Somnambulist

Somnambulist is a personal zine based out of Portland, Oregon. Martha Grover is the editor, founder and major contributor to the zine, although she often accepts contributions from her friends and family.

Family is a major theme of Somnambulist; four out of seven issues are devoted to Martha's huge, colorful family.

Through the synthesis of story and artwork, Somnambulist is moving towards the goal of being both a personal statement and an art object. Issue number five for example, is completely unique in that each cover is hand done.

Favorite issues include Somnambulist number two in which Martha interviews her grandfather. He talks at length about the many jobs he has walked out on in his crazy life. He was also in prison through much of the sixties and was addicted to heroin. He has a unique voice and outlook on life and his story is inspiring and touching.

Recent issues also include the "smoking" issue (#7) in which Martha interviews her family, all of whom are smokers or ex-smokers, and the "creepy kids" issue (#5) that includes a wonderful comic by artist Aron Steinke and stories about weird kids from the block who steal your backpack, their parent's cars and torture the neighborhood dogs.

Past contributors include: Lisa Wells, Peter Bauer, Josephine, Catherine Cole, Mike Grover, and Donald Rose.