Greenzine #14

Road, Cristy C.

ISBN 10: 1934620734 ISBN 13: 9781934620731

Publisher: Microcosm Publishing, 2004

Synopsis

Cristy Road has always brought us breathtaking artwork (some of my favorite) along with literary stories that remind us of the strength and ability of punk youth. This new issue is more of the same with some reflection of Cristy's various homes between Miami and Philadelphia, racism in her communities, the strength of her friends, coming to terms with assault, gender, sexuality, and identity, and much more. The words are powerful, the stories make you feel like anything can be accomplished, and the artwork adds another strong element. Once a true fanzine devoted to Green Day, this zine has now evolved into literary prose devoted to the strengths of our communities.

About this title

About the Author:

Cristy C. Road is a Cuban-American artist and writer. Blending social principles, sexual deviance, mental inadequacies, and social justice — she thrives to testify the beauty of the imperfect. She works as a freelance illustrator, aside from her personal goals in publishing. Aside from creating art, Road has been performing lectures and workshops of her work and politics in various environments ranging from the Portland Zine Symposium, the Latina Health Summit, and Duke University. Additionally, Road has been performing as part of Sister Spit: The Next Generation, an all-queer spoken word road-show.

Review:

“Any radical unfamiliar with the art and writing of Cristy C. Road by now should check this out, in addition to visiting her website at http://www.croadcore.org to get caught up. That being said, everyone already acquainted will know what to expect with Greenzine #14, but this proves to be a good thing. This issue explores similar themes present throughout her work in a classic Road fashion - namely, the musings of a queer Latina feminist deconstructing identity, her love/hate relationship with Miami and moving from her hometown, orgasms and the personal being political. Written like a journal, you almost feel like you stumbled upon something private that you shouldn’t be reading, but can’t stop because it’s so damn gritty and real. Prominently displayed between entries are her signature drawings of friends, punk rock kids, social issues and, of course, making out. These serve more as snapshots than illustrations, as anyone who has seen them on everything from show fliers to the pages of Jane magazine knows. I can’t recommend this enough to anyone who sounds interested already. When you’re done, pick up her latest book, Indestructible (also reviewed by Feminist Review), which was originally meant to be Greenzine #15, but ended up its own entity.”  —Janine Oski, Feminist Review

“While the combination of handwriting, typewriter, and xerox-style printing may bring to mind a personal diary zine, this is a lot more than that, as Road has created diary entires/short stories/fiction/truth for dozens of characters who are all experiencing change. While I like the writing (and am excited by a form of prose so heavily influenced by DIY zine writing style) it is Road's drawings that make this special. Related to Jessica Abel's best work, these portraits are expressive, nuanced and enchanting. I am incredibly impressed by the delicate linework that results in dense work with real volume. Highly recommended.”—Rocktober

About this edition

• Publisher: Microcosm Publishing
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1934620734
• ISBN 13: 9781934620731
• Binding: Pamphlet
• Number of pages: 64