This zine succeeds on several levels, all of which can be accredited to the raw, honest, and poetic flair of Alumgerken’s writing. A young queer punk romantic from New Orleans, Alumgerken fills his zine with scenes from his life, dipping into gender queer drag shows, trips to India, and quiet moments at the seaside. Mixing in bits of queer politics, earnest stories of growing up sissy, and more abstract poetics, gives his zine a unique and personal flair. It is also littered with sketches and drawings that remind me of a twisted Edward Gorey punk graphic novel in the best ways possible. Completed over a period of months and salvaged from New Orleans before the hurricane, this is a pretty damn amazing portrait of fringe life in New Orleans and completely worth hunting down. The gorgeous silkscreened cover of the zine survived being submerged in floodwaters and the threat of mold, which gives just holding the zine a hard surreal edge that matches Alumgerken’s writing to a tee. A beautiful portriat of a time and place and person whose cards are on the table for you to see; what more could you ask for? (Mathew Thomas)
Zine, John Alumgerken, #5, $2, 40 pgs, [email protected]