Perzine, Geoff, 32 pgs, livingnotexisting.org, $3
With a cover that seems to be taken directly from the author’s Tumblr page, a heart handwritten as a < and a 3, and a sprinkling of hashtags throughout the text, Areolas and Eyelashes is that most post-modern of zines: that which brings the Internet to the cut ‘n’ paste page.
In about 20 pages, including a centerfold of a slightly altered still from Trainspotting, Geoff covers gender identity, sobriety, addiction and recovery, race and the lasting effects of growing up in a home that didn’t demonstrate love. Geoff’s style verges on stream of consciousness and asks more questions than it likely expects ever to have answered.
At times, I wished for some clarification into Geoff’s terminology. The first longer piece is called “Bathroom Diaries”. I can hazard a guess, but can only assume that when Geoff says, “bathroom diaries say it all,” that it’s true.
The brief, handwritten note that introduces this zine is a dedication “to anyone that feels hopeless.” While Geoff clearly lays out the violence, pain and confusion that has marked some of his life, he also asks questions that — even in a culture of over-sharing — are rarely addressed (e.g. why is it assumed that events include alcohol consumption?). In doing so, Geoff shows a great deal of hope.
Sometimes zines read like lines being cast out into the world, with hopes that the right people connect. Areolas and Eyelashes is this kind of zine. (Joanne Huffa)