Blue Ryder #17 (Olean NY)

Blue Ryder editor/publisher Ken Wagner had a brilliant and ambitious idea – create an Utne Reader for the world of underground publishing. Each issue of Blue Ryder included reprints of articles, rants and reviews culled from a wide spectrum of, as Wagner called them, "underground, alternative, small press & micropress publications." As good as Wagner's idea was, and his execution wasn't half-bad, money was always a problem and Blue Ryder often had to scrape by on a shoestring budget. You never knew what shape the zine would take when it hit your mailbox.

This issue, Blue Ryder #17, from April/May 1991 is a great example of the zine's best work. Printed on big 11"x17" paper, folded into standard 8.5"x11" magazine size and stapled, this issue had some heft and content behind it. Articles included Joe Peacott's "Anarchy and the Left," from his booklet of essays, Against Separatism; an excerpt of David Barsamian's interview with political activist Noam Chomsky from Bad Haircut zine; "Great White Fathers Meet" from Reality Sandwich and lots more political content from anarcho-leftist zines like Urine Nation News, The Shadow and Black Eye. There's also a lot of poetry taken from various literary-oriented zines and a bunch of comic strips, including the ubiquitous Ace Backwards.

Normally, an issue of Blue Ryder wasn't nearly as politically-oriented as this one, Wagner reprinting a diverse range of cultural and political material (including, I must admit, a fair amount of stuff from various zines published by the Reverend). Influenced, perhaps, by the George the First's war in Iraq, Wagner leaned further left than usual with this issue. With an interesting and appropriate Seth Friedman cover, Blue Ryder #17 offered up lots of "food for thought!"

(Click on the cover thumbnail to see larger picture)

VITAL STATISTICS:
• Issue #17
• April/May 1991
• B&W, 36-pages (including covers)
• Style: reprint zine

ARTICLES/INTERVIEWS
"Anarchists and the Left" (Against Separatism)
"Engaged Buddhism" (Peacework)
"America Is Not Free!" (Black Eye)
"Pentagon Double Talk" (Socialist Worker)
"Great White Fathers Meet" (Reality Sandwich)
Noam Chomsky interview (Bad Haircut)
--> plus poetry, cartoons, lots of zine ads