Zinesters Talking: I love podcasts, and there seems to be one for nearly every subject under the sun these days – so it’s natural that there would be some related to zines out there. The other day I came across this great little podcast recorded at the Portland Public Library on September 4 that features Gabby Holden (with voice work by Seth Kaplan) Andria Alefhi, Jaime Borschuk, musician Bob Soper and Martha Grover (from Somnambulist Zine.) It is cute and super delightful and shows that you don’t necessarily need a visual medium to convey the humour, eloquence and honesty of a good story/piece of writing. Check it out!
What’s the Deal With Serial Novels? I recently started following my first serial novel online – an evocative YA story called Bleeder, written by Rue Morgue managing editor Monica Kuebler. (Spoiler alert – it has the vampires.) I really love the cliffhanger format of these types of narratives, and was wondering if serialized writing (online or in print form) is experiencing a bit of a revitalization right now. According to reporter Chris Farnell, it definitely is. The article cites the new Kindle Serials line currently being launched by Amazon as a new form of the classic weekly releases that launched works like Armistead Maupin’s Tales From the City series, or even Anna Karenina. And with all the free online publishing sites popping up right now, it is super easy to find and follow indie serial fiction and of course, start a series of your own.
Bad Children’s Books: Veteran children’s book illustrator Bob Staake has apparently snapped and created some authentic-looking but HIGHLY non-PC fake children’s book covers in the classic Little Golden Book style. These are probably not safe for work and not safe for anyone, but they definitely elicited some horrified snort-laughter from my household at their sheer audacity. You were warned! Original link sourced from the wonderful Co. Create.
From the “Not Remotely Indie But Will Make You LOL With Warm Nostalgia” Dept: A friend of mine posted this link to the 20 Most Cromulent Simpsons Gifs. As we know, there is a Simpsons quote or scene for pretty much every situation or season, and this exhaustive blog post has attempted to capture many of these moments in GIF form with hilarious results. To the messageboards!