Review from Anne: Absent Cause #4 (Survival)

ABSENT CAUSE #4 (July 2010)-"SURVIVAL"
edited by redguard
half-size, 84 pp with color cover / $3 US $4 Can/Mex $5 world trades preferred!
PO Box 1568
New York, NY 10276
redguard@gmail.com, redguard.etsy.com

ABSENT CAUSE is generally billed as being about "underground cultures, hidden histories, feminist and queer sexualities, body image, chosen families and radical politics; vampirism, the gothic, horror and the macabre; surviving abuse, coping with mental illness/dangerous gifts, self-harm and suicide." Each issue is organized around a different theme; it’s an anthology with a wide range of contributors and perspectives. What I particularly enjoy about this zine is not just its international scope, but the interviews and first person pieces about a range of approaches to the theme (as ever, you might want to approach with caution if you have particular triggers and there’s some potentially NSFW things afoot.) I love also that there’s color art included in the centerfold; this issue includes an image called “Neatly Daily” by Natalie Perkins that’s really beautiful (check out her work at definatalie.com). Includes some music and zine reviews as well. Worth checking out.

Review from Anne: Absent Cause

ABSENT CAUSE #3 (Oct 2009)-"death, dying, undeath"
By redguard
half-size, 72 pp with color cover  and 60 pg supplement/ $4 US $4 Can/Mex
$5 world trades OK
PO Box 1658
New York, NY 10276
redguard@gmail.com, redguard.etsy.com

I really enjoyed reading ABSENT CAUSE #3; the zine's billed as being about
"underground cultures, hidden histories, feminist and queer sexualities,
body image, chosen families and radical politics; vampirism, the gothic,
horror and the macabre; surviving abuse, coping with mental
illness/dangerous gifts, self-harm and suicide." (And sometimes all in one
issue!). I think I saw an early issue of this zine back in 2008 that felt
kind of like first issues do: interesting, a little messy, still finding
its way.  #3's an impressive way from that; in three issues, it seems like
its really found some footing.

Absent Cause remains an anthology with a wide range of contributors. #3 is
organized around the theme "death, dying, undeath" and  explains pretty
nicely why there's a literary supplement: When the call for submissions
went out, a great deal of poetry and fiction pieces were submitted.
"Absent Cause isn't a lit zine, and I have no desire to make it one"
writes redguard in the introduction. So instead of simply abandoning the
work, the literary supplement was published.

It leads to an interesting division. As you might expect with poetry and
fiction about death, plus a few full-color pictures (one of which is super
-NSFW), the literary supplement is kind of dark and some of it is sort of
disturbing, and you might want to approach with caution if you have
particular triggers. AC #3, however, didn't seem to have that same
sensibility or feel to it, even though a fair piece of it has to do with
corporeality and illness, featuring striking interviews with Leslie
Feinberg (who I knew) and Pussy Power (who I didn't and was really excited
to read about!), along with very good, compelling poetry and prose by a
variety of authors.

Absent Cause (review by Anne)

Absent Cause #1
by redguard
754 Washington Ave #4R
Brooklyn, NY 11238
redguard [at] gmail [dot] com
absent-cause.org

$3 US, $3 Can/Mex, contact first for everywhere else, +1$ for shipping
trades yes, 8 1/2 x 11, color cover, 44 pages

"Explore the dark side with Absent Cause: underground cultures, hidden histories, feminist and queer sexualities; chosen families and radical politics; vampirism; the gothic and horror; surviving abuse, coping with mental illness, self-harm and suicide. Through writing, art work, photos + comics, we explore the myriad ways they intersect."

Sounds like a pretty wide range, no? But that's a pretty accurate description of the things you're going to see in this issue. It's a first issue, which often is interesting, exciting, and a little messy, and Absent Cause #1 holds to that. This arrived with "Sometimes Things Get Confusing When You're Mentally Ill" (a half-size 8-page zine for $1). Both are pretty heady stuff, about the author's struggles with depression, PTSD, being a father and with being married. "Triggers abound," redguard states in the introduction to the mini, and that's an apt statement to keep in mind for BOTH of these zines.

Absent Cause is an anthology with a huge range of contributors. There are some fascinating interviews surrounding race, gender, and culture, and there are some incredibly disturbing full-color pictures included in this issue (it's bloody, eye-catching, and might freak you out even if those are not your particular triggers. If they are, you might want to approach this issue with caution). They're well-done and evocative, and not included for shock value, but they did shock me. The zine is well-crafted and uses a sharp, crisp layout and design; what I wanted to know more about was if there was an overriding theme to it. I couldn't in the end decide what that theme might be, and though the focus seems a little undecided in places I'm not sorry that I read it. In future issues, I'd be interested to see if themes do develop. The next issue is due out in January, so in time I suppose we'll see.