Zine Review: Slackjaw

ZINES_SlackjawPerzine, Emily Bueckert, 7016 189 St, Edmonton AB T5T 5E3, $5, https://www.etsy.com/shop/butterguts

“I know that to push and pull is to make people sea sick on land, and you’d rather suffocate in space than by my affectionate, affecting hands.” If there are people out there who write love letters anymore, Emily Bueckert’s perzine puts her at the top of the list — it’s a love letter authored by and for the past.

With black and white images and all caps font, Emily writes poems made of confessions existing at the point where your own anxiety meets your last few shreds of optimism. The zine combines black and white images of landscapes and objects that span whole pages with big text, one-liners, drawings, and superimposed untitled poems. Her pieces exist on separate pages but join together throughout the zine to form an image of “you”. “You” is who these words are for, and Emily writes so vividly about shared experiences and messy feelings that by the end of the zine, you’re sure you’ve met this person before. Pick this zine up if you want to know what you should have done, what it feels like to break a promise, or what is left inside your head when you stand alone. (CJ Blennerhassett)