Praise

Reviews and other bedfellows

“[W]hat a good idea … BEACH BADGE was a fun read and contained a surprising amount of information and inspiration. I admire your efforts and your ability to gather so many talented collaborators. I couldn’t be more proud of my home state and the writers who also love it.”

—P.F. Kluge, Author of EDDIE & THE CRUISERS

“…features local authors, familiar settings, and wildly different perspectives…
Learn Baltimore’s secrets right from the source.”
Urbanite

“I’ve read [Smile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore!], and you get a flavor of what Maryland is all about.
It’s really cool…I highly recommend that you check it out.”
Tony Pann, WBAL-TV Meteorologist

“[HON: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE] carried my family through many hours at hospice.
It was lovely to read a story of our family aloud to my grandfather as he started his journey to the Spirit World.”
Kerry Hawk Lessard

“[HON: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE is] an interesting and varied read; if you are interested in Baltimore,
culture co-option by capitalist interests and/or Divine/Edith Massey, this zine will be right up your street.”
MAXIUMROCKNROLL (#337, June 2011)

“[HON: PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE] speaks to what makes us so protective of local culture and customs and,
in a mere 56 pages, reveals more about the fabric of the city than a rambling treatise ever could.
And that’s exactly what we’ve come to expect from every issue of SMILE, HON.”
John Lewis, BALTIMORE MAGAZINE (May 2011)

Though Smile, Hon very much inhabits its native city,
the publication will appeal to anyone who is compelled by the darkly funny,
serendipitous, sometimes undignified realities of urban existence.
UTNE READER (January/February 2010)

[S]ort of a hybrid of travel guide and perzine… Every city needs one of these.
ZINE WORLD: A READER’S GUIDE TO THE UNDERGROUND PRESS (#28 – Fall/Winter 2009)

[G]ood writing from a large selection of people . . .
the whole mood and attitude is “punk” in a non-mainstream
sort of way, and the entire effort is completely DIY. Recommended!
MAXIMUMROCKNROLL (#316 – September 2009)

If you thought stories about buses and public transit were funny,
they’re doubly funny when they are from Baltimore . . . a really fun read.
Danielle Maestretti, UTNE READER (March 2009)

Wry, honest, and as hard-boiled as our beautiful city.
Whenever I have out-of-town visitors, I always hand them a copy of
Smile, Hon to introduce them to the “flavor” of Monument City.
THE BALTIMORE DIY SQUAD (March 2009)

Tandy’s Baltimore narrative exists largely outside the official record in that it’s gleaned from
folks sitting on barstools and standing on street corners. That’s what makes it
indispensible reading for anyone who appreciates and loves the city, warts and all.”
BALTIMORE MAGAZINE (“Best Zine” – August 2008)

If you really want to understand Charm City and the charming people in it,
you’ve got to get your hands on a copy ofSmile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore.
READ STREET (Baltimore Sun Blog – May 2008)

As befits a Baltimore-based outfit, Smile, Hon zines
can lead to cringing or contemplation with themed issues on crime, vermin, and scars.
Skin Deep is no exception: It treats tattoos in ink-inspired personal essays, poetry,
and sidebars of tattooer interviews that are sometimes amusing, sometimes stomach-turning.
FROM THE STACKS (Utne Reader Online Blog – May 2008)

This Baltimore-centric zine is [chock] full of good stories
by people who know how to write…
MAXIMUMROCKNROLL (#298 – March 2008)

[T]his relentlessly engaging zine reflects aspects of city life often overlooked by mainstream media.
Editor William P. Tandy understands how seemingly small moments help define an urban
experience that can be bewildering and complex in ways both tangible and intangible . . .
And the smile is often one of resignation.
BALTIMORE MAGAZINE (February 2008)

[T]he honest and simple eloquence of the writing perfectly conveys the ethos of
living in a tough yet forgiving city…
THE URBANITE (September 2007)

Even in Baltimore, a machete still is cause for capital letters…
UTNE READER (September/October 2007)

[T]his tiny gem collects local crime stories submitted mainly by readers of both publications.
The results are, by turns, harrowing and hilarious—slices of urban life that, most likely,
never made the papers but made for a good tale on a barstool…
You’ll have to read the zine to find out what happens, but like a number of these stories,
it speaks to the small town feeling that still exis ts in parts of the city.
BALTIMORE MAGAZINE (August 2007)

…hilarious — it’s all weird/funny/true stories of crimes that happened in Baltimore.
POP CANDY (USA Today Blog – July 2007)

[S]urprisingly fascinating, consistently absurd,
and often weird as hell . . . Baltimore at its bizarre best.
BALTIMORE CITY PAPER

In the stories, Baltimore’s magic springs from everyday revelations, casual debauchery,
and a peculiarly provincial brand of working-class sadness,
wrapped up in both urban decay and local pride. Through it all
Smile Hon revels in Baltimore’s every eccentricity.
Xiao-Bo Yuan, THE JOHNS HOPKINS NEWS-LETTER

[S]erves to add a great deal of dimension to a multi-faceted city
in which I’ve been fortunate enough to have a number of memorable experiences,
making me eager to go back for some more.
Tom Crites, PANISCUS REVUE

Break out the mace and watch out for gentrification.
Yet another fine collection of tales about living in Baltimore.
Logan Bay, QUIMBY’S

In terms of local tales, Smile Hon is the literary equivalent of the Sizzler All-U-Can-Eat buffet.
It’s bountiful and bursting at the seams with delicious morsels . . .
Ali Fenwick, THE JOHNS HOPKINS NEWS-LETTER

[A]dequately captures Baltimore’s grit and glitter, horror and heroes.
Heath Row, ZINE WORLD: A Reader’s Guide to the Underground Press

I know nothing about Baltimore, and since the few pages I’ve read out of this so far
all concern the crime situation down there, all I can say is: Thank goodness.
Jeff Somers, THE INNER SWINE

Your books have caused a bit of a stir in my office . . .
Martin O’Malley, [former] Mayor of Baltimore [Former Governor of Maryland and failed presidential candidate]