Lower East Side Librarian

I’m a contributor to this book, and so am not my usual cool and neutral self when it comes to reviewing it. (Who wants an impartial review anyway?) However, the truth is I didn’t love the book. Favorite contributions include Jessamyn West’s and Melissa Morrone's. And also mine, “Pinko Vs. Punk: a Generational Comparison of Alternative Press Publications and Zines.” After it was peer skewered by one of the editors, I felt pretty insecure about it, but reading it again, I’m pretty happy with it, even if it is a little intellectually lazy and probably too casual in tone.

Alisa Harris was kind enough to donate an extra copy of this book to Barnard. I couldn’t keep my mitts off of the delectable book long enough for it to get cataloged, so I read through it before turning it over to technical services. It’s a juicy compendium of comics by women, many of whom will look familiar to zine and minicomics fans: Liz Baillie, Alisa, Missy Kulik, Cathy Leamy, Danica Novgorodoff, and MK Reed.

MariNaomi’s graphic memoir tells the story of each of her romantic and sexual partners up to the age of 22. It’s 330 pages long, which may give you some idea of what kind of kid she was. And I mean “kid.” Ages 12-14 take up more than 100 pages and reference 15 boys and 1 girl, though she didn’t have intercourse until the 11th or so boy. There are also drugs. Though I am a bit of a prude, I’m not judging. I love Mari’s clean drawing style. Many of the cels are white on black, without a lot of extraneous detail. Even when they are occasionally more intricate, you don’t feel unsettled looking at them.

When Ms. Scoppettone reached out to me to say that she liked seeing Ms. Beane on this here blog, I was excited enough to brag about it on Facebook. One of the responses I got referred not to to Suzuki Beane, but to a teen novel, The Late Great Me that had been made into an After School Special. I wrote back to Sandra that I’d requested it from interlibrary loan, and she seemed a little horrified because as she said the book is “so out of date.” I might say the book is a little dated, but not out-of-date.

BREAKING NEWS: This book was nominated for the Governor General's Literary Awards (click poetry tab), Canada's top literary prize.

I'm not sure I can top Kate's inscription in my copy "some pulp, some porn, some poetry" as a review for her stylistic story poem. I think I've said here before that I like my theater experimental, but my literature linear. Despite my literary laziness I didn't find Fieldnotes difficult to stick with. I was taken in right away with a screenplay element that starts immediately--as in, begins on the inside cover.

With poetry, it's often easier to get a grip if you can see/hear it read by the author. Thanks to YouTube, here's your chance with FaF:

Saffian’s birth parents made contact with her via telephone a month before her 24th birthday. She wasn’t prepared for that. What follows is the three year journey to her becoming prepared to meet with them, and her three biological siblings.

I found this because someone posted or referenced the author’s great Ten Rules for Fat Girls, and I saw on her site that she writes vampire novels. Protagonist Miranda Grey isn’t fat, but when she’s thin its viewed as a sign of poor physical and mental health.