Junk Drawer

Some Junk Drawer zines can now be found in New York City.
They are for sale at Bluestockings bookstore. One is in the zine library collection at ABC No Rio.
Both places are on the Lower East Side, and worth checking out. They are great supporters of independent zines.

It was great to be at the 2010 Chicago Zine Fest!
The festivities began Friday night with readings at Quimby’s. It was a packed house there, with people from all over showing up to hear well known zine and book writers Jeffrey Brown, John Porcellino, and Anne Elizabeth Moore. There were also some other zinesters who were really good, including Monica Anderson, Anthony Marvullo, Sarala Bee, and Chicago friend Michelle Aiello.
It was a nice balance of personal stories, some more serious, and some downright funny.
Most people afterward walked over to Johalla Gallery, where a zine art exhibit was already underway. The show included a diverse array of drawings, paintings, and photos. I had two photos there. Also, there was a zine wall, with covers from a whole bunch of zines. If you look you can spot Junk Drawer issue #3.
Saturday was the big day of tabling. There were so many cool people, I only wish I’d spent more time at all the other tables. But it was quite busy, and many visitors showed up, despite the rainy weather outside. I was able to sit in on one of the workshops hosted by Greg Means. The topic was zine libraries. Nell Taylor of the Chicago Underground Library also spoke.
The Junk Drawer table had drawers (separate, which I brought), and plenty of junk. People enjoyed playing Guess the Odds and Ends, some of which were trickier to identify than others. A few people even dropped off some junk drawer items of their own into the Junk Drawer donations drawer. A big Thank You to everyone who stopped by the Junk Drawer table.
Later that night there was an after party, with readings and bands.
Overall it was a great time, and wonderful to be there with so many fabulous zinesters. I’ll be looking forward to next year, and hope you will be too.

Odds and ends form the basis of any good junk drawer. This zine is about a drawer and the various miscellaneous objects stowed away within.  It is full of musings on what these random items are, where they come from, and maybe why they’ve been saved, some for many years.  It is a mini excavation into stuff that doesn’t really have a place to belong, except for inside that space called the “junk drawer.”
Quarter size, black and white photocopied, 50 pages, about half text and half original photos and drawings.

“Junk Days,” to one particular community, is an annual spring cleaning time to throw things away. But to anyone who loves finding stuff thrown out, Junk Days is a terrific and fun event. This zine is partly a Junk Days guide to junking, with plenty of junk finding tips. It is also a chronicle of favorite finds, plus some Junk Days history. For anyone who enjoys dumpster diving, this is kind of an upscale, suburban version of it. Half size, black and white, 44 pages full of text and original photos straight from the curbsides of Junk Days.

This zine is about the nature of getting things second hand. Whether you’re going to thrift stores, garage sales, or just finding stuff any old place, the experience gives you “indirectness.” That is, it’s apart from the direct marketing and advertising driving everyone toward typical big box retail stores. It ponders the whole interest in used stuff. Quarter size, black and white photocopied, 50 pages, half text and half original photos.