The Stuff of Legend

Anndell Quintero's La Peregrina: A New Myth for Panama (re)cast/(re)imagined/(re)created produces a sort of fancy reverence, a nostalgic longing, in it's reader. It is written keenly with an eye toward the informative, a glimpse into the mythos of what was, and a hand clasped firmly around the author's heritage and sense of humor. Even the cover, with it's slick bold font on velum over a map of Panama, presents a winking nod that the reader must return to once more. ["(re)cast" - the central story revolves around a pearl; "(re)created" - the pearl buys a man his freedom or "recreation." Okay, maybe I was pushing that one a bit.]
What works best about this 'zine is the state of limbo it places the reader in. In her introduction, Anndell writes of her practice as an author and an artist, of her need to present the stories of her memory in a means outside of convention, as a sort of bridge between the true story of what was and the imagined space of what it could be. As the tale of the "New Myth" begins (and finished out the 'zine), the reader is forced to choose between what is real and what is reimagined. Or perhaps "forced" is the wrong word. Perhaps it is more of a happy circumlocution, a wandering around through language and a reverence for memory that has not yet lost its sense of wonder or humor. Even the stern and bold black and white formatting, the lush deep tones of the text and photographs, and the "I-should-be-taken-seriously" map on the cover cannot hide the wonder prevelent within the anecdote, and only serve to push the dicotomic state of the 'zine further.
Anndell grounds her "New Myth" with photographs, many of which were taken by the author herself, and references to icons relatable in all cultures. She spans across lines of historical memory in a way that not only enriches the reader's desires to know more about the author and Panama, but also their own history and culture. Or at the very least, the means in which they interpret their own memories.