just got you’ve got a friend in pennsylvania #1 in the mail from sari, who, despite being from pennsylvania, is actually currently living in my hometown and we probably know a bunch of the same people which is hilarious, since i got this zine from a random ning trade. also this zine is bound with needle and thread which always impresses me. as a side note, i don’t usually bind my zines because i want people to make copies and give them to people, but if you think that’s annoying, please vote and tell me to get off my lazy ass and make my zines stick together somehow.

ANYWAY. the first part of you’ve got a friend in pennsylvania is sari’s travel diary from her study abroad in slovenija, which at first i was hesitant to read because i tend to get bored by people’s stories about how cool monuments are and shit like that. also this zine is totally text-heavy and therefore does not fulfill my usual desire for zines that i can read in the time span of a poop. but i persisted and it was worth it–not a monument to be found. when i finished that section of the zine i wanted to read more, which is sweet because sari will be printing more of her travel journal in issue #2. yo, sari, this trading relationship is not through. speaking of relationships, the rest of the zine mostly deals with those: old friends who have drifted apart, mothers, (ex)boyfriends. i wonder if sari has read culture slut or if amber has read you’ve got a friend in pennsylvania, because they both deal with issues of queer invisibility when badasss queer ladies are dating straight cis men. the last piece in the zine is from a paper sari wrote on menstruation, which was really interesting and actually i think might help with the seminar paper i’m writing on female facial hair. sari formatted the piece in two sections: theory and praxis (which i would like to do with my paper), and also writes about the desire to “separate ourselves from our ‘dirty’ bodily functions,” and the way that menstruation is delegated to a private space of shame or at best a hassle.

if you want a copy of you’ve got a friend in pennsylvania #1 email sari at youvegotafriendinpa@gmail.com.

also just got culture slut #19 and culture slut #20 from amber forrester in montreal, who is pretty much my zine hero. she makes me want to be a better zinester. one day…

Culture Slut #19 deals heavily with boys in all their shittiness–amber includes a trigger warning about the first part of the zine. besides the epic assholeness of dudes, #19 talks a lot about coming into a queer identity, and the struggles of doing that particularly while dating cis dudes. I can identify, lady. maybe i’ll make a zine about shitheads-i-have-dated and send it your way. other than being a damn good writer with things to say, amber is great at making zines really visually interesting with the incorporation of found images from old books and magazines, text from a label maker as well as a typewriter and so forth. also i was able to read this entire zine while pooping, which, for those of you who know, is something that always makes a zine a winner in my book.

In the words of culture slut #20’s epic author, “This zine is about getting settled in the city [Montreal], queerness, cats and periods.” It is also about love, living somewhere where you don’t speak the language, going back to school, city-biking, shitty gyno experiences, going to Pride for the first time, losing childhood pets, the word “cunt,” zine reviews…#20 also has a lovefest for the divacup, in common with you’ve got a friend which makes me kind of want to go buy one. i bought one a couple of years ago and found it didn’t fit comfortably but who knows…anyone want to lend me one to give it a shot?

In any case, Amber remains an inspiration and Culture Slut is a delight. One day I will go to Montreal and we will high five.

Okay, I have an epic amount of work to do and also need to go to Value Village today because my dress shoes fell apart at Homoween.

Hope you’re having a sunny Sunday,
j.bee

Greetings from New York City!

Saturday was Hallowzine! at the Toronto Zine Library: 6 zine kids reading stuff. There were a few that I knew and some that I had only conversed with through the postal system and the internets. The readings were fun and entertaining. Then we went out for food and beer and headed back to Amy’s house amid costumed folks. I had no costume this year. I wish I had one of my cloaks. Instead I was wearing a skirt with my bat leggings that I wear all year round and my big fuzzy hood hat. i kicked up piles of leaves down Dundas as we walked to the beer store down the street. My favorite costume I saw? Tow people dressed as the Yip Yip alien monsters from Seasame Street! Yip Yip Yip Yip Uh hu uh hu! Tel-e-phone!

Kate showed up who I hadn’t seen since 2005 and the per-zine girl party plus Chris was in full effect! Maranda, Amy Leigh, Kate, Amber, Chirs and I sat in Amy’s room and some how we started talking about Lisa Frank and obsessing about the sticker company that we remember as kids. For some reason we wanted to see picture of THE Lisa Frank but could produce none. Instead we waxed poetic about stickers of dancing bears in top hats and unicorns that run down rainbows. I also found some real English cider that sated my desire for more real cider. It was good stuff!

The time changed over night and I got up early to find about 5 tabs in my browser filled with Lisa Frank images! I made coffee for folks scattered around the living room. Talking about Lisa Frank and having a giant zine girl slumber party was pretty rad.

We walked to the Gladstone and go there before 10 but they wouldn’t let us in until 11 so we sat around outside but we were the first people in line and got the seats we wanted when we got in. We had a zine girl bloc and it was great to have good people around me  for great conversations and who could watch each others’ stuff. I sold and traded a lot of zines and met some awesome people but I was super tired by the end of it. It was nice to have a bar right there and I had a beer at one point but then I got a head ache so no more beer for me. The layout was weird to have a bunch of weird rooms in a hotel on different levels. There were the problems that seem to plague all zine fests  these days with overpriced zines and too many things that weren’t zines at all. Too many crafts that had nothing to do with paper. I have other critiques but I’ll keep them to myself.

I got back to Amy’s, packed and crashed out after watching Mad Men. It was weird to watch it on a TV with commercials and not on a computer with no commercials.

I got up early in the morning and made it to the train station for an epic train ride to NYC. It seems like we spent way longer than we should have at the border but we eventually got going. I read a lot of zines including the new Cometbus, Culture Slut, Nothing Rhymes, Riot Wife and a few others and I wrote many letters. One being and epic 16 page tome! Postage to Canadia is going to kill me!

Anyway, I made it to NYC and Jeska met me. We came back to her house and talked until 2am sitting on her stoops and having a good time catching up. I don’t think we have talked too much since I was hear 2 years ago.

Today I’m headed to the post office to mail stiff back to me that is weighing me down. Books and zines are heavy! I have a couple of copies of my zines that I’m going to drop by Bluestockings and see if they want some. I can’t remember what I gave them last. I’m going to leave a few copies of the new Brainscan too. #25 but not #24 because I don’t have any more .Maybe I’ll bring flats to make more zines? Then I’m going to get some food at Kate’s place which I have never been to in my 3 trips to NYC. After that I might just meet up with Jenna Freedman for a beer and reminisce about our trip to France and drinking at an Irish Pub… in France.

Right now I have my own room courtesy of Jeska’s housemate that is away. it’s nice to have a place to put my stuff. I took everything out of my bag to deside what to ship back home today. I fly home a week from today. I’ll have stacks of mail to read and that is exciting. Speaking of mail I’m going to head out to the post office after some coffee.

I knew Mike for a long time and he always treated me very nice. It is exactly why when he invited me over to his apartment to watch cartoons nothing appeared to be unusual. But he had a diabolic plan and lured me to his den with the one thing I loved the most: Looney Toons. He turned the DVD on and we got comfortable in his bed. The moment Bugs Bunny entered his hole, Mike’s index vanished inside mine. I looked at him as if I was angry but then he started licking my nipples and damn it felt so fucking good. It’s clear that watching Bugs eat all those carrots got me cock hungry and I tasted his thick beard Cuban cigar… After that naughty night together he promised to join webcams.com and enter webcams.comto give it another go…And guess who is petting Sylvester tonight…Click here to view our last show pics and hereto view our profile and find out more about us.

I felt we needed to pay tribute to the origin of our blog name: