Utne receives some 1,200 magazines, newsletters, journals, weeklies, and zines. Add in hundreds of books, CDs, and DVDs, and it's a flood of media that lines the walls of our library and piles high on our desks. All the ideas, people, and stories inspire lively daily chatter, but they can't all fit into our bimonthly magazine. So we share the gems here in our weekly editions of 'From the Stacks.' Check in every Friday for the freshest highlights of the independent and alternative media.

A slim monthly out of San Diego, Zenger's Newsmagazine is named after John Peter Zenger, a publisher whose 1735 court case 'established, for the first time in America, the concept of freedom of the press.' The April 2006 issue profiles Jennifer Schumaker, a lesbian single mother who, in a long line of past walkers, is undertaking a journey on foot in order to advocate for social change. Her 'Walk for Togetherness,' slated to begin April 8, will take her from San Diego to San Francisco. It's an attempt to promote the 'rainbow ribbon' as a symbol of one's solidarity with the struggle for 'Queer rights.' Also in this issue is the story of another visionary walker, John Francis, Ph.D. An expert on oil spills, Dr. Francis himself refuses motorized transport, and is planning a cross-country walk aimed at raising awareness for environmental issues. In the words of Dr. Francis: 'It's all about doing what we're going to do.' -- Nick Rose

Like an anarchist to a Sex Pistols album, I was uncontrollably drawn to a brilliantly hued stack of Razorcake magazines towering over the rest of our library's contributions. Issues 24 (Feb/March 05) through 31 (April/May 06) supplied a feast of compelling prose, laced with equal parts drunken debauchery and high school reminiscing (in a good way). The latest issue also featured Q and A's with the banjo/punk group Can Kickers, rockers Dead Moon, and retro-punkers Regulations. -- Kristen Mueller

For the superhero in everyone, the first issue of Superior Showcase just flew into our stacks. This issue features a tale created by Dean Trippe and John Campbell that follows the tribulations of a super sidekick with identity issues as he fights hipster ghosts, comes to grips with his angst, and searches for a sidekick of his own. Other highlights include a retired crime fighter turned college professor and a not-so-super kid who wears a mask while he works at the 'Super-Mart.' -- Bennett Gordon