Best Internet Thing of The Week: It is perhaps unsurprisingly that my favorite thing on the internet this week was sent to me by a librarian. Librarians just seem to know things, and are often good at divining hilarious things on the web as well. Awful Library Books is pretty self-explanatory, thematically speaking – each post consists of the cover and an excerpt from a librarian-submitted book that is terrible in some way – but I have to admit I was particularly staggered by the treasures that lay within. Want to see the horrible faces people make while doing isometrics? Maybe you’d like to learn how to go on double dates with your moustachioed Dad? Or maybe you’d like to see the astounding cover of Venusia? (NSFW.) This blog is a treasure trove – and through it, I also learned about “weeding”; the process through which librarians purge the shelves of these out-of-date and sometimes ridiculous books. However, if more librarians were diligent weeders, we wouldn’t have Sweatshirts with Style, so, you know. Your loss, our gain, librarians!
Grrls Rise Up: I recently came across a rad new Tumblr called Grrls Rise Up, created by 21-year-old Kaitie, who was born in Newfoundland and currently lives in Toronto. The blog is representative of a wider grrl movement that Kaitie and other like-minded women are starting in Toronto. “To keep it plain and simple, our goal is to eliminate the competitive nature that’s been socialized between women in the music scene,” she writes. The blog – and the grrls’ Facebook group – are full of posts discussing music, body image, feminist resources, confidence and collaboration. They are also planning meet-and-greets, shows and other events. There are loads of zinesters joining this community too. While the Tumblr and group are still relatively new, I really appreciate the spirit of inclusivity that this group has adopted, and look forward to following its continued development.
What Is Conceptual “Art”? Brooklyn, NY dude Myq Kaplan has launched a project where he takes Kickstarter to task – via Kickstarter. On his page, Kaplan asks, “Kickstarter says they will fund conceptual art – but what is that?” To find the answer, Kaplan has launched a “conceptual art project” – each backer that donates a dollar will get their name on a letter he sends to Kickstarter asking about their “art policy”. If you donate two dollars, he’ll include your name in slightly bigger font than those who donated one dollar. If he amasses $10,000, he’ll go to art school. Yes, it’s pretty goofy, but it’s also kinda refreshing to see someone simultaneously take the piss out of art conceits and crowdfunding all in one go.
Zines in the News: We recently came across two rad articles in major publications that deal specifically with ZINES. First up, the New Zealand Herald published a great (and very informative) primer to zine culture that discusses and shares information about the Auckland Zine Fest and zine culture in general and name-drops Charlotte Bronte’s own zine (?!?) which sold for quite a healthy sum at an auction recently. VICE also published a great piece about Pure Fun, a lively and authentic skateboarding zine that came out of Lockport, New York in the ’90s. The article features scans and a link to order a copy if you’re interested, and the author Anthony Pappalardo makes some pretty cogent observations about both skate and zine culture: “The majority of the skaters featured in the zine didn’t go on to professional careers or land energy drink sponsorships,” he writes. “The interviews are amateurish and uninformative (and fun!) instead of insightful glimpses of youth culture, and most of the tricks are pretty much what you and your friends were doing in a neighborhood cul-de-sac or behind a supermarket circa 1991.” Check it oot!