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Poster design by David Alvarado.
Blog
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Updated Consignment Terms FAQ
We love our consignors! Without you, we wouldn’t be the store we are. To make consignment a sustainable practice for Quimby’s, we have to update our policies. Not to worry. You’ll still get your 60% of your retail price when you sell your stuff here. The new consignment form that we are asking all of our consignors, both new and current consignors, to sign is here: Consignment Form 2023. We are asking for your patience with us while we adjust to an era in which more people than ever before are self-publishing and consigning zines, mini-comics, and books. Here are some answers to questions that we know you’ll be asking about consigning here at Quimby’s and our new policies:
Why oh why is Quimby’s changing their consignment policies?
We’re in the process of the biggest update to our systems in our 32-year store history. This is a major, ongoing undertaking for our tiny staff, and involves, among many other complex and time-consuming tasks, a physical inventory of every single one of the tens of thousands of items in our shop. Yep, it’s a huge project.
Oh, and those many thousands of consignment items? That number gets bigger every single day, as we receive the highest volume of zines, comics, and books for consignment in our history. Y’all are creative and prolific, and we love it! But we now receive so many consignment items on a daily basis that it’s difficult for us to keep up with them all without making some changes to how we work with consignors.
If you’ve ever wondered why more shops don’t offer consignment as an option, that’s because the consignment process requires a lot of work on the part of a shop’s staff. We’re committed to continuing to offer consignment so all of you wonderful creators out there can sell your work here. We can only do that, though, by updating our consignment policies.
We deeply value our consignors and love having your work in our shop! We appreciate your ongoing patience as we navigate these unprecedented changes for our business and your support for our new policies.
I’ve been consigning here for a long time/I used to be able to check in whenever I wanted to/I can see that my consignment item is sold out/I’m the second cousin twice removed of a staff member/etc. That new every-four-months check-in rule doesn’t really apply to ME, right?!
Yes, yes it does. We are not making exceptions to any of our consignment terms for any consignor, because it would not be fair to do that. We know that, for some folks, this will be a change in their consignment routine. We appreciate your willingness to follow our new policies! And if you don’t want to follow all of our new policies, we will return your consignment items to you and permanently close your consignment account, no problem.
I came all the way over to the shop on the cursed Damen bus. Can’t you just pull up my consignment file on your fancy desktop computing device real quick and tell me on the spot how much you owe me and how many restocks you can take?
No, we can’t. That wouldn’t be fair the the consignors who are following our policies regarding email-only check-ins. Also, checking on a consignor’s stock and sales is a much more complicated process than just pulling up a file on the computer. (Buy us a drink and we’ll walk you through the entire laborious process sometime.) When our shop is open, it’s difficult for us to conduct consignment checks and also run the shop and assist customers, which is a major reason why we’ve adopted the email-only policy.
Why can’t you pay me via Venmo/Zelle/gold doubloons/etc.?
Quimby’s does not have a business cell phone, so we can’t make payments via app-based methods such as Venmo, Zelle, and CashApp. The only forms of payment we offer are PayPal (paid as “For goods and services” because we are a business and we have to do it that way), bank check mailed via USPS or picked up in store, or cash picked up in store.
Why isn’t my consignment item up on your website?
We manually update our web shop, and don’t have the staffing to list every consignment item we receive on quimbys.com. Only about 10 percent of the items in our shop are put up on our site.
I dropped off/mailed in my consignment items a week ago. Why isn’t it up on the New wall yet?
Because we are humans, not androids. Sometimes it takes a while for us to process the high volume of items we receive for consignment every single day.
Can you send me a photo of my consignment items in your shop?
Nope. We don’t have a shop cell phone, nor do we have the time to take photos to send to you. Feel free to take your own photos of your stuff in the shop or send in a friend to do it for you.
I don’t like these new policies. I don’t think they should apply to me, a special and entitled person. And I’m going to harass your staff until you do what I want.
Any harassment of our staff for any reason WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. EVER. If you act like a jerk*, we will permanently close your consignment account immediately. We also may ban you from our shop.
* Acting like a jerk includes, but is not limited to: Repeatedly emailing/calling/DMing/showing up at our shop to ask about your consignment items after we have already replied once to your question and/or have already let you know once that you are in the check-in queue; contacting any of our staff members personally (via their social media accounts or any other means) to ask about your consignment items; using hateful language, raising your voice, or making threats when you communicate with us; and any other behavior that is unprofessional, rude, or hurtful. Pull any of this shit and you will no longer be welcome here.
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Off-Site Event: Zine Camp 2023 presented by Zine Club Chicago, July 9th!
OFF-SITE EVENT!
Zine Camp 2023 presented by Zine Club Chicago
2 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 9, 2023
Picnic Grove 5 at Dan Ryan Woods
Free!Join Zine Club Chicago for an in-person outdoor hangout for adults who love zines!
We had such a blast at Zine Camp last year that we’re bringing it back and packing in even more summer fun. Newbies and Zine Club Chicago regulars alike are welcome at Zine Camp 2023, set for 2 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Sunday, July 9 in Picnic Grove 5 at Dan Ryan Woods on Chicago’s Southwest Side. Free!
Camp activities include zinemaking, zine trading, and socializing with fellow self-publishing enthusiasts; a crowd-sourced, collaborative, zine-focused Complaint Chorus by Ayun Halliday: a Zinemaking Workshop by Jude R. Bettridge; and SO. MANY. SNACKS!
We’ll also be hosting a pen pal station so you can strike up a correspondence with one of our out-of-town Zine Club Chicago friends! (Can’t make it to Zine Camp and want a pen pal? Sign up here: tiny.cc/ZineCamp2023PenPals)
Feel free to drop in anytime between 2-6:30 p.m. and stay for as long as you like. Dan Ryan Woods is a Cook County Forest Preserve; our campsite at Picnic Grove 5 will be located off Western Avenue near 84th St.
Need a map, directions on how to get there via public transit or car, and accessibility information? You can find all the details about Zine Camp 2023 (including where we’re going for the afterparty!) at zine.camp. Facebook event here.
Zine Camp is made possible by the generous support of zinemaker and all-around awesome person Lucinda J. Williams. Check out her Bookshelf Voyeur zine series here at our shop and online at quimbys.com!
Shoutout to our Zine Camp Counselors: Aim Beland, Michael Verdi, Liz Mason, Cynthia E. Hanifin, Ayun Halliday, and Jude R. Bettridge
Thank you to Aim Beland for designing the Zine Camp 2023 poster!
Image description: A pink flyer with the illustration of a green tent made out of a stitchbound zine and a tree branch, with this text: Zine Camp 2023; a (free) meetup for adults who love zines; Brought to you by Zine Club Chicago; 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. July 9th; Dan Ryan Woods Shelter #5 @ Western x 84th; for more info, visit zine.camp
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Zine Club Chicago Online: Fest Finds Edition with Special Guest Co-host Jordan Sea of Sonoma County Zine Club, June 20th!
Zine Club Chicago Online: Fest Finds Edition
With Special Guest Co-host Jordan Sea of Sonoma County Zine Club
7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, June 20 on Zoom
Free!Zine fest season is in full swing, so this month Zine Club Chicago is inviting y’all to share your fave finds from Chicago Zine Fest, CAKE, and other in-person and online events that center self-publishers. We’re super excited to welcome a special guest co-host, Jordan Sea of Sonoma County Zine Club, to give us a West Coast perspective on the return of zine fests around the country!
Grab the best zines you’re scooped up at recent festivals, BYOS(nacks), and join us on Zoom for Zine Club Chicago Online: Fest Finds Edition with Special Guest Co-host Jordan Sea of Sonoma County Zine Club at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, June 20!
** RSVP required ** We want to make sure that our online Zine Club Chicago events are a safe space, so we won’t be releasing the Zoom link publicly. If you’d like to attend, please email zineclubchicago@gmail.com to RSVP by 9 p.m. CT Monday, June 19 (the evening before our event). We’ll email you the Zoom link by 5 p.m. CT on Tuesday, June 20.
Observer, contemplative, seeking engrossment, zinester, mom, following too many podcasts. Jordan Sea has been a fan of zine culture for 20 years but only started writing Rain Barrel in 2020. Out of a deep longing for Chicago’s zine community and with a desire to enliven zine culture and find other zinesters near them, they began the Sonoma County Zine Club in 2022. Jordan sells their own zines and those of their family on their Etsy store. Their writing has appeared in Snax and Behind the Zines, with their latest Rain Barrel issue featured in Anna Jo Beck’s Zine-A-Month. You can also find Jordan on Instagram at @rainbarrelzine.
Sonoma County Zine Club is a collaborative space to create and share zines in community. Activities are usually informal, open for folks to work on whatever they wish. Different art supplies are provided, like markers, tape, scissors, rubber stamps, glue sticks, paper, and more! Occasionally a collaborative zine is made on a particular topic. The library provides the space and fun snacks! Sonoma County Zine Club meets on the first Tuesday night of the month at 6 p.m. at the Sebastopol Regional Library in Sebastopol, CA.
Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago, the city’s only book club-style event for people who read zines. This free monthly series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck designs our monthly flyers, created our logo, and made our Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events.
More info at quimbys.com and on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago. Facebook link here.
Image description #1: A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with the crowd photo from Chicago Zine Fest 2023, and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Fest Finds Edition with Special Guest Co-host Jordan Sea of Sonoma County Zine Club; Online! Free! Zoom info on quimbys.com; 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, April 25, 2023”
Image description #2: A photo of zinemaker Jordan Sea, who is smiling and has pink and black hair and rhinestone-studded cats-eye glasses.
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Chicago Alternative Comics Expo (CAKE), June 3rd & 4th at the Broadway Armory
Quimby’s is a proud co-sponsor for CHICAGO ALTERNATIVE COMICS EXPO (CAKE), a weekend-long celebration of independent comics, inspired by Chicago’s rich legacy as home to many of underground and alternative comics’ most talented artists — past and present and future. Featuring comics for sale, workshops, exhibitions, panel discussions and more, CAKE is dedicated to fostering community and dialogue amongst independent artists, small presses, publishers and readers.
June 3rd-4th, 2023
11am-6pm Saturday
11am-5pm SundayBroadway Armory (not at Quimby’s!)
5917 N Broadway
Chicago, IL 60660Free and open to the public!
CAKECHICAGO.COMSpecial guests:
Masks strongly encouraged.
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New Stuff This Week
View this post on InstagramZines
Forever Haunted by Cynthia E. Hanifin $2
Exclusive Thoughts issues #1-#8 by J Kern, $1 each
zines by Nune Gigirassy, $5 each: Zine Snail, What Do I Do With All These Dandelions, How to Grow Your Own Tinymato
Trash Fashion Show $12
Walt Loved Zines #5 and Projection Booth #2 by Lynne Monsoon and Jami Sailor $11
Butch Nor Femme #15 by Lynne Monsoon $4
Love Me Love Me Please Retweet – An Artpop Fanzine by Megan Kirby $5
3 2 1 2 3 by Michaela Chan $5
Comics
Futile #9 by Mike Centeno $10
Bar Bee by Dmitry Bondarenko $10
Woke With Extreme Distress: A Zine Collective $5
House Divided by H. Jones $2
Lab Rat #3 by Michaela Chan $5
Graphic Novel
Another Day In Paradise by Megan Kirby (Fruit Bat Press) $20
Impossible People: A Completely Average Recovery Story by Julia Wertz $30
Listen, Beautiful Márcia by Marcelo Quintanilha (Fantagraphics) $29.99
Out of My Head: The Imaginary Creatures of Josep Baqué edited by Brian Chidester $49.99
Art Books
Russian Criminal Tattoo Archive by Danzig Baldaev & friends (Fuel) $55
New Tattoo Artists: Illustrators and Designers Meet Tattoo edited by Mariona Cabassa (Hoaki) $29.95
Working Girl: On Selling Art and Selling Sex by Sophia Giovannitti (Verso) $24.95
Politics, Revolution & Essay Books
The Trouble with White Women: A Counterhistory of Feminism by Kyla Schuller $18.99
Surviving the Future: Abolitionist Queer Strategies edited by Scott Branson, Raven Hudson & Bry Reed (PM Press) $22.95
Bad Gays: A Homosexual History by Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller (Verso) $19.95
Beneath the Pavement: The Garden an Anarchist Coloring Book for All Ages by NO Bonzo (PM Press) $10
Decolonize Multiculturalism by Anthony C. Alessandrini $19.95
Queer Heroes of Myth and Legend: A Celebration of Gay Gods, Sapphic Saints and Queerness Through the Ages by Dan Jones $19.99
Music Books
The Art of Darkness: The History of Goth by John Robb (Manchester University Press) $36.95
Bill Frisell, Beautiful Dreamer: The Guitarist Who Changed the Sound of American Music by Philip Watson $17.95
Funny Ha Ha
Comedy Bang! Bang! The Podcast: The Book by Scott Aukerman & friends $29.99
Fiction
La Batarde by Violette LeDuc $18.95
Isolate by Apollo Camembert $12.95
Stories by Michaela Chan $7
Doin’ Stuff
Linocut: Learn In a Weekend by Nick Morley (Skittledog) $16.99
How to Be a Rule-Breaking Letterer: A Guide to Making Perfectly Imperfect Art by Huyen Dinh $19.95
Magazines
Broken Pencil #99 $7.95
Chap Books
Words to Humanize Me #1-#3 by emmtropywrites $3.50 each
Better Than What by Michael Buckius $15
Chap Books by by Jordan Lee Tung: Dandelion Triptyph $2, Autobiographic Asphyxiation $5, Swat Team Gun Barrel Exorcism $5
Wheels
Locals Only: 30 Posters: California Skateboarding 1975–1978 by Hugh Holland $29.95
Other Stuff
All Bets Are Off Playing Cards by Tuesday Bassen $14.95
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New Stuff This Week
View this post on InstagramView this post on InstagramZines
Roamer #1 by Echo the Human $5
Slutcake #14 by Jolie Ruin $3.50
The Escapist Artist #70 The Year 2003 $2
Silent Command #3 The Photo Issue by Mike Appelstein $8
Mothman by Ash Wilfong $4
Library Excavations #14 Earth, Wings and Fire by Marc Fischer (Half Letter Press) $6
Healing Your Magical Body Energetic Perspectives by Jo Jo Sherrow (Microcosm Publishing) $5.95
Photo zines from Mary Miller, $12 each: DiscarDisco 2023, This is Love 02 04 22 & more.
Missed Connections by Sasha De Koninck $9
Best Kind of Man Is Someone You’ll Never Know by Chloe Hodnett $5
Faux Wood Paneling #1 $7
This Makes Me Mad $3
Reformation #5 by Harry Cook $10
Tomato Zine #1-#4 $12 each
New stuff from School of Life Design, $5 each: Beyond Gratitude & Beyond Consciousness
Comics
Brain School #1 & #2 Some Things I Learned by Jam $2 each
comics by by Alex Sensiba: Margins $10, Hounding $5 & more.
Demonized #1 Ladies of the Sea by KG $4
Agnes and Poopsie by Sue Cargill $3
Brainerd St. Cloud by Jon Inaki $7
Graphic Novels
Girl Juice by Benji Nate (D+Q) $24.95
My Stupid Life by Mitch Clem (Silver Sprocket) $24.99
Enlightened Transsexual Comics by Sam Szabo (Silver Sprocket) $24.99
Snake Pits Big Adventure Daily Diary Comics 2019 to 2021 by Ben Snakepit (Silver Sprocket) $24.99
Salome’s Last Dance by Daria Tessler (Fantagraphics) $19.99
Trigore Labyrinth by Matt Furie, Skinner & Will Sweeney (Fantagraphics) $39.99
Politics & Revolution Books
Deadly and Slick: Sexual Modernity and the Making of Race by Sita Balani $24.95
Miss Major Speaks: Conversations With a Black Revolutionary by Toshio Meronek and Miss Major $19.95
Art Books
Scrapbook #1 by Sasha de Koninck $24.99
Mayhem & Outer Limits
Lunar Transformation Candles by Jason (Ecstatic Agendas) $10
Hellebore Presents Magical Card Battle of Britain $25
Poetry As Spellcasting by Tamiko Beyer and Destiny Hemphill and Lisbeth White $16.95
Film Books
I Know Kung Fu by Rex Koo (Victionary) $45
Memoirs & Essay
Latchkey Township: Assorted Stories of Resiliency Collected by Jacinta Bunnell $21
I Could Not Believe It The 1979 Teenage Diaries of Sean DeLear (Semiotexte) $16.95
Fancy Bear Goes Phishing: The Dark History of the Information Age In Five Extraordinary Hacks by Scott J. Shapiro $30
This Body I Wore: A Memoir by Diana Goetsch $20
Poetry & Chap Books
Hand In Hand With Love: An Anthology of Queer Classic Poetry edited by Simon Avery $14.99
Poems for Hella Fucking Sloshed In McDonalds by Dangerous K $5
Quietly Hostile: Essays by Samantha Irby $17
Sexxxy
Unfuck Your Sex: Toys Make Your Own DIY Tools and Macgyver Your Sexy Times by Dr. Faith G. Harper, Illustrated by River Katz (Microcosm) $13.95
Mother Rubbers the Fun Dungeon #1 Saturday Morning Cartoons $13 and #2 $17
Magazines & Newspapers
Tape Op #155 $5.99
El Antimperialista #1 $.50
And!
Gravy Boat stickers by Jude R. Bettridge $3
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New Stuff This Week
View this post on InstagramZines
Doof #1 My First Zine by RW Mac $10
Faggot by Ronnie Pence $22
Drawing zines by Ruby Carter: Bogue #1 $7, Oozemart $16
Ass Imps In Shit Tuxedos and Other Monstrosities from Dan Gleason $3
Zines by Catdroool: Gated Community $7, Palmer Square Art Fair Presents Community Coloring Book #1 $15
Taurus $5
How to Make Friends As an Adult: A Guide to Finding Friends in a Performance Zine by Steven Fraser $4
ElectroMagnetic Fields and Your Health by Jojo Sherrow $5.95
Black Girl Magical #1 Exploring Black Women In the Fantasy Genre by Ashley N. Collins $7
Moss Piglet May 2023 $12
Last Night at the Casino #17 by Billy McCall $3
KerBloom #161 by Artnoose $2
ABQ Graffiti #3 $3
Behind Sharp #2 The Paris Journals by Katie Kiesewetter $5
Comics
Zines Saved My Life – A Comic about Zines by Steven Fraser $4
Faking It by Casey O’Connor $10
More Things in Heaven and Earth #4 by Kat Tuesday $4
Feral Star #0 by John Burkett $5
Two Snakes Wearing Boots Go for a Little Stroll by Jay Howley $10
Split Brain by Hue Nguyen $7
Comics by Sarah Maloney: Cosmic Fern $12, Duders and Friends (with Siu Lee) $6
Coming Out Autistic by Steven Fraser $4
Paid By the Line by Nate McDonough and Victor Cayro $4
Town and County Homespun Stories #3 by Alex Nall $8
Stripburger #80 $12
Graphic Novels & Comics Crit
20 km/h by Woshibai (D+Q) $29.95
Toddlerhood: A Beware of Toddlers Collection by George Gant $15
Portrait of the Most Dangerous Man In the Whole Wide World by Jay Howley $15
Daughters of Snow and Cinders by Nuria Tamarit (Fantagraphics) $29.99
Just a Little Boy by Nate McDonough $15
Blood of the Virgin by Sammy Harkham $30
Dirty Thirty: Stripburger 30th Anniversary Anthology $39
Man In the McIntosh Suit by Rina Ayuyang $24.95
I Saw It: A Survivor’s True Story of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima by Keiji Nakazawa $9.99
Pet Peeves by Nicole Goux (Avery Hill) $16.95
I Can’t Forget the Bomb: Barefoot Gen and the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima – A Memoir by Keiji Nakazawa (Last Gasp) $9.99
Steady Rollin’: Preacher’s Kid, Black Punk, and Pedaling Papa by Fred Noland (Birdcage Bottom) $20
The Cola Pop Creemees: Opening Act by Desmond Reed (D+Q) $15
Art Books
A Is for Anarchist by Billy Woods and M. Musgrove $25
1000 Skateboards: A Guide to the World’s Greatest Boards from Sport to Street by Mackenzie Eisenhour and and J. Grant Brittain $29.95
Shirt Kings: Pioneers of Hip Hop Fashion by Edwin PHADE Sacasa & Alain KET Mariduena (Dokument Press) $29.95
Super Strike: Behind the Scenes of a Japanese Graffiti Writer, Photographs by Suiko One, edited by Ryo Sanada & Suridh Hassan (Soi Books) $10
Queer Animals and Plants Coloring Book by Kes Otter Lieffe and Anja Van Geert (Microcosm) $14.95
Politics & Revolution Books
Voices of a People’s History of the United States in the 21st Century: Documents of Hope and Resistance, edited by Anthony Arnove & Haley Pessin (Seven Stories Press) $24.95
After Black Lives Matter by Cedric G. Johnson $34.95
Autonomous City: A History of Urban Squatting (2nd ed) by Alexander Vasudevan $29.95
Struggle and Mutual Aid: The Age of Worker Solidarity by Nicolas Delalande & Anthony Roberts $29.99
50 Ways to Protect Bookstores by Danny Caine (Microcosm) $7.95
Film & Music Books
Pull Down the Shades Garage Fanzine 1984-86: Tales from the New Zealand Music Underground by Richard Langston (Hozac Books) $29.99
Everything Keeps Dissolving: Conversations with Coil by Nick Soulsby (Strange Attractor Press) $29.95
Into the Groove: The Story of Sound From Tin Foil to Vinyl by Jonathan Scott $28
Death Lines: Walking London’s Horror History by Lauren Jane Barnett (Strange Attractor Press) $22.95
Be My Baby: A Memoir by Ronnie Spector with Vince Waldron $19.99
Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures, edited by Kevin M. Strait and Kinshasha Holman Conwill $29.95
Beasts and Beauties: Cinema’s Golden Age of Gorilla Men, Killer Apes and Missing Links – An Illustrated Filmography 1908-1949 by GH Janus (Deicide) $26.95
Who Cares Anyway: Post-Punk San Francisco and the End of the Analog Age by Will York (Headpress) $31.95
Self Taught by Tim Kerr (Don Giovanni) $19.99
Crying In H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner $17
Sexxxy
Petit Mort vol 7 Spring 2023 $24.99
Nall’s Well that Ends Well by Alex Nall and Hannah Larson $10
Tight Squeeze Smutty Trans and Queer Stories by Laura Q. (Microcosm) $9.95
Fiction
Dykette: A Novel by Jenny Fran Davis $26.99
Do Everything In the Dark by Gary Indiana (Semiotexte) $16.95
Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance: A Novel by John Waters $18
Gone to the Wolves by John Wray $28
Your Driver Is Waiting: A Novel by Priya Guns $26
The Shards: A novel by Bret Easton Ellis $30
Twice Cursed: An Anthology, edited by Marie O’Regan & Paul Kane with Neil Gaiman & friends $16.95
Hit Parade of Tears: Stories by Izumi Suzuki $19.95
Chap Books & Lit Journals
All the Way on Planet Earth by Nina Smolarski and Ash Wilfong $5
Poems That Happened to Me by Nina Smolarski $4
After Hours #45 $12
Guillarme the Frank: A Literary Zine by Kevin P. Boyle $7
various newer issues of Mizna $12 each
Made of Mycelium $8
Magazines & Newspapers
Apartamento #31 $35
Antigravity May 2023 $10
More Microcosm Health & DIY Books, $12.95-$14.95:
Consensuality: How to Love Other People Without Losing Yourself by Helen Wildfell
From Dream to Reality: How to Make a Living as a Freelance Writer by Jessie L. Kwak
Everyday Herbal Teamaking: A Pocket Guide for Health Fun and Self Care by Glenna A. McLean
Unfuck Your Business: Using Math and Brain Science to Run a Successful Business by Joe Biel and Dr Faith G. Harper
…and moreFor the Young at Heart
All of You written by Marcia Jablonski & illustrated by Ingrid Kallick $15.95
Other Stuff
Deck of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Introduction to Fascinating Fungi by Dr. Sapphire McMullan Fisher, illustrated by Marta Zafra $24.95
Divine Deco Tarot Coloring Book by Gerta O. Egy (Microcosm) $14.95
Monthly Manifestation Manual: A Thirty One Day Guided Journal for Creating Your Best Life by Jessica Mullen and Kelly Cree of School of life Design (new Microcosm edition) $14.95
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Quimby's Presents Joshua James Amberson’s Staring Contest Book Release + Antiquated Future Showcase Online on YouTube, June 14th
Staring Contest: Essays on Eyes (Perfect Day Publishing) is the debut full-length essay collection from zinester, arts-and-culture writer, and founder of the Antiquated Future zine distro and record label, Joshua James Amberson. Deftly weaving together such disparate subjects as Bette Davis’s career, the daily challenges of eye contact, and his own decade-long saga of periodic eye injections, Amberson digs deeply into the physical and existential consequences of living with such uncertainty. Staring Contest is wise, generous, and—given the subject matter—surprisingly funny.
This event will also be a showcase of Chicago-based writers carried by Antiquated Future, including Anna Jo Beck (Biff Boff Bam Sock), Jim Joyce (Let it Sink), and Liz Mason (Caboose). It will air on the Quimby’s YouTube channel so no RSVP is necessary.
“Staring Contest is a jewel box of an essay collection: It takes a quotidian facet of experience—the human gaze—and considers it at length, revealing an overlooked world of ideas and resonances.” –Jordan Kisner, author of Thin Places: Essays from In Between
Joshua James Amberson is the author of the young-adult novel How to Forget Almost Everything, as well as a series of chapbooks on Two Plum Press, and the long-running Basic Paper Airplane zine series. His words have appeared in The Los Angeles Review of Books, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, and Tin House, among others. joshuajamesamberson.com
About the other readers:
Anna Jo Beck has been making zines for over a decade, writing and designing how-to zines on skills like personal finance, habit tracking, and health insurance, as well as a film recommendation series called Mini Movie Marathon. She also runs Zine-A-Month, a zine by mail subscription. More info on her and her various zine projects can be found at annajobeck.com
Jim Joyce writes perzines like Let It Sink and others. A gentleman, he likes keeping his hands as sof’ as a frog’s belly.
Liz Mason publishes Cul-de-sac, Caboose, and Awesome Things. Her work has been in places like Broken Pencil, Punk Planet, The Zine Yearbook and the back of her friend’s toilets. She’s worked at Quimby’s Bookstore since 2001 in a state of perpetual arrested development. Find her at LizMasonIsAwesome.com + Etsy at LizMasonZines + @caboosezine at all the places.
For more info:
Buy Staring Contest at Quimby’s
Wednesday, June 14th, 7:30pm CT
Online at youtube.com/quimbysbookstore
Want the Facebook invite to add it to your calendar? It’s here.
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Quimby’s May Newsletter Available Now
Read it here and make sure you sign up to get it in your inbox at quimbys.com.
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Zine Club Chicago In Person: Choose Your Own Adventure Zine Workshop With Jude R. Bettridge, May 26th!
Zine Club Chicago In Person: Choose Your Own Adventure Zine Workshop
With Jude R. Bettridge
7-9 p.m. CT Friday, May 26
Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave.
Free!In May, Zine Club Chicago is excited to welcome Jude R. Bettridge to lead a workshop that gives Choose Your Own Adventure a zine twist! Jude will demonstrate how to make multiple folded, mini-zine formats that offer readers a chance to explore. Create stories that lead to different outcomes, sending your favorite characters on an epic quest of your choosing!
Join us for Zine Club Chicago In Person: Choose Your Own Adventure Zine Workshop at 7-9 p.m. Friday, May 26 here at the shop. We’ll have zinemaking supplies and snacks on hand! Masks are strongly encouraged when you’re not noshing.
Jude R. Bettridge (they/them/theirs) is a Chicago-based Jack-of-all-trades artist, whose focus shifts from comics and zines to oil painting and fiber sculpture as often as they change their pants. Their comic work draws inspiration from the great Art Spiegelman, Bill Watterson, and Beth Hetland as they depict the daily struggles of being a neurodivergent super-queer social anomaly in a late-stage capitalistic hellscape. Often featuring fantastical characters and their fat cat, Gravy Boat, their work takes on a cynical, sarcastic lens to talk about mental health, trans rights, environmentalism, queerness, socialism, and much more. Is this a coping mechanism? Maybe. In a nutshell, they just want to talk about zines, queerness, and have someone read their comics.
Out-of-town friends, Zine Club Chicago will be back on Zoom with y’all in June with a to-be-announced special guest co-host! If you’d like to get together virtually with zine pals in May, check out Zine Party!, hosted by Michael Verdi, at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday, May 9. For more info and the Zoom link, visit next.zine.party
Zine newbies and longtime enthusiasts alike are always welcome at Zine Club Chicago, the city’s only book club-style event for people who read zines. This free monthly series is produced by Cynthia E. Hanifin and sponsored by Quimby’s Bookstore. Anna Jo Beck designs our monthly flyers, created our logo, and made our Zine Club Chicago Shout-Outs site, where folks can peruse and recommend zines we’ve discussed at our events.
More info on the Zine Club Chicago social media channels: @zineclubchicago. Facebook event here.
Image description: A red-and-blue infographic flyer, with a black-and white image in the center featuring a sword, treasure map, and various other adventure-themed images, and text that reads: “Zine Club Chicago: Choose Your Own Adventure Zine Workshop in Collaboration With Jude R. Bettridge; In Person! Free!; Quimby’s Bookstore, 1854 W. North Ave. in Wicker Park; 7-9 p.m. Friday, May 26, 2023”
