#U.S. Mail Service

[davidbrussat]

Our Rube Goldberg world

Typical Rube Goldberg device. (Rube Goldberg Inc.) Or, the Architecture of our Lives By this title I refer to the structures of the lives that we Americans, most of us, lead. Notwithstanding all the other things we all have going on in our lives, much of our lives as Americans is lived under a blizzard of mail of all sorts that comes into our mailboxes – digital and snail – almost every…

[stone-cold-groove]

United States Postage stamp. It All Depends on Zip Code 10¢ - 1974.

[ivygorgon]

An open letter to the U.S. House of Representatives

Please pass the Vote By Mail Tracking Act—HR 5658!

232 so far! Help us get to 250 signers!

I understand that members of the House have introduced a piece of bipartisan legislation that would improve the tracking capabilities for mail-in ballot envelopes.  The Vote By Mail Tracking Act—HR 5658—is an administrative bill that would require envelopes to contain a U.S. Postal Service barcode that will enable the tracking of each ballot, satisfy the Postal Service requirements for ballot envelope design and machinable letters and include the Official Election Mail logo. The bill does not require states to adopt any additional mail-in ballot practices outside of the scope of the envelope itself. This should be a no-brainer, regardless of party. Will the Representative co-sponsor it?

▶ Created on November 20, 2023 by Jess Craven

📱 Text SIGN PQANRY to 50409

🤯 Liked it? Text FOLLOW JESSCRAVEN101 to 50409

[truth4ourfreedom]

THINGS NOT IN THE NEWS ANYMORE. VERSION 6.0

Things not in the news anymore….

(Version 6)

-Maui wildfires. -East Palestine, Ohio -Joe Biden classified documents as a Senator. -Fauci working with China to create a bioweapon. -Pete Buttigieg’s best friend in prison for child porn. -Cocaine in the White House. (TWICE NOW) -The BLM and Antifa riots during 2020 causing BILLIONS of dollars of damage. -The data collected from the Chinese spy balloons. -Ukraine intelligence documents released that showed they were suffering massive losses and the American taxpayer was being lied to. -Nancy Pelosi’s “documentary” film crew on J6. -Veterans being kicked out of shelters to make room for illegals. -Pizzagate “debunker” jailed for possession of child pornography. -Gay porn film in Senate hearing room. -Veterans Affairs prioritizing healthcare of illegals over Veterans. -THE SOUTHERN BORDER CRISIS. -Afghanistan drawdown and 13 service members killed in an attack on Kabul International Airport, that they hid the severity of it. -Obama droning an American citizen in the Middle East. -George Bush’s false WMDs. -3 service members killed in Jordan. -Hunter Biden making over $1M for “paintings”. -J6 political prisoners that are still in jail. -85,000 missing children at the southern border. -Epstein’s clients. -Obama coordinating with John Brennan and 4 other countries (5 eyes) to spy on the 2016 Trump campaign. -Mail-in ballots were the cause of the stolen 2020 election. -Jeffrey Epstein mentioning that Bill Clinton liked his girls “really young”. -The (NOW TWO) airline whistleblowers that mysteriously died. -Benghazi (I won’t mention anything more about this because I care about my life.) -Nancy Pelosi’s daughter stating that January 6th wasn’t an insurrection. -The January 6th committee destroying encrypted evidence before the GOP took over the House. -Nancy Pelosi admitting that J6 was “her responsibility”. -House Speaker Mike Johnson claiming there wouldn’t be foreign aid without border security in the bill, which was a lie. -The recent riots from illegal criminal aliens at the southern border and the border in general. -Hunter Biden not complying with a Congressional subpoena and deemed untouchable. Democrat privilege. -Vaccine side effects. -“Lab leak” out of China -The Secret Service having to basically guide Joe Biden everywhere he goes. -Who leaked (Sotomayor) the SCOTUS Alito decision. -Federal instigators inside the Capitol including pipe bomb evidence against them. -Obama’s chef “passing away”. -HRC’s chef “passing away”. -The Sheriff that happened to be in Las Vegas (during the mass shooting) AND the wildfires in Hawaii. -P Diddy sex-trafficking allegations. Where’s Diddy? -Gonzalo Lira (an American journalist) that was killed in Ukraine -Congress approving warrantless spying violating American’s 4th amendment rights while they are exempt. -Americans that were left in foreign countries (Haiti, Palestine, Afghanistan). -The billions of dollars of weaponry left in Afghanistan and the Taliban receiving $40M a week in “humanitarian assistance”. -Biolabs found in California. -Joe Biden’s impeachment. -The scum in the UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES waving the Ukrainian flag. -The over 300k ballot images that could not be found in Fulton County, Georgia; the same county Donald Trump on trial for “election interference”. -Democrats defunding the police causing massive rises in crime. -Kamala Harris’s record as DA in California. -The Transifesto from the school shooting. -Many U.S. Representatives and Congress receiving FTX funds. -They’re already working hard to bury Donald Trump’s àssassination attempt but we won’t let them bury that story. July 13th is never going away.

The distractions are out of control.

Share to show that legacy media is dead and that WE are the media now.

Please like,share and reblog to keep people aware!

[mimi-0007]

Mary Fields (c. 1832 – December 5, 1914), also known as Stagecoach Mary and Black Mary, was an American mail carrier who was the first Black woman to be employed as a star route postwoman in the United States. Fields had the star route contract for the delivery of U.S. mail from Cascade, Montana, to Saint Peter's Mission. She drove the route for two four-year contracts, from 1895 to 1899 and from 1899 to 1903. Author Miantae Metcalf McConnell provided documentation discovered during her research about Mary Fields to the United States Postal Service Archives Historian in 2006. This enabled the USPS to establish Mary Fields' contribution as the first African-American female star route mail carrier in the United States

[reality-detective]

Things that are not in the news anymore… 👇

-Maui wildfires.

-East Palestine, Ohio

-Joe Biden classified documents as a Senator.

-Fauci working with China to create a bioweapon.

-Pete Buttigieg’s best friend in prison for child porn.

-Cocaine in the White House. (TWICE NOW)

-The BLM and Antifa riots during 2020 causing BILLIONS of dollars of damage. And yes I brought this up on Juneteenth.

-The data collected from the Chinese spy balloons.

-Ukraine intelligence documents released that showed they were suffering massive losses and the American taxpayer was being lied to.

-Nancy Pelosi’s “documentary” film crew on J6.

-Veterans being kicked out of shelters to make room for illegals.

-Pizzagate “debunker” jailed for possession of child pornography.

-Gay porn film in Senate hearing room.

-Veterans Affairs prioritizing healthcare of illegals over Veterans.

-THE SOUTHERN BORDER CRISIS.

-Afghanistan drawdown and 13 service members killed in an attack on Kabul International Airport, that they hid the severity of it.

-Obama droning an American citizen in the Middle East.

-George Bush’s false WMDs.

-3 service members killed in Jordan.

-Hunter Biden making over $1M for “paintings”.

-J6 political prisoners that are still in jail.

-85,000 missing children at the southern border.

-Epstein’s clients.

-Obama coordinating with John Brennan and 4 other countries (5 eyes) to spy on the 2016 Trump campaign.

-Mail-in ballots were the cause of the stolen 2020 election.

-Jeffrey Epstein mentioning that Bill Clinton liked his girls “really young”.

-The (NOW TWO) airline whistleblowers that mysteriously died.

-Benghazi (I won’t mention anything more about this because I care about my life.)

-Nancy Pelosi’s daughter stating that January 6th wasn’t an insurrection.

-The January 6th committee destroying encrypted evidence before the GOP took over the House.

-Nancy Pelosi admitting that J6 was “her responsibility”.

-House Speaker Mike Johnson claiming there wouldn’t be foreign aid without border security in the bill, which was a lie.

-The recent riots from illegal criminal aliens at the southern border and the border in general.

-Hunter Biden not complying with a Congressional subpoena and deemed untouchable. Democrat privilege.

-Vaccine side effects.

-“Lab leak” out of China.

-The Secret Service having to basically guide Joe Biden everywhere he goes.

-Who leaked (Sotomayor) the SCOTUS Alito decision.

-Federal instigators inside the Capitol including pipe bomb evidence against them.

-Obama’s chef “passing away”.

-HRC’s chef “passing away”.

-The Sheriff that happened to be in Las Vegas (during the mass shooting) AND the wildfires in Hawaii.

-P Diddy sex-trafficking allegations. Where’s Diddy?

-Gonzalo Lira (an American journalist) that was killed in Ukraine

-Congress approving warrantless spying violating American’s 4th amendment rights while they are exempt.

-Americans that were left in foreign countries (Haiti, Palestine, Afghanistan).

-The billions of dollars of weaponry left in Afghanistan and the Taliban receiving $40M a week in “humanitarian assistance”.

-Biolabs found in California.

-Joe Biden’s impeachment.

-The scum in the UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES waving the Ukrainian flag.

-The over 300k ballot images that could not be found in Fulton County, Georgia; the same county Donald Trump on trial for “election interference”.

-Democrats defunding the police causing massive rises in crime.

-Kamala Harris’s record as DA in California.

-The Transifesto from the school shooting.

-Many U.S. Representatives and Congress receiving FTX funds.

-They’re already working hard to bury Donald Trump’s àssassination attempt but we won’t let them bury that story. July 13th is never going away.

The distractions are out of control.

Share to show that legacy media is dead and that WE are the media now. 🤔

[thewertsearch]

Hold the phone. 11:10... you almost forgot! One minute until the empire's REBRANDING launch. You wonder if it will live up to the hype? Guess you'll find out.

You ride out another 60 seconds and... huh? Something happened to your BAKING CHEST. Did the logo just change?

No more hiding in plain sight, I take it.

Her Imperious Condescension, Empress-in-exile of the Alternian Empire and scourge of a thousand worlds, has openly declared her darkest, most reprehensible title yet.

Chief Executive Officer of the Betty Crocker Corporation.

It's just a fork instead of a spoon. Not the most awe inspiring logo you've ever seen, but who are you to judge? Aside from the future owner of the company.

...can someone take Jane aside for a second, and explain what usually happens to Her Condescension’s heiresses?

You try the broken switch again. Hey look, it does something now, toggling your trusty bowlbuster between a STIRRING SOLUTION and a POKING SOLUTION. Neat!

Well, Jane. Do you want to create something delicious, or start poking holes in people?

Because right now, you could go either way.

Nope, still nothing. You surely would have heard the truck pull up. You guess the empire wasn't able to coordinate the mail with its rebranding. Maybe the U.S. Postal Service is the one thing it doesn't have its gnarled claws in yet? (Another mental note: sink gnarled claws into post office when you take over.)

Jane, for god's sake, you do not want to go any further down this road. A villain arc would be bad enough, but a capitalist arc would be significantly worse. At least villains are cool.

[knitmeapony]

Hey folks! My post about the D&D stamps went nuts when they were first announced in December, so I thought y'all might want to know that they are officially being released at GenCon Indy -- August 1-4, 2024 -- so you should be able to get them at your own post office not long after that, and on USPS.com as well!

Other cool nerdy stamps you can get right now:

Regular letters:

Alex Trebek: https://store.usps.com/store/product/alex-trebek-stamps-S_485304

Carnival Nights: https://store.usps.com/store/product/carnival-nights-stamps-S_485104

Life Magnified: https://store.usps.com/store/product/life-magnified-stamps-S_484004

Women Cryptologists of WWII: https://store.usps.com/store/product/women-cryptologists-of-wwii-stamps-S_482204

Priority mail:

Pillars of Creation: https://store.usps.com/store/product/pillars-of-creation-stamps-S_122804

[meret118]

“I have yet to find one of them that I felt was credible enough for me to actually file documentation for that voter,” he said. “So as a good steward for voter registration, which is what I’m charged with doing, I should not act upon stuff that is proven to be not credible.

”This year, election officials like Wilcox have spent valuable time sorting through pages of these mass voter challenges. And voting rights advocates worry that the trend could result in eligible voters being removed from the rolls, or from accommodations like being on lists to automatically receive ballots in the mail.

. . .

But experts and election officials who spoke to HuffPost said voters should confirm their registration status now — before the November election season heats up — just to be safe.

. . .

The month following that election, True the Vote teamed up with Georgia Republicans to challenge the eligibility of more than 364,000 voters in the state, based in part on U.S. Postal Service address-change data.

. . .

Some voters only found out their registrations had been challenged when they didn’t receive requested ballots in the mail for Georgia’s January 2021 U.S. Senate run-off election. Ultimately — after courts stepped in — the vast majority of these challenges were rejected. True the Vote’s list “utterly lacked reliability” and “verge[d] on recklessness,” a federal judge later observed.

. . .

At least one Georgia county has signed a contract to use the software, and in May, the director of the Florida Division of Elections sent county officials a list of 10,000 names to review that a local “concerned citizen” had generated with EagleAI.

. . .

Other efforts are state-based, including the “Pigpen Project” in Nevada and “Soles to the Rolls” in Michigan. Some even go so far as to go door to door to ask voters to confirm their information, raising concerns about intimidation. The Republican Party is also involved in the effort — in June, a federal judge rejected a GOP lawsuit alleging Nevada officials had failed to properly maintain voter rolls. (The GOP’s data was “highly flawed,” the state said.) A similar suit, against the state of Michigan, is ongoing.

And some states have made mass challenges even easier. In Georgia, S.B. 202, passed in 2021, allowed anyone to formally challenge an unlimited number of registrations, and S.B. 189, passed this year, requires voters to defend their registration against even frivolous challenges, sometimes at in-person hearings. It faces a lawsuit.

More at the link. Check your registration!

[tributary]

i am owed so many apologies that i know i’ll never get. but some part of me wants them, even and especially from those i don’t respect who owe me most. i want them mailed to me in the form of signed and dated cards, so many that my building cannot field them, so many that the U.S. postal service collapses under the strain, so many that you cannot see the ground under the sea of paper, so many that new forests are planted continuously to meet the demand. would it ever be enough?

[without-ado]

The U.S. Postal Service issued Priority Mail Express stamps Jan. 22, 2024, highlighting  the iconic images of the Carina Nebula and the Pillars of Creation from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope l NASA

[stone-cold-groove]

30s era air mail etiquette stamp.

[feasibilities]

Office Hours - Dr. Oppenheimer x Graduate Student!Reader (Part 2)

Synopsis: Dr. Oppenheimer continues an affair with his former student.

Warnings: Teacher/Student Relationship, Cheating, Smut, Nervous Breakdown, Sexism

Author's Note: This is the 1st fic I'm posting as a 23-year-old. Sorry it took so long. Enjoy!

Click here to read part one!

Your affair with Robert was best thing you could ask for and now it was going up in flames before your eyes. 

“I leave tomorrow morning.” He said softly, cradling your nude body. 

“If you love me, you wouldn’t go. What is so important that you can’t write or call? I won’t even know where you will be.” You croaked.

“I do love you but it’s out of my hands. I’m sorry.” He agonized. Suddenly, you stumbled off the bed and ran to the bathroom. He tried to follow behind you but the door was already locked. 

“Open the door.” He begged.

“Go away!” You wept. He stayed at the door listening to your muffled sobs until he dressed himself and left without a word. 

A nervous breakdown characterized the next few weeks. The invitations to outing from your friends slowed as they suspected you were too far gone. In a fit of rage, you destroyed your home. Your concerned neighbors contacted the authorities when they heard the commotion. Upon seeing a woman in hysterics, he apologized for wasting your time and left hastily. You smashed your framed doctorate degree in a final act of defiance. Finally, you fell asleep on your couch with the remnants of destruction around you. 

After a period of grief, you decided to pour yourself into research at your alma mater. Your gender proved to be a significant barrier. You began to omit your first name from peer-reviewed journals and reveled in the shock of your colleagues when they met you in person. Eventually, you got your own office. You felt a sense of normalcy for the first time in a while. 

You were surprised to see two U.S. soldiers waiting at your office door when you came into work. Your secretary explained that they were here on “private business matters”. You reluctantly invited them in and sat at your desk. Both of their uniforms were adorned with a variety of service ribbons. One of the soldiers explained that there was a classified project that required the assistance of scientists. He firmly added that if you were interested in the appointment, you needed to keep it a secret. The other seemed to be a form of reinforcement as he likely assumed you were male.

As great as things were going here, you thought this was a great opportunity to leave all of the baggage of California and gain worthwhile experience in your field. After a lengthy conversation, they told you that you had until Monday morning to decide—it was Wednesday. He handed you his business card and shook your hand. They left as quickly as they arrived. 

The encouragement of your friends and colleagues was enough for you to make a decision. On Friday afternoon, you watched everyone leave for weekend as you nervously twiddled the business card in your hands. You finally dialed the number and cleared your throat to boost your confidence. 

“Sergeant Fuller.” He answered, picking up the phone rather quickly.

“Hi, this is Dr. Y/L/N. I was calling to confirm my interest in the opportunity you mentioned on Wednesday.” You concluded, twirling the phone cord with your finger. 

“Great news. You will receive a memorandum with a start date in the mail. It should arrive on Monday afternoon.” He said.

“Thank you. Have a great weekend.” You replied, hanging up the phone. 

On the morning you were due to leave, you looked around at your empty 1-bedroom home for the last before beginning the 16 hour drive to Santa Fe, New Mexico. You made regular stops to take photos of the gorgeous landscape. Memories of a romantic excursion to Robert’s ranch in the Sangre de Cristo Range tugged at your heartstrings. You were exhausted by the time you reached the city. You checked into your assigned hotel and went to bed. 

The next morning, you reported to the U.S Army Corps of Engineers at 8:30 am. You met with a kindly woman named Dorothy McKibbin who gave you necessary documentation and directions to Los Alamos. The process proved to be tedious as a thorough background check was conducted in order to give you security clearance. Little to your knowledge, your offer letter was signed by your previous paramour, Robert Oppenheimer. 

You drove to the location and made it through the military checkpoint in one piece. While you were being escorted to the on-site housing complexes, you were amazed at how a bustling city was built in the middle of nowhere. You were given a quaint 1-bedroom apartment in a building with a gorgeous, forested background. Your belongings were diligently searched and put away deftly. 

“Are we allowed to call our family and friends?” You asked, searching for a landline. 

“Phones aren’t permitted in private residences. There’s a phone in the lobby for emergencies.” A volunteer soldier defined as if he’s said this many times before. You   rolled your eyes and thanked him for his help. Before he left, he made an attempt at encouragement. 

“You’ll be in history books for this. Try to make the best of it, miss.” He remarked, closing the door behind him. Your only connection to the outside world was a radio gifted to you by your secretary. You sat it on a table near the window so it could get the best signal possible. Bing Crosby serenaded your decorating process. Your finishing touch was hanging your graduate degree above your desk. To keep yourself sane, you decided to keep a daily journal. 

The following day, you decided to explore the locale. You found a café near the log and stone cottages on site. After ordering, you sat at an empty table in a corner and wrote in your journal. A familiar voice interrupted your mindless scribbling. You looked up and saw Robert and his heavily pregnant wife, Kitty. They were meeting with a burly man in an army uniform. You were so bewildered that you couldn’t move. Unbeknownst to his wife, Robert saw you walk in and insisted they go in for some inexplicable reason. Kitty ordered him to go up and order since she was much too tired. He ordered a coffee for the two of them and a chocolate croissant for Table No. 9. A few minutes later, the pastry arrived to your table with a note taped to the plate. 

I’ve missed you dearly. Meet me at Stone Lodge #6 at 7pm. 

-Robert  

—

You came to the cabin prepared to admonish Robert for his impudent actions. Instead, your nude body was intertwined with his as it was on the last night you saw him. The fireplace crackled quietly in the background of his perfervid dedication to you. Afterwards, you decided it was time to address the elephant in the room. 

“Do you love me like you love Kitty?” You said quietly, intertwining your fingers with his. His eyes flickered pensively before he answered. 

“No, I love you in a different way.” He replied confidently, kissing you deeply. You kissed back with the same intensity and then pulled away. 

“Would you leave her for me?” You asked daringly, catching your breath. Signs of disquiet crept into his stark features. In an effort to soothe himself, he lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. 

“I can’t answer that.” He admitted. You felt a deep sting at his words. 

“Do you remember what you promised me at Sangre de Cristo?” You interrogated. 

“Yes, but-“ He started, ashing the cigarette.

“I was promised a ring, a baby, and a life out of the dark. And yet, here I am with nothing.” You croaked, tears filling your eyes.

“It’s more complicated than that. I…recommended you for this project because I felt horrible about how things ended. I was sworn to secrecy.” He explained, taking your hand in his. There were millions of things running through your mind. Staying silent, you rolled over and fell asleep. He put out his cigarette and embraced you from behind. 

Waking up the next morning, Robert watched as you dressed yourself.

“If you’d like, I can drive you back to your apartment and wait for you. We’re running a bit late.” He said, adjusting his tie and looking at his watch. 

“Are you sure you’re not embarrassed to be seen in public with me?” You murmured. 

“No.” He spoke softly, pulling a jacket over your shoulders and kissing you tenderly. 

While waiting outside of your apartment building, Robert pondered the aforementioned promise he gave you. He wished there was some way to make a honest woman of you and keep Kitty happy. He was at an impasse that seemed impossible to solve. Gazing at his watch once more, he wondered what was keeping you. Before he could go check on you, you were walking to the car. The curls in your hair were pristine and your makeup complimented your carefully-selected outfit. 

“Ready to go?” You said with a coy smile, breaking his trance. 

“Y-yes.” He stuttered, driving off. 

Robert spent the little free time he had that morning admiring your beauty. You made it a point to cross your legs to sneakily show off your garter belt. His colleagues were equally distracted but were much better at hiding their ogling. At noon, he caught you alone in the hallway. You were whisked into his office for a brief liaison. At the pinnacle, his desk began to scrape against the floor with his impassioned movements. You two had made love countless times but there was a lustral quality to moment. He lingered until the alarm signaled for everyone to return to work. 

—

Too busy frolicking with his former student, Robert forgot to tend to his pregnant wife at home. Kitty had went into labor in the middle of the night and he received a courtesy call from Rabi. Naturally, he rushed to her side and reveled in the arrival of his baby girl. You felt disposed of once more but had little time to wallow in self-pity—you were pregnant. You felt a mix of gratification and dread. You had a lifelong connection to the only man you ever loved but could end up raising the child with a fleeting father. You had no idea what to do outside of telling him in person.

You knocked on the door of the cabin and waited for him to answer. He opened the door with a smile on his face and went to hand you a drink before you handed him papers from the nearby clinic. He stayed calm as he read through them.

“What are we going to do?” You asked nervously. He took your hand in his and sat you next to him.

“This is what we planned for. I made a promise to you and I plan to keep it.” He declared. You wordlessly embraced him and hoped he was telling the truth. 

The End

[fiercynn]

art raffle for palestine!

folks living in the u.s.! the prison abolition collective in washington state that i'm part of is holding a raffle to support the family of alaa, a local community member, whose family is trying to escape genocide in gaza. here's more information on alaa's family.

the raffle items, all of which were donated by artists, writers (including @ryfkah, who donated a signed copy of their awesome fantasy novel the iron children!), and other creative folks we know, are in four "bundles", and you can buy tickets for separate bundles based on what you're interested in. some of the raffle items are experiences or services rather than physical objects. bundle c includes two items that can only be accessed in seattle, washington, but the rest of the bundles can be redeemed anywhere in the u.s. (meaning we would mail you the physical items). more detailed information on the bundles here.

there are several different ways to enter the raffle, listed below! you can either give directly to alaa's family and send us proof of your donation, or you can send the money to our rep meredith if that's easier. each raffle ticket is $10 USD, and you can buy up to 10 tickets for each bundle. more detailed info here.

please consider entering the raffle if you have the means! because of the ongoing ground invasion and bombardment, over 1.5 million palestinians are being forced to flee their homes in gaza, including alaa's family. families trying to escape have to pay ridiculous extortion fees to get across the border to egypt.

you can also share this thread on twitter or add this instagram post to your story. please spread the word!!!

[uispeccoll]

#VoicesFromTheStacks

Riot Grrrl and the Jen and Sarah Wolfe Zine Collection

On their 1995 track, “Criminal Boy,” female pop punk band Bunnygrunt begs the question: ‘what is a girl to do?’ The song chronicles a tough sister’s plans to break her all bark and no bite brother out of the slammer, which serves to be a fitting parallel to how the Riot Grrrl feminist movement of the 1990s got its start.

By the ’90s, the male-dominated U.S. punk movement, prominent in cities like Seattle and Portland, had been long ignoring the women participating in and moving forward the empowered anarchist agenda underlying punk music, media, and culture.

The Riot Grrrl Movement, aptly named and noted by its signature growling triple “r”, emerged as an opportunity for women in the punk scene to reclaim and redefine their identities as “girls” through expressions of anger, rage, and frustration. This subculture combined feminism, punk music, and politics by addressing issues of assault, patriarchy, anarchism, and female empowerment. The growth and success of the movement can be attributed to the multiple modalities used to spread their message: music, zines, art, and other DIYs that served as vessels for political activism.

Zines can be simply defined as self-written, often self-published and self-distributed “magazines” of narrow focus, created out of a desire to share. In the case of Riot Grrrl, this included, but was not limited to, punk and feminist literature, social commentary, news, gossip, music reviews, and other topical articles and musings.

The University of Iowa’s Special Collections and Archives’ Sarah and Jen Wolfe Zine Collection provides a dynamic, wide-ranging, and intimate glimpse into the zines created and distributed during the Riot Grrrl era. Donors of the collection, sisters Sarah and Jen Wolfe, were active Riot Grrrls throughout the late ’90s and early 2000s, with Jen playing bass for the band Bunnygrunt in 1995–1998 and later publishing her own zines: Bunnygrunt and Panophobia. The sisters also operated their own mail-order distribution service, out of Iowa City, Septophilia, for zines and records both, leading to their large collection of various independent, underground, and occasionally personalized zines.

With an established interest in the DIY and communal nature of zines, the Wolfe sisters have curated a thorough and impressive collection that will continue to provide insight of a first-person narrative in both collecting and creating at the height of the Riot Grrrl movement. To learn more about the Jen and Sarah Wolfe Zine Collection, the complete finding aid can be found here.

– Kaylee S., Special Collections Olson Graduate Assistant and M Clark, Instruction Graduate Assistant