I don’t really feel right about reviewing Time Zones and State Lines. The copy I received was badly photocopied and, as a result, I missed about a quarter of the material written by Alex Wrekk. I can only hope the entire print-run doesn’t suffer from the same problem.
Alex Wrekk and Alan Lastufka are friends and fellow zinesters. They live far apart, and during a visit they decide to write a zine together on the theme of distance and separation. What results is a split zine rather than a true collaboration, each writer telling a non-linear story about loss over time and space.
The stories themselves are rather standard perzine material, with their only real appeal coming from piecing them together as you read. Once the story is complete the fun is over. Lastufka’s story seems to be the better of the two, with symbolism and parallels sprinkled throughout. Wrekk sticks with her usual journal or diary style, but it feels shallower than the kind of writing you can expect from her other work. Part of this might be the missing bits that were lost in the printing process, but what is readable doesn’t seem like it’s up to her usual standard. If you’re a fan of either of the authors, write them and request a copy, but make sure to ask them for one that can be read the whole way through. (J. Blackmore)
Zine, Alex Wrekk and Alan Lastufka, $2.00 US, Alex Wrekk, 809 N Shaver St., Portland OR 97227, USA, [email protected]