Misadventures of an (amateur) Photojournalist

 zine, 24 pgs, $3, Paul Jacksties, 68 Regent Drive, St. Catharines, ON, L2M 3L7 Jacksties has his life threatened, gets tear-gassed, and wanders an abandoned jail in these three minor misadventures. Told in a matter-of-fact style that veers between confessional and deadpan, and brought to life by reproductions of the photos that inspire the encounters, this is a kind of quiet exploration of the way a creative hobby draws you into new situations and predicaments. In the first and best story in this book, Jacksties snaps a picture of a construction worker working on adding new storeys to the Fox Head hotel in Niagra Falls. In the picture, the worker stands on a beam high above ground, the Falls spewing and spilling in the background. But the worker isn’t wearing a safety belt, and when the pic is published in a local newspaper, the potentially mafia linked construction boss runs afoul of provincial regulations. As you can imagine, he isn’t too pleased. In the longest story, Jacksties travels to Quebec City for the cheque. Visit www.thechequerepublic. com for ordering details. $22.50 (Alex Mlynek) big and now infamous protest. Tear gas and cops are the story of the day, but Paul notes interesting details and keeps the narrative moving. He also recounts moments of violence within the protestor set itself. Finally, closer to home, Jacksties visits the old Welland Jail before its renovation and reconstruction. Interspersed with stories of executions and the poems, murals and blood stains he finds there, the jail visit is as chilling as it is mundane, just another day in the life of the (amateur) photojournalism (Hal Niedzviecki)

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