Zines might seem like an odd fit for that old high-toned workhorse of publishing, the literary short story. But Ben Spies, author of zines and all-around participant in the Chicago zine community, has succeeded in fitting his work to this intimate, handmade format. The result, No More Coffee, tells quiet, spare tales of ordinary lives that, just like our own, are often touched with mystery or tragedy.
With such a large body of perzines, political zines, how-tos, and comics already being published, Spies decided that fiction needed a bit of a zine makeover as well. “I’ve always thought that if we have a thriving culture of DIY bands, art galleries, et cetera, why can’t we have more DIY fiction?” Spies says.
