Described by Ben Peek as 'the last of the old school zines from the nineties, which were printed out on home computers, stapled, and with a cardboard cover, usually one colour' ('Death Watch, Two'), Potato Monkey was a 'lo-fi zine' specialising in science fiction, fantasy and horror genres. Edited and published by Ben Payne between 2001 and 2007, its first three issues came out yearly. Issue No 4 which has Autumn 2004 as its publication date didn't actually come out until 2006. The final issue (No 5) was published the following year.
Among the Australian contributors to Potato Monkey are Shane Griffin, Trent Jamieson, Robert N. Stephenson, Donna Maree Hanson, Ben Peek, Andrew Sullivan, John Ezzy, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Lee Battersby, Stephen Thompson, Robbie Matthews, Ron Jon, Cat Sparks, Edwina Harvey and Shane Brown.
Non-Australian authors to have their works published were Lida Broadhurst, Charles Mellick III and Ken Goldman.
'The embarrassing drunken uncle of the Australian Speculative fiction scene, Potato Monkey was formed from old bottle tops and used newspapers on 2001, and has come out at irregular intervals since, despite requests that it stop. Reactions have ranged from bemusement to occasional rage. It has established itself as being notoriously convoluted to acquire, having the worst website in the entire genre and occasionally, through no fault of its own, publishing a story that someone likes. Its favorite colour is fluro and when it grows up it would like to be an astronaut' (Ben Payne).
Source: 'Australian Specfic in Focus' http://www.asif.dreamhosters.com/doku.php?id=potato_monkey (Sighted 4/08/2011).
Peek, Ben. Ben Peak Live Journal http://benpeek.livejournal.com/548039.html, http://benpeek.livejournal.com/399595.html (Sighted 4/08/2011).
'Potato Monkey Hibernates' Talking Squid http://www.talkingsquid.net/archives/189 (Sighted 4/08/2011)
