THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

ATDNSIN, pronounced 'attitude and sin,' is an APA for the LGBT community. The main focus is sharing comics and comic-related entertainment, plus opinions of interest to GLBT people. But, ultimately, the zine can be about anything.

So what's a zine?

Well, members share their thoughts and opinions with each other through a bi-monthly collection of self-published newsletters. Each of about 20 members creates an individual magazine, aka, zine, and then submits it to California-based Central Mailer Mike Phillips.

Phillips collates the zines and mails a complete set to all in the group from all over the U.S.

Traditional zines are photocopied and assembled by hand, but many members now create their work on the computer, incorporating graphics and scanned images for a more sophisticated look.

'The purpose is to connect to like-minded comic readers,' said John Dawson of New Jersey, who serves as the membership coordinator.

Membership starts with a minimum of $10 and your first zine. Each member is responsible for keeping their account current to cover cost of mailing APA issues and any common supplies or organization copying.

ATDNSIN, continuously published since 1989, was founded by author Andy Mangels and Roger Klorese. The name is derived from a quote by Lord Alfred Douglas, lover/contemporary of Oscar Wilde, who called homosexuality, 'the love that dare not speak its name.'

'Writers' work can be a few pages, up to, say, hundreds. Some is original art; some is reprints of newspaper or magazine articles; some is information about yourself personally,' said Dawson, 39. 'Many in the group just do it because it gives them a creative outlet.'