SRVIV
Compilation zine, issue #2, compiled by Jonas, PO BOX 633, Chicago, IL, 60690, USA, 3$
As with SRVIV’s first issue, the question “What gets me out of bed in the morning?” gets answered by 13 different contributors, and the profits of the zine’s sale go to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. The results vary in tone, length, form, focus, and so on. Pangs of recognition hit me throughout as writers echoed familiar feelings and coping mechanisms. First off, I have to say that something as simple as getting people to respond to a specific question, simple and obvious seeming as the one in this zine, is a great way to focus the writing ever so slightly. Instead of giving broad instructions like: “Describe your struggles with depression, anxiety, self-hatred”, the content here benefits from a sense of temporality (waking up?), place (bed?), and although some contributors may barely even mention it, I think it added a certain cohesiveness to the whole thing. *mental note* In a way, I don’t have a ton to say specifically about the content. Some of it made me get all emotional, lots of it I recognized myself in, some of it left me unmoved; it’s a mixed bag, like all collections of writing. The scales, though, weigh heavily in its favour: it’s a worthwhile project for a good cause, and good, intelligent, writers talking real shit. Anyone with an interest in perzines about mental health should not hesitate to send Jonas some cash ASAP. (Stéphane Doucet)