for Mamaphiles #2 - "Cutting the Cord"
from Broken Pencil:
I've been excitedly awaiting Mamaphiles' next gem. And they don't disappoint. These are tough, smart, sexy, crafty, political zine-making mamas. The kind you want to call your own. The kind I have been dreaming of starting a gang with since I became a mom seven years ago. Issue two is all about cutting the cord. And it's a bit of a tearjerker. The great cover art by Heather Cushman-Dowdee illustrates this well. She shows a mom and her lil one dancing together throughout their years, starting from newborn and new mom up to, you know it, the pre-teen years. When we get to the teen drawing it's just the mom holding her hand out into the air, her dance partner is gone. For some of these moms the cord gets cut even sooner: giving your baby up for adoption at 16, weaning your babe to fly to San Fran and play with your old punk band for a week, or just realizing it's not about your agenda anymore (see hilarious cartoon "Another portrait that Norman Rockwell forgot to paint"). Although I'm tempted to list all the highlights, and quote 'till I'm blue in the face, there's not enough room. This zine compilation is a must have for all parents and parents-to-be. Heck, even my childless friends dig it!
~heze douglas
from Maximumrocknroll:
This is a collection of heartfelt, honest, and self-relective stories about motherhood that includes contributions from 26 "mama-zinesters." The authors vary radically in lifestyle choices and approaches to parenting, but the common threads of struggle and growth hold the collection together. The writing is generally pretty serious and, at times, dramatic. Although this zine runs the risk being viewed as a project for mothers by mothers, I think it really deserves attention from the non-parental individuals among us. ...[T]his zine holds the potential to help us better understand what our mama-friends are going through, and be more aware of what being a parent is all about. There is a lot of craziness involved in being pregnant, giving birth, raising kids, and letting go that I've never seen people write about like this. It's also cool to see moms doing productive creative projects and staying involved in the subculture/scene.
~HB
from the NewPages Zine Rack:
The appearance of another issue of Mamaphiles stands as a testament to the continuing strength and popularity of the mama zine scene. This one isn’t quite as thick as the last (precluding any stapling difficulties), although it still clocks in at 70 pages. The theme is “Cutting the Cord,” which, according to Stacey Greenberg’s introduction, was chosen so as to “explore the many ways that we mothers have to let go while still holding on.” Of course with such a big compilation, there is a wide variety of interpretations of this theme. Contributors include, among many others, Laurel Dykstra (BabyBloc), Ariel Gore (Hip Mama), Kate Haas (Miranda), Ayun Halliday (The East Village Inky), China Martens (The Future Generation), and Jessica Mills (Yard Wide Yarns). My overall impression of this issue is that based on reading the essays written by these mothers, I think there are some very lucky children out there. This is a good introduction to the mama zine genre, and essential reading for those fans already hooked.
~Sean Stewart
from Xerography Debt:
Whenever you are outside of a cultural circle, you tend to only see the superficial aspects of that group. Not that I ever dismissed Mamazines by any means, but in many cases I didn’t necessarily understand where the writers were coming from. Suddenly I get it.... The topics and writers run the gamut, but the theme is Cutting the Cord, and each writer has interpreted that idea very differently. For some it is about how they view themselves as mothers, and for others it is letting a child go, be it a teenager or because of adoption.
~Davida Gypsy Breier
Reviews, Reader Comments, and Other Feedback for Mamaphiles #1 - "Birth"
The staff at the Toronto Women's Bookstore listed Mamaphiles in their 2004 Holiday Gift Suggestions, under the heading "For the New Mom."
from brnwebgrrl:
from Miranda Celeste of The Pleiades zine:
from grrrlstyle! distro:
from Hip Mama:
from HousewifeXcore Distro:
from The Link (9 March 2005):
from the NewPages Zine Rack:
from RADAR (#9, Baltimore Arts & Culture):
from one of the contributors, Jackie Regales:
from Slug + Lettuce:
from Utne Reader (November-December 2003):
from Xerography Debt:
Have you read or written a review of Mamaphiles (either online or in print) that doesn't appear here?
last updated 28 april 2006
I received my copy on Friday and I have been reading it all weekend. I feel totally inspired by their wonderful, poignant, intimate, and brutally honest words about their lives and how motherhood has changed and inspired them.
Mamaphiles was so much fun and so touching! Each story was funnier or sadder or more beautiful than the last. It was really great! I love it when anyone tells their own tale, makes it available to others for inspiration and guidance, and when these great moms do that, it's really inspiring and beautiful. Fabulous!
It's common knowledge that I am crazy about mamazines, so this HUGE compilation was absolutely heaven. I cried lots of happy tears, and I adored each and every wonderfully diverse contribution.
~jenny
Mamaphiles by Lindsey Campbell-Rock
What if all the righteous Zinester Mamas came together and did a zine? They'd come up with Mamaphiles, a grotesquely huge zine filled with stories of the births of their children! Sad, happy, heartbreaking and ecstatic. An awesome read for an aspiring midwife/doula or someone who is expecting.
~arianna
Write and you will be free: With roots in the feminist movement, zine culture has come a long way while retaining original spirit by Lina Harper
First of all, I'm astounded that the publishers of this zine were even able to staple through such a thick stack of paper! This compilation consists of 132 pages of mama zine writing from 33 different writers. I've been observing the number of mama zines grow over the past couple of years, and this publication stands as a testament to just exactly how big this niche of zine subculture has actually gotten. I guess I should give a quick definition of the term "mama zine." I think of them as publications by mothers, dealing with any and all issues related to motherhood, parenting, and family. Often somewhat radical in their thinking, mama zine publishers excel at networking and supporting each other. If you're interested in sampling the genre, this collection is a great place to start, as it showcases most, if not all, of the well-known mama zinesters, as well as some lesser-known ones. And if you like what you read, you can flip to the back and find ordering information for each mama's individual zine. An impressive zine!
~Sean Stewart
Despite my own status as a mother, I often mourn the loss of the fierce, righteous chick who, crossing the "mommy threshold," descends into Betty Crocker banality. Idealism, outrage, conviction, fight--all gone, usurped by Winnie the Pooh. Mamaphiles proves that Pooh doesn't happen--not to everyone anyway. Bringing together poignant, provocative voices from the "Mama Zine" movement, which sprang to life when women, incorporating new motherhood with politics and activism, sought to create, connect, and share experiences. It was the vision of Stacey Greenberg (Fertile Ground) to unite various zine mamas in one introduction to mama zines. Baltimore mama/writer China Martens, editor of the subcultural parenting zine The Future Generation, [distributes] the collaboration. Intimately aware of these women's words--true and artfully rendered--as well as their diversity of experiences, Martens reflects on social and emotional realities that transcend even the art. Mamaphiles represents "a strong community of mama power, a network that validates individuals, [where] one life is everything to the person living it and what they connect to ripples out in effect." In short, radical, punk, dyke, anarchist, and peacenik mamas have a voice every bit as authentic and valid as the Mommy & Me ilk. And it's way more interesting....
~Kerry Oberdalhoff
What if all the mamas got together and did a zine?
This is AMAZING. Thirty-two mama zinesters contribute to this huge 132 page piece of work. The staples flew out of my copy as I read it. Each piece focuses on the theme of birth, ranging from childbirth stories and the birth of activism, zines and self. Some collaborators that may be more familiar include Ayun Halliday (The East Village Inky), Ariel Gore (Hip Mama) and Rosa-Maria DiDonato (Placenta) and Sluggy columnists China Martens (The Future Generation) and Candyce (Eat Yer Heart Out, Martha). Stand outs for me were the art of Heather Cushman-Dowdee (Hathor the Cowgoddess), the account of discovering homeschooling by Nina Packebush (The Edgy-catin' Mama) and the subjective history of mamazines by the aforementioned China, although the entire zine is filled with amazing writing. Get it!
~Carol
Riot Mamas by Chris Dodge and Lisa Rodgers
This super-thick zine is a compilation of writings by some 30 ziner mothers. A very diverse, stereotype-debunking crowd, we were given one jumping off point - Birth - and came up with 132 pages. The essays provide testimony to just how much thought, effort and passion goes into raising children. (Children who will be adults when you are old and maybe in need of care and compassion, which should be food for thought.) Mamaphiles contains tales of activism, birth stories, facing down bureaucrats, putting down old baggage, hope for the future and remembrances of time past. There are zine creation stories, poems, and thoughts on being a mother manqué. It is one powerful mother of a zine.
~Gaynor Taylor
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