Brainscan Zine Pre-existing Conditions & Irreconcilable Differences 5 zine pack

It's 5 zines for $10!

• Brainscan #21
• Brainscan #25
• Brainscan #26
• Brainscan #27
• I Never Thought The Story Of My Life Would Be a Legal Drama

These five zines go together in a narrative of survival from an emotionally abusive relationship and rising through the ashes with the help of a catalyst built of self reflection and old love. Part practical, part romantic but all realistic told through truthful words and photocopier art. Oh, and the 5th zine because I got sued for these zines and telling my story and I printed the opinion written by the judge in the case.

Brainscan #21 explores my recognition of being in an emotionally abusive relationship, the attempts on both parts to right wrongs, the failure to do so, and gathering the strength to take the next step.

What if your private life in your relationship are vastly different than what other people see? When do you know you are in an emotionally abusive relationship? How to you gain the strength to get out of it? What do you do when you know you can't handle the burden alone? What do you do when you feel so alone and terrified of the consequences of leaving, when if it means losing friends, a home, a job and a way life that you love?

These are just some of the ideas explored in this zine through a three year personal narrative that also challenges you to examine your relationships with power, to identify how you express the power you have, and also how you relate to the power that of others possess. But most of all this, zine is about revelation, rebirth, and regrowth. 44 pages 1/2 size $3 value

BRAINSCAN 25
This zine has been five start and stop years in the making. I finally finished it in October of 2009 at the Anchor Archive zine residency in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Brainscan 25 Chronicles my Saturn return as a love story, an ending, and a new beginning with someone from my past. The Saturn Return is the time between ages 27 and 30 when the planet Saturn is in the same place it was at your birth. It is usually seen as a harbinger of change and a test of character where individuals are forced to evaluate their life in relation to their values. Brainscan 25 documents my life between 2004 and 2006 which was full of upheaval and questioning my path and choices in life. The linear story is spliced with narrative flashbacks from 1996-1999 full of punk shows, travel stories and the difficulty of dealing with emotions and the insecurities of growing up. Text heavy with high contrast cut and paste layout and photocopier art.

Brainscan 25 is 80 pages, legal sized (8.5"x7") transparency acetate and cardstock covers, and an envelope containing a 16 page epilogue. $5 value

BRAINSCAN #26
In 2006 I wrote the zine Brainscan #21: Irreconcilable Differences. This zine was about my personal experience of realizing I was in an emotionally abusive relationship, finding the courage to move on and challenging other people to identify power and how they use in in all of their relationships. In Brainscan 21 I did not name name because I did no think it was useful, but in this zine I do. Several other people have approached me with issues they have had with the same person and I thought it might be helpful for people to hear a bit more of my story tying my personal experience with J to my business experience.

This zine is based on this blog post http://alexwrekk.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/so-whats-the-deal-with-you-and-microcosm/. People have kept asking me about it so I thought I would put it in zine format. The blog post is about my least favorite subject: my history with Microcsm Publishing, Joe, and his attempted and failed accountability processes plus input from a few other people. To lighten the load I also talk about some of the other stuff I have been involved with and things I'm looking forward to next year. 32 pages 1/4 sized and uncharacteristly text heavy. $2 value
Brainscan #27
A tiny zine that reads like a snapshot. 1/12 legal sized (3"x4") 28 page mini zine, A single story wrapped in photocopier art. This zine takes place in an elevator between a 9th floor divorce lawyer and the ground floor and a reflective bike ride home. It explores disappointments and the human inability to consider endings.

"We rode 9 stories down in silence like shedding 9,000 stories of our own"

I Never Thought The Story of My Life Would Be a Legal Drama

For writing these zines and speaking out about my expereice as a survivor of emotional abuse I was sued by my ex. Maybe sometimes I'll trudge through that swamp of trauma and unexpected hilarity and write a zine about it, but for now, here's what the judge had to say put in zine form. Spoiler, we won the Anti-SLAPP motion and he had to pay my attorney fees.