Hello, and welcome to the first official Whispering Wick review blog post! This is the place where I’m going to be diving in and taking a look at some of the amazing publications that are out there. I’m talking about literary magazines, chapbooks, art zines, poetry, short fiction, and anything else, really. My goal is to analyze the different creative content and provide you all with some of that Whispering Wick insight. I know my pals and I are all about community, and this is definitely a sure-fire way to check out some of the different members of that community. So, stay tuned – there’s lots coming. *wink*
For the first post, I wanted to really feel inspired. It’s not easy writing a review, I can tell you that – so I wanted to get an understanding of how this whole shebang works. During my intense Googling of reviews and chapbook/zine presses, I came across Broken Pencil. I checked out their website and their latest issue and thought, “Damn. This some good shit.” Thus, the first review was born!
So, what exactly is Broken Pencil? Well, they call themselves a “mega-zine,” and there’s a very good reason for that. Their issues are HUGE. Like, I don’t understand how the heck they manage to fit all that content in there, but they do it. This issue alone had 35 articles/features, almost half of which were reviews for various zines. The overall breakdown of the issue was this: Sharpeners; Columns; Comics; Folio; Features; Fiction; Excerpts; Zinesters Toolkit How-To; and finally, Zine reviews. That is a lot to cover, but for the sake of my own sanity, I’m going to pick my top three and roll with it. Without further ado, here are my top picks for Broken Pencil, Issue #88.
#1 – Sharpeners: Small Presses Push Forth in Uncertain Times
What is a sharpener? You mean for your penc- oh… OH. Haha – we all love puns, and I think I love this section for what it does for the rest of the issue. This opening section of the issue not only provides insight into the world right now (specifically the publishing world), but also gives the readers a taste of some useful tips. The “Sharpeners” section starts off with a quick feature on Electric Zine Maker – an easy to use online tool that lets people create their own print ready zine. This is definitely a fun way to engage readers right off the bat and provides us with some good ole’ knowledge.
Once the readers are hooked with the engaging opening, the issue can take the opportunity to draw us back down to Earth. “Small Presses Push Forth in Uncertain Times,” by Cole Bisson takes a look at some of the adversities small presses have faced since the dawning of COVID-19. I really appreciated this section because it’s full of relevant information about how the pandemic has impacted small presses. While some of the horror stories are true, there is hope weaved throughout the piece: Broken Pencil does a great job at finding the balance and highlighting the resilience of small presses just as much as it highlights some of the devastation.
The best part of this section – and specifically, this article – has to be towards the ending, where Bisson talks about creative solutions. Invisible press partnered with a soda company, The County Bounty, to create a promotional package called, “Pop Fiction” (uh, genius) – which includes a book from a small press along with a small batch soda. On the other hand, Robin Philpot of Baraka Books is cruising through the city of Montreal on his bicycle to handle-iver packages (thank you, I’m here all night). Small presses are truly resilient creatures.
#2 – Folio: Caress Still
As a visual artist, I got really excited for this feature of the magazine. It isn’t very long, but it is meaningful. Take away the text, and you feel a shudder as the clay transforms from a smooth mass to one filled with grooves and faded scars. It feels all too familiar, yet so alien. You can’t help but graze your hand across your own arm, applying soft pressure so that the path of your fingernail remains, even if only as an apparition.
“Caress Still” by Kasia Sosnowski and reviewed by Broken Pencil, is the sort of visual stimulation one needs when going through a magazine of this magnitude. While the issue is filled with comics and illustrations, the artwork featured in the “Folio” section brings something deeper and more intimate and heightens the overall aesthetic appeal of the issue. Bravo, Broken Pencil; and bravo, Kasia.
#3 – Features: Wearable Tech vs. Unbearable Tech
The last of my top three is written by Broken Pencil founder and publisher, Hal Niedzviecki. The article starts off with a very interesting observation: that our bodies have never been as covered or guarded as they have been in the midst of the pandemic. This is reflected with the observation that while our physical bodies are shackled to the impending doom of decay, our virtual bodies are crawling limitlessly through the technological web of the world (sorry for those of you that are scared of spiders). We rely so much on technology that we are definitely on our way towards Skynet (I’m kidding).
Niedzviecki provides some really cool and interesting perspectives when talking about the evolution of the human body through body modification. He revisits his experiences in two distinct parallels: technological body advancements (think cyborg) versus purely aesthetic ones (forked tongue, horn implants, etc.). Both are opposite ends of the same spectrum but raise the same fears – that our bodies lie in wait of a third-party invasion. However, Niedzviecki does a great job in reminding us that our bodies are not a problem to be fixed. We don’t hear that enough, and I think that reading Niedzviecki’s words reminded me of how much it’s true.
The article is then rounded off by talking about COVID-19’s impact on us and brings about the parallel of life before and during the pandemic. How before people would avoid touching each other on a crammed subway car, while now people stand on opposite sides of the glass, unable to touch those we love. It’s a sad reality, but it does put into perspective the value of family.
Final Thoughts:
Broken Pencil does a really good job at curating their magazine. The article choices complement the theme and provide an appealing balance of written and artistic content. The website is user-friendly and provides as much information as the issue itself. I’ve personally learned a great deal just form researching and reading through Broken Pencil’s work and will definitely use this resource to help further the development of Whispering Wick as a chapbook press. Thanks for tuning in, and I hope to catch you reading the next review post!
You can check out Broken Pencil's latest issue here: https://brokenpencil.com/current-issue/?issue=issue-88