Josh comes out with another Basic Paper Airplane, and I think he’s really outdone himself this time. Airplane is a zine of the medley variety, which is one of my favorite types of zines. Zines these days (and certainly in the zines that I make myself) are often forced into a theme, whether that be just one subject or just the writer’s creative writing. That’s cool, but I think it’s often a subconscious stab at professionalism or to be taken seriously. I think it’s more honest to write about whatever you want and to throw it all together. It shows an enthusiasm that just can’t be beat. Josh is really into mail and letters, so he gives us a history of the U.S. Post Office, which is really interesting and has just the right amount of fanaticism. He also talks about his love of zines and his own personal history with them. Then there are a couple of poems, but the best thing in here is his writing about how he went with his buddy Ariel to Boulder for the Magazine Publisher’s of America Conference. Ariel was nominated to win an award for the “best zine” category at this event (for her great zine Jesus Christ Superzine). In true DIY fashion, she cared very little for the award and went to the ceremony just for the adventure of it. Josh covers the event combining great personal writing with new journalism. The results are just fucking awesome. –Craven Rock (PO Box 2645, Olympia, WA 98507)