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  • New Stuff This Week

     

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    Zines

    What to Bring to Inpatient by Austin DeVine $10

    Comics

    Bubbles #22 April 2025 An Independent Fanzine About Comics and Manga $8

    Disease Detective #1 by Vidal Mateo Mendoza (MF Comics) $14

    Graphic Novels

    Pinky and Pepper Forever Special Edition by Ivy Atoms (Silver Sprocket) $19.99

    Changeling vol 3 Tina N Lugo (Silver Sprocket) $13.99

    Done With Demons by Dora Grents $12.99

    Art & Photo Books

    The Graffiti Sticker Book: 300+ Stickers from 50+ Artists (Dokument Press) $19.95

    Tokyo Tattoo 1970 by Martha Cooper (Dokument Press) $24.95

    Fiction

    Portalmania: Stories by Debbie Urbanski $18.99

    Fiction by Phillip Potamites: The Gorgons and the Restless Wanderer $5, The Tragedy of Earl Zavier $6 & more.

    Music Books

    Independent As Fuck Underground Hip Hop from 1995-2005 by Ben Pedroche (Velocity Press) $20

    Magazines, Newspapers & Lit Journals

    Apartamento #35 $35

    The Shadow #65 $2

    Bog Matter #1 $18

  • Meet the New Quimby’s Owners!

     

    Quimby’s Bookstore Changes Hands After More Than 30 Years
    New Owners Overjoyed to Continue Legacy of Iconic Indie Publishing Institution

    A team of new owners — Peter Miles Bergman and Cody Kasselman, along with affiliate Eric Von Haynes — have taken ownership of Quimby’s Bookstore at 1854 W. North Ave. from longtime owner Eric Kirsammer of Chicago Comics. All three bring deep ties to indie publishing, zine culture, and the Chicago DIY scene.

    Quimby’s was founded in 1991 by Steven Svymbersky – who now runs a Quimby’s NYC store in Brooklyn. In 1997 Eric Kirsammer, owner of Chicago Comics purchased the business and relocated it to its current home a few years later.

    When Quimby’s announced it was for sale, Peter Miles Bergman – a longtime consignor of zines at Quimby’s, publisher and printer at is PRESS, and MSU Denver Professor of Art and Communication Design – was in the perfect stage of life for a career change. “I was looking to do something new with my life. I was selling my house in Denver, wanting to transition out of academia, and go full time into zine and art book publishing. I saw the announcement on a plane flying back to Denver from Chicago after just tabling at the Chicago Printers Guild Publisher’s Fair. I messaged [Quimby’s manager] Liz Mason right away, she put me in touch with Eric [Kirsammer] and we started a long careful process to make sure I was the right person to take the helm.”

    It was only after Peter met Cody Kasselman — then working with Denver-based art and photo bookstore Earnest Paper — that the dream of owning Quimby’s began to look like a reality. Cody, an advisor and strategist to independent small businesses across the country, brought the financial acumen and proven track record of sustainable growth and success needed to ensure Quimby’s would be around for the next 35 years. After flying to Chicago for an initial meeting with Eric Kirsammer and Liz Mason, Cody told Peter, “I want this more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my entire life.”

    As a former Chicago resident and frequent tabler at Chicago Zine Fest, Chicago Art Book Fair, Zine Mercado, and the Printers Guild Publishers Fair, Peter has deep ties to the city’s DIY and indie publishing community. Recognizing the importance of having a partner on the ground in Chicago, Peter and Cody tapped longtime friend Eric Von Haynes — Chicago Printers Guild President, graphic design instructor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and print media instructor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, publisher and designer with 15+ years at Flatlands Press, core member of Zine Mercado, and co-founder of Love Fridge — to help expand Quimby’s community involvement through events, workshops, exhibitions, and local partnerships.

    Cody, Peter, and Eric are overjoyed to take on the tremendous responsibility of stewarding Quimby’s — for the city of Chicago, the Wicker Park business community, its 7,000+ zine consignors, and the global indie publishing scene. They are committed to ensuring the long-term health of this beloved bookstore and center of independent thought.

    Peter Miles Bergman Bio:

    Peter Miles Bergman began his career in commercial printing, culminating in pre-press for magazines. For the last 17 years he has been a professor of Art and Graphic Design at Metropolitan State University of Denver – teaching editorial design, typography, print production, letterpress and zine publishing. Peter has run his own publishing imprint “ is PRESS” for the last 13 years, consigning zines at Quimby’s and attending 30+ zines fests and art book fairs. Peter is overjoyed to take the helm of his favorite bookstore alongside Cody. He is most energized by providing a platform for artists and authors, and will be adding his small press publishing and printing skills to Quimby’s mission.

    Cody Kasselman Bio:

    Cody Kasselman began her career in publishing, where she led a portfolio of independent editorial brands and a 70+ person team. After a decade in media, she shifted her focus to helping small business owners grow their operations and refine their long-term strategy. A lifelong bookstore lover and avid reader, she most recently supported Denver’s art and photo book store Earnest Paper before joining Quimby’s. Cody is now proud to co-steward its next chapter alongside Peter and is most excited to preserve its artist-led legacy and continue providing a platform for the creative community.

    Eric Von Haynes Bio:

    Eric Von Haynes is a printer, publisher, and designer with over 15 years at Flatlands Press, known for its innovative, community-focused projects. He is the President of the Chicago Printers Guild and teaches Graphic Design at the University of Illinois at Chicago, as well as print media at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Eric is also a core member of Zinemercado, an annual outdoor festival devoted to zines and other DIY publications. As a community advocate, Eric co-founded Love Fridge Chicago, a mutual aid initiative for community fridges across Chicago. His work emphasizes collaborative projects and public workshops, reflecting his commitment to skill-sharing and community engagement.

    For background see: 

    photo credit: Mateo Zapata

     

  • New Stuff This Week

     

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    Zines

    Ker-Bloom! #173 $2

    new from Dayna Moth: Thoughts For the New Year $1, Catmothcrow #2 Just Another Green Haired Zinester $5

    Twenty Elf issues #6-#8 by Johnny Masiulewicz (Happy Tapir Press) $3 each

    Words and Smiles #7 Jun 25 by Don $4

    zines by Nia Belton: Cat City $12, 1159 #3 $15

    Free Speech, Human Rights, and White Christian Nationalism – Historical Views by T. Jefferson, edited by Will Dee $5

    Zines by Caspian Walters: Fat Chance: A Perzine issues #1 & #2 $8 each, Storied Stitches Spring/Summer 2025 (with Valentina Castro) $10, & more

    Behind the Rain by Justin Emanuel $20

    zines by Elliott W. Stewart/Porch Beers Press, $5 each: A Pagan Pilgrimage, Disco 3000 #2 Common People, He Took the Good Stuff and Ran, I Am a Fllightless Bird: Many Gods No Masters #2

    Sans Visage Street Photo Zine #2 by Whymark Austen $13

    Racontre by Moizza Khan, issues #1-#4 $5 each

    Jackalopes by Dave Hankins $3

    Comics

    You Don’t Get There From Here #68 Diary Comics by Carrie McNinch $5

    Small Town by Cecilia Jane $18

    new comics from Jam :In the Sunroom $2, OPENions: Rating the Pens I Use $2 & more

    comics by Sidne K. Gard: If It Is the End of My World I Do Not Want to Be Fast Asleep $10, Mundane Judaica $22 & more

    Our Leader by H. Jones $5

    Necromancer Exorcist by Diego Jimenez $7

    All Engines Burning: The Rise, Fall, and Fumes of the Screaming Bue Messiahs: An Unofficial History by Jocelyn Rainwater $12

    nothing more petrifying than everyday life – comix poems by Tori Holder $6

    New Wave Comics Presents #27 by David and Reginald Wayne Soileau $2

    Constant Fear April 2025 by Zaponator $5

    Junk City March 2025 by Leona Likely (Small Sword Press) $5

    Insatiable by Darya Foroohar $10

    Beyond the Fence by Sarah Foley $12

    Memory of a Distant Fire #1 $18

    GHSTSLCTR #1 $15

    Tales of Ogg #1 by Jessica Lever $8

    Graphic Novels

    Arsene Schrauwen SC by Schrauwen O. (Fantagraphics) $29.99

    Night Drive by Richard Sala (Fantagraphics) $19.99

    Draculester by Kit Montgomery $20

    Salt Green Death by Katarina Thorsen (Conundrum Press) $30

    Sickness vol 1 by Jenna Cha and Lonnie Nadler (Uncivilized Books) $24.95

    Gesticulating Gentrification by Rick Trembles (Conundrum Press) $20

    Art(ish) Books

    Rejection / Ambition: A Twenty Five Year Performance on by Anya Liftig (Renous River Press) $22

    Graffbook vol 2 The Graffiti Sketchbook (Carpet Bombing Culture) $23.95

    Politics & Revolution Books

    No Cop City, No Cop World: Lessons from the Movement, edited by Micah Herskind and Mariah Parker and Kamau Franklin (Haymarket Books) $22.95

    Mayhem & Outer Limits Books

    Lucifer’s Power: Beliefs and Practices of the Process Cult by William Sims Bainbridge (Feral House) $29.95

    Music-Related Books

    Writing on Raving: An Anthology by Zoe Beery, Geoffrey Mak & McKenzie Wark $19.95

    Fiction Books

    To Smithereens by Rosalyn Drexler $18

    Poetry

    Heaven Looks Like Us: Palestinian Poetry edited by George Abraham and Noor Hindi (Haymarket Books) $24.95

    Familiar Roots by Brenda Umana $14

    Magazines & Lit Journals

    International Review #173 International Communist Current $3

    Border Crossings #167 $15

    Moss Piglet May 2025 Musical Instruments $15

  • Quimby’s Bookstore May Newsletter Available Now

    Read it here and make sure you sign up to get it in your inbox at quimbys.com.

  • Quimby’s Co-Sponsors Chicago Zine Fest at the Harold Washington Library Center, 7/19

     

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    Quimby’s is proud to be a co-sponsor of Chicago Zine Fest! We’ll be tabling there on 7/19 at the Harold Washington Library featuring special guest Angel xoxoxoxox! Stop by our table and say hello.

    Chicago Zine Fest is a celebration of small press and independent publishers, with an annual festival of workshops and the big expo day where 70+ zinesters sell and trade their zines. All CZF events are free and open to the public.

    Saturday, July 19, 2025, 11 am to 4 pm
    Harold Washington Library Center
    Winter Garden, 9th Floor
    400 S State St
    Chicago, IL 60605

    More information at chicagozinefest.org.

    art by Kelly Wang.

  • New Stuff This Week

     

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    Zines

    Qwerty Quarterly #8 $5

    Astromatograph #0 $13

    Dopamine Decorating #2 Creating a Home You Love by Karina Hagelin $6

    Greylord’s Hoard Presents Into the Abyss #1 A New Magazine of Oddities and Peculiar Things $5

    World of Arginor: An Eternal Champion Fanzine by Greg Steele $10

    Comics

    Margin Notes #1 and #2 by Kiernan Teare-Thomas $6 each

    Loose Ends: #1 Skills and Observation $2.50, #2 Healthy Work Ethic $1.50

    Grixly #69 and #70 by Nate McDonough $3 each

    Life in Kell – Super Mega Zine Edition A Memoir How to Be Fun at Parties by Kolin Lawler $8

    Graphic Novels

    Insectopolis: A Natural History by Peter Kuper $35

    Newspapers

    County Highway vol 2 #6 May June $8.50

    Poetry

    Mischief and Mayhem: Poems and Type Art by Justin O’Brien with illustrations by Keith Huie (Garret Room Books) $15

    Sexxxy

    Elska #52 Chisinau Moldova $20

  • John Porcellino & Chris Fink Release Forage Like a Bear at Quimby’s, May 31st

     

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    Don’t miss John Porcellino (King-Cat) and Chris Fink (Add This to the List of Things That You Are) visiting Quimby’s to talk about Forage Like a Bear, their collaborative book of gentle micro-essays on nature, family, and life on Saturday, May 31st at 7pm!

    This beautiful book by Chris Fink collects twenty of his short, luminous radio essays as heard on Northern Public Radio WNIJ FM in DeKalb, Illinois. Low-key and plainspoken, he explores quiet moments in nature and with family in a classic Midwestern style. It features whistling acorns, scribbling clams, gossipy geese, technicolor ducks, turkeys (including human ones), roving bands of chipmunks, chimneys, fires, chainsaws, lice, thin ice, approximately 30,000 blueberries, cars rolling uphill, the leaves of a mulberry tree drifting down, Peace Trail meanders, and maybe just maybe, a holy grail morel and more, all illustrated with graceful ink line drawings by comics luminary John Porcellino. 

    Porcellino will read (with slides) selections from recent issues of King-Cat, with Chris Fink reading afterwards from Forage Like a Bear. A Q+A and signing will follow. Books will be available for purchase.

    Long-time friend of Quimby’s John Porcellino has been publishing King-Cat Comics since 1989. When he does events at Quimby’s he lovingly refers to us as the place where he does the first event on the tour to experiment, and we are therefore the “sacrifical pancake.” He runs Spit and a Half Distro and goes to the post office on most days. Follow him on Patreon +@johnporcellino on IG among other places.

    Chris Fink is a professor of English at Beloit College and the editor of the Beloit Fiction Journal. He’s the author of two collections of short stories, Farmer’s Almanac: A Work of Fiction (Emergency Press, 2013/2023) and Add This to the List of Things That You Are (University of Wisconsin Press, 2019). He’s a regular contributor to Northern Public Radio.

    Forage Like a Bear (Bored Wolves, 2025) $18.00 – Lovingly printed on soft white paper with French flaps.

    Yes! Quimby’s will stay open later for this event! Quimby’s is located at 1854 W. North Ave, Chicago, IL 60622.  This event is free.

    Find the Facebook event link here.

     

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  • New Stuff This Week

     

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    Zines

    2 new Half Letter Press zines! Why Self-Publish Under Fascism by Marc Fischer $3 & Group Work: A Compilation of Quotes About Collaboration from a Variety of Sources and Practices Compiled by Temporary Services $10

    Rate of Decay #13 $4

    New issues of 13 Facts: #25 Bride of Frankenstein, #26 Beatrix Potter, #27 L. Frank Baum $2 each

    Zines fom Fish Juice Media: Lazy Star Zine #1 Manifesto $5, Cats We Meet On the Street by Uriel Herzsage and Edie Trautwein $10 and more.

    Comics

    Comics by Dylan Shoaf: Rat Mag issues #1-#3, Sinkhole Suicide and more $5 each

    Dumpling Dilemma by Dylan Sturdy & Rue Ouzman $15

    Something Creepy with Professor Vesper (multiple issues) $10 each

    Witch For Hire by Charles Brubaker $3

    Hoggett’s Notion #3 by Dylan Ward $6

    Comics by Gary W. Lehman: Dog Vending Machine #1, The Chase #1, Golden Crown #1 $4-$6

    Charles’ Italian Vacation: A Charles Special by Spenser CruZoni $5

    Graphic Novels

    Kitz N Katz by Bob Laughlin (Smallbug Press) $17.99

    Magazines

    RFD #201 $11.95

    Lit Journals

    Moss Piglet April 2025 Westerns $15

  • New Stuff This Week

     

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    Zines

    April’s Eating Zine #6 Travels Away Travels at Home $15

    Zines by Asami Akinaga & friends (various prices)

    Poster Morgue #2 2021-2025 by NXOEED $5

    Free Range Sculpture Garden: Fighting Boredoms and Apathy In All Dimensions of Time and Space Words by Tim Devin, illustrations by Alex Kittle $12

    Cooking With the Dead by Allison C. Meier, Browyn Hazelwood & Claire Voon $10

    Modern Luddite March 2025 The Anxiety Issue by Da Won Kim $5

    Comics

    Shadows Over Springfield by Harry Nordlinger $8

    Rose Colored Glasses by C. Yen $5

    Cruel by Evangeline $5

    I Need to Kill My Boyfriends College Roommate by Darya Foroohar $15

    Graphic Novels & Manga

    I Ate the Whole World to Find You by Rachel Ang (Drawn & Quarterly) $22.95

    Denniveniquity a Graphic Memoir by D. Boyd (Conundrum Press) $25

    Call Me Emma: One Chinese Girl Finds Her Way in America by Makee (Street Noise) $23.99

    Dissident Club: Chronicle of a Pakistani Journalist in Exile by Taha Siddiqui and Hubert Maury $27.95

    They Were 11! by Moto Hagio $19.95

    Politics & Revolution Books

    Continuous Struggle: The Revolutionary Life of Martin Sostre by Garrett Felber (AK Press) $32

    No Straight Road Takes You There: Essays for Uneven Terrain by Rebecca Solnit (Haymarket Books) $16.95

    Activism of Art: A Decentered Anthology by Dipti Desai and Stephen Duncombe $24.95

    Music Books

    Light Pours Out of Me: The Authorised Biography of John McGeoch by Rory Sullivan Burke (Omnibus Press) $20

    Food & Druuuuuuuuugs

    Your Extraordinary Mind: Psychedelics in the 21st Century and How to Use Them by Zach Leary $19.99

    Hardcore Vegetarian: Welcome to the Vegedome by Laura Lee Flanagan (Process) $28.95

    Fiction

    Sympathy For Wild Girls: Stories by Demree McGhee $17.95

    Below the Grand Hotel by Cat Scully $19.95

    Lit Journals

    Mystery and Adventure Series Review #64 $3

    Opera Glass #113 March 2025 by Iris J. Arnesen $3

  • New Stuff This Week

     

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    Zines

    Ohashi-To by Chisato Hikita $15

    Raw Log Drawing by Hama Katakawa $12

    D3athblow #10.5 Honey I Blew Up the Zine $6

    Chuck Goes to Cancun by Alexandra Montclair (Harpy House Press) $8

    Schlub Cinema #1 by Gray $15

    Semisomnia: An Illustration Collection by Waki Sagara $12

    Still Beautiful by Yuuka $15

    Sketchbook Filled With Doodles by Ayako Motohashi $10

    Rabbit Hole of Research issues #1-#5 by by Jotham Austin II PhD and Georgia Lynn Geis $10 each

    Austin Seance Quarterly Journal Spring 2025 $5

    Comics

    Scorpio Venus Rising #3 by Corinne Halbert $10

    Comics from Obvious Fake Press/Dan Welch: Dypso Magazine #1 The Journal of Record For Barroom Drawls and Scrawls $6, Blood Magazine #1 $5, Cashiers Du Cinema #1-#3 $10 each

    Life in Kell issues #4 & #5 by Kolin Lawler $1 each

    Graphic Novels & Related

    Drumsticks of Doom by Dan Dougherty, Ryan Vella & Jon Westhoff $24.99

    Crumb: A Cartoonist’s Life by Dan Nadel $35

    Art Books

    Tarp vol 4 City Paintings Drawings and Collages by 11 Artists $17

    Essay Books

    They Ain’t Gonna Get Any Deader: Simple Tales of Poor Life Choices Shit Happening and Death by Greg Dorchak $15.95

    We Loved It All: A Memory of Life by Lydia Millet $18.99

    Atavists: Stories by Lydia Millet $27.99

    Sexxxy Stuff

    Comics by Ipoipo: Gone Woman $7, Tenshi Chan by Ipoipo $18, No Motivation $14

    Femme Fatale $18

    Lit Journals

    The First Line vol 27 #1 $6