Category: News

Now this is some happy news! Decades ago, Matt Jasper’s Tray Full of Lab Mice publications lit a spark in my imagination. He showed me it was possible for self-publish. This was before the WWW, before affordable computers and desktop publishing. Getting your voice out there at this time pretty much meant that you either had a whole lot of money, or corporate backing. Matt showed me that with little more than scissors, glue, staples, imagination and a photocopier, you can put together a magazine. With a little perseverance, you can publish something that looks professional. He inspired me to create my own zines, which ultimately led to Callithump!

Now Matt’s kids are following in his footsteps. His 7th-grade son Max is publishing a magazine called Possible Truth. It’s available on Issuu:

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I wonder what a new generation of Jaspers will inspire?

Callithump! has a new home! You can find it at MadGirlWorld, at 275 Commecial Street in Portland, ME (at the corner of Cross & Commercial Streets).

You’ll also find Jess’s cards and buttons at MadGirlWorld. Jess isn’t MadGirl, though. That’s Meredith Alex, who moved to Portland from Belfast to pursue a career in fashion design. Her work is far from tradtional:

MadGirlWorld is part store, part studio, and all fascinating. It’s well worth the trip!

It’s an exciting venue for Callithump! too. We’ve never been in such a high-traffic area before! Thus far we’ve put ourselves in out-of-the-way places just because, what with having a day job & all, we don’t have time to keep up with heavy demand! We’ve already had to create extra material just for MadGirl! Success is a lot of work!

We really need some new words in the English language to handle the ambiguities of adult life. For example, what do you say to that friend who finally divorced her abusive husband you’ve hated for years? Congratulations? That’s not right, since her heart is broken. “I’m so sorry…” But you’re not, because she made the right move and you’re glad to see that bastard gone.

What do you say about these new Torture Team cards from the Center for Constitutional Rights? They’re free! That’s AWESOME! No wait, they’re depicting one of the darker and more horrible parts of recent American history, a stupid and tragic thing that all Americans should be ashamed of. So now I feel like a jerk for saying they’re awesome. At the same time, they’re taking a common, ubiquitous item (the baseball card) and subverting it for creative purposes. That’s what we’re all about here at Callithump!, so of course I love the idea!

Get your 10 free Torture Team cards here.