“current mood: sad” by Maira shares a selection of their Livejournal entries from 2010 through 2013, and “chronicles one of the worst periods of (their) life” when writing in their journal “helped (them) through numerous hard times, heartbreaks, (and) a move to San Francisco”. Featuring timestamped, handwritten selections from their LJ, the zine is illustrated by their friend Summer with whimsical line art cartoons that bring the entries to life. A tender snapshot of big feelings and mental health struggles, the zine made me reminisce on my own LJ days and appreciate the way that sharing our pain with the void can act as a salve, helping us heal and process from wounds both physical and emotional. Later, if we share those entries with the world — as Maira has done in their zine — our words can act as a balm to others, a reminder that we are not alone.

I spent a good chunk of the early aughts on Livejournal sharing raw feelings, bad poetry, secrets, and art with folks from all over the world, and my LJ was a safe space for me to be vulnerable and creative, and to make new friends online. Maira’s zine made me nostalgic for the openness and vulnerability I felt blogging at LJ, and I appreciate just how open and vulnerable they are here, sharing these words with us. If you dig a perzine with big feelings, then this one is for you.

On a related note, Maira also records the exceptional zine podcast LONG ARM STAPLER, interviewing zinesters from all over the world about why the create, what drew them to DIY publishing, and so much more. Long Arm Stapler is one of only a few podcasts that are my no-skips; I listen to each and every episode, and when a new one shows up in my feed, it always rockets to the top of my listening queue. If you’re reading this review, I can only assume you’re into zines, and if you’re into zines then I can guarantee you’re gonna like this podcast. I subscribe to it in the Overcast app, and I believe it is on all other major podcast platforms, too.