Your Cynicism is Unbecoming: An honest and true vanity project

This is Heather Wiley’s attempt at getting over her cynicism. Dappled with illustrations, some of which look like they were resurrected from childhood, the zine starts off with a section called “Smooches: The Search for Desire.” Each paragraph is about a different boy Heather has kissed. At first, it starts out cute and nostalgic, and the semi-stick figure drawings of a girl and a boy with stars floating around his head betray anything dark. But a few paragraphs in, Heather divulges a drunken night where things were far from cute. This combination of tragedy and anger along with smiles and fond memories sets a consistent tone throughout this zine. The writing is honest, though it might be too much so for those who aren’t comfortable inside other people’s heads-although the few pieces of poetry and the short story at the end add some balance. (Liz Worth)

Zine, Heather Wiley, 14 pgs, [email protected]