Hey Ya’ll. Mildred Pierce #2 is also available at:

St. Marks Books in New York City

Internationalist Books in Chapel Hill

and

Iron Rail Infoshop in New Orleans

This Saturday April 28th, I John Bylander (but not my co-editor Megan Milks, who has to work or something) will be tabling at the Richmond Zine Fest with copies of Mildred Pierce 1 and 2 and some other zines from people in Charlottesville and perhaps other environs. Also, check out Shelly Stern from C-ville who will be representing with her excellent zine/paper Joyful Dissent, as well as, I’m sure, the Food Not Bombs cookbook, which is a zine our friend Vanthi made for the 5th anniversary of Charlottesville Food Not Bombs. Vanthi is an excellent zine maker–Megan and I fuss so much over M.P., but it just seems like Vanthi makes awesome zines while sorting her mail, or something. I will also be selling some beehive collective posters that someone gave me to sell a long ass time ago and I’m just now getting to it. Jesus, I sound like some activist writing this post. I assure you, I’m actually a slack ass. Just kidding. No for serious. No, just kidding(?).

Anyway, Mildred Pierce issue 3 is on its way. Initially, we had a pipe dream to debut this one at the Zine Fest and make this weekend our deadline, but that ain’t happnin. But, we have set a deadline of May 13th for our press day–that’s when we hope to have everything rolling out the copier. Man, do I ever wish I still worked at an offset press–but copying will have to do cuz we are BROKEMS. But the cover will still be color, and hopefully nice looking.

I am really excited about this issue, and will keep people who might stumble upon this blog posted on release date etc. Back in November I wrote a blog post about how I’m trying to write more blog posts and this is my first one since then. I doubt I will make good on my goal in 07, but who knows. Anyway, Mildred Pierce 3 coming soon. Get Psyched. Go dumb.

Mildred Pierce is available in all these here places.

Los Angeles, CA: Skylight Books

Chicago, IL: Quimby’s

Baltimore, MD: Atomic Books

Syracuse, NY: Second Story Books

Philadelphia, PA: Tree House Books (1400 block of W Susquehanna)

Richmond, VA and Charlottesville, VA: Plan 9

Online: Buyolympia and Sweet Candy

If you know a place that is likely to keep us around, please let us know.

Hey. John Bylander here, Mildred Pierce co-editor coming at you from Charlottesville, VA. My first post to the Mildred Pierce blog. I’m gonna try to get a better web presence, seeing as my co-editor Megan Milks set all this up but I haven’t really taken full advantage yet, and since I’ll probably never get a blog of my own for various reasons but because I’m not shy about sharing my opinions, I reckon I might post a few things to the blog and maybe someone will see it. Also, it’d be nice to have some communication with the world in between zines, which seem to take Megan and I a long to time to put out. So anyway, recently:

Read a back issue of NY Times Mag, the New York Issue, with an excerpt from Susan Sontag’s journal. Off the wall. I’ve read very little Sontag, although I’m definitely aware of her presence (the title of the Against Style series in MP references the far past of modern philosophy, but I wouldn’t have used it if I didn’t think it still had some meaning in people’s minds, and better still, that the meaning now had become kindof ironic, because of the way Sontag and others brought it into the post-modern era.) Anyway, totally interesting, and way pompous in parts, but also really great. I love all that 1950s Greenwich Village/downtown shit.

Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee by Dee Brown. It took me so long to read this book. I started it as I moved into my current home, a messy, crazy, medium sized house which currently holds about 10 people and has no rent. Its hard to get a quiet moment in that house, plus people are always breaking the damned reading lamps. I moved in in May and I just finished the book about two weeks ago. And then I quit smoking. Not that the two are necessarily related, but this book will sit you on yr ass. Its powerful. One of the most compelling parts about it is its exposure of the Mid West as, in fact, The Wild West. Bucolic, often dopey stereotypes of the supposed Heartland need serious scrutiny. I mean, the midwest was the site of some seriously SICK SHIT- native american genocide, war, lawlessness, intense greed, union conflict, the rise and fall of american industrial power, anarchist bombings, etc. Is this myth of ho-hum, farmlife, buttermilquetoast, don’tchaknow bobby bumpkins a self-preservation history amnesia thing, like the myth of Southern Hospitality? Or is this just the other side of a reality which is in fact, in a real day to day way, informed by simple, homestyle values, like the actual reality of a lot of Southerners? I’m not anti-midwest or anything–I was born in Cleveland. I just think it’s really interesting that the region that produced Civil War, the automobile industry, house, techno AND (argueably) punk rock is cast as ‘flyover country’ between the important coasts. Lots of blood on that ground, and history, and yes, there are still a bunch of Indians out there. Reminds me of a recent McSweeney’s article called “Places I Refuse to Acknowledge as The Midwest.” Relevant quote: “Wild Bill Hickock was not shot and killed in a poker game in the Midwest,” or somthing like that. Maybe I’ll find that link so ya’ll can read it. Its one of those funny articles you can sometimes find on McSweeneys.

Which takes me to the final part of the post: David Eggers, doin it real big. This guy has pulled kind of an amazing trick on the anti-eggersard haters. You wanna talk about relevance, guys? Am I too flip for you? How about a fictionalized memoir about civil war in Sudan? Based on extensive first hand accounts from this Dinka dude Valentino who lived in a refugee camp for 10 years. How about I give part of the proceeds to that dude and to a bunch of sick NGOs, bro? Does that seem precious to you? Anyway, not that I’m an Eggersard, and not that I was totally sure this guy had something else up his sleeve, but I was pretty sure. I’m glad he did, cuz now maybe this means that all the white male twentysomething writestars might rush out and ask someone who’s been through some REAL SHIT about what life’s about instead of trying to get the next heartbreaking work of staggering genius published. That would be awesome.

Also, speaking of tricks up sleeves,Thomas Pynchon has a new book out. People get ready.

We are pleased to announce that Sweet Candy Distro in Philadelphia has agreed to carry MP Issue Two! Sweet Candy has tons of rad zines, books, and DIY stuff, so check em out: http://www.eyecandyzine.com.

We’re also now at Quimby’s in Chicago and hopefully some other shops soon.

Please navigate HERE to purchase copies through PayPal.

!!!!!!!!!

SATURDAY, AUGUST 26th, 8 pm at the Chapterhouse (620 S. 9th St)

In conjunction with the Chapter & Verse reading series. Featuring:

+ Abbi Dion
+ Darcy Sebright
+ Steve Dolph
+ John Bylander
+ and Megan Milks

Prose, poetry, performance, peanutbutterandchocolate lattes, and puh… zines.
Please come!

Afterparty details TBA.

PS - Thanks to all who came out to the Charlottesville release party.

We’ve done it again! The second issue of Mildred Pierce is sitting in boxes in John’s anarchocollective squat/house/whatever, waiting to be covered in beautiful silkscreened yellow paper!!! It is totally a smash hit, that is guaranteed.

Here is the cover, yes!:

(illustration by Greg Antrim Kelly)
To celebrate, we are once again hosting two zine release parties, the first in Charlottesville, VA, this saturday from 7-11pm at the Bridge space in Belmont. (209 Monticello Road, right near spudnuts). Food and drink and magazines.

The Philadelphia release party will be held in conjunction with the Chapter & Verse reading series organized by Steve Dolph.
Come join us at 8 pm on Saturday, August 26th at the Chapterhouse Cafe and Gallery, 620 S. 9th St, Philadelphia, PA.

Featured readers are fiction writer Abbi Dion and poet Darcy Sebright, both of whom are AMAZING. After you hear what they’re working on these days, we’ll do our MP thing, featuring Megan Milks, John Bylander, and Steve Dolph. Most importantly, we’ll have ZINES FOR SALE! Issue 2 will be available for $4, and Issue 1 will be on sale for $3 (only a few of these hot thangs left).

Afterparty details TBA.
Email us at mildredpiercezine@gmail.com for more info.