$pread Magazine

admin — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 12:43:00 +0000

There is perhaps no profession as stereotyped, demonized, discriminated against, glamorized, unregulated and controversial as sex work. As a person who lives in a liberal bubble, I was shocked to hear a segment on a local radio station the other day that asked male listeners if they would ever date a stripper. The callers’ responses were appalling; one particularly vicious man called in and proclaimed he’d “rather date a murderer than a stripper.”

This is why $pread Magazine is so important. Created by three women, it lives up to it’s tagline of “illuminating the sex industry” in a smart, realistic and entertaining way. Its content is comprehensive - including stories, news, interviews, film/music/book reviews, art, classifieds, a resource guide, comics, advice and more.

Features in $pread include those giving practical advice, such as “The Healthy Hooker” who, in this issue, was about condom use. The article gives the basics on using male and female condoms, as well as advice on what to do when or if (for a variety of reasons) you do not use one. Strategies include “getting him off quickly” (so as to diminish length of time exposed to risk), “stay wet and relaxed” (to avoid tears, which increase risk of infection) and “get immediate treatment” (from a doctor).

Other features offered insight into specific types of sex work. The cover story, “American Brothel, A Photo Essay," features the working women of a legal Nevada whorehouse. The photographs were candid, and the story was interesting. For instance, did you know that some brothels, by way of earning taxable income, support the economies of several small towns where the mining livelihood has died? Yet, the prostitutes aren’t allowed in the towns after 5pm without a sheriff or brothel manager as an escort. They also can’t go to a doctor, at any time, without an escort.

Diverse, global and down-to-earth, $pread is informative for a wide range of readers: sex workers, feminists, johns, academics, activists and beyond. Whether self-claimed or not, this is a feminist magazine and learning more about the real lives of the women and men in this industry should be a part of every feminist’s mission.

Written by: Amy Miller, June 29th 2007

Croq Zine (Issue #7)

admin — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 02:15:00 +0000

Edited by Heather Mann

Remember reading or making your first zine? It was most likely folded in half, stapled and sold, given or traded to your friends. Staying up all night at your local Kinko’s, you felt inspired and part of a something bigger-something revolutionary. You went to your local bookstore and bought zines made by people you didn’t know personally, but felt connected to in a way that no magazine ever could? Croq is like that.

Edited by Heather Mann of Portland, OR, Croq Zine is focused on crafts and crafting culture. After the reclaiming and subsequent mainstream popularity of “craftiness”, it is refreshing to see something reminiscent of it’s DIY (and I don’t mean the cable channel) roots. It’s a quarter page-sized, paper zine - staples and all. Features include hand-drawn illustrations and some full color photos. A cute button, with the green crocodile logo was pinned on the cover. Croq Zine’s website, www.croqzine.com, says that it “came about due to a mutual frustration in regards to the current craft resurgence”; the political importance of maintaining authenticity in the craft world isn’t lost on these ladies.

Issue #7’s strongest pieces were "How To Make Maternity Jeans" and "How To Make a Little Red Riding Caplet." Both projects were easy-to-follow yet challenging enough for readers who have used a sewing machine in the past decade. Croq is about more than just ideas for crafts, but also about ideas for what to do with the art we create. An interview with Melissa Detloff, who raises money for various animal charities through a craft sales website called “Crafters For Critters”, was particularly inspiring.

Also notable was "How To Write A Press Release." Because many crafters are in the business of promoting their work, information like this can be empowering. However, the example of a press release, which accompanied the piece, contradicted its own rules of keeping it interesting and to-the-point.

Articles that were less about crafts and more about the writers’ personal experiences, childhoods, etc. were at worst- out of place and mediocre, and at best-mildly entertaining in a “reading someone’s live-journal” sort of way. Next time I find myself tempted by the glossy pages of Martha Stewart or zoned out watching Trading Spaces on TV, I’ll try to pick up Croq Zine and a sewing machine instead.

Written by: Amy Miller, April 27th 2007