Shotgun Seamstress #2, #6

(shotgunseamstress.blogspot.com) This zine, which explores black punk rockers' experiences and artistry, is genuinely fantastic. The two issues I got at Chicago's Zine Fest this year were incredibly impressive with interview subjects that ranged from regional scenesters to the great (and sadly, now late) Poly Styrene (who actually didn't want to talk much about race). The absolute punkness of the design (Xerox, cut 'n' paste, collage), and refreshing open-mindedness (they broadly define punk, and let academic style writing coexist with unselfconscious amateur scrawls) makes this a thrilling read. I may sound hyperbolic in my praise, but you wouldn't think that if you read their conversation with an African American female tattoo artist from New Orleans whose thirty five years of adventures made for a mesmerizing read. There's a brief discussion in that interview of an outsider named Laura Lee that features more humanity, tragedy, and thoughtfulness in a few hundred words than you usually get in 100 pages of Maximumrocknroll. Speaking of which, the Shotgun Seamstress herself, Osa Atoe, wrote for the "punk rock bible" for a while, and in a recent issue I saw an announcement that she's compiled a book with all six issues, which I'm looking forward to getting. Furthermore, when looking for images for this review I found a recent tribute to Roctober on their blog, and it's awesome to know our publications mutually agree to be admirers and allies.