The Torist is a newly launched literary journal, edited by University of Utah Communications associate professor Robert W Gehl and a person called GMH, collecting fiction, poetry and non-fiction. It is only available as a file on a Tor hidden service -- a "darkweb" site, protected by the same technology as was used by the likes of Silk Road. Read the rest
Original Crap Hound and Internet graphic sarcasm sultan Sean Tejaratchi is back with his annual calendar, sold to benefit Reading Frenzy, Portland, Oregon's world-beating zine store and independent publishing emporius. Read the rest
I loved Tower Records. Not for the records (though I bought a lot of them there), but for the tremendous book and zine section. That's where I discovered Re/Search books and a ton of great obscure periodicals. It pains me whenever I see the crappy boring businesses that now occupy the former Tower Records store locations in Los Angeles.
Read the restEstablished in 1960, Tower Records was once a retail powerhouse with two hundred stores, in thirty countries, on five continents. From humble beginnings in a small-town drugstore, Tower Records eventually became the heart and soul of the music world, and a powerful force in the music industry. In 1999, Tower Records made $1 billion. In 2006, the company filed for bankruptcy. What went wrong? Everyone thinks they know what killed Tower Records: The Internet. But thats not the story. All Things Must Pass is a feature documentary film examining this iconic companys explosive trajectory, tragic demise, and legacy forged by its rebellious founder, Russ Solomon. Directed by Colin Hanks.
It's been 25 years since the zine BLT started, the early intersection of punk and and desktop publishing. Read the rest
Todd Brendan Fahey interviewed me for Reality Sandwich about the zine phase of Boing Boing, and beyond. I gave him this photo of me pasting little bits of paper to the cover of Boing Boing issue #2, which came out in 1988 or 1989. Read the rest
Dave Ng writes, "The Science Creative Quarterly is pleased to release its first volume of both a print offering of collected works, AND the much vaulted Annals of Praetachoral Mechanics." Read the rest
Read the restzineMELT is coming to celebrate the world of DIY and independent publishing. On January 31st, 2015 zineMELT will bring together artist, writers, crafters, zinesters from around Los Angeles to gather at Meltdown Comics to display and sell their goods. Please mark your calendars and come out to support your local artist.
Just like Boing Boing, this year marks the 25th anniversary of the World Wide Web. To celebrate, I wrote an essay titled "World Wide Weird." It's part of the "The Webby 25 for 25," a series of pieces presented by The Webby Awards, The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and the World Wide Web Foundation. From my essay:
I’m a collector of unpopular culture.
Since I was a teenager, I’ve been attracted to the fringes of art, literature, music, science, and technology. I grew up hanging around alternative record stores, dialing into underground Bulletin Board Systems, trading photocopied ‘zines, scouring used book stores, watching third-generation dupes of psychotronic films, and researching anomalous phenomena at the local library. I am most at home on the fringes of thought, reason, and expression. I delight in the serendipity and synchronicities that reveal themselves during my expeditions into the outré.
The Web amplified my appetite and became a compass on my journeys into high weirdness. Indeed, I saw it as the ultimate card catalog of curiosities.
On Saturday (April 12), the excellent Pravic science fiction 'zine will hold its second live extravaganza in San Francisco. I'm honored that I've been added to the amazing bill featuring talks by two of my own big influences -- SF legend Rudy Rucker and Erik Davis, author of Techgnosis and co-host of the Expanding Mind podcast. I'll be sharing some thoughts on "Science, Art, and Magic." Hosted by Pravic commanders David Gill and Nathaniel Miller, there will also be readings by Ian Kappos, Ben Weiner, Michael Buckley, Daniel Gonzalez, Suhail Rafidi, and Nikita Allgire, music by Feral Luggage, and trivia, prizes, food, and beer! The free event is at Brainwash Cafe from 7pm-11pm. Hope to see you there! Pravic's 2nd Science Fiction Extravaganza Read the rest
Recommended if You Like is Boing Boing's weekly podcast of conversations with musicians, cartoonists, writers, and other creative types.
The Atomic Elbow is a professional wrestling fanzine published by Robert Newsome with a circulation of 100 copies [same as the first issue of bOING bOING! - Mark]. I interviewed Robert at Java Joe's in Athens, GA. If you aren't a fan of professional wrestling, you will probably become one after listening to Robert's insightful remarks.
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We meet the Burn Collector author at a cafe in Berlin to discuss teaching comics, the legacy of World War II, surviving as a writer and cold war era punk rock.
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Interested in sponsoring one of Boing Boing's podcasts? Visit Podlexing! Read the rest
Project Gutenberg hosts a trove of the first four issues of Futuria Fantasia, the sf zine that Ray Bradbury started as a 19-year-old in 1939. They included his fiction and articles, and the Gutenberg editions are glorious. If that wasn't enough, Librivox volunteer Lois Hill has read aloud the Spring 1940 issue, with material from Lyle Monroe, J. E. Kelleam, Hank Kuttner, J. H. Haggard, Ron Reynolds, Damon Knight, and Hannes V. Bok. Read the rest
If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, I hope you'll join me tomorrow evening, August 8, for "Boing Boing Presents: The Beats' Influence on Underground Publishing," a panel discussion at the Contemporary Jewish Museum. The program is part of "Beat Memories: The Photographs of Allen Ginsberg," an intimate portrait of the Beat generation in the form of Ginsberg's snapshots. I'm looking forward to interviewing several personal friends and inspirations on stage, starting at 6:30pm. The panel is free with museum admission! My guests include:
* V. Vale, founder of Search & Destroy and RE/Search
* RU Sirius, founder of Mondo 2000, High Frontiers, and Reality Hackers
* Ron Turner, founder of Last Gasp Books
* Layla Gibbon, editor of Maximum Rocknroll
"Boing Boing Presents: The Beats' Influence on Underground Publishing" Read the rest
Right now, San Francisco's Contemporary Jewish Museum is exhibiting "Beat Memories: The Photographs of Allen Ginsberg," an intimate portrait of the Beat generation in the form of Ginsberg's snapshots, hand-annotated years later. On Thursday, August 8, Boing Boing is presenting a panel at the museum about the Beats' Influence On Underground Publishing. I'm honored to have the opportunity to interview live on stage several icons of San Francisco's counterculture press who had a huge influence on my life and career:
* V. Vale, founder of Search & Destroy and RE/Search (check out their new site!)
* RU Sirius, founder of Mondo 2000, High Frontiers, and Reality Hackers
* Ron Turner, founder of Last Gasp Books
* Layla Gibbon, editor of Maximum Rocknroll
The panel is 6:30pm - 8pm and free with museum admission. Hope to see you there!
"Boing Boing Presents: The Beats' Influence on Underground Publishing" Read the rest
