The next Library Journal zine reviews column, due out on the internet in early September will review zines by people who came out of "retirement" to create a new zine after at least five years. For my 500 word introduction I interviewed each of the zine publishers reviewed. With only 500 words (and really that was probably too long), I couldn't include all of the great stuff each person had said. Therefore, I'm posting all of the interviews here. The penultimate interviewee is Ailecia Ruscin, who went ten years between issues of Alabama Grrrl. The out-of-retirement issue is a split with Ciara Xyerra's Love Letters to Monsters. Unfortunately Ailecia was very pressed for time and could only respond to one of the questions.
Do you have an online presence, as well? (blog, LiveJournal, Twitter, tumblr, flickr, etc.) If so, how does your zine content differ or overlap from what you publish online?
In my work life I am a professional photographer running my own photobooth and event photography business, Oh! Snap! Photography! For this business I run a website for my photos. I've wanted to publish a photo zine for years, but the up front costs have always prevented me. I know I'd want to have a full color zine with nice reproductions of my images, and this would cost the reader more than they would like to spend. The web is so easy for spreading visual culture for free. My site is a pretty popular online destination for hip kids in and around Lawrence, KS. I document small music scenes. In addition, I make live videos at punk and indie shows to post on youtube which is another creative outlet of mine. I've been going to shows for 19 years and so documenting with video and still photographs have become a way for me to enjoy shows even more. I only wish I had access to the technology I do now back in the day attending riot grrrl and queercore shows in sweaty basements. So these days I think sometimes I photograph and film because of this, I want to record this fabulous underground culture that has sustained me for so long.