Reading Frenzy ~ An Independent Press Emporium

How to Become a Volunteer at Reading Frenzy!

July 26, 2011: Three of our coveted volunteer slots are opening up in August! Do you love Reading Frenzy, self-publishing, zines and/or mini-comics? Would you like an opportunity to gain experience working in a small bookshop and getting to know local publishers and artists? Then please read on...

We're looking for someone who:

  • Is 18 or older (required since we sell some adult material)
  • Can commit to a weekly 3-4 hour shift for a minimum of 6 months (without needing a lot of days off)
  • Is responsible and reliable
  • Has retail or other relevant work experience
  • Is comfortable working with the public
  • Has a love of independent media, small press, and/or self-publishing!

Volunteers receive a staff discount, free IPRC membership, other perks, and if they're responsible and reliable, valuable experience and glowing recommendations! Here are some further details on volunteering (under "Job Openings and Volunteering"), please read before applying.

Please submit your resume and cover letter telling us why you would like to volunteer at Reading Frenzy to chloe (at) readingfrenzy (dot) com. Thanks!

New & Notable at Reading Frenzy!

July 24, 2011: A selection of new and restocked titles now available!

BOOKS

  • Green Porno w/DVD by Isabella Rossellini 
  • Add Toner ~ A Cometbus Collection by Aaron Cometbus
  • Morph Traits by Daniel Higgs, Kyle Ranson
  • Monster Party by Lizzy Acker (signed!)

GRAPHIC NOVELS & COMICS

  • Tank Tankuro by Gajo Sakamoto
  • Wandering Son Vol. 1 by Shimura Takako
  • Eye of the Majestic Creature by Leslie Stein
  • Celluloid: Erotic Graphic Novel by Dave McKean
  • Pinocchio by Winshluss
  • Boy's Club #3 & #4 by Matt Furie
  • I Want You #1 & #2 by Lisa Hanawalt
  • Lose #3 by Michael DeForge
  • Papercutter #16 edited by Greg Means
  • Three Comics #2 edited by Robert Kirby
  • Strange Tales #1 & #2 edited by Jennifer Grunwald

MAGAZINES AND ZINES

  • Cabinet #41 Spring 2011
  • Dice #38 Summer 2011
  • Hi-Fructose #19
  • Juxtapoz #126 July 2011
  • Wax Poetics #47
  • Cometbus #50-54
  • Believer #82 July/Aug 2011
  • Handbook V. 3 #5 edited by Darren Ankenbauer
  • 8-Track Mind #101 Summer 2011 by Russ Forster
  • Portland Afoot edited by Michael Anderson

LOCAL TITLES/AUTHORS/PUBLISHERS

  • Under the Sign of the Bicycle by Alon Raab
  • Railroad Semantics #2-4 by Aaron Dactyl
  • Das Ding #1 & #2 by Luca Dipierro
  • Queen of the Margonauts: Margot Kidder
  • Correct Me If I'm Right by William Reinert
  • Deep Seed by Max Clotfelter and Tim Miller
  • Yeah. No. Totally by Lisa Wells
  • Myopic Waste
  • Love is Not Constantly Wondering if You're Making the Biggest Mistake of Your Life by Zach
  • Diffusion #3 edited by Blue Mitchell
  • Peaches and Bats #3, #5-8 edited by Sam Lohman
  • I Still Live by Annie Murphy
  • Queer Genius edited by Annie Murphy

Local Comics Spotlight: Ivy by Sarah Oleksyk

July 19, 2011: It's summer in Portland, and while the rest of the country is having a heat wave, we are stuck with 60s and rain. The one upside to this is it's the perfect weather for reading comics!

I have been reading Ivy by Sarah Oleksyk and really loving it. This graphic novel from Oni Press is all about Ivy's life in Maine, trying to navigate high school and the desire to make a living as an artist, against the wishes of her mother. I think the forward by Douglas Wolk really says it all:

"One of the things I love about Oleksyk's comics is her knack for staging, and how neatly she establishes a sense of place...this is the kind of cartooning whose craft serves its flow, but there's always more going on than the story spells out...Sarah Oleksyk's been making zines, prints and comics for more than a decade now; she's kind of a local legend here in Portland. Ivy first appeared as a series of five photocopied mini-comics. Every once in a while, Oleksyk would show up at small-press comics conventions with a new one, and there'd be an excited murmur from people who follow rising stars of art comics; did you see that new Ivy? Man, I wish there were a way for more people to see Sarah's stuff. Now there is, and now you get to see it too."

Posted by Andrea Deeken

Kickstart Crap Hound No. 8: Superstitions!

July 11, 2011: Become a backer and help us spread the word for our latest Kickstarter campaign for Crap Hound No. 8: Superstitions! You can preorder your very own copy or get your mitts on one of our fancy new rewards! Every backer and dollar counts so don't forget to share our project!

Reading Frenzy's Curated Page on Kickstarter!

July 06, 2011: It's been a treat to help promote and watch many of our favorite Kickstarter projects succeed in the past couple of months! Here's a run down of our current favorite projects. Visit our Curated Page for more information.

  • Imaginary Beings- Transforming Jorge Louis Borges in Masks

  • Impermanence: Photographs of Endangered Historic Places

  • Twilight in the Mountains: The New Ghost Towns of Appalachia

  • Winsor McCay Resurrection Project

  • The Doris Encyclopedia

  • "Where The Sky Is Born", a Mayan adventure film

  • Retrofit Comics: The Return of the Alt-comic Floppy

  • Swoon's Musical Architecture for New Orleans

  • Field Guide to Phytoremediation

  • Documentary about the history of alt-weeklies

  • Grow a new eye

  • Darshan: Photographic Series on Indian Deities

  • HYPNO KOMIX

  • My Brooklyn

  • Comics in Cambodia!

11th Annual Portland Zine Symposium!

July 06, 2011:


The Portland Zine Symposium is free conference and zine social exploring facets of independent publishing and DIY culture. The Portland Zine Symposium is a two day event held in Portland, Oregon every summer since 2001. It  consists of two days of of workshops, panels, discussions, games and tabling of zines and independent media.

2011 Revenge of Print!

July 06, 2011: From Atomic Books: We're tired of all the END OF PAPER, the END OF PUBLISHING AS WE KNOW IT stories. We've been hearing and reading about it ever since we've been open (which is going on almost 20 years now).

So for 2011, we've decided to throw a challenge out there. If you've ever made a zine or mini comic MAKE ONE MORE ISSUE. Come on, you've got one more in you! Maybe you were thinking in the back of your head you'd do another issue one day. Now is the time.

Join the group for discussion and more plans. This is just the beginning.

Sponsored by Atomic Books, Quimby's, and Reading Frenzy!

July is International Zine Month!

July 06, 2011: How many ways can you celebrate International Zine Month? Hmm, let's see...

  1. Publish a zine!
  2. Read a zine!
  3. Buy a zine!
  4. Write a fan letter to your favorite zine publisher!
  5. Attend a zine reading!
  6. Send a zine to a friend!
  7. Donate your old zines to a zine library!
  8. Write about zines on your website, blog, facebook, etc.!
  9. Participate in a 24-Hour Zine Challenge!
  10. Organize your own zine event!

The IPRC's Certificate Program

July 06, 2011: Check out the IPRC's next creative odyssey:  a year-long certificate program in Independent Publishing.  Participants choose between one of three tracks --1) Fiction/Nonfiction, 2) Poetry, or 3) Comics/Graphic Novels -- and spend between two and three semesters creating and publishing their work. Hone your skills in a friendly and supportive environment, with an enthusiastic cohort of fellow students, and learn from some of Portland's most talented writers and artists! All for an affordable price and complete with academic credit through the University of Oregon if applicable.

Bibliotherapy Artist's Book Library

July 06, 2011: BABL is a mobile library, home to over 100 artists' books touring England and offering bibliotherapy to those most in need of a pair of listening ears and an unusual read.

Reading Frenzy Consignment Hours

July 06, 2011: Reading Frenzy consignment hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday 11am-7pm. All consignment activity is currently limited to these hours. We will add a drop off option soon for other business hours, but all payment and pick ups will continue to be Thursday-Saturday because 1) We want one person overseeing all consignment activity and 2) We can actually get other work done Sunday-Wednesday!

Dill Pickle City Works Preview Party!


Wednesday, July 27th, 6:00PM�8:30PM
Program begins promptly @ 7PM
Location TBD to members

Celebrate the release of our City Works Scout Book, the launch our new Website and the second year of Dill Pickle Club (DPC) programs on a rooftop overlooking Mount Hood. We�ll be announcing DPC programs for the rest of the year, with a presentation on our upcoming tours (with opportunity to get first crack at saving your seat on the bus) and our collaboration with Oregon Historical Society. This is a members-only party, but you are cordially invited to bring a guest and join us for drinks, hors d�oeuvres and birthday cake.

Not yet a member? Consider joining and get an invite mailed to your door.