Hoax
Various contributors, ed. Rachel & Sari
Issues 3-6 available on Etsy
Hoax zine is HUGE. Issues are 60-80 pages, barely held together by its staples, with small type and narrow margins. I would recommend buying an issue or two if you have a long bus trip in your future. It would be a great boon if you were home sick. In any case, you’d want to have a lot of time on your hands to spend with this zine.
Due to the impressive girth of these zines, I became overwhelmed. I put off reviewing them for a while after I ordered them. They sat reproachfully on my desk. What could I say, how could I do justice to so much content? You’ll find below brief summaries of the four issues I ordered, the four of six that are currently in print.
The editors are Rachel and Sari, who writes the zine You’ve Got A Friend in Pennsylvania. They met in Baltimore directing the Vagina Monologues at their university.
Many contributors to these issues do come from a university backround, and many refer to women’s studies classes as a big influence in their lives. I think that you would most appreciate this zine if that is your background as well, since that is the background that informs a lot of the writing.
However, contributors do make a sustained effort to recognize their privilege, and in general, to recognize the intersections of race, gender, class, and other systems of privilege and oppression.
Issue 3, “Feminism and Health”
64 pg. at half-letter size, May 2010
$2 from the editors, on Etsy
Issue three covers condescending doctors, body hair, the invention of Female Sexual Dysfunction, menstruation, addiction, incarcerated women, the DSM, pet health, sexual assault, eating disorders, home remedies, and other feminist issues in health.
Issue 4, “Feminism and Hirstories”
80 pg. at half-letter size, December 2010
$3 from the editors, on Etsy
In issue four, you will find writing about using, and not using a pen name, riot grrrl, domestic violence, the suffragette philosopher Jane Addams, Metelkova (which is a squat and social centre in Ljubjana, Slovenia), gay misogyny, women in ancient Rome, Brazilian sex tourism, COINTELPRO, Christian feminism, and more.
Issue 5, “Feminisms and Community”
72 pg. at half-letter size, May 2011
$3 from the editors, on Etsy
Issue five was my favourite of the four issues I’ve read. It covers safe(r) spaces, queer land movements, girl-on-girl crime, suicide, how to deal gently with overenthusiastic new converts to feminism, environmental policy, talking to neighbours, the Amish community, food co-ops, and the co-editing of the zine.
Issue 6, “Feminisms and Communication”
76 pg. at half-letter size, November 2011
$3 from the editors, on Etsy
Issue 6 covers African American Vernacular English, self-righteousness, autobiographical comics, self-care, punk misogyny, open access to academic journals, the n-word, a critique of the concept of the “ally” to an oppressed group, Slutwalk, political correctness, shyness, and learning disabilities, among other aspects of communication.
Sari and Rachel are currently seeking submissions for issue 7, which will be on the theme of Change. For more information and topic suggestions, you can refer to this post on the Hoax Tumblr.
- Lily Pepper
