
May I spent a day talking to English classes at the Hennepin County Home
School, a lock-up facility for teenagers. Beginning with an
autobiographical rap about my days as a dissatisfied high schooler, college
dropout, and temp slave--with vignettes about jobs in rag factories and
packaging plants, I turned the focus to zines and alternative media. After
reading aloud from Pathetic Life (about being repaid by a
panhandler, then using the money to buy cat food tuna to eat) and Doris
(an account about getting caught shoplifting), I next showed students
a
handful of other zines, from Eat and Get Out! with its stories by
disgruntled waiters and waitresses, to Monozine with its personal
tales of sickness and hospitalization. How relevant, by comparison, is
the corporate media? Holding up an issue of Newsweek with a dead
president's son's wife depicted on the cover, I contrasted this with zines'
do-it-yourself nature, and also conducted a brief hands-on show-and-tell
introduction to mail art. The library access Home School students have is
greatly limited, and customized according to age and offense. Although
they're able to fill out forms asking for individual books, the consensus
was shrugged shoulders when I asked how they found out about new titles. I
talked about how students might go about being proactive library users when
they gain full privileges, addressed assumptions about libraries (what they
may and may not carry, and why or why not) and mentioned related censorship
issues ("Zines can get you in trouble"). The response ranged from guarded
to wildly enthusiastic. Several kids came up to talk after class, and a
week later l received an envelope in the mail from one ofthem, decorated
with some psychedelic felt pen art work. Mostof the students were boys,
though one class had seven or eight girls. It was appropriate, somehow,
that I got busted there for my own misbehavior. During the first period, I
passed out many zines and other items (e.g., a how-to booklet) which had
not received official clearance. These, I learned during the next class,
had been confiscated--even the copies of Peter Kuper's comic strip about
the Mike Diana case, although I'm sure many of the kids successfully kept
their goods under wraps. During the last period, I did some brief book
recommendations based entirely upon hidden gems culled from the ancient
classroom collection, this after being assured that none of this reading
matter was forbidden. These ranged from Eldridge Cleaver's Soul on
Ice and June Jordan on Ebonics, to Mark Twain. Not used to talking so
much, I had a sore throat afterward, along with a brand new respect for
teachers. How hard it must be to balance attention to bright, eager kids
with those who are--for dozens of good reasons--taciturn. Does it really
serve the individual or public good to forbid them access to library
materials? What if comics, graphic novels, & rock and rap CDs were
available to all? --C.D.
In a civil suit against Washington State's Whatcom County, booksellers Ira
Stohl and Kristina Hjelsand were awarded a $1.3 million this April on
grounds of prior restraint and retaliatory prosecution. The pair were tried
and acquitted on obscenity charges in early 1996 for selling the zine
Answer Me! #4. The owner and manager respectively of The Newstand
in Bellingham, Washington, Stohl and Hjelsand had been indicted after
refusing district attorney's demands that they stop selling the zine, never
sell "anything like it," and remove a related protest display from their
store. For more info: Ted Rosen's report
Bust won the zine category at the second
annual Firecracker Alternative Book Awards (FAB) announced in May. For a
list of other winners:
http://www.bookwi
re.com/Expo97/BEANews.article$1243
Canzine 97 is being organized by
the publishers of Broken Pencil. Billed as "Canada's biggest zine
fair," the event will be held in Toronto, Sunday, October 5. For more
info: Box 203, Station P, Toronto, ON, M5S 2S7,
416-603-3753,
The Republic of Pinkingshear National Gallery of Art (a.k.a. Julian Davis)
has announced a zine exhibition to be held next spring. The deadline for
sublissions is December 31, 1997. For more info: hiengrup@bitstream.net; or mail
to: International Zine Show, 2205 California St. NE, Suite 207-C,
Minneapolis, MN 55418.
CAFE LOS NEGROES, "New York's black
and Latino virtual hangout"
GLQ STUDIES, with links to
several lesbigay libraries and archives, as well as bibliographies and
electronic journals
INTERNET
FILTERS IN LIBRARIES; questions and answers about "censorware"
LADYSLIPPER catalog of music by
women, with over 1200 sound clips
PROGRESSIVE DIRECTORY, including
links to material ranging from Alternative Media, Anarchism, and Anti-Nuke,
to Socially Responsible Business, "Third Parties," and Veterans Resources
"SEXISM
ILLUSTRATED"--Sports Illustrated "Swimsuit Issue" action info
VOYEUR lets visitors see "randomly selected real-time searches"
Hot, throbbing dykes to watch out for. By Alison Bechdel.
Firebrand Books, 1997. 142p. Hilarious, compassionate, relevant, and
life-affirming, Alison Bechdel's "Dykes to Watch Out For" has evolved over
time into something more than a comic strip. Like a great novel in
progress, it works on many different levels, with characters who have grown
to become multidimensional. Not just a documentary of lesbian culture and
dyke psyche, it frankly addresses contemporary political and social issues,
while engaging in sly humor (don't neglect the fine print wordplay). This
seventh Firebrand "Dykes" compilation features a significant new story
created just for this edition. Centering around a steamy fund-raiser for
the financially troubled Madwimmin Books ("Clit Lit, Chick Flicks, and
Dipsticks"), it follows the continuing saga of Mo and her friends. How does
the evening of erotic entertainment play out? Will Mo ever get over her
puritanism, and how about that crush of hers? What is it with Lois and
Prozac? Will Carlos ever get tired of reading aloud to Raffi? Is Ginger up
to finishing her dissertation? Most highly recommended. (141 The
Commons, Ithaca, NY 14850, 607-272-0000; $10.95, paper,
1-56341-086-9).
Hydra & kraken, or, The lore and lure of lake-monsters and
sea-serpents. By Noel Peattie. Regent Press, 1996. 56p. Merhorses,
super-otters, and fifty foot long eels? Methinks Noel Peattie has been
doing some daydreaming in his Cape Dory Typhoon since his retirement. This
wee book about marine cryptozoology is a serio-whimsical review of the
historical literature, complete with footnotes. Neatly condensing the
works of such key authors as Antoon Oudemans (who posited a giraffe-shaped
seal in his 500+ page The great sea serpent) and Bernard
Heuvelmans (In the wake of the sea-serpents), Peattie is a gentle
skeptic who makes little personal comment here beyond the succinct: "What
if...," "I do not know," and "Golly!" If, after centuries of fable, giant
squid were finally verified in the 19th century, is there hope for pelagic
humanoids? Peattie examines the reproductive issues at stake before coming
to a logical conclusion. When this tiny tome goes missing (at 5 1/4" x 4
1/4" it inevitably will), let's imagine it devoured by kin of the dreaded
"polyestermite." (6020A Adeline, Oakland, CA 94608, paper, $9.50,
0-916147-99-1).
Up river: the story of a Maine fishing community. By
Olive Pierce, with word pictures by Carolyn Chute. University of New
England Press, 1996. 119p. Working class people on coastal Maine have
been fishing, clamming, diving, and canning for generations. Now, however,
diligent and caring families face restrictive legislation, increased
competition, and crowding from newly arrived landed gentry. Writing
perceptively about her experience as a longtime summer visitor, Olive
Pierce relates how she came to know two families of cousins--the Carters
and Harveys--on a body of land known as "the Neck". Don't simply skim the
text; it sets the stage for the bulk of the book, Pierce's black-and-white
photos depicting daily life on the peninsula, from boat repair, sea urchin
processing, and deer hunting, to family meals, weddings, and burials. This
unromanticized view both documents and warns that a way of life is at stake
here, as with family farmers in the Midwest. Carolyn Chute's vague and
ephemeral poesy adds nothing to what is otherwise an excellent book.
(23 South Main St., Hanover, NH 03755-2048, 603-643-7100; $19.95,
paper, 0-87451-756-7).
Schooling the generations in the politics of prison.
Edited by Chinosole. New Earth Publications, 1996. 196p. In America today,
it's against the law to be poor. With anti-panhandling and anti-loitering
ordinances rampant, a burgeoning number of people are harassed and
prosecuted for being homeless. It's also a crime to have dark skin, as
those arrested for DWB--Driving While Black--can attest, and immigrants of
color have been the target of both physical and legislative violence.
Approaching the year 2000, a million people are locked up in the U.S., a
population which is disproportionately Black, male, and poor. This
collection of writings is an important call to resist. Its focus includes
political prisoners like Mumia Abu-Jamal (interviewed here), but it also
contains searingly straightforward words from "common" criminals such as
the editor's half-brother (who talks about personal responsibility and the
Phoenix Program) and Nigeria-raised aircraft mechanic Tunde Martins. The
latter details a Catch-22 of termination and denial of welfare benefits and
tuition aid, then notes, "It was at this point that I decided to rob a
bank." Though somewhat roughly edited and occasionally weakened by empty
rhetoric (or torturous style as with Sanyika Shakur's piece on becoming
politicized while in prison), overall the book is trenchant. Especially
notable are Jalil Abdul Muntaqim's hyper-rational essay on the
"criminalization of poverty," a transcript of a talk by MOVE bombing
survivor Ramona Africa, material about COINTELPRO and the Black Panther
Party, strong writings by Assata Shakur's attorney (and aunt) Evelyn
Williams, and coverage of Geronimo ji-Jaga's case. Many of the pieces are
by Black nationalists (e.g., Sundiata Acoli's historical account of Black
prison struggles), but editor Chinosole is inspired by W.E.B. DuBois'
vision: "The question is not integration or separation but liberation." It
may be standard practice in America for the assaulted to be prosecuted as
assailants (with Rodney King, Abu-Jamal, and Ramona Africa cases in point).
Stiil, if Chinosole is right, prisons aren't warehouses but hothouses.
Though many seeds may wither there, countless flowers are taking root. When
will they burst like weeds from cracks in the pavement? A related 1996
title from South End Press: Criminal injustice: confronting the prison
crisis. (1921 Ashby Ave., Berkeley, CA 94703, 510-549-0176,
FAX: 510-549-1514; $11.95, paper, 0-915117-02-9).
Dirty truths: reflections on politics, media, ideology, conspiracy,
ethnic life and class power. By Michael Parenti. City Lights
Books, 1996. 282p. Reality itself is radical, notes Michael Parenti. "Our
tax system really is regressive. Millions of Americans do live in poverty.
Public services really are being cut." This provocative collection of
writings on the "Third Worldization of America" show how a fabric of media
bias and governmental hypocrisy have helped turn the American Dream into a
nightmare. Beginning with a litany of disheartening statistics ("Hidden
Holocaust, U.S.A."), it goes on to occasionally echo Jesse Jackson's
measured cadences, demanding "resources...for social need instead of
private greed," for example. It also makes important distinctions in scale.
Why, Parenti asks, is a bomb planted in a pub by a member of the IRA a
terrorist act but not the U.S. bombing of civilian populations in Baghdad?
It's the difference between "retail terrorism" and "wholesale terrorism,"
he writes. In the United States, free speech belongs mostly to those who
can afford it, and public discussion is dominated by corporate media. Daily
news reports note the Dow Jones average, but not statistics on lay-offs.
Unions are depicted as making "demands" while management makes "offers."
The bias even extends to weather coverage, where "sunny" and "warm" are
automatically good, even when crops may be desperately in need of rain. To
Parenti's consternation, during campus protests against CIA recruiters,
civil libertarians like Nat Hentoff worry about the CIA having its rights
abridged. Free speech does not exist in a vacuum, and neither are rights
something to be preserved, he argues. Freedom of speech needs
"less abstract admiration and more militant exercise and application," in
Parenti's eyes. "As with the physical body, so with the body politic...use
it or lose it." Included are writings on the Kennedy assassination (and
the "conspiracy phobia of the left"), as well as several autobiographical
essays, two about growing up in a working class Italian immigrant family.
(261 Columbus Ave., San Francisco, CA 94133, 415-362-8193; $14.95,
paper, 0-87286-317-4).
What if they come for you? Arrest, trial, prison: a citizen's
guide. By Connor Polk and Helen Maxwell. Raton Camp Publishers,
1996. 138p. This book focuses on practical information for "people who have
little background for dealing with the criminal justice system."
Co-written by a public safety writer and "a former police officer
imprisoned ...after a homicide," it intentionally uses simplified English
to talk the reader through the procedures involved in arrest, detention,
and booking, then how to survive in prison. Meant "to save lives on both
sides of the law," it contains some good advice about how to behave for
maximum safety, and about the rights of arrestees and prisoners.
Unfortunately, the message is occasionally contradictory (e.g., on whether
to exchange gifts with other prisoners), biased (lauding the Bible
without mentioning the Koran), simplistic (claiming homosexual
behavior by straight prisoners "has nothing to do with" sexual pleasure),
or marred by careless copy editing (e.g., verb tenses which don't agree
with their objects and a preponderance of nuisance commas). Additionally,
the book could have been strengthened by resource listings, something that
can be found in Jim Hogshire's You are going to prison
(Loompanics, 1994), a title which is still in print. A borderline pick
where need exists. (4102 E. 7th St., Long Beach, CA 90804; $15,
paper, 0-9652767-0-8).
The Marquis de Sade's Elements of style. By Derek Pell.
Permeable Press, 1996. 63p. Tired of reading grammatical blunders in the
daily paper? Sick of encountering usage errors (e.g., "disinterested" used
instead of "uninterested")? This sardonic how-to book uses the words of the
Marquis de Sade to illustrate basic principles of concise and cliche-free
writing, not to mention good punctuation. "When a quotation is followed by
an attributive phrase, the comma is enclosed within the quotation marks.
'On your knees,' the monk said to me, 'I am going to whip your titties.'"
A possible gift for budding journalists. (47 Noe St., #4, San
Francisco, CA 94114-1017, bccclark@igc.apc.org; http://www.armory.com/~jay/
permeable.html; $5.95, paper, 1-882633-20-2).
Do I come here often? By Henry Rollins. 2.13.61, 1996.
188p. When it comes to documenting both the monotony and adrenaline rush of
a rock singer on tour, Henry Rollins cannot be topped. His Get in the
van was a bruising, sleepless ride down a pothole-filled road. This
book--a sequel to Black coffee blues--continues in that vein
(though it contains no photos), with a diary of the 1991 Lollapalooza tour
and accounts of gigs in Europe. Some of it describes a different
claustrophobia, involving voluntary confinement in airports and twelve-hour
flights to Australia crammed in with "morons." In most cases the writing
is taut and opinionated, matching the edgy illustrations by "Too Much
Coffee Man" creator Tom Wheeler. Interesting comments about other
musicians, what Rollins is reading, and details about the basis of his
physical culture regimen ("Iron"), welter disurbingly into misogynistic
asides and nihiliistic thoughts about shooting people. Stirred into these
accounts, not unsuccessfully, are almost adulatory interviews Rollins
conducted with Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooker, and Jerry Lee Lewis, as well
as paeans to David Lee Roth (go figure!) andRoky Erickson. "All I can do
is keep playing my guts out every night and try to sleep it off," Rollins
writes. His mission continues. Each copy is signed by the author and
available only by mail order. (P.O. Box 1910, Los Angeles, CA
90078, 1-800-992-1361; $19.95, cloth, 1-880985-48-9).
Green nature/human nature: the meaning of plants in our
lives. By Charles A. Lewis. University of Illinois Press, 1996.
148p. This promising examination of plants' psychological influence on
humans includes an interesting look at studies which have examined people's
landscape preferences. Unfortunately, it opens little if any new ground,
but recounts--in wilted prose--case study after case study in horticultural
therapy. Potentially of interest to those planning activity programs for
seniors, prisoners, and disabled persons (Lewis refers to them as
"wheelchair-bound"--ouch!), it contains illustrations, index and footnotes.
Lewis cites Richard Leakey who named the primitive familiarity one can have
when visiting ancestral homes "genetic memory." Are humans like salmon or
homing pigeons in this regard? (1325 S. Oak St., Champaign, IL
61820, 217-333-0950, FAX: 217-244-8082, uipress@uiuc.edu; $14.95, paper,
0-252-06510-7).
Amusing Your Self to Death ("A monthly small-press
resource") is a new publication featuring "all the latest zine news &
reviews." The 24-page issue #3 (May 1997) includes an article about zine
collections in libraries, infoshops, and historical societies (complete
with contact data), as well as about four dozen more-than-cursory reviews,
six of which highlight "zines of the month" (e.g., The
Palindromist), most of which are new to us. Also: Ted Rosen's
alt.zines posting about the victorious lawsuit of booksellers Ira Stohl and
Kristina Hjelsand against Whatcom County (Bellingham, Washington) for
retaliatory prosecution. (Box 91934, Santa Barbara, CA
93190-1934, rgaviola@aol.com, $20).
Bulldozer, a new tabloid incorporating Prison News
Service (MSRRT Newsletter, Aug 90), is intended to focus on
"justice-related issues in Canada: prisons, local jails, refugee detention
centres, policing, the court system, as well as the struggles of the First
Nations for self-determination." The 24-page Spring 1997 initial issue
includes a report on the trial of Gustafsen Lake siege defendants, articles
about the Canadian women's prison system and sexual exploitation in U.S.
women's prisons, commentary on the Toronto police shooting of a homeless
Chinese-Canadian man, and analysis of new search and seizure powers for
rent-a-cops, as well as action alerts and other material on political
prisoners, racist immigration law, and youth corrections. Also: an
interview with MOVE bombing survivor Ramona Africa, updates on the Peltier
and Abu-Jamal cases, resource listings, and a review of Kevin Marron's
The slammer: the crisis in Canada's prison system. Indexed by
Alternative Press Index and intended for bimonthly publication beginning in
1998, Bulldozer might win more converts if it toned down the
"KKKanada" and "kkkolonialism" rhetoric. (P.O. Box 5052, Station A,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5W 1W4; $10/5, $25 institutional, $3 or 10 stamps
for U.S. prisoners, free to Canadian prisoners).
Interference on the Brain Screen is a well-written zine
for fans of cyberpunk. Published April 1997, issue #4 contains fragments
from interviews with novelist Rudy Rucker, and an introduction which should
provoke interest in those who've never read him ("Bubbling with life and
sex and rock and roll, spewing ideas like a geyser, crammed with holy
fools, crazed robots, and the most in-your-face anti-Establishment attitude
this side of Abbie Hoffman, a Rudy Rucker novel makes you glad to be
alive"). Also: an e-mail chat with a German working on her
cyberpunk-related doctorate, a Paul DiFilippo interview
(Ribofunk), comments on cyberpunk "as punk rock 1977, a time that
has come and gone," and an "evolution of SF" chart, along with film and
book reviews, short fiction, and alt.cyberpunk wit. Companion to the
editor's Cyber Noodle Soup.
(Box 2761, St. Paul, MN 55102; $3 or trade).
Dwelling Portably (formerly Message Post) is a
long-standing zine for people who live in (or out of) tents, buses, RVs,
vans, and cars. The 21-page May 1997 issue contains reader-submitted
advice on everything from making bicycle panniers and rigging portable
electric systems, to candlecraft and safe places to park, as well as want
ads and resource listings for sister publications like Living
Free. Also: an index to issues since 1993 and a small catalog of
remaindered titles related to simple living. (Box 190, Philomath,
OR 97370; $1/issue).
North Coast Xpress is a bimonthly magazine intended in
part to "provide a forum across the political/cultural/class divide,
support grassroots movements for change, and provide a voice for
underrepresented minorities." Heavily emphasizing "drug war" politics and
prison issues, it features regular commentary by Michael Parenti, Jerry
Brown, Jim Hightower, and French human rights advocate Pierre Duterte
("Through foreign eyes"). The 48-page April/May 1997 edition (v.5 #3)
includes part three of Gary Webb's crack-CIA connection story from the
San Jose Mercury News and part four of Nancy Kurshan's "Women and
imprisonment in the U.S.," as well as an article about an urban forestry
program in Los Angeles (TreePeople), Norman Solomon on drug education
hypocrisy, and a Judi Bari obituary. Also: a profile of Corcoran and other
California Security Housing units, prison-related news, and resource
listings. (Box 1226, Occidental, CA 95465, 607-874-1453, FAX:
707-874-3104,
doretk@sonic.net;
$20; http://www.north-coast-xpre
ss.com/~doretk).
Journal of Family Life ("A quarterly for empowering
families") is published by the non-profit Down-to-Earth Books, a spin-off
of The Free School in Albany, New York. The 64-page issue seen (v.2 #4,
1996) focuses on the "karma of money," and includes interviews with Noam
Chomsky ("Robbing people blind: the U.S. economic system") and Ben Cohen of
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, an excerpt from Meredith Maran's What it's
like to live now (about working for Banana Republic, Smith & Hawken,
and Working Assets), and a personal account about money management by Free
School teacher Nancy Ost, along with an essay by Ernest Morgan
("Restructuring the economy"). Also: transcripts of talks by Vandana Shiva
("The recovery of the commons") and Cornel West ("The real democratic
tradition"), a piece by education reformer John Taylor Gatto ("Mudsill
theory, the Lancaster Amish, and Jaime Escalante"), reviews, and material
on the campaign of the Global Network for Anti-Golf Course Action. Future
theme issues were to deal with generations, living in balance, lying, and
humor. (72 Philip St., Albany, NY 12202, 518-432-1578, FAX:
518-462-6836; $20, $25 institutional).
Girlwonder is a zine "about friendship and love and... the
hardcore scene." Long and skinny (4.25 x 11"), issue #10 starts slowly with
some jammed together words on how "writing feels really good" and about
men/women relations in punk. Then there are some reviews of 7" records as
well as books (thumbs up to Audre Lorde's Zami, thumbs down to
Kerouac's On the road), a self-portrait, and thoughts (and lyrics)
about rape and friendship. Best: commentary on body image ("Sizism and
fat/skinny oppression"), text reprinted from a flyer ("Some questions I
want to ask white girls"), and "What to do when someone you know has been
raped." Also: 60s and 70s music lyrics: Carole King's "You've Got a
Friend" and Paul Simon's "Sounds of Silence." (Gracie Bartlett,
6583 Maple Drive., Clarkston, MI 48346).
CTJ Update is a newsletter put out by Citizens for
Tax Justice. The December 1996 issue features a report on "ten of
America's largest companies that have engaged in large-scale layoffs over
the last three years," complete with statistics on profits, tax subsidies,
and salaries for chief executive officers. Read it and weep.
(1311 L St. NW, Washington, DC 20005, phone: 202-626-3780, FAX:
202-638-3486, ctj@ctj.org, http://www/ctj.org).
Equity is published every two months by the nonprofit
Institute for Global Education. The 16-page December 1996
issue features an article about legislative assaults on poor people ("Who
really benefits from government assistance?"), a report on a talk about
labor exploitation in the garment industry, analysis of media silence
regarding Nicaragua ("Ignored but not forgotten!"), and a piece about
Habitat for Humanity, as well as reviews, an events calendar, and
commentary on the presidential election. (1400-B Lake Dr. SE, Grand
Rapids, MI 4950, 616-454-1642, FAX: 616-454-0820).
India Currents is a monthly magazine published by and for
South Asian Americans. The 64-page March 1997 issue (v.10 #12) contains an
article about children's books with Indian themes, news reports (e.g., one
about Pakistani elections), and reviews of books, music, and films (e.g.,
"When Women Unite: The Story of an Uprising"), while the February edition
featured pieces on "Indians in cyberspace" and "the pros and cons of beauty
pageants." Legal advice, event information, recipes, short fiction, and
crosswords all appear regularly. (P.O. Box 21285, San Jose, CA
95151, phone: 408-274-6966, FAX: 408-274-2733; $19.95, publisher@indiacur.com, http://www.indiacur.com/indiacur).
The Mother is Me ("An alternative publication on the
motherhood experience") is a well written new "progressive, feminist"
quarterly. The 32-page Summer 1996 edition (v.1 #2) contains a balance of
short personal narratives, black & white photos, and essays (one about the
complications of an extralegal foster parenting situation), along with book
reviews, legislative updates, and resource listings. Included are writings
about depression, the loss of spare time, and signs that a daughter is
asserting herself; commentary by Roz Warren on unenlightened attitudes
about breast feeding; and a summary of conflicting "expert" advice on
circumcision, co-family sleeping, and playtime gender roles. The Autumn
1996 issue includes "Potty Training 101," material on "midwives under
attack," and an essay on the death of an 18-month-old son. (P.O.
Box 5174, Dover, NH 03821, zoey455@aol.com; $15.95, http://members.aol.com/zoey
455/index.html).
The University of Minnesota Women's Studies Newsletter is
a new publication scheduled to come out twice a year "in an effort to build
better bridges between the Department of Women's Studies...and surrounding
communities and organizations." The 12-page initial issue contains
information about new student organizations (e.g., Breaking Silence, a
group for "U.S. and international women of color"), a report from the
Feminist Expo '96 held in Washington, and an accounting of faculty
achievements and activities, as well as information about mentoring and
internship opportunities. (489 Ford Hall, 224 Church St.,
Minneapolis, MN 55455).
Mexico NewsPak is a biweekly publication of the
Texas-based nonprofit Human Rights Documentation Exchange
(formerly Central America Resource Center). Sister to Central America
NewsPak (MSRRT Newsletter, Sep 88), each 12-page edition contains
approximately twenty stories, some from major U.S. newspapers, others
translated from the Mexican press. The May 20-June 2, 1996 issue (#87)
includes reports on such topics as drought in northern Mexico,
environmental threats to the beaches of Cozumel, police beatings in Mexico
City, a crackdown on migrant smuggling, growing tensions in Chiapas ("Peace
process in its worst stage"), and a nationwide teacher's strike.
(P.O. Box 2327, Austin, TX 78768, 512-476-9841, FAX:
512-476-0130).
Twin Cities' Urban Gardener is the newsletter of the
nonprofit Sustainable Resources Center Urban Lands Program. The 6-page
Summer 1996 edition contains info about two new sustainable horticulture
demonstration sites, an article on companion planting, and a calendar of
summer classes (on topics like composting and square foot gardening), as
well as details about neighborhood markets, alternative lawn tours, free
gardening materials, and related matters. (1916 2nd Ave. S.,
Minneapolis, MN 55403, 612-872-3299).
What's the Rumpus? is the quarterly newsletter of
Wild Rumpus, a wonderful children's bookstore located in
South Minneapolis. The May-August 1997 issue (#24) contains over 70
staff-written book reviews and info about two dozen summer events (flower
pressing, anyone?), all written in a chatty, slightly insouciant style
that's almost as fun as a visit to the store itself. (2720 W. 43rd
St., Minneapolis, MN 55410, 612-920-5005).
GiG Performance News is a new Minnesota publication
calling itself "the direct link to bands, artists, dancers, and theatre
types." The February 1997 issue (#3) features an excellent essay on the
word "alternative" as applied to music, interviews with
dancer/choreographer Paula Mann and the Mighty Mofos' Bill and Ernie
Batson, a profile of KFAI programmer Mark Wheat, and material on getting
your foot in the door at college radio stations, as well as information
about In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre. Also: commentary
on "selling out," an omnibus piece covering several art exhibitions, and
music reviews. (1465 W. 33rd St., #210, Minneapolis, MN
55408-3417, 612-827-7184, gignews@aol.com, http://members.a
ol.com/gignews/fateis/character.html).
OffBeat (New Orleans' & Louisiana's Music & Entertainment
Magazine") is a monthly publication featuring profiles, history, festival
reports, and reviews. The 94-page October 1996 edition (v.9 #10) includes
an article about octogenarian vocalist Blue Lu Barker, interviews with the
Barkays and zydeco musician Geno Delafose, and a piece on the music of Cabo
Verde, while other recent numbers have included conversations with King
Sunny Ade and Charlaine Neville, a look at the history of jazz funeral
parades, and a roundup of the new generation of zydeco players. In
addition, each issue contains a column on Internet resources, community
radio news, and event information. (333 St. Charles Ave., Suite
614, New Orleans, LA 70130-3117, 504-522-5533, FAX: 504-522-1159,
offbeat@neosoft.com, http://www.neosoft.com).
Twin Cities Blues News is a free monthly tabloid featuring
reviews, concert and festival coverage, and event listings for "blues/blues
rock/jazz/soul/ R&B/zydeco." The 24-page July 1996 issue (v.1 #6) included
an interview with members of the Senders, an essay on ownership of the
blues ("Your blues ain't like mine"), a profile of Louis Jordan, and a
report on the Chicago Blues Festival, while the April 1997 edition contains
the first of a multi-part piece about James "Cornbread" Harris and an
article about Stevie Ray Vaughan. (Box 65671, St. Paul, MN 55165,
612-642-5170, FAX: 612-433-2143, bluesnews@kmtech.com, http://www.kmtech.com/bluenews).
Underground Soundz Magazine is a quarterly covering "hip
hop, reggae, progressive beats, etc." The 50-page issue seen (#7) features
news briefs, coverage of live shows, interviews (e.g., Lord Finesse, Onyx,
Slim Kid Tre, Aceyalone, Luniz, and Camp Lo), and reviews of over 200
recordings. The latter range from 12" hip-hop singles and indie label rap,
to more mainstream offerings by the likes of Me'shell Ndegeochello and
Fishbone. A special section focuses on acid jazz, jungle, house, techno,
trip hop, ambient, and trance music. (12034 Ridge Highway,
Tecumseh, MI 49286, 313-439-8338, sbwoy@aol.com; $10/6).
Young Heirs is a bilingual (English-French) mini-zine
emphasizing collage art, alternative rock music, and veganism. What sets
it apart is its pleasing design--it's nice just to hold and look through.
Anti-authoritarian in tone, the 32-page issue seen (#4) contains tiny
reproductions by Seth Tobocman and Francisco Goya, a flyer art gallery, a
vegan recipe and nutrient information, and a catalog of posters, patches
and T-shirts. (C.P. 43083, St. Romuald, Quebec, G6W 7N2, Canada;
$3).
America@Work is a publication begun last year featuring
"ideas, info and ammo for AFL-CIO leaders and activists." The 24-page
January 1997 edition (v.2 #1) includes news briefs, an article on how "Wall
Street speculators are pushing America down the low road," and a profile of
organizer Marta Flores-Ramirez, as well as resource listings and a look at
the new Congress ("Who's new, what's at stake..."). (815 Sixteenth
St. NW, Washington, DC 20006, 202-637-5010, FAX: 202-508-6908;
$10).
The Food Insects Newsletter is devoted to serious articles
about the worldwide use of insects as food (entomophagy), but often
contains letters and anecdotes which lay people may find interesting. The
12-page November 1996 edition (v.9 #3) contains a rundown of recent
coverage of food insects in the mass media, recipes (e.g., "Tempura Cricket
with Vegetables"), and an abstract about an ethnoentomological study on
insects as human food in the Great Basin, from which excerpts will be
published in future issues. (Florence Dunkel, Dept. of Entomology,
Montana State Univ., 324 Leon Johnson Hall, Bozeman, MT 59717-0302,
406-994-5065, FAX: 406-994-6029, ueyfd@msu.oscs.montana.edu;
$5 contribution).
Broken Fender is like a strong dark cup of coffee. Each
deceptively simple frame in the comics zine produced by Josui Menjivar
bursts with compact energy and feeling. The imprint--"Fresh Brewed
Illustration"--fits well. These aren't "funny animal" stories we're
talking about. Instead, the tales describe humans, from insomnia, urban
poverty, and sibling straight talk, to the ignominy of having to wear a
ridiculous uniform while working at "Taco Heaven." Expanding from 12 to 20
pages with issues #5 and 6, the mini-comic also added full-color covers and
contributions by Matt Madden (e.g., a Zapatista cereal box featuring
"Subtigre Toqo") and the artist's brother Amos. Later this year, beginning
with v.2 #1, Primal Groove Press is slated to begin publishing this
worthwhile title. (300 Crockett St., #129, Austin, TX 78704; $2
each).
Boy Trouble ("Queer boy comics"), started by Rob
("Curbside") Kirby (MSRRT Newsletter, Sep 94), is now being co-edited by
David Kelly. Issue #3 now available; note new contact data: D.
Kelly, 1122 E. Pike St., Suite 992, Seattle, WA 98122, dkpress@aol.com;
$3/copy).
New Unionist (MSRRT Newsletter, Jul/Aug 88) has new
contact data: 2309 Nicollet Ave., Suite 102, Minneapolis, MN 55404,
612-870-1133, nup@minn.net, http://www1/minn.net/~nup
Puncture: A Magazine of Music and the Arts (MSRRT
Newsletter, Feb 90) has new contact info: Box 14806, Portland, OR
97293, puncture@teleport.com.
Radio Free Maine specializes in audio and videotapes of
talks by Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Amiri Baraka, Katha Pollitt, Ralph
Nader, Helen Caldicott, and other political authors and speakers.
(P.O. Box 2705, Augusta, ME 04338, 207-622-6629, http://ww
w.cyborganic.com/people/stefan/RadioFreeMaine.html).
Collector Records produces cassettes and CDs "with songs
of labor, protest, politics, and social commentary," and distributes
related recordings and books. (1604 Arbor View Rd., Silver Spring,
MD 20902-1409, 301-949-2033).
Native American Co-op, publishers of Native American
Directory, also distributes a pow-wow catalog, American Indian music
tapes, and related materials. (2830 S. Thrasher, Tucson, AZ 85713,
520-622-4900).
Distributed Art Publishers offers such titles as New
York City tattoo: the oral history of an urban art, Bruce Gilden's
Haiti, and My face for the world to see: the diaries of Candy
Darling, from such publishers as Hardy Marks, Turtle Point Press, and
Editions Revue Noir. (155 6th Ave., 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10013,
212-627-1999, FAX: 212-627-9484).
Crescent Wrench/Autonome Distribution specializes in
"revolutionary anarchist, radical media," from publishers like Black & Red,
Press Gang, Odonian, and Zero Hour. (P.O. Box 30058, New Orleans,
LA 70190; Infoshop: 2116 Burgundy St., New Orleans, LA
70116, 504-944-4907).
New and forthcoming from Writers and Readers: Black
Panthers for beginners, The history of clowns for beginners,
Race for beginners, and Chomsky for beginners.
(P.O. Box 461, Village Station, New York, NY 10012, 212-982-3158,
FAX: 212-777-4924).
The Center on Social Welfare Policy and Law offers such
recent publications as Welfare myths: fact or fiction?
(275 Seventh Ave., Suite 1205, New York, NY 10001-6708,
212-633-6967, FAX: 212-633-6371, hn0135@handsnet.org).
New from Loompanics Unlimited: Jack Luger's Street
smarts for the new millennium and Ruth & Bill Kaysong's The 99
cents a meal cookbook. (Box 1197, Port Townsend, WA 98368,
1-800-380-2230, loompanx@olympus.net).
Woman in the Moon is a Black and woman-owned publisher of
such titles as The lesbian and gay wedding album, The Kwanzaa
handbook, and Robyn Fisher's The spice of life: a beginner's
guide to the world of ethnic vegetarianism. (P.O. Box 2087,
Cupertino, CA 95015, 408-738-4623, sb02701@mercutry.fhda.edu).
Cheng & Tsui Company is a publisher and distributor of
Asian language-learning materials, literature in translation, computer
software, and films. Looking for a Chinese joke book, a CD-ROM about
Japanese idioms, a feature by Juzo Itami? They're all here. (P.O.
Box 576, Williston, VT 05495, 1-800-554-1963).
Grita! Records productions include a compilation album of
Latin punk (Greetah! = Scream!) and Basque folk-punk group Negu
Gorriak's Ideia Zabaldu. (Box 1216, New York, NY 10156,
212-736-0783, FAX: 212-736-0786, info@grita.com, http://www.grita.com).
The Publishing Triangle offers a "National Lesbian and Gay
Book Month Buyer's Guide" which includes lists of award winning titles.
(P.O. Box 114, Prince Street Station, New York, NY 10012,
pubtriangle@nycnet.com).
American Indian Research & Policy Institute issues reports
and bibliographies on such topics as tribal sovereignty, American Indian
religious freedom, and aging. (749 Simpson Street, St. Paul, MN
55104, 612-644-1728).
The art of democracy: a concise history of popular culture in the
United States. By Jim Cullen. Monthly Review Press, 1996. 320p.
(122 W. 27th St., New York, NY 10001, 212-691-2555, FAX:
212-727-3676, mreview@igc.apc.org; $18,
paper, 0-85345-920-7).
Sisterhood is global: the international women's movement
anthology. Compiled, edited, introduced, and with a new preface
by Robin Morgan. Feminist Press, 1996. 821p. (311 E. 94th St., New
York, NY 10128-5684; $24.95, paper, 1-55861-160-6).
Just like Bob Zimmerman's blues: Bob Dylan in Minnesota.
By Dave Engel. River City Memoirs-Mesabi, 1997. Sentence fragments.
Photos--most not of Bob Dylan--and a smattering of genealogy. Iron Range
weather accounts. This volume attempts to describe Bob Dylan by what was
going on in northern Minnesota, America, and the world during the 50s.
(5597 Third Ave., Rudolph, WI 54475; $19.95, paper,
0-942495-61-6).
Adversaries of dance: from the Puritans to the present. By
Ann Wagner. University of Illinois Press, copyright 1997. 442p.
(1325 S. Oak St., Champaign, IL 61820; $19.95, paper,
0-252-06590-5).
Being on line: Net subjectivity. Edited by Alan Sondheim.
Lusitania Press, 1996. 207p. This bilingual (English/Korean) work focuses
on "the practical aspects and effects of virtuality on our concept of the
body, identity, and politics." Includes flip art, as well as contributions
by Honoria, Paula Edmiston, and Tara Calishain. (104 Reade St.,
New
York, NY 10013, 212-619-6224, FAX: 212-732-3914; $15, paper,
1-882791-04-5, lusitania@thing.net, http://www.thing.net/lusitania).
The failure of America's foreign wars. Edited by Richard
M. Ebeling and Jacob M. Hornberger. Future of Freedom Foundation, 1996.
383p. Consider the source: an organization whose monthly journal is called
Freedom Daily. (11350 Random Hills Rd., Suite 800,
Fairfax, VA 22030, 703-934-6101, FAX: 703-352-8678, 75200.1523@compuserve.com, www.fff.org; $15.95, paper,
0-9640447-6-5).
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