Sean Stewart (3)

"One of the things I love about zines is their slowness. When it seems like everything other form of communication has devolved into instantaneous sputtering, zines remain stubbornly slow. If I had to name one zine that exemplifies zine-time for me it would be Thoughtworm by Sean Stewart. I’ve been reading Thoughtworm since 2004. Over these past five years I’ve read six issues of this zine. When you’re contact with something is as sporadic as this, small changes tend to take on greater show more significance. What’s been most interesting to me has been the way Sean’s writing has gradually grown more oblique over the years. If you enjoy writing that is clear, yet has it’s own sort of logic, you really ought to get this.

Thoughtworm is mostly comprised of Sean’s journal entries. The entries are usually fairly short, but they’re often not particularly to the point. That’s not to say the writing is obtuse or difficult. The sentences are straight-forward and well formed and they draw you in. But this is where things get odd, because by the end of many of these entries you’re not really sure what you’ve been told. They’re almost like tone poems. Everything makes perfect sense, but it’s certainly not obvious what it’s all about. This isn’t an easy thing to pull off without resorting to drivel. But there’s none of that here. Instead you get short, strong stories with a depth that betrays the small space they occupy. Typically, I don’t have much use for this sort of writing, but right now Sean is one of my favorite writers in or out of zines.

Thoughtworm 15 is a bit different from the previous issues I’ve seen in that it’s nearly evenly divided between a few essays Sean has written and his journal entries. I liked the essays, but for me they don’t have the same driven quality that makes his journal writing so unique. Still, it’s all interesting and thoughtfully written and in the end these pieces provide a nice contrast to the journal writing. This is a zine well worth checking out."
http://underworldscrawl.wordpress.com/2009/03/03/thoughtworm-15/ show less

"Writer’s block. If you’re a zinester and you haven’t had it, you must not have been doing zines for too long. Issue 14 of Thoughtworm deals primarily with said issue and Sean’s attempts to fight through it. The writing is journal-like and stream of consciousness, focusing on the minute details of the day as well as interpretations of the bigger picture issues (Why are we getting up in the morning? Why can’t I shake this feeling of _____?). I could relate with much of what was show more written: the ideas, the questions, the concerns, and viewpoints of this guy living in Baltimore. And in one sense, that scared me. There’s no romanticizing of the life he leads. It’s as dull as mine. There are no trysts, accidents of a monumental kind, death, life-altering encounters or anything of the sort. Honestly, it makes me recall my own zine and the standard fare that I all too often deliver in it (although I’m working on getting past that). So in one sense I was creeped out, but in another sense it felt comfortable. Although this seemed a peg below the last issue, it was still an interesting look at working through writer’s block in all of its minutiae and angles. –Kurt Morris"
http://www.razorcake.org/site/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=226... show less

"I will give Sean some kudos as well as compliment him on the nice screen-print of a heart on the cover. This is one of the best zines I’ve read in a long time. While most people may have a hard time getting past the lack of any pictures and the journal entry format, I found the tales of Sean’s new life he had begun in Baltimore to be really interesting. Perhaps it’s because he likes metal. Or has interesting tales of being a dog walker. It could have something to do with the fact that show more he’s got his masters degree in library science like yours truly. Or maybe it’s because he likes to ride his bike, as does my co-workers who talks about it constantly. Sean and I, we seem to have a good deal in common, including our preferred format in doing our own zines. Unlike a lot of the reviews that belittle me for my choice, I will give Sean some kudos as well as compliment him on the nice screen-print of a heart on the cover. Keep up the good work. –Kurt Morris (3600 Buena Vista Ave., Baltimore, MD 21211)"
- razorcake.org show less