This collection of four stories is a startlingly accurate snapshot of being young and creative in the city, as verified by this reviewer on a daily basis. The tales are of aimless stabs at self-expression, of scrounging money to see bands, of biking through the streetscape and feeling, ever so briefly, like the days make sense. Its 30-some pages feel like a lost field report or, more likely, the only productive thing to make it out of a lazy, angst-ridden summer. Grammar sticklers will appreciate this zine’s well-proofed prose, while traditionalists will admire its hazy, over-photocopied feel, reminiscent of zines of yore. Even if you’re not a 20-something hipster and more likely to dismiss these stories as self-indulgent, Striking Distance evokes sympathy with its pitch-perfect account of fumbling to express how life feels. (Laura Trethewey)
Litzine, #1, Chris Landry, 2-1729 Dufferin St., Toronto, ON. M6E 3N9