Mamaphiles
by Lindsey Campbell-Rock

An avid zine reader in my teen years, I was excited to learn about the mama zine scene. Frankly I’m a little slow when it comes to the world of alterna-parenting, I didn’t realize that any mama zines existed, until I stumbled upon Hip Mama last year. My daughter was nearly one year old when this whole sub-culture was opened up to me. Upon discovering Mamaphonic.com, I was delighted to see zines, zines and more zines. I’ve been collecting and savoring all sorts now, for the better part of a year. With so many zines to choose from, it is quite the task figuring out which to order, what the essence of each is. Each writer has such a unique voice; it is so exciting to read what all these other mamas have to say.

After months of anticipation I have “Mamaphiles: A Mama Zine Collaboration� in my hot mama hands. “Mamaphiles� is the ultimate mega sampler of mama zinesters, over thirty contributions in one. I’ve been following the “Mamaphiles� collaboration since the idea sprung out of Stacey (Fertile Ground) Greenberg’s head and onto the boards at Mamaphonic. This past February, Stacey posted a new thread on the Mamaphonic message board, “What if all the zine mamas got together and did a zine together?� With no zine (yet) to contribute, I’ve been sitting patiently waiting to read the finished product. Stacey, “As I continued immersing myself in mama zines I noticed that a lot of mama zinesters contributed to other zines. So noticing that, I was inspired to start contributing to some of my favorite zines and then the idea of us all getting together to do a collaboration grew from there.�

She set forth on the task of collecting submissions, creating a comprehensive sampling of who was out there in the world of mama zines. The response was overwhelming. 33 mamas each contributed an essay; the topic was “birth�, birth as a mother and zinester. Mamas submitted from all over North America, every submission was accepted. China Martens (The Future Generation) worked on layout while, other mamas from around the continent helped with editing, photocopying, and proof reading, there was even a stapling party in Baltimore. This is a true collaboration; everyone pitched in. After 5 months of hard work “Mamaphiles� is complete, and Stacey hopes this is only the beginning.

Stacey began “Fertile Ground: For People Who Dig Parenting� only this past January. Like many of these zinester mamas, she found the support of like-minded mamas on the Internet. In the “Mamaphiles� collaboration she writes about becoming a mom, and measuring her “coolness� by the standard her mother set, the reality of going back to work, while having to leave her baby in childcare 40 hours a week, and how through creating a zine she is able to keep in touch with the “cool mom� within.

China started her zine back in 1989, she hoped to make a network and share information with a diverse group of parents. “It was like a small amount of people who “got it� my subject matter…but those people really got it and were hungry to find each other� She describes her subject matter as ‘kid lib,’ ideals, the nitty gritty tidbits of raising kids in this daily reality. The “grandmother of the zine scene� eagerly jumped on board to get the compilation together. Over the years she’s seen many a zine come and go. “The Future Generation� began before even the inception of Hip Mama. China has contributed a few pieces to the Mamaphiles collaboration, including “A Subjective History of Mama Zines/Organizations and Related Topics.�

Lauren Eichelberger is a newer zinester; she started her zine “Are We There Yet?� only 2 years ago, “…I get stalled all the time. I have to stop in the middle of amazing thoughts to get crackers for the kids. I have to stay up late to get things done and when it is finished, I have to chase 2 kids around the office store to copy it. I have to share the glue sticks.� In her contribution, she writes about her struggle coping with postpartum depression, a D&C, and 2 children later she found creating a zine ultimately helped her find her voice as a mother.

China is pleased (to say the least) with the result, “This is the meaning of writing! This is what it is really all about… I am part of a truly remarkable, truly historical, truly inspired piece of writing that I believe in… you feel the writers are all writing from a safe spot, like telling you the most profound truth of their lives in their own kitchen—and created this truly excellent book.�

Some zines are well known; some are brand new. The stories are honest, funny and touching. There are also photos and cartoons (I love the cartoons). Contributions come from Hip Mama’s very own Ariel Gore, Ayun Halliday (East Village Inky), and Mamaphonic creator Bee Lavender (A Beautiful Final Tribute), along with new zinesters like Jackie Regales (Esperanza) and Kara Spencer (Viva La Mama). I only see good things for these ladies who have compiled their efforts into this fabulous co-operative. This is a beautiful anthology of stories by mamas who have found their voices. I could easily identify with these women, and aspects of their stories resonate deep. Here is the perfect opportunity to not only ‘meet’ these amazing mamas, to hear their stories, but to see what zines they offer, there is a complete listing at the back with all the ordering info you need for each respective zine. My mailbox will be guarded as I patiently await the delivery of future cool mama zines.

To get a copy of “Mamaphiles: A Mama Zine Collaboration� for $5 from
9th Time Press P.O. Box 4803 Baltimore, Maryland 21211 or “Mama Unidas Distro� online at www.geocities.com/mamasunidasdistro.