Zine Review: Illuminati Girl Gang

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Curated by multi-media artist and poet Gabby Bess, Illuminati Girl Gang is an ongoing zine that focuses on showcasing female-identified perspectives in literary and visual arts. The fourth and latest edition of the publication opens with a quote from controversial feminist memoir-writer Mary MacLane:

“I am not good. I am not virtuous. I am not sympathetic. I am not generous. I am merely above all a creature of intense passionate feeling. I feel – everything. It is my genius. It burns me like fire.”

The quote comes from The Story of Mary MacLane, the diary Mary published as a teenager in 1902; in it she writes about her sexual encounters with other women, her strong belief in her own genius and her desire to marry the Devil. Through her quote and as a figure in herself, MacLane gives a pretty good idea of what IGG continues to offer its readers: personal, passionate, confessional writing from unabashed female voices. Featuring mainly text-based works, Vol. 4 touches on a range of subjects (female friendship, first queer experiences, intimacy, adolescent girl Tumblr communities, family dynamics, reality TV) using a variety of aesthetic and stylistic approaches. Featuring work from Genevieve Belleveau, Arvida Byström, Mira Gonzalez, Rosemary Kirton, LK Shaw, and many others, Vol. 4 is available now online via IGG’s website.

By Olivia Whittick, Photos by Kelly Schirmann

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