joe erbentraut

zines

Since 2020, I’ve published a Substack newsletter on politics and pop culture through the lens of the push for queer visibility and prosperity in west suburban Chicago. In the fall of 2024, I launched a companion printed zine for the newsletter. Two more editions (so far) have followed, in June 2025 and October 2026.

Queering the Burbs #01 is a collection of 16 essays and interviews including retooled versions of some of my favorite pieces that have appeared in the newsletter over the past four years as well as many new essays that are exclusive to this collection. Interviews in this issue include conversations with local Fox Valley activists and artists Annie Hex, Scott Naylor, and Lyndsay Hartman.

Purchase Queering the Burbs #01 here.

Queering the Burbs #02 is a collection of essays and interviews centered on the first four months of Trump’s second presidential term and focuses on how the local queer community is navigating this era and still finding pockets of queer and trans joy. This edition includes interviews with local artists and activists Martin Beirne, Rhiannon Hammer, and Beverly Trafton.

Purchase Queering the Burbs #02 here.

Queering the Burbs #03 continues where #02 left off, documenting how queer and trans folks are navigating the layers of grief amid rising fascism with humor and resilience. Interviews in this edition feature another trio of local artists/advocates/activists—Myles Barnes, Julie Forbes, and Charlotte Shuber—and Rhiannon Hammer contributes a guest essay on queer birding and hypervigilance.

Purchase Queering the Burbs #03 here.

The cover art of all three issues was created by Jaime Torraco, a very talented local visual and tattoo artist.

The zines are also available for purchase in limited quantities in person through select local partners. Buying through these rad small businesses in and around the Fox Valley lets you hit two birds with one stone–supporting a local queer-elder journalist and a queer/ally-owned business all in one go! I highly recommend it!

An up-to-date list of current Queering the Burbs zine stockists can be found below. If you are interested in carrying the zine at your business or would like to recommend a business where you’d like to see the zine available for sale, contact me at queeringtheburbszine@gmail.com.

PURCHASE THE QUEERING THE BURBS ZINE AT: