Schlub Shot: 2025
Hiatus, Zines, Recs, and Trans Rights.
Howdy Schlubs,
Turn those Schlub Cinema shirts into crop tops because spring is here. I’ve got a wide-ranging update for you today, so please enjoy!
2025
A few essays ago, I mentioned that a goal for 2025 was to focus on other creative projects—specifically, physical art (zines and miniatures) and fiction (shhh, secret). The good news is that the zine is making great progress, which I’ll go into more detail below. The bad news is that I’ll be placing the newsletter on a lengthy hiatus. I had been planning a hiatus for a while, but unfortunately, a recent change in my finances has hastened that timeline. You’ll have to excuse me for being vague, but to paraphrase comedian Hayden Johnson, “You never think that you’ll be the financially unstable transwoman.”
The short of it: I don’t have the bandwidth to keep the newsletter going in a way I find acceptable right now. There are still plenty of schlubby flicks I want to cover in the future (my beloved Repo Man at the top of the list), but those will come another day. Right now, I want to make this zine the best it can be while I focus on less fun realities.
Long of it: If you’re reading this, I’m hoping you already enjoy my writing! If you, your friend, or your editors are looking for a freelance writer, hit a girl up. Also, I’m available for fact-checking services! I’ve been lucky enough to fact-check for some amazing projects, including the official HBO The White Lotus podcast with the great team over at Campside Media.
Zines
This bad boy is looking to be a hefty 44 pages! In this jumbo-sized zine you’ll find a beautiful cover piece from one of my favorite artists, four hand-written essays selected from the newsletter, cocktail recipes, interior art by yours truly, and some extra fun surprises. I’m writing and formatting the entire zine by hand for that schlubby/tactile feeling—warts, white-out, and all. The essays are fully transcribed, and I’m working on the cocktail sections. Next up, I’ll be making the interior artwork and finishing the formatting for the printer. I’m (cautiously) optimistic that these will be ready for the shop by May.
Stay tuned to the newsletter and my Instagram for more updates.
Letters to the Editor
I’m still taking submissions for letters to the editor until 3/31! I’ll be taking whatever you throw at me via email or Instagram DM. These could be questions for me, hot takes on movies we’ve covered, complaints about movies we haven’t covered, recipes for cocktails or snacks, favorite dive bar shoutouts, or really anything!
If you take the time out to write to me there’s a pretty good chance it’ll end up on the page.
Please reach out to schlubcinema@gmail.com or DM me on Instagram.
Recommendations
What I’ve been watching: The Pitt, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Reacher season 3, hate-watching Severance (Ben Stiller…please…idgaf about the lore of Kier!!!)
What I’ve been reading: Witch Hat Atelier, Wonderbook, The New Midwestern Table
What I’ve been listening to: Trinity by Eartheater, Canción Animal by Soda Stereo, the Hive Scum podcast, ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U’s Boiler Room DJ Set, various relaxing Nintendo music compilations on YouTube (sometimes the best medicine is Animal Crossing: New Horizons with rain superimposed).
What I’ve been painting: I’ve been working on a diorama piece for my Mordheim warband of wandering astrologers. Over the last year, I’ve fallen in love with the process of making bizarre, “kitbashed” creations. If you like this sort of thing, check out creators like Gardens of Hecate, noe.hammer, or anything by the Under the Dice crew.
Transgender Resources
I’m not a community organizer, and I’m not the most well-read on who to contact or how best to help, but as a transwoman I’d be remiss if I didn’t write something here. In Iowa, a state I called home for five years, I no longer have the same rights as a cis person. Iowa went from being the third state to legalize gay marriage to the first state to ever take away civil rights protections it had previously protected by law. In Texas, a state I called home for more than a decade, bills are being considered that would ban gender-affirming care for adults and charge them for “fraud.”
Trans people are under attack, and have been long before this current administration. Writer Erin Reed, of the Erin in the Morning Substack, has been doing god’s work detailing the onslaught of transphobic news that goes unreported to the majority of Americans. Please give her a read.
If you’re financially able, please donate to your local LGBTQ community programs. These smaller groups need your support and are able to do more tangible good as boots on the ground in their communities, rather than larger national organizations. If you don’t know where to look, LGBTnearme is a great resource for finding LGBTQ organizations in your area.
For those who aren’t financially able to donate, just listen to your trans friends. Be there for them as people. Stay up to date with what is going on in your local community and at a national scale. Buy their zine (jk…unless…?)
Afties
Like I said, this isn’t bar close, but you won’t hear from me until the zine is ready to drop. A sincere thank you for supporting this passion project of mine.
See ya when I see ya <3 xoxo <3
- Gray