Caboose
Subtitle: The Connection Issue
By: Liz Mason
Series: Caboose
Publisher: Liz Mason
Published: 2021
Place of publication: Chicago, Ill.]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 44
Subjects: Karaoke; Dance parties; Audiocassettes; Quarantine; COVID-19 (Disease); Popular works
Description: The 13th issue of Liz Mason's zine Caboose focuses on the theme of "connection"; particularly in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. In her introduction to the zine, Mason ponders the pros and cons of working in retail during the pandemic: while she often wishes that she could work from home like other people, she appreciates the fact that working in-person at her bookstore allowed her to continue to connect with others during a period characterized by isolation and loneliness. Mason devotes several pieces in the zine to one of her favorite pastimes: karaoke. She writes about community-building through karaoke, and how much she loves the idea of cheering amateurs and underdogs, and of blurring the line between audience-member and performer. She also includes an interview with Eamon Daly, creator of PopUpKaraokeLIVE!, a platform developed during the pandemic that allows users to participate in group karaoke from their homes. In other essays, Mason discusses the mix of embarrassment, laughter, and sentimentality she feels while listening to her old college radio show, and the power of reflective surfaces in dance. The zine concludes with a pensive piece about Carl Sagan's book Contact, and the sense of awe and "numinosity" it inspired in her through its depictions of space, connection, and love. —Alekhya Maram
Notes: Cover title.

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Purchase; Mason, Liz; 2021.