MSRRT NEWSLETTER

• Introduction
• Odd Library Bedmates
• Two Cheers for CIP
• Interview with the Prez
• Media Watch
• World Wide Web
• Recommended Reading
• Recommended Resources
• Noteworthy Video
• Periodicals Received
• Catalogs
• Miscellaneous
• Books Received

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.

(Back to the Top)

Truth is scarier than fiction. A new "independent" bookstore in Memphis ("Deliberate Literate") carries nothing but titles published or distributed by Random House. Large "public" libraries offer fee-based document retrieval (San Francisco Public's "Library Express" brochure advertises $15 per in-house item, a price including "copyright fees, copy service, fax or US mail delivery"). Bill Gates gets great press for contributing $500,000 in cash and software to the Detroit Public Library, the equivalent of us giving the Library two bucks. Finally, a veritable orgy of web site arrangements have been announced in the past several months, with chain bookseller Barnes & Noble in the thick of things. Not only are book reviews in the online New York Times now linked to order forms at B & N's web site, New York Public Library has also jumped at the cash. NYPL is one of "40 prominent Web companies" due to make a 7% commission on total sales of customers referred to B&N.com, Publishers Weekly reported in September. Bookstore-library "cooperation" was also on the agenda at this year's American Library Association conference, where representatives from B&N, Borders, and Waldenbooks are officially part of a Young Adult Library Services Association task force. Such relationships seem badly shortsighted to us. In October, MSRRT sponsored a session at the Minnesota Library Association conference titled "Invasion of the Superstore," a small cry of alarm amid the craziness. Independent booksellers, panelists noted, account now for only around 18% of book sales in the United States, while chains and venture capitalists influence everything from cover designs to what gets published at all. Speaking of MLA, MSRRT also hosted a talk there by author Rosalie Maggio, "Women's Words: The Inside Story on Quotation Books." Maggio, who read a staggering 7000 books in preparing her New Beacon book of women's quotations, noted that as a quotation collector she alternately feels like a parasite and a curator. She also cited Mary Pettibone Poole's witticism, "The next best thing to being clever is being able to quote someone who is." A listing of selected Twin Cities independent bookstores may be obtained from the editors (send an SASE), and the MSRRT-Counterpoise benefit T-shirt is also still available. Depicting the front and back covers of the forthcoming 1996/97 edition of Sandy Berman and Jim Danky's biennial Alternative library literature, the cotton shirts are available in two sizes--L and XL ($18 postpaid to MLA/MSRRT via the editors).

An excerpt from a recent Publishers Weekly interview with the new editor of the Los Angeles Times Book Review (July 7, 1997, p.15):

PW: To expand...you need to attract more advertising. What are your plans?

Steve Wasserman (SW): As long as the L.A.Times Book Review depends on New York publishers for ad revenues, we will be a stepchild. But, the fact is, the L.A. Sunday Times, has 1.3 million readers. The Book Review reader is the better-educated and higher-income reader of the group. So why can't I appeal to Mont Blanc as an advertiser? Or Philips Petroleum (which advertises in the New York Times Review of Books)? Or ARCO--the largest backer of the L.A. Library Foundation? The biggest contribution ARCO could make to literacy would be to adopt the L.A. Book Review.

PW: So how do you attract them?

SW: ...we're rethinking and reimaging the section to make books seem less elitist and more mass-based--and in this way, make the section more profitable.

At last Midwinter conference, ALA's Social Responsibilities Round Table passed a resolution calling upon the Library of Congress (LC) to "provide Cataloging-in-Publication (CIP) data to all requesting publishers, regardless of size or number of authors." Submitted by MSRRT's Sandy Berman, the measure questioned LC's policy of omitting self-published works from the scope of their CIP Program, calling it "unfair and discriminatory." The spirit of the resolution made sense, though it seemed a bit ironic considering how inadequate--if not downright erroneous or misleading--most Cataloging-in-Publication continues to be. Doesn't it make more sense to agitate for better cataloging, than for more access to bad cataloging? Many months after it was passed, a response to the "Social Round Table" [sic] resolution was issued by CIP Division director John Celli. Using circular logic, Celli said that "self-published works are...out-of-scope as their distribution tends to be limited." The reply was flat out patronizing, and the best response to it might be a critique of the product itself. Check LC's Cataloging-in-Publication data for The McDougall quick & easy cookbook: over 300 delicious low-fat recipes you can prepare in fifteen minutes or less (Dutton, 1997). Pathetically, a single subject heading, LOW-FAT DIET--RECIPES, was assigned. Besides missing the obvious TIME-SAVING COOKING, the CIP ignores what is ascertainable upon examination, that the book's recipes "use ingredients ... from a variety of ethnic traditions... that ... cost far less than any meat- or fish-based menu" (i.e., VEGETARIAN COOKING). A careful cataloger might have dug a bit deeper and noted the book's further emphasis ("Focus: fat-free, vegan recipes"), assigning VEGAN COOKING and COOKING, FAT-FREE. Then there's Dan Quayle's The American family: discovering the values that make us strong (HarperCollins, 1996), to which LC assigned the apparently correct heading FAMILY--UNITED STATES. The book purports to be about five "diverse" families, but this diversity is mostly limited to a rather superficial distinction, skin color. A more assiduous cataloger might have added a note (e.g., "Focus: Christian families") and assigned CHRISTIAN FAMILIES--UNITED STATES, not FAMILY--UNITED STATES, since cursory examination makes it apparent that the book is indeed about five Christian families, and emphasizes their religious faith. A brief last example must suffice for now, though the litany could be endless. Though Richard Cahan and Mark Jacob's The game that was: the George Brace baseball photo collection (Contemporary Books, 1996) consists largely of pictures taken by George Brace, LC ignored the photographer entirely in its author and subject tracings. "CIP for all and all for CIP" sounds just jolly, but pardon us if we don't join the cheering for now.

A year ago, American Libraries ran an "exclusive interview" with President Clinton which had us wondering if the house organ of the American Library Association had become a satire magazine. When AL asked how the Internet is incorporated into Clinton's workday, and questioned him about his personal use of the Web and online databases, the response droned on inanely for eight sentences ("In 1996, like 1896, we really do stand at the dawn of a profoundly new era...") without coming close to a direct answer. Recently Clinton came clean, however, in The Onion (http://www.theonion.com). Reporting on the President's new plan to "forget about all that 'Bridge to the 21st Century' crap," The Onion quotes him as saying, "My fellow Americans, the time has come for us to erase all that bullshit from our minds. I am fully confident that if we all work together, by the end of the week we can forget I ever said that crap." Disclosing that the phrase was the result of test-market research and chosen ahead of "Footpath to the Future" and "Trail to Tomorrow," the article further quotes Clinton as saying, "I firmly believe that what my speechwriters were saying when they put those words into my mouth was that America stands on the verge of something great, or something. At that time, it was crucial that America focus on that vision, because I needed to get re-elected. But that election is long past, and I cannot run again. So what America needs to do now is drop that shit." Thanks for The Onion for keeping us in touch with reality.

Guess the publication:

Sept. 8, cover: "Princess Diana, 1961-1997" Sept. 15, cover: "Farewell Diana" Sept. 22, at top of cover: "After Diana" Sept. 29, corner of cover: "Prince Charles shares his grief" Oct. 6, thirteen letters to the editor about Diana coverage/commentary Oct. 13, at top of cover: "Diana's confessions" Oct. 20, at top of cover: "Inside the Diana probe" Oct. 27, article: "Diana: Conspiracy theories abound"

National Enquirer? Guess again. Try Newsweek.

ANARCHIST LIBRARIANS (includes info about a discussion list for anarchist, left-libertarian, and anti-authoritarian librarians and library workers)

COOTIES, an e-zine with attitude (e.g., "Fun with anti-abortion terrorists")

FEMINIST BOOKSTORE CATALOG

INDEPENDENT PRESS ASSOCIATION (Focus: "progressive periodicals and community-based publications")

NATIONAL COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS; includes online directories of advocacy organizations and street newspapers

ND networker culture zine (mail art, performance art, experimental music)

TAO COMMUNICATIONS (activist links, culture jamming, radicalism, alternative media)

WOMEN'S STUDIES LINKS

YOU DON'T LOOK JAPANESE! (Scope: Interracial/biracial resources)

Notes from underground: zines and the politics of alternative culture. By Stephen Duncombe. Verso, 1997. What are zines? Self-published magazines produced out of passion rather than for profit, or any "alternative" periodical? Discovered by the mainstream media and corporate America, zines have now been pigeonholed into museum exhibits, anthologized, and subverted by clothing companies. Sorting through the confusion, this first historical and cultural examination of the genre since Fredric Wertham's science fiction-focused The world of fanzines (Southern Illinois Press, 1973) does a fine job of pointing out zine contradictions. As a case in point, it makes a useful distinction between Mike Gunderloy's Factsheet Five and the current review publication edited by Seth Friedman. Intended as a networking tool (and itself a zine), the former was aimed at fostering "cross-pollination" amongst do-it-yourselfers in a grand system of barter, Duncombe notes, while the latter is a more unidirectional consumer-oriented endeavor, a commercial magazine focused on getting zines into the hands of readers. Based largely on firsthand sources such as correspondence and conversations with zine producers, the book examines gray areas and asks important questions. Is the zine world a ghetto or a diverse network? Why are self-described "slackers" involved in something so labor-intensive? In what ways do zines foster community or express individualism? How are zines more than just a hobby? Duncombe talks about identity issues, zine cynicism versus idealism, and the anomaly of rules and conventions in what is generally an anti-authoritarian milieu. Though attentive to historical context, the book is arranged thematically rather than chronologically. If it contains some minor errors in fact--it should be Milles Bornes not Miles Borne, Fredric (not "Frederic") Wertham, and Peter Lamborn (instead of "Lanborn") Wilson--these are greatly overshadowed by the thoroughness of the work as a whole. Illustrated with zine graphics, indexed and extensively annotated, Notes from underground is enlightening and strongly recommended. (180 Varick St., New York, NY 10014-4606, 212-807-9680, FAX: 212-807-9152; $19, paper, 1-85984-158-9).

Assembling magazines. Edited by Stephen Perkins. Plagiarist Press, 1997. 64p. "Send 100 copies of your work," an innocuous call for contributors may read, and the result may be a treasure chest displaying fantastic, mind-boggling creativity. A genre located at the zine/mail art crossroads, assembling magazines are limited edition collaborations which collate items from multiple participants. This catalog documents "Assembly Magazines: International Networking Collaborations," an exhibition held September 7-21, 1996, at Subspace in Iowa City. Besides providing useful editorial statements and contact data, curator Stephen Perkins includes interviews (with Richard Kostelanetz, for one), essays by John Held Jr. and Chuck Welch, and appendices which cover assembly magazines in the former East Germany and artists' magazines in Yugoslavia during the 1970s. Illustrated with black-and-white reproductions, the catalog is crucial for comprehensive art collections and recommended for anyone interested in artists' publications. (1816 East College Street, Iowa City, IA 52245, sperkins@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu; $8, $16 institutional).

Zines! Vol. 2. Edited by V. Vale. V/Search, 1997. 147p. What makes self-publishers tick? According to this collection of further interviews with zine editors, the reasons cover the gamut. For fifteen-year-old Toad, zines are a part of feminist community, while Dishwasher Pete writes about his quest to wash dishes in all fifty states. Mimi Nguyen's publications spring from her engagement in the multiple worlds of punk and academia. By comparison, others' passions here seem inane--eight-track cassette collecting and "tiki culture," for example. As with the first volume (MSRRT Newsletter, September/October 1996), the focus is primarily West Coast. John Held Jr. talks about mail art, Candi Strecker relates her interest in 70s pop culture, and John Marr describes his fascination with books about "bums, hobos and general urban sleaze." Insipid or inspirational? You be the judge. Illustrated with black-and-white photos and reproductions, it includes twenty zine reviews, an extensive directory (including a list of "zines by people of color"), and index. Though its connection to the rest of the book is tenuous, the inclusion of a bibliographic essay here on proletarian novels seems a zine-like touch. (20 Romolo #B, San Francisco, CA 94133, 415-362-1465, FAX: 415-362-0742, vsearch@vsearchmedia.com, http://www.vsearchmedia.com; $14.99, paper, 0-9650469-2-3).

Real live nude girl: chronicles of sex-positive culture. By Carol Queen. Cleis Press, 1997. 216p. The title is a bit misleading. Take it from an expert: inculcated shame, guilt, and jealousy overwhelmingly pervade American sexual attitudes and practices. "Nonprocreative, nonmonogamous sex" is demonized, and people with "abnormal" sexual desires are closeted. While consumer goods are marketed using gonad appeal, a real erotophobia is rampant. There's no ivory tower theorizing here; sexologist author Queen relates what she has learned from her work firsthand. In peep shows, as a prostitute, and as "gynecological training associate" (a teaching model for doctors learning how to give pelvic exams), she has sensed sexual resentment "worn like a wound." What will it take to make society come to terms with desire (or, as she frankly puts it, "wet panties and hard dicks")? Addressing her own experiences as a bisexual person, Queen uses mostly jargon-free prose to make her points. Aiming foremost for sexual openness and respect, essays here discuss butch and femme, anal sex, compassion for "fetishistic men", the joys of being spanked, and pornography. ("There's nothing wrong with sexual joy," Queen asserts; "If it comes illustrated...so much the better.") In a letter to her dead mother, she writes about cracking the "protective shell of denial." This brave collection may help open that shell a little further for receptive readers. Included is a bibliography citing titles on bisexuality, censorship and "sex-positive feminism," gender-bending, sex work, and sexual philosophy. (Box 14684, San Francisco, CA 94114; $14.95, paper, 1-57344-073-6).

Rina's big book of sex cartoons. By Rina Piccolo. Laugh Lines Press, 1997. unpaged. Risque, loopy, and a bit perverse, Rina Piccolo's cartoons have a certain charming wackiness about them. Featuring the women of Lilliput, talking dogs, characters from Oz, a giant sentient clitoris, and Gumby, this book is certain to be passed around from friend to friend. It's also guaranteed to provoke a smirk or two, regardless of ones carnal predilections. (P.O. Box 259, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004, 610-668-4252, rozwarren@aol.com; $8.95, paper, 1-889594-02-4).

Where are the voices? & other Wobbly poems. By Carlos Cortez, with illustrations by the author. Introduction by Archie Green. C. H. Kerr, 1997. 62p. The strong and familiar woodcut and linoleum block prints of Carlos Cortez depict labor heroes like Lucy Parsons and Joe Hill, as well as mothers, workers, and Posada-like skeletons. Perhaps less known is the artist's poetry, which at its best resounds with the fervor of Villon. An assertive voice for the downtrodden, Cortez tells the story of a mine disaster, condemns police ("The man with the nightstick"), writes about war with stomach-turning precision, and exposes hypocrisy. "You there, little schoolmarm/So prim and petite/In your starched white blouse/Indoctrinating your wide-eyed little charges/Dressing up the miseries and bloodbaths /of mankind's mistakes/As great valorous crusades/ While wondering why/Your salary is less than a ditchdigger's/When you tell me/That you will no longer consider yourself/Apart from the working class/And that you will feed those innocent minds/Less patriotism/And more internationalism/Then you can wish me/'Happy New Year!'" (1740 W. Greenleaf Ave., Chicago, IL 60626; $10, paper).

For SEX EDUCATION, See librarian: a guide to issues and resources. By Martha Cornog and Timothy Perper. Greenwood Press, 1996. 403p. Collection development librarians would do well to follow the research techniques of wife-husband duo Cornog and Perper. Amazingly thorough, they have put together an annotated mediagraphy of material on sexuality, which is at the same time a how-to (and why-to) manual for librarians. Focusing on printed materials, its scope is wide, from zines such as Anything That Moves to works from "devoutly Christian perspectives." Well-written chapters on evaluation, selection, access, and censorship give straightforward advice for building and defending diverse, representative collections. Admitting to gray areas ("for legal questions, we defer to experts"), the authors are especially persuasive in their arguments against protectionism and the idea that "some books are intrinsically dangerous." Delightfully, they seem to remember their own childhoods, unlike many adults, even relating a personal horror story about restricted access. Extensively indexed, this important book contains essential reading for selectors and administrators, not to mention library school students. (88 Post Rd. West, Westport, CT 06881, 203-226-3571, FAX: 203-222-1502; $45, hard cover, 0-313-29022-9).

The new Good Vibrations guide to sex. Edited by Cathy Winks and Anne Semans. 2nd ed. Cleis Press, 1997. 304p. Revised and updated from the first edition (Cleis, 1994), this sex manual features major new sections on high-tech sex and censorship. With over ten years of experience working at Good Vibrations in San Francisco, the editors provide no-nonsense information and suggestions for enhancing one's sex life and overcoming shame and fear about sex. Interspersed throughout are comments from customers about what works (or doesn't work) for them, and anecdotes from store employees. Up-to-date resource lists cover relevant organizations, publishers, periodicals, sex hotlines, sex toy suppliers, and workshop providers, with an additional twenty pages devoted to annotated bibliographies, videographies, and a CD-ROM discography. Recommended for browsing or reference, though its index could be improved; subject and genre sections of the resource listings (e.g., sex toys, videos, zines) ought to appear in the index under these keywords. (P.O. Box 14684, San Francisco, CA 94114, 415-864-3385, FAX: 415-864-5602; $21.95, paper, 1-57344-069-8).

Voces del campo/Voices from the fields (Video). Produced, directed and edited by Ulla Nilsen and Selene Jaramillo. Pintula Productions, 1997. 45 minutes. From Iowa to Oaxaca, small farms, self-sufficiency, and safe food are increasingly a thing of the past. Decisions about what and how to grow are heavily steered by government and agribusiness policies, while emphasis on intensive short-term economic gain too often means ignoring critical ecological and cultural balance. Focusing on four families of Mexican farmworkers, this important documentary humanizes the issue and shows ways in which sustainable practices are being maintained in the face of adversity. Told by the farmers themselves, both women and men, it explores the economic pressures which lead young Mexicans to the United States. The same forces, it seems, lead some of them to forego cultivation of corn and beans for cash crops like tobacco, and to use poisonous pesticides which are banned in the U.S. and Europe. Highly recommended for most libraries, this video would be an ideal discussion starter for high school level social studies and economics classes. In Spanish with English subtitles. (2508-B Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704, 510-486-1552, FAX: 510-444-1621; $40 institutional, $20 individuals).

Gauntlet ("Exploring the Limits of Free Expression") is a provocative magazine which focuses on censorship and perceived "political correctness" from a libertarian point of view. Published twice a year, past issues have covered such topics as pornography, prostitution, sexual harassment, recovered memories, and "Black racism." The 88-page issue #13 includes an article about a lawsuit by a murder victim's family against Paladin Press for publishing the how-to manual Hit man. (This would have been more credible coming from a disinterested party, though; Peter Huston is a Paladin author.) Also: censorship news briefs (without citations), an illustrated piece about photographer Nina Glaser whose works include nude children, and an interview with cartoonist Mort Walker on sexism in "Beetle Bailey" which is unlikely to change many minds, as well as material on the Bob Black/Jim Hogshire tete-a-tete ("Maybe I'm a police snitch and a jerk; that doesn't make my books bad," says Black.) Reviews of books from mainstream publishers and an excerpt from a novel by Gauntlet publisher Barry Hoffman round out this edition. Though a bit shakily copy edited, Gauntlet airs unpopular views which deserve attention. Newsstand price is cheaper; $6.95 per copy. (309 Powell Rd., Springfield, PA 19064, gauntlet66@aol.com; $18; http://www.horrornet.com/gau ntletmag.htm).

SchNEWS is an irreverent weekly news sheet by and for activists in and around Brighton, England. Chatty and neighborly in tone, it covers protests of all sorts--anti-development encampments, Greenpeace occupations, and the like--and occasionally highlights a "crap arrest of the week" (e.g., "aggravated trespass" charges against someone "taking a peaceful if quite slow walk down a path in Newbury with a giant wicker snail in protest against the mass upheaval of the smaller version"). Past issues have reported on everything from the forest gardening movement (complete with bibliography) and a Police and Security Expo (a one-stop source for everything from leg cuffs to riot control grenade launchers), to civil unrest in Ireland and Britain's rising prison population. The 2-page June 13, 1997 issue (#123) notes the move of The Anarchist Teapot, Brighton's squatted infoshop, into a former funeral parlor, inviting all to "come and enjoy free tea, great grub, and embalming fluid." (c/o on-the-fiddle, P.O. Box 2600, Brighton, East Sussex, BN2 2DX, England, schnews@brighton.co.uk; http://www.cbuzz.co.uk/SchNEWS).

The Whitehorse Review ("Tracking the new world culture") is a "spiritually non-sectarian, politically independent, and culturally eclectic information service inspired by the teachings of Meher Baba." The 12-page Winter 1997 issue (#8) usefully reviews one Asian and two Asian-American magazines, digests articles from such publications as Si, Tikkun, and Extra! (with contact data provided for all), and also covers recorded music, with material on qawalli recordings by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Pakistani brothers Meher and Sheher Ali. The focus, however, is a long personal rumination about Bill Clinton by editor Michael Davis Haldeman, self-described "liberal centrist and a generational ally." Attempting to make a distinction between honesty and openness (and positing that the news media are "against fame"), the piece comes off as a naive apologetic. A review essay on books about Clinton is included. (P.O. Box 482067, Denver, CO 80248, 303-433-4400, FAX: 303-433-3344, whmdh@aol.com; $10).

YES! A Journal of Positive Futures is published by the nonprofit Positive Futures Network. A successor to In Context (MSRRT Newsletter, Sep 91), it was first issued in two beta editions, before appearing "for real" last January. The substantial 64-page Spring/Summer 1996 edition (#?) focused on critiques of (and alternatives to) consumerism, with survey results from people who have consciously scaled back their salaries and lifestyles, an article about Native peoples' economic models, a report on living in a camper, and resource listings. The theme of the Spring 1997 issue (#2) is money, with material on the "Time Dollars" and community money concepts, skill sharing and mutual aid, self-reliant communities, and a dual-currency experiment in Minneapolis, as well as "Beyond greed & scarcity" and items on the "gift economy," green design in the heart of New York City, "arts at society's fringes," and a Namibian project using waste from a brewery to produce food. (Box 10818, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110, 206-842-0216, yes@futurenet.org; $24; http://www.futurenet.org/index.htm ).

Prison Focus is a new quarterly publication of California Prison Focus, a nonprofit that works with and on behalf of prisoners in California's control units. The 24-page Spring 1997 issue (v.1 #2) highlights women prisoners, and includes an excerpt from a Human Rights Watch study, "All Too Familiar: Sexual Abuse of Women in U.S. State Prisons." Each edition includes reports on Pelican Bay, Corcoran, and Valley State Prison for Women, and also contains national and international prison news, a legal column, book reviews, resource listings, and event info. (2489 Mission St., #28, San Francisco, CA 94110, 415-452-3359; $20, $5/prisoners, http://www.igc.org/justice/cpf).

Down and Out in Berkeley is a 10-issue autobiographical comic book series which compellingly documents one man's life on and off the streets. Covering interpersonal relations and self-psychology as much as sheer physical survival, it is both humorous and poignant. Not self-pitying, it examines such emotions as self-pity straightforwardly. It's also an important street-level view of Berkeley and the San Francisco Bay Area. Though the series is published in black-and-white, the penultimate issue contains a frightening page with a colorized panel ("Red scare"). Issue #10 focuses on Moby's friendship with a woman he met via unisex bathroom graffiti correspondence. (Mike "Moby" Theobald, 2425 B Channing Way, #666, Berkeley, CA 94704; $3/each).

Locked in the Trunk is promising new zine. The digest-sized first issue contains thoughts on menstrual products and a desire not to have children, the politics of punk (talk versus action), waste reduction, and zines, the latter stemming from the Midwest Underground Media Symposium held in Kansas City. Also: material on political prisoners (specifically Chuck Africa) and what to do if the police come to your door. (Holly Ann, P.O. Box 482, Fort Smith, AR 72902-0482, hollyann@ipa.net).

Chew may call itself a "restaurant review and cooking magazine" but that theme is just a hook on which to hang enjoyably readable personal writings and politics. Published quarterly, past issues have included articles about community supported agriculture, delivering hot meals to "homebound" people, and emergency food pantries, while also containing such lighter fare as a cold cereal taste test and coverage of airline food. Reviews (e.g., children's cookbooks) and interviews (conversations with line cooks and a microbrewer) are both a regular feature, and humor pops up frequently, as in a report on voracious eating while hiking the Appalachian Trail. One regular tack is for several people to write about the same restaurant, an approach to reviewing that more publications ought to employ. The 20-page May 1997 edition (#6) contains campfire recipes, a report on experiencing a roadhouse fish fry ("the Wisconsin tradition"), and part two of a piece on a visit to a cooking school in Oaxaca. A treat to read, it will have you chewing over plans to visit Madison soon. (1922 Madison St., Madison, WI 53711; $12).

Poetry Project Newsletter is a magazine put together as if poetry matters. The 32-page December/January 1996-97 issue (#163) includes an interview with poet David Henderson (author of Scuse me while I kiss the sky: a biography of Jimi Hendrix), commentary by "cynical romantic" Filipino-American poet Jessica Hagedorn, and a report on "Assembling Alternatives" (a gathering of poets from "the non-mainstream traditions"), as well as book reviews, event info, and regional updates. (Poetry Project, St. Mark's Church, 131 E. 10th St., New York, NY 10003, 212-674-0910; $20).

Sprawl-Busters Alert is a newsletter focusing on community efforts to resist development by "big box" retailers like Wal-Mart. The 4-page June 1996 issue (#24) includes a report on Santa Maria, California, where citizens are fighting a proposed Wal-Mart, along with shorter "anti-sprawl" news briefs from around the United States. Also: an excerpt from Scott Vance's WalMart: a history of Sam Walton's retail phenomenon and an insert about child labor violations by the Honduras plant producing Kathy Lee clothing sold by Wal-Mart. (Editorial: Al Norman, 21 Grinnell St., Greenfield, MA 01301, 413-772-6289; subscriptions: Conservation Law Foundation, attn. Hilda Rios, 62 Summer St., Boston, MA 02110-1008, 617-350-0990, FAX: 617-350-4030; $18/year).

The Men of M.A.R.C.H. News is a new monthly publication of Men Are Responsible for Cultivating Hope, a local organizing committee for NAALS (National African American Leadership Summit). The 4-page July 1997 newsletter (v.1 #5) includes an article on the historic ties of capitalism and racism, commentary on reconciliation and reparations ("Should the government apologize?"), and Ivan Van Sertima on "discovering African science," as well as items about A. Philip Randolph, Spike Lee's new documentary "4 Little Girls," and a racist Dominoes pizza ad. (Box 3913, Minneapolis, MN 55403, raitan@wavetech.net, http://www.wavetech. net/~raitan/march/march.html).

The HAP Voice is a publication of the nonprofit Hmong American Partnership. The 8-page Winter 1996/1997 issue contains a report on the annual Office of Refugee Resettlement Conference, an article about a new Minnesota coalition of refugee advocacy groups (the Mutual Assistance Associations' Citizenship Collaboration), and news about events and projects showcasing Hmong writers and artists. (1600 W. University Ave., Suite 12, St. Paul, MN 55104, 612-642-9601, FAX: 612-603-8399).

ProChoice IDEA is a quarterly publication of the nonprofit ProChoice Resource Center. The 28-page Winter/Spring 1996-97 issue includes a special section on late-term abortion, with statements and testimony by advocates, comments by doctors and religious leaders, and material on constitutional limits, as well as state and local news about related legislation and judicial rulings. Also: reviews, articles on successful organizing, and a personal account ("My abortion story") by Oregon Congresswoman Elizabeth Furse. (174 East Boston Post Road, Mamaroneck, NY 10543, 914-381-3792, FAX: 914-381-3876, prochorc@aol.com).

Rainbow Families, a new Minnesota organization for "lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) parents" has a newsletter by the same name. Intended for quarterly publication, the 16-page Fall 1997 initial issue includes an article about an anti-homophobia project at Windom Open Elementary School in Minneapolis and information about Early Childhood Family Education evening groups for lesbian and gay parents, as well as background on the Rainbow Families launch and resource listings. (310 E. 38th St., Minneapolis, MN 55409, 612-370-6651; $18 membership).

The Dandelion is an "occasional journal of philosophical anarchism" which has cropped up again after a hiatus of ten years. The 19-page hand-printed April 1997 edition (#21) commemorates the life of "longtime anarchist activist" Ahrne Thorne, with the text of a speech given by historian Paul Avrich last year at the Libertarian Book Club in New York City. Focusing partly on anarchist history, previous issues have included a series of pieces on "objections to anarchism," with writings also on libertarianism, indigenous peoples' land struggles, capital punishment, "basement anarchism" and anti-anarchist laws. First published in 1977. (Michael Coughlin, 1985 Selby Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104, 612-646-8917; $6/4 issues).

Dimensions is a glossy bimonthly magazine aimed primarily at admirers of large women (a.k.a. FA's), but also for plus-size women themselves. The 62-page April/May 1996 edition (v.12 #2) contains commentary on size acceptance and size discrimination, advice columns (e.g., "Giving birth as a fat woman"), and a report on a workshop for fat admirers, as well as personal ads, a center section devoted to "Dimension Model" Monique Jurgen, and part three of the serialized "Key lime dreams: a story of romance and treasure." (P.O. Box 640, Folsom, CA 95763; $24; ISSN: 1057-7386; http://www.pencomputing.com/dim).

Loving More Magazine is a text-oriented quarterly publication exploring "relationship options including group marriage, open dyads, intimate networks, and expanded families." Published as Loving More Journal for ten years, past issues have regularly included interviews and narratives related to sexual freedom and polyfidelity, as well as book reviews and personal ads. One recent edition included an article about sexuality in intentional communities, a report on the ZEGG "Center for Experimental Cultural Design" in Germany, and a piece covering "polysexual parenting," as well as Jonathan Roth's "Living in Sincerity" comic strip. The 40-page Winter 1996 edition contains material on same sex marriage laws and news about two printers who broke contracts in refusing Celeste West's Lesbian polyfidelity. (PEP Publishing, P.O. Box 4358, Boulder, CO 80306, 303-543-7540, ryam@lovemore.com; $24; http://www.lovemore.com).

The National Campaign for a Peace Tax Fund advocates for legislation that would enable conscientious objectors to have the military portion of their federal income taxes redirected. The Campaign's 8-page Spring 1996 newsletter includes statistics on military spending, an essay on the challenges of contemporary conscientious objection, and news about religious organizations which have issued statements "challenging proposed spending priorities." (2121 Decatur Place NW, Washington, DC 20008, 202-438-3751, FAX: 202-986-0667; peacetaxfund@igc.apc.org, http://www.nonviolence.org /~nvweb/peacetax).

The Pastors for Peace Newsletter provides information about the Pastors for Peace project of the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization. The 8-page December 1996 edition reports in detail on the INFOMED "friendshipment" caravan--during which U.S. officials roughed up volunteers and seized used computers intended for Cuban hospitals and clinics--and also contains an article about the EZLN visit to last year's National Indigenous Congress in Mexico City, the first time an official Zapatista delegation has traveled outside Chiapas. (1607 W. Winnemac Ave., Chicago, IL 60640, 773-271-4817, FAX: 773-271-5269).

Indonesia Alert! is an important new quarterly publication "supporting the struggle for democracy in Indonesia and self-determination in East Timor." The 16-page Fall 1997 initial issue includes an article about banned Indonesian author Pramoedya Anata Toer (and excerpts from two of his novels), a firsthand account of a visit with political prisoners, and coverage of new legislation which would make independent Indonesian unions illegal, as well as commentary on U.S.-Suharto relations and an interview with Peoples Democratic Party leader Mirah Mardiika. Also: resource listings and a statement from the Independent Election Monitoring Committee about widespread fraud and voter intimidation. (1880 Jackson St., #301, Berkeley, CA 94612, mmiah@igc.org; $12, $8 student/low-income, $30 institutional).

South African Beacon is published by the Committee for South African Solidarity, an all-volunteer organization made up of exiled South Africans and concerned citizens. Intended to counter disinformation in the Western media, the 16-page Spring 1997 issue (v.4 #1) includes news about Nelson Mandela's pledge to continue positive relations with Cuba, a report on South Africa's tuberculosis epidemic, and an article about the legacy of assassinated ANC activist Chris Hani, as well as a column by former Natal Indian Congress General Secretary N. T. Naicker on the topic of house arrest and banning orders. (2210 I St., Suite 11C, Sacramento, CA 95816; $20).

Refugee Review is a newsletter of the nonprofit Refugee Studies Center at the University of Minnesota. The 12-page Winter/Spring 1997 issue (v.17 #1) focuses on refugee women and on "rape and sexual violence directed at women and girls," with abstracts of pertinent periodicals and reports, as well as profiles of the Tibetan Women's Association and the Center for Victims of Torture. Also: a catalog focusing on publications about Hmong and other Southeast Asian refugees. (104 Nicholson Hall, 216 Pillsbury Dr. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, 612-625-5535, FAX: 612-626-1730, refugee@maroon.tc.umn.edu; http://www.isp.umn.edu).

Tibet Brief is the quarterly newsletter of the nonprofit International Committee of Lawyers for Tibet. The 16-page Fall/Winter 1996 edition includes material on Tibetan activism at the World Conservation Congress and the UN World Conference on Housing, an action alert about the case of a political prisoner, and an article on China's stepped up campaign to "obliterate Tibetan culture," as well as news briefs and material on drafted codes of law for Tibetans in exile. (2288 Fulton St., Berkeley, CA 94704, 510-486-0588, FAX: 510-548-3785, iclt@igc.apc.org, http://www.tibeticlt.org).

La Otra Perspectiva is a zine published by the Asociacion Mail-Artistas Espa?s (Spanish Mail-Art Association). The June 1996 issue (#9) contains bilingual commentary ("Are mail artists stupid and reactionaries?") on a magazine article written by Laura Aga-Rossi, as well as mail art news and show listings, reproductions of artwork, and Mark Bakula's short essay, "The Internet and mail art." Also: two capsule mail art biographies. (Aptdo. 47, 28921 Alcorcon [Madrid], Spain).

Pluto Press recent titles include The labour movement and the Internet: the new internationalism; Human rights, culture and context: anthropological perspectives; and Environmental action: a citizen's guide. (345 Archway Rd., London N6 5AA, England, pluto@plutobks.co.uk; U.S. dist.: InBook, P.O. Box 120261, East Haven, CT 06512).

Discos Coras?strong> is a Mexican indie label specializing in "undiluted" merengue, Cuban son, boleros, and other traditional music from the Caribbean area. (U.S. rep.: North Bay Sales, 387 Cascade Dr., Fairfax, CA 94930, 415-459-6415, FAX: 415-459-5620, rwise387@aol.com).

Wisdom Publications specializes in books on Buddhism and Tibetan culture. New titles (Fall 1997) include Who is myself? A guide to Buddhist meditation and Ama Adhe, the voice that remembers: the heroic struggle of a woman's fight to free Tibet. (361 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02115, 617-536-3358, FAX: 617-536-1897).

Hard Press specializes in publishing poetry and art books. Recent titles include Linda Smukler's 1996 Firecracker Award winner, Home in three days, don't wash. (Box 184, West Stockbridge, MA 01266).

Roof Books specializes in poetry and "language-centered writing movement" publications such as Bruce Andrews' Ex why zee and Ron Silliman's N/O. (Segue Foundation, 303 E. 8th St., New York, NY 10009).

Paper Tiger Television, a nonprofit volunteer collective, has been issuing videos on politics and media criticism since 1981. Its new catalog lists over 260 titles, including ones on the rise of the Christian Right and New York City's displacement of squatters. (339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012, 212-420-9045, tigertv@bway.net, http://www.papertiger.org).

CRISES Press has issued a third edition of Byron Anderson's directory, Alternative Publishers of Books in North America, and will soon publish Libraries betrayed: the Hawaii outsourcing disaster. (1716 SW Williston Rd., Gainesville, FL 32608, 352-335-2200, willett@afn.org).

Fanlight Productions offers videos on health care, aging, and disabilities. Recent titles include "To Choose No Harm: Ethical Decision Making at the End of Life." (47 Halifax St., Boston, MA 02130, 1-800-937-4113, FAX: 617-524-8838).

Minority Rights Group is an international non-governmental organization which publishes books and reports on human rights. Recent titles include No longer invisible: Afro-Latin Americans today. (379 Brixton Rd., London, SW9 7DE, UK, minorityrights@mrg.sprint.com, U.S. dist.: Paul & Co., c/o PCS Data Processing, 360 W. 31 St., New York, NY 10001, 212-564-3730, ext. 295, FAX: 212-971-7200).

New from Just Us Books, publishers of Afrocentric children's materials: Ziggy & the black dinosaurs, Many colors of Mother Goose, and Kid Caramel, private investigator: the case of the missing ankh. (356 Glenwood Ave., 3rd Floor, East Orange, NJ 07017, 973-676-4345, FAX: 973-677-7570).

Anvil Press specializes in literature by "new and emerging writers." Recent titles include Todd Klinck's Tacones (high heels), winner of the 19th Annual 3-Day Novel Contest. (175 E. Broadway, #204-A, Vancouver, BC, V5T 1W2, Canada, 604-876-871, FAX: 604-879-2667, subter@pinc.com).