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  • some LOVE Chapbook Release with Poetry Readings by Maria Mendoza Cervantes, Sophie Grimes, Nick Souder, and elizabeth s. Tieri 9/28

    some LOVE Chapbook Release
    with Poetry Readings by Maria Mendoza Cervantes, Sophie Grimes, Nick Souder, and elizabeth s. Tieri.
    Saturday, September 28th at 3 pm
    at Quimby’s Bookstore (1854 W North Ave)

    FREE & BYOB

    Back to Print presents some LOVE the latest chapbook from poet, historienne and zinester extraordinaire elizabeth s. Tieri. Known for her sexy and succinct poems often on themes of heartbreak and other hurt, elizabeth has begun to balance the scale in celebration of friendship and love.

    Joining her on the mic will be the phenomenal Chicago poets Maria Mendoza Cervantes, Sophie Grimes (City Structures) and Nick Souder (Trash Bird and the Kill Yr Idols reading series) all of whom were previously wrangled into the columns of Back to Print’s founding zine the deadline.

    Please join us in celebration at Quimby‘s bookstore, where the limited-edition chapbook will be available for purchase alongside countless other independent & handmade zines.

    For more info:
    @GetBackToPrint
    @QuimbysBookstore

    Facebook Event Invite here!

  • Tessa Picked Some Tiny September-y Zines for You!

    Hey there friend! Welcome to September! This is one of my favorite months and not just because I’m a Virgo. We’re clinging to the last days of summer, and looking forward to all the gifts of fall – including spooky season! This week I’ve picked some tiny zines for you (I love tiny zines)! We have summer vibes, spooky vibes, and some that I just think you should check out!

    Summer Days by Lucy Rose Till-Campbell

    Lucy Rose Till-Campbell is the queen of whimsy, crafting colorful and precious worlds on paper! In Summer Days, you’ll meet three friends, Cranberry, Milkweed, and Chicory. Feast your eyes on detailed motifs that illustrate each personality and the world they share together and then float down the river with your new friends in the shady woods on a sunny summer day. No words, just vibes and the vibes are perfect, cozy summer. 

     

    Haunt by Tori Holder

    Both spooky and beautiful, Haunt is “a collection of spectral comix poems” that feel like a crisp autumn breeze on an overcast day of great portent. Reflect on the ephemerality of seasons, connections, and feelings with a backdrop of jack-o-lanterns, black cats, falling leaves, and full moons. 

     

    Night Out and When do you Stop Growing and Start Aging?  by Madi Baker

    Madi Baker’s micro comics are some of my favorites! Each one I’ve seen has a different approach to visual storytelling and the illustrations are whimsical and elegantly simple. 

    Night Out shows us the progression of a pair of friends going out and not exactly having the best time. Even with no words, a limited color palette, and fairly simple illustrations, Baker gives us relatable characters and a vivid picture of friendship through hard times. 

    When Do You Stop Growing and Start Aging? is a catalog of things that illustrate the evolution from youth to aging. My personal favorite is the comparison between youthful tennis ball (learning tennis), in-your-prime tennis ball (showing off your juggling skills), and elderly tennis ball (on the legs of your walker). This zine is both a little silly and thought provoking. Can you think of some other things that evolve with you as you grow or age?

    We have so many more tiny zine treasures in store! And more by all these authors! You’ve gotta come by and go treasure hunting in our micro-comics section soon! There’s always new things to love!

    See ya soon!

    -Tessa <3

  • New Stuff This Week

     

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    Zines

    Chicago Signs and Symbols #1 $20

    KerBloom #169 $2

    Girls On Film #24 $10

    If We Can Do This: A Zine About Learning to Do Menstrual Extraction by Cindy Crabb (AK Press) $5

    Wage Theft #1 by Howie $5

    Little Myths #2 by Harper Sims $10

    Zines by by Eve Gordon $2.50 each: Tide Pools: North Atlantic Maine, Beginner’s Illinois Bird Field Guide

    Zines by Heberto Bicio $10-$16: People of the Treesphere, Self Diagnostic #32

    Comics

    Cicada Comics #2 by Cris Siqueira $5

    Peepshow #15 by Joe Matt (Fantagraphics) $6.99

    Flaming Skull of Death by Chris Auman $6.50

    Punk Lab Girl #1 by Shannon Spence $24.99

    Stacks by Linnea Nierman $6

    Not That Anyone Asked: A Collection of Comics by Linnea Nierman $5

    From Reptile House: Plinky #1 in Bonehead Rhythms by Shane Olsen $5, Round World Thinking #1 by Ana Woulfe $10, Cyanide Swamp #2 $10

    Gu #4 by Al Nelson $10

    Graphic Novels

    Processing: 100 Comics That Got Me Through It by Tara Booth (Drawn & Quarterly) $24.95

    Raw Sewage Science Fiction by Marc Bell (Drawn & Quarterly) $29.95

    Politics & Revolution

    Organization, Continuity, Community: An Essay by Peter Gelderloos (Detritus) $12

    Music Books

    Kick Out the Jams: Jibes, Barbs, Tributes, and Rallying Cries from 35 Years of Music Writing by Dave Marsh $19.99

    Mayhem & Outer Limits

    My Cosmic Trigger: High Strangeness in Theory and Practice by Matt Vaughn (Trine Day) $24.95

    Gothic Life: The Essential Guide to Macabre Style by Aurelio Voltaire $24.99

    Fiction Books

    The Theme Park of Women’s Bodies by Maggie Cooper $12.95

    Undying Monster: A Tale of the Fifth Dimension by Jessie Douglas Kerruish (The British Library/Tales of Wthe Weird Series) $16.99

    Sexxxy

    Fucker by Bridger Swinimer $10

    Morgan Illustrates – Sketchbook Pinup and Cover Artist $12

    Poetry & Chap Books

    Coumplete Poems – 1960’s & 70’s by Genesis P-Orridge (Heartworm Press) $27

    Sugar Rush by Elizabeth Hanisch $14.99

    Local Interest

    Malort: The Redemption of a Revered and Reviled Spirit by Josh Noel $19.99

  • This is a Gina Wynbrandt Appreciation Post!

    On August 23rd we celebrated the release of PEEPEE POOPOO #1 by Caroline Cash here at Quimby’s! The event was a kick off for CAKE (Chicago Alternative Comics Expo) weekend and a bunch of comic artists joined us for the packed event. Reading with Caroline Cash was Gina Wynbrandt and Bonnie Guerra, two artists I was not familiar with. Gina Wynbrandt read first and had the entire room laughing about getting into credit card debt and baseball superstitions (which you can read about in Bubbles #15 ). Next was Bonnie Guerra who read pages from her comic diary, slideshow style. Her comics were gay, sexXxy, and had us LOLing. Last but not least was Caroline Cash reading from the much anticipated PEEPEE POOPOO #1!!!! Caroline did an excellent job and signed many issues of PEEPEE POOPOO for all her adoring fans. I love attending events at Quimby’s because I get turned onto incredibly talented artists, end up meeting new people, and leave feeling inspired.

    The next day I came to Quimby’s and found several restocks of Gina’s comics lying in our reshelving basket, I was so excited to find more of her work at the shop! I bought Mini Kus #112: You’re the Center of Attention and read it shortly after purchasing. You can read my review and buy the comic on our website here. Spoiler: Gina is freaking hilarious, and anyone who has read her comics or has seen her read in person will agree with me! I recommend Someone Please Have Sex With Me, also hilarious. If you like to laugh, are sex-positive, love pop-culture references, and don’t mind your comics on the weird side, don’t sleep on these titles by Gina Wynbrandt!!!

    *xo~Angel~xo*

    @angel.xoxoxoxox

  • Echo's Faves!

    We’re swimming in zines over here at Quimby’s! 

    Did you know that we receive zines & comix by hand and by mail just about every day? As anyone who has stepped through our door can attest, we have a staggering number of zines on our shelves. Gazing upon them may make you wonder—where to begin?????????

    Well, worry not dear reader, cause I, your friendly neighborhood zine slinger Echo the Human, am here to share a few of my current faves!

    Here are just a few of the glittering standouts that are currently gracing our shelves (so get ‘em while we got ‘em!):

     

    Shit Dates #5: Shit or Lit? by Mel Stringer

    Mel Stringer’s endlessly entertaining Shit Dates series documents real people’s shitty date experiences in comic form. And issue #5 features a special twist! It contains a mix of shitty and wonderful dates, so you can have extra fun guessing how each one will turn out. 

    This is one of my current faves cause it’s both funny and touching, and cause I’m a big fan of Mel’s drawing style. A top-notch comic!

     

     

    De las Casas by Dave Ortega

    De las Casas is a beautifully illustrated zine by comic artist Dave Ortega. It contains “selections from ‘an account, much abbreviated, of the destruction of the Indies’ written from 1540 to 1542 by Dominican friar Bartolomé de las Casas.” 

    As horrifying as it is to read about the unimaginable atrocities that the Spanish inflicted upon the indigenous people of Ay-ti (what is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and other Caribbean islands, this is a very important story to share. It’s so critical that we are able to see and preserve every aspect of history, not just the whitewashed points of view. 

    This is one of my current faves because I deeply appreciate the efforts that artists like Ortega are making towards educating the public about colonization. As a person of afro-indigenous Caribbean descent, this particular chapter of colonial history, one that is largely under-recognized, strikes a chord deeply within me. 

    Thank you for a beautiful and moving zine, Dave!

       

     

    Caboose #10: the Searching Issue by Liz Mason

    I recently read issue #10 of Caboose and found it to be delightful! In it, zinester extraordinaire Liz Mason provides us with a fascinating peek into the world of transcendental meditation. It’s so fun to follow Liz’s experience as she curiously and dubiously dips her toe into the strange realm of TM.

    I love this zine because it’s a shining exemplar of Liz’s fun and excellent writing style. And it’s hilarious! This is a must-have for any serious zine collection!

       

     

    Shine on, zine-stars!

    <3 Echo

    Live from the basement of Quimby’s!

  • New Stuff This Week

     

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    Zines

    Slutcake #18 by Jolie Ruin $3

    Darling Pet Monkey #2 $5

    Sensitive Artist #1 by Vani $12

    Happy Tapir #8 A Bouncer of Clubland by Johnny Masiulewicz $5

    Floaters Digest #4 The Roar of the Hatrack by Dylan and Robby $8

    Coming of Rage Ceremony by Sunny and Taylor $10

    You Are Allowed to Quit Alcohol by Allison Vraniak $1

    More coloring book zines from SmittenKittenTX $10 each

    Stories About Life and Some Death #3 $5.00

    How Massacres Become the Norm #1 $5

    Vault of Slack #4 by Xenofact $8

    Border Crossings #162 Photography $15

    Bus of Doom by Arts of Life Self Advocates $3

    Goopy Mag $24.99

    How to Make a Homemade Canvas Board by Incarcerated Artists $1

    Comics

    Reapers #1 by Adam Rykal Michael Bink and Mhead $5

    Futurelux Thrilling Sci-Fi Action Comix #3 by Scott Gerard Ruhl $10

    Guts Honor Wrestling #1 by Odin Cabal $10

    Graphic Novels

    Cheryl by Jillian Fleck (Conundrum) $20

    zines by Brian Van Gold, $5 each: Chalk It Up, Trust Me, Character Dinner

    Politics & Revolution

    Solidarity Is the Political Version of Love: Lessons from Jewish Anti-Zionist Organizing by Rebecca Vilkomerson and Alissa Wise (Haymarket) $22.95

    Music Books

    Band People: Life and Work in Popular Music by Franz Nicolay $29.95

    Why Sinéad O’Connor Matters by Allyson McCabe $19.95

    Witchy Shit

    Disabled Witchcraft: 90 Rituals for Limited-Spoon Practitioners by Kandi Zeller $19.95

    The Practical Witch’s Almanac 2025: Rebel Wisdom by Friday Gladheart $17.95

    Sex Culture

    Sex Drive: On the Road to a Pleasure Revolution by Stephanie Theobald $18.95

    Art Books

    Prison of the Mind: Paintings by Alex Gross 2014 – 2023 by Alex Gross (Gingko Press) $39.95

    Graffbook. The Graffiti Sketchbook (Carpet Bombing Culture) $21.95

    Fiction

    Flowers from the Void by Gianni Washington (Clash Books) $17.95

    Bad Houses by John Elizabeth Stintzi $19.95

    Reservoir Bitches by Dahlia de la Cerda (Feminist Press) $16.95

    Classic Horror Stories, edited by David Stuart Davies $14.99

    Poetry

    TRANZ Poems by Spencer Williams $17.95

    Poetry by Valerie Fox: Insomniatic $10, The Failed Love Factory Auction Catalog (with Arlene Ang) $13.99

    Lit Journals

    Places to Spit #2 $8

    Calendars

    Lets 2025 Calendar by Nikki McClure $24

  • Zine Club Chicago: Cut-and-Paste Challenge + Quimbiversary Party, Sept 21st

    Zine Club Chicago: Cut-and-Paste Challenge + Quimbiversary Party

    3 p.m. Saturday, September 21, 2024

    Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave.

    Free!

    Zine enthusiasts, are you ready for the Cut-and-Paste Challenge? This month marks Zine Club Chicago’s 6th Quimbiversary! And our shop is turning 33! So of course we’ve celebrating with zinecentric hijinks.

    Please join us for Zine Club Chicago: Cut-and-Paste Challenge + Quimbiversary Party, 3 p.m. Saturday, September 21 at Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave. in Wicker Park. Free!

    Here’s how the Cut-and-Paste Challenge will work: Zine Club Chicago is going to set up six stations of fun zine-related activities throughout our shop. Complete all the challenges, and you’ll be entered in a raffle to win a bag full of zines, swag, snax (of course), and more!

    One black cat we’ll let out of the bag is an activity we’re hoping you’ll help us with at this event. We want you to help us decorate a spine. Wait what? We swear that makes sense. If there’s 33 vertebrae in the human spine (See? We said it would make sense), and if Quimby’s is the supportive backbone of the zine scene in Chicago, and if zines have a spine (saddle stitched, glued or sewn), WHY NOT HELP US DECORATE A SPINE? It seems even more apropos as we march toward the hallow season.

    But of course we’ll have other activities too, just you wait and see.

    Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago. This free monthly event series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck designs the monthly flyers, created the logo, and made the Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events: https://zineclubchicagoshoutouts.spread.name/

    More info at Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago like here on IG and here on Twitter.

    Facebook event invite is here.

    Image descriptions

    A red-and-blue infographic flyer featuring a photo of children at a birthday party, with text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Cut-and-Paste Challenge + Quimbiversary Party! We’re turning 6! Quimby’s is turning 33! In Person! Free!; 3 p.m. Saturday, September 21, 2024; Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave.; www.quimbys.com”

  • Quimby's offsite: South Side Lit Fest 2024, Sept 14th

    Quimby’s is proud to co-sponsor the first South Side Lit Fest!

    Bridgeport’s First Literary Festival! Also sponsored by Adult Programs at Daley library and Eye 94.

    Saturday, Sep 14th, 11am-4pm

    At the Richard J. Daley Public Library

    3400 S. Halsted, Bridgeport

    Author signings! Discussion panels! Poetry! A zine writing workshop! And more.

    For more info: instagram.com/southsidelitfest

     

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  • Olivier Schrauwen and Dash Shaw in Conversation with Conor Stechschulte

    Internationally acclaimed graphic novelist Olivier Schrauwen returns with a masterfully funny — and profound — day in the life narrative. Sunday follows, over the course of one day, the stream of consciousness of a fictionalized version of the author’s cousin, Thibault. On the day of his girlfriend’s return from an extended trip, Thibault wakes up, does nothing, gets James Brown stuck in his head, drinks and smokes, grows paranoid about his relationship, struggles to compose text messages, watches The DaVinci Code, all the while avoiding anyone and everyone, descending deeper into his own thoughts and fears. Meanwhile, a former crush and another cousin of Thibault’s plan a surprise birthday for him, sending the external and internal on a collision course.

    Schrauwen’s brilliant comic timing and formal mastery transcends the quotidian nature of the plot. Through use of color and flashback and the dissonance between text and image and the ways in which Schrauwen layers a depiction of human consciousness as lines on paper — infused heavily with slapstick and white-knuckle tension —makes for an exhilarating read and breathtaking use of the comics medium.

    From Dash Shaw, cartoonist of one of the New York Times Best Comics of 2021, comes a new graphic novel, Blurry.

    A man can’t decide between two dress shirts for a wedding.
    A woman questions the style of her new glasses.
    A teacher considers quitting teaching.
    A figure-drawing model considers quitting modeling.
    A man drives into a fog bank and is unsure how to get home.

    In Blurry, Shaw renders doubts around everyday decisions as startling cliffhangers, presenting us with the kinds of choices that can make a life expand or contract in equal measure. Drawn in clear lines and washes, Shaw captures the humor and anxiety of life in a one-of-a-kind structure that bends back to a thrilling, lyrical finish. Blurry is more evidence that Shaw is one of our greatest contemporary cartoonists.

    Schrauwen and Shaw will be in conversation with local cartoonist Conor Stechschulte, author of Ultrasound.

    In Ultrasound, which has been adapted into a feature film starring Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men), Glen and Cyndi become unwitting test subjects in a mind-control experiment after a strange sexual encounter. They search for answers as their own memories become tools for manipulation. Driving home from a wedding late one night during a heavy storm, out of cell range, Glen blows out his tires. He knocks on the door of the only house he sees and is greeted by an uncomfortably friendly middle-aged man, Arthur, and his attractive younger wife, Cyndi. The strange couple pours him a drink, and then more drinks, followed by odd confessions and an unexpected offer that Glen can’t refuse. Where Ultrasound zigs and zags from there is into a dizzying plot involving mind control, government secrets, gaslighting, and political intrigue that is always one step ahead of the reader. Stechschulte’s brilliant use of color and mastery of comics storytelling yields a breathtaking puzzlebox of a sci fi thriller — the moment you finish, you will want to go back and reread Ultrasound from the start.

    The Facebook event post is here.

  • New Stuff This Week

     

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    Note! Some of this comes out later this week!!

    Zine

    Patent Observations: Sample Findings from the Patent Applications of Los Angeles Area Inventors issues #1-#3 by Public Collectors/Marc Fischer (Half Letter Press) $20 each

    TV Grime #4 Twin Peaks by Luke Geddes $12

    Riverside Challenger: Selections 1992-1994 $5

    Seize Your Week by Marshall Waters $9.99

    Free Palestine Ceasefire Now! Stop the Genocide in Gaza by the Coalition to March on the DNC $10

    Light Witches Art Book #1 by Matt Wiley $8

    Unfolding Connections various issues by Kristian Brevik, $4 each

    Rate of Decay #7 Cuntroaches + #8 Demolisten, $2 each

    Zisk #35 $4

    Fog $15

    Tons of new DIY zines by Karina Hagelin, various prices : Gossip as a Site of Resistance, Affirmations for Survivors #3 Radical Self-Love, All Cats Are Beautiful issues #1 & #2,

    Digestif #2 by Brianna Dingedein $12

    Comics

    You Don’t Get There From Here #64 Diary Comics by Carrie McNinch $4

    I Hope This Finds You #14 Diary Comics by Kevin Budnik $6

    Daydream Paradise #70 by laszlo shaak (Wiggle Bird Mailing Club) $6

    Horizon: New Wave Comics issues #1-#3 by David Soileau and Reginald Wayne Soileau $2 each

    Lady Luck (Sphincter Publishing) $5

    Graphic Novels

    What We Mean by Yesterday vol 1 by Benjamin Marra (Fantagraphics) $29.99

    Never Again Will I Visit Auschwitz: A Graphic Family Memoir of Trauma & Inheritance by Ari Richter (Fantagraphics) $34.99

    Are You Willing to Die for the Cause? Revolution in 1960s Quebec by Chris Oliveros (Drawn and Quarterly) $22.95

    Oba Electroplating Factory by Yoshiharu Tsuge (Drawn and Quarterly) $29.95

    Politics & Revolution Books

    The New Science of Social Change: A Modern Handbook for Activists by Lisa Mueller $27.95

    Fiction

    The Nightingale’s Castle: A Novel of Erzsébet Báthory, the Blood Countess by Sonia Velton $18.99

    Mayhem & Outer Limits

    Way of the Witch: A Guide to Starting Your Magical Journey and Activating Your Inner Power by Danielle Luet & illustrated by Tamara Woods $29.99

    Charms, Amulets, Talismans & Spells by Marian Green $8.95

    Obitchuary: The Big Hot Book of Death by Spencer Henry & Madison Reyes $28

    Essay/Memoir

    An Honest Woman: A Memoir of Love and Sex Work by Charlotte Shane $25.99

    Cosmic Scholar: The Life and Times of Harry Smith by John Szwed $22

    DIY

    Magickal Cross-Stitch: 25 Witchy Projects to Enchant Your Home by Lindsay Swearingen $19.99