something new and two reviews

It's about time I tell you about the new issue of Elephant Mess. I finished it a few weeks ago, but I've been on vacation and such so I haven't really gotten the word out. It's the sixteenth installment and it's subtitled, The Bug Issue. All that really means is that the writing revolves in some erratic way around bugs and is accompanied by bug clipart. Bugs getting comfy on your couch and snug beneath your rug. You can order this by sending me a dollar bill or a trade or stamps or something else nice. You can mail your order here: Dan Murphy, PO Box 3154, Moscow ID 83843 ... or paypal money to me here: messyelephant@hotmail.com

now here are a coupla reviews:
Stoked on Spokes: A Community Resource Cycling Guide
A great little zine put out collaboratively by the folks at Pedal Play and The Purple Thistle Centre (both located in Canada). There are a couple of bike history pieces in here; the most interesting of which discusses the use of bikes during wartime. There is info on how to fix a flat, how to stay safe while riding, how to start up a Critical Mass bike ride and a great little fold-out section entitled "A DIY Punk Rock Bike Touring Guide" which will give you all sorts of great advice if you're like me and are planning a future long distance bike ride. Another awesome little piece promotes "celebratory activism." There is no contact info listed in this zine (besides the websites), but I just ordered it from Microcosm Publishing for a buck plus postage and you can surely do the same.

Ker-bloom! #56, Sept.-Oct. 2005
This zine comes with the companion zine, The Blackberry Bloc. That's because this issue of Ker-bloom is all about a bike trip that artnoose went on with her new friend Scott. They rode their bikes from Eugene, OR to San Francisco, CA in 11 and a half days, and due to the abundance of blackberry picking they did during the first part of the trip, they started calling themselves The Blackberry Bloc. Ker-Bloom! gives a brief written overview of the trip all printed in letterpress, which if you're familiar with artnoose's zine you know that that's how every issue is done. The Blackberry Bloc is four times the size of Ker-Bloom! and it contains a day to day recount of the trip, handwritten with a hand drawn map for each day/page. The story is told by pointing out certain places on each map and telling about the adventures/misadventures that took place there. The final page includes lists of the "merit badges" each one of them received for the trip and other lists derived from events that took place on the trip. Each zine costs $2 (or $4 for both). You can order them directly from artnoose by mailing your money to PO Box 3525, Oakland CA 94609. I ordered mine from Whammy! Industries.