Subtitled "We WERE the wrong side," this isn't nearly about what I thought it'd be about. After hearing great things about it on the Panderzinedistro.com message boards, I had thought it'd be one of those hard-hitting make-you-think-way-too-much type of things.

What arrived in my mailbox was a felt pouch with stars punched out to tie green ribbon through, and a series of a half-dozen 1/16th-sized tiny zines all collected under the same header. It is, though this description is hardly eloquent, really cool.

The writing, I have to say, isn't anything astounding, and there really isn't much layout or production as far as that goes. Shae tackles learning to wheatpaste posters in her hometown, the loss of love, and going to a concert with the object of her affection playing (Bob Dillon, also known as "Bobby" throughout her work). She leaves some pages blank to accommodate the writing over layout.

Still, there's just something about Pomegranate. There's an occasinal thought that Shae gets across that hits you somewhere near the left temple, reminding you of your own misspent and wasted youth, or the innocence of her hope -- whatever it is, it's hard to put your finger on, but it makes this zine collection more than worth sending off for. The format alone must have taken forever to produce, and if someone takes that much care with presentation, the insides are almost guaranteed to have something redeeming about them.

Back issues are available, also for $1 or a trade. Write 5069 Lamor Road, Hermitage, PA 16148, or e-mail misera@care2.com.

[ by Elizabeth Badurina ]
Rambles: 18 May 2002