The Constant Rider Omnibus: Stories From the Public Transportation Front
by Kate Lopresti Author
Constant Rider's Kate Lopresti describes her zine as, "Comedy, adventure, melodrama, the occasional horror," saying, "I never have writer's block when writing about the bus." Here, collected in book form, are Constant Rider issues 1-7, Kate's personal history as a patron of public transport. Kate stuffs everything she's got into these stories—anecdotes and accounts, from humor to hard times. Says Kate, "When I tell people about an adventure I had on the bus, they usually tell me a story of their own. People who don't ride the bus have nothing to say." Now in its second edition with 64 additional pages, Kate gives us observations, advice, reviews, reading lists, drunken passengers, celebrity sightings, overheard dialogue, and a whole lot of the funny.
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Comments & Reviews
" ... sweet little manifesto on the adventures of traveling in general- and public transportation in particular- while riding the train to and from work."
“ … the tales of train riding adventures contained herein, the total dedication to subject and to communication, and most importantly, the understanding that a zine is more sacred than a blog, make this as special as the raggedy-est Portland rag. This makes trains, busses and strangers seem like things you want in your life, which you may not have realized was possible.”
Kate’s writing totally impressed me, and kept my interest from cover to cover. And, in case you were wondering, this issue will tell you just exactly what happens when you collapse on a Tri-Met train in Portland! Very highly recommended.
As a person that uses public transportation quite frequently, I was immediately sucked into Kate’s prose, recognizing the world she was describing immediately. But even if I hadn’t, she has the skill to describe the people, places, and scents with such detail that anyone reading the book will have no issues in visualizing what she’s talking about.
Informative, engaging, funny, and entertaining. . . This is highly recommended if you are a regular rider, or have never sat next to a stranger en route in your life.
Hilarious and well-written. Definitely worth your time.
... this little piece of awesome is simple, smart, and funny.
Advice distilled from over a decade of experiencing all the modes of public transportation the Western World has to offer. This includes not only crowded metropolitan buses, but also crowded inter-city buses, crowded trains, and the staid and stalwart crowded jet airliner.
It would be irresponsible of this review to leave you with the impression that Kate focuses overly much on the less comfortable aspects of riding the common vehicles. In reality, she spends much more ink celebrating all the ways a public transport rider can enrich their lives, or at least entertain themselves, when their attention is not otherwise consumed by the stressful, behind-the-wheel responsibilities of drivers.
This must be the most hilarious mass-transit zine there is!
At her best, Lopresti does an excellent job pacing her stories, revealing just enough to keep the reader wanting more. Many of her narratives end with a clever “pow,” some witty remark that completes the piece and leaves a feeling of satisfaction.
an entertaining read organized into bite sized pieces that can be had on short bus trips or longer more grueling journeys. This zine is filled with great slice of life stories that at times remind you of the charm of public transit and at other times makes you feel like you're not alone on those days when you want to just scream.