Shotgun Seamstress: An Anthology

by Osa Atoe

A cut & paste celebration of Black punk and outsider identity, this is the only complete collection of the fanzine Shotgun Seamstress, a legendary DIY project that centered the scope of Blackness outside of mainstream corporate consumerist identity

In 2006, Osa Atoe was inspired to create an expression out of the experience of being the only Black kid at the punk show--and Shotgun Seamstress was born.

Like a great mixtape where radical politics are never sidelined for an easier ride, Shotgun Seamstress was a fanzine by and for Black punks that expressed, represented, and documented the fullest range of being, and collectively and individually explored "all of our possibilities instead of allowing the dominant culture to tell us what it means to be Black."

Laid out by hand, and photocopied and distributed in small batches, each issue featured essays, interviews, historical portraits of important artists and scenes, reviews, and more, all paying tribute to musicians and artists that typify free Black expression and interrupt notions of Black culture as a monolith.

Featuring figures such as Vaginal Cream Davis, the seminal Black punk band Death, Poly Styrene, Bay Area rocker Brontez Purnell, British post-punker Rachel Aggs, New York photographer Alvin Baltrop, Detroit garage rocker Mick Collins and so many others, in the pages of this book rock'n'roll is reclaimed as Black music and a wide spectrum of gender and sexuality is represented. Collecting and anthologizing the layouts as they were originally photocopied by hand, this collection comprises all eight issues created between 2006 and 2015.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Art

368 pages, Hardcover

Published November 29, 2022

About the author

Shotgun Seamstress is a zine and blog by, for and about Black punks, feminists, queers, musicians, artists and activists. The first issue came out in 2006 when writer/editor Osa Atoe lived in Portland, Oregon. The last four issues were released in New Orleans, her current home. Osa is an art teacher, a potter and show promoter for girl bands, queer bands and social justice fundraisers under the name No More Fiction. She was a Maximum Rocknroll columnist 2009-2011, has toured with the People of Color Zine Project and won the Printed Matter Award for Artists in 2009. Osa has also played in dozens of bands including New Bloods who put out a record on Kill Rock Stars in 2008.

Reviews

[deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books you could read over and over again and learn something new every single time. If you're like me and knew little about Black punk culture, identities, or history (or maybe you know a lot and just want to read more of it!) then definitely check out Shotgun Seamstress!
You can also view the SS archive here: https://shotgunseamstress.blogspot.com/

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm sad that I had to return this (library book 💔) but it was extremely insightful and worth the read!

[stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love text as a monument. such a fantastic resource & piece of history & will give you armloads of bands to look into. all of this & more https://shotgunseamstress.blogspot.com/ 4ever

[Kyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent look at punk scene far away from my own. You can tell that each peice was done with passion with love for the scene in every word. the comics and illustrations scattered throughout are great and look really good printed.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

SHOTGUN SEAMSTRESS: The Complete Zine Collection by Osa Atoe is a super cool book! I loved it! Shotgun Seamstress was a zine by and for Black punks, queers, feminists, artists and musicians. These issues began in 2006 and feature interviews, comics, reviews, open letters, and so much more. I hadn’t heard of any of these bands before but I loved the passion in these pages. I loved all the cool layouts and learning about Black punks experiences in the scene. I loved all the issues and I especially loved issue 7 which features flyer art and the story of the flyers and shows. I love going to concerts and I feel like I’m one of the few people that still look at flyers on the streets downtown. I’ve found some great music that way so it was so interesting to see all these past punk flyers promoting female, queer bands. I can really appreciate all the effort it takes to put on those shows. So so glad I got to read this fantastic book!

Thank you to Soft Skull Press for my gifted review copy!

[DaniPhantom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks Soft Skull Press for the book!

[Karla Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are 6 zine issues total plus the half issue because Osa couldn't stop writing. There is also a blog and available back issues available in full for free.

Books Mentioned:

-Reclaiming History: An Archive of Black Hardcore and Punk by David Ensinger.

-Bodies of Subversion: A secret History of Women and Tattoo by Margot Miffen

-England's Dreaming by Jon Savage

-Culture Clash: Dread Meets Punk Rockers

Important people from the punk movement:

-Poly Styrene: Rock Against Racism

-Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha: Food not bombs, blackout books, psych survivor, ARA (anti-racist action) www.brownstargirl.org

-Diane Enobabor: http://nenaworld.wordpress.com

-Osasu aka the writer of the book, find her zines at the following distros: Brown recluse, antiquated future, stranger danger, doris, and mend my dress press.

**Selected back issues available at: www.issuu.com/shotgunseamstress

[morgan 💌 · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The term DIY is pretty much commonplace now, but if you don't already know, it stands for "Do It Yourself" and this ethic is probably the most important idea behind punk. It tells us that anyone can be in a band, anyone can change their community, anyone can grow their own food, anyone can write a book, etc. DIY is about empowerment and self-actualization-like, realizing your potential instead of feeling held back by feelings of inadequacy or inferiority. In my mind, DIY is automatically feminist, anti-racist and anti-classist because once you learn to think a certain way, you realize that being a woman, or being a person of color or being poor doesn't have to hold you back from fulfilling your potential as a human being. Instead of thinking of reasons why you can't do something, you start to figure out ways that you can.”

I love zines! <3

[Alina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so much fun! This is a collection of 8 zines by and for black punks and it talks about what it's like to be black in the punk community and why those two cultures have a lot of similarities. Ultimately, it's about lifting up black voices and the joy and personality oozes throughout the whole thing. I found it very personal and casual in a great way and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the premise.

[Elizabeth Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shotgun Seamstress is a fascinating look at the queer, Black, punk scene. I have not read many Zines, so I can’t speak to their overall quality compared to others, but I found them visually and culturally interesting. I also thought Stephanie Phillips’s introduction to DIY culture very helpful in understanding the role of Zines and DIY culture more generally.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shotgun Seamstress: An Anthology (Hardcover)
by Osa Atoe (Goodreads Author)

heard author this day on TOL discussing her life and her book, would like a transcript of her interview
ordered the book from ILL

[Maryann · Rating 3 out of 5]

My rating was 3 stars. I guess I don't like this kind of "zine" collection. After thinking about the book again, I realize it is a great compendium of a time and culture. As James Spooner states, "The collection is truly a celebration of all things black and punk." I feel that Osa Atoe will be praised for her expression of black culture contained in this book.

[polystyrenesbraces_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for any BIPOC zinester!

[Victoria Law · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have enjoyed this so much more if the book designers had ensured that all the font Was in legible size.