'Street Leather,' the rat zine of your dreams, is now available

Photo and reporting by Stacie Joy 

The rat pack came together this past Friday night to toast the first issue of "Street Leather," a zine dedicated to stories of NYC's most beloved and hated rodents.

As we first reported back in March, two local residents — anonymous at the time — were collecting submissions for this project, an assortment of memorable encounters with rats in NYC. 

During Thursday night's unveiling at the Francis Kite Club on Avenue C, the creators revealed themselves as two journalists with a shared interest in the subject matter — Jake Offenhartz and Olivia Bensimon.

The evening was suitably strange for a launch party for a rat zine. Claudi of Pinc Louds performed a rat song and a spoken-word poem while there were readings by contributors, such as Harry Siegel. Meanwhile, guests enjoyed a drink special called the Ratini. 

Volume 1, illustrated by Sabrina Bezerra, is filled with stories, poems, photos, and other oddities about rats, dead and alive, and dedicated to "all the rats who died, often violently and in occasionally interesting positions." (We especially like the story about the Top View Hop-On-Hop-Off Double Decker tour bus.) 

The zine is available in Brooklyn at Quimby's Bookstore and Spoonbills Books. Closer to home, free copies are available at Bluestockings, 116 Suffolk St., between Rivington and Delancey on the LES. (The editors are working on getting the zine in more places.) 

Meanwhile, you can submit your rodent-related comics, poems, true stories, and songs to newyorkrathole (newyorkrathole@gmail.com) for possible publication in volume 2. 

You can also follow @streetleathernyc on Instagram for updates. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• These zine editors want your rat stories ('Don't call us gross')

At the 4th annual East Village Zine Fair on St. Mark's Place

Photos by Stacie Joy 

There was an excellent turnout for the fourth annual East Village Zine Fair, which occurred on a near-perfect weather day on Saturday along St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue ...

Printed Matter/St. Mark's and 8-Ball Community co-presented the event, celebrating "the neighborhood’s history of underground print culture past and present." 

This year's event included over 120 vendors, a significant increase from the 40 that participated in Year 1 in 2021.

Here are a few scenes from along St. Mark's Place... 

Reminders: the East Village Zine Fair is TODAY on St. Mark's Place

Flyer by Heather Benjamin 

ICYMI: More than 120 DIY artists and publishers are participating in the fourth annual East Village Zine Fair TODAY (Saturday).

Printed Matter/St. Mark's and 8-Ball Community co-present the event, celebrating "the neighborhood’s history of underground print culture past and present."

The one-day outdoor fair takes place along St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (The street is closed to through traffic.) 

In addition, there's the East Village Zine Fair community garden programming at La Plaza Cultural on the SW corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street, where there's a full day of workshops and performances.

There's also a curated selection of garden-related zines from 8-Ball's Zine Library...

The 2024 East Village Zine Fair is Saturday on St. Mark's Place

Flyer by Heather Benjamin 

More than 120 DIY artists and publishers are participating in the fourth annual East Village Zine Fair on Saturday. 

Printed Matter/St. Mark's and 8-Ball Community co-present the event, which celebrates "the neighborhood’s history of underground print culture past and present."

The one-day outdoor fair takes place along St. Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (The street is closed to through traffic.) 

The weather for Saturday looks great. Last year's Zine Fair was rained out and rescheduled to indoors at Performance Space 122, 150 First Ave. and Ninth Street. 

Previously on EV Grieve:

• At the Zine Fair on St. Mark's Place

These zine editors want your rat stories ('Don't call us gross')

Photo and interview by Stacie Joy

Signs around the neighborhood started appearing over the weekend, seeking stories about memorable encounters with rats in NYC. 

A rat zine? 

Curious, I contacted the folks behind the flyers. The two friends, a current and past (now in Williamsburg) East Village resident, wish to remain anonymous for now but agreed to discuss the project.  

So, how did this rat zine project get started? 

The project was born from a deep fascination with — and admiration for — New York City's most hated inhabitants. Independently, we both had spent the last few years taking photos of dead rats crushed into the city's pavement. After discovering this shared hobby recently, we decided to make a zine. 

In the process of doing that, we decided it'd be fun to supplement our images with true stories of rat encounters sourced from our neighbors. Over the last few days, we've been putting up flyers asking for submissions. Emails started flowing in immediately, both harrowing and kind of touching. People stopped us on the street to tell us about their favorite rat interactions, which is a cool way to meet strangers.

Why make a rat zine? 

Not to be too high-minded about a rat zine, but it really feels like the city is just teeming with untold rodent stories. Living in close proximity to these animals, who are nearly indomitable and cunning and heavily dependent on our inability to clean up after ourselves, is a big part of the collective New York experience. 

The inter-species arrangement is that we generally aim to avoid each other. When that social order breaks down, a good story often follows.

How can people get involved? What sort of material are you looking for? 

Anyone interested in sharing a particularly memorable rat episode should send us an email in the next few weeks. We like straightforward stories, but we're also open to other formats — if you're moved to translate your rat tale into a haiku, an illustration or a short play, by all means, go ahead. 

It's fun, and it's not gross. Don’t call us gross. Tell us your best rat stories!

-----

Want to contribute? Send your rodent-related comics, poems, true stories, and songs to newyorkrathole (newyorkrathole@gmail.com). It's old-school print media only: signs and a printed zine. There is no social media, although they concede there "may be an Instagram in the future."

Saturday's parting shot

Photo by Stacie Joy 

Zines for sale outside Tompkins Square Park today by Jasper Krents... find 'em online here.

The East Village Zine Fair is taking place this weekend

The rescheduled East Village Zine Fair (from June 24 on St. Mark's) is taking place this weekend — Saturday and Sunday — at Performance Space New York, 150 First Ave. and Ninth Street. 

Printed Matter/St. Mark's and 8-Ball Community are organizing this third annual Zine Fair that serves as "a celebration of NYC’s zine-makers, independent publishers, and the East Village’s history of DIY culture past and present."

Hours:

• Saturday, July 8 — 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.*

• Sunday, July 9  — 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

* According to organizers: "Saturday will begin with two mask-mandatory hours and a reduced visitor capacity to ensure that those who are immunocompromised and/or disabled have a chance to browse the Fair. To ensure entry during this time, register via this link."

Zine Fair returns to St. Mark's Place this Saturday

Printed Matter/St. Mark's and 8-Ball Community are teaming up once again for a Zine Fair featuring more than 70 exhibitors this Saturday on St Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Here's more info via the EVG inbox:

Last year's event was a wonderful celebration of independent publishers, zine makers, and East Village DIY culture and history. Join us as we come together once again for this new zine fair tradition on St. Mark's Place. Free and open to the public. 

Like the 2021 edition (relive it here!), there will be corresponding events in several neighborhood community gardens...

Find more details here. 

At the Spring Zine Fair on St. Mark's Place

On Saturday afternoon, Printed Matter/St. Mark's and 8-Ball Community teamed up for a Spring Zine Fair along St Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

More than 40 local independent publishers and zine makers lined the block, which was closed to traffic. (There were also several collaborative events at community gardens throughout the neighborhood.)

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by to browse the array of creative and experimental publications... 

... and the organizers (from left to right) ... Mia Greenberg, Emmett Pinsky, Johanna Reitveld, Em Brill and Hayley Earnest. (Not pictured: Ryan Vasta.)

The Spring Zine Fair is underway on St. Mark's Place, and in community gardens

The Spring Zine Fair is underway now on St Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... happening until 7 p.m. (Thanks to Steven for the photo!)

Printed Matter/St. Mark's and 8-Ball Community teamed up for this event.

Also! Don't sleep on the collaborative events at these neighborhood community gardens...   

A zine fair on St. Mark's Place and in community gardens tomorrow

Printed Matter/St. Mark's and 8-Ball Community are teaming up for a Spring Zine Fair taking place tomorrow (Saturday!) on St Mark's Place between First Avenue and Second Avenue from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

In addition, there'll be a series of collaborative events at community gardens throughout the neighborhood. 

Some details via the EVG inbox...

Join us as we come together after many months apart and gather local independent publishers and zine makers to honor the East Village's rich DIY and countercultural history.

Engage with the 40-plus New York-based exhibitors who will be tabling at the fair and browse an exceptional array of creative and experimental artists' zines and publications. Throughout the day, nearby community gardens will be hosting various programs, including composting workshops, poetry readings, concerts, leaf pressings and more! 

As we celebrate the East Village's artistic past and present, we're so excited to collaborate with local community gardens in acknowledgment of the grassroots reclamation of the Lower East Side’s unused space by gardeners, squatters and artists. Our fair guide will be in the form of an East Village Fanzine spotlighting local businesses, organizations and stories.

This link has many more details. 

And in the gardens...