ANTHOLOGY OF THE WEEK: The Heroin Chronicles, edited by Jerry Stahl

This has all the making of a new Dazed classic - Jerry Stahl, the formerly opiate-riddled mind behind 80s TV show ALF has just edited a new collection of short stories about descending into heroin hell, with contributions from Lydia Lunch, Dazed-regular Tony O'Neill and others, including Stahl himself. The screenwriter and author famously chronicled his $6000 a week heroin addiction that paralleled his successful Hollywood career in the darkly comic memoir Permanent Midnight back in 95 (it was even made into a film, featuring a dashing young Ben Stiller who played Stahl). This is the last book in publisher Akashic's three-part Drug Chronicles series - look out for The Cocaine Chronicles and The Speed Chronicles with stories from James Franco and Tao Lin.

PHOTOBOOK OF THE WEEK: Rodeo Drive, by Anthony Hernandez

In the 80s, Rodeo Drive's shopping mecca drew in wealthy elites and aspirational wannabes, and photographer Anthony Hernandez was there to capture the decade's excess at it's finest. The faded, overexposed photographs in Rodeo Drive were taken quickly and on the sly - the shoppers either look vacant and bored or surprised - they're half-turned away from the camera and in mid-conversation. The photos are a potent political insight into the racial and economic divide - America's working classes are omnipresent despite the fact that they're not in the photos. This series was an anomaly for Hernandez who mainly focussed on social landscapes and helped usher in a new aesthetic in the 70s. Rodeo Drive was the first time Hernandez shot in colour and the last time he ever photographed people.

POLITICAL BOOK OF THE WEEK: Capitalist Superheroes, by Dan Hassler-Forest

Radical publishing imprint Zero Books releases it's latest Marxist call-to-arms this week with Capitalist Superheroes - subtitled Caped Crusaders in the Neoliberal Age, it unpicks the hidden implications of Hollywood's fascination with superheroes and relates this to Bush's post 9/11 policies. This is the first book from film professor Dan Hassler-Forest and has gained praise from the likes of Slavoj Žižek who says the book "shows us what fantasy characters like Batman, Superman and Iron Man truly are: the horrific embodiments of neoliberal capitalism."

LITERARY JOURNAL OF THE WEEK:Animal Shelter Issue 2: Art, Sex, Literature, edited by Hedi El Kholti

While not brand new per say, the second issue of the beautifully high-brow Animal Shelter journal, edited by Semiotext(e) publishing impresario Hedi El Kholti, deserves a special mention. The list of contributors is so good it's unnerving - there are new essays and stories from heavyweights in the world of cultural theory like Paul Virilio, Sylvre Lotringer and Bifo, along with literary talents Eileen Myles and Dodie Bellamy, and art-world figures including Moyra Davey and Bruce Hainley. El Kholti created the journal as a kind of "bonus track" for Semiotext(e) readers, to engage with writers on disparate themes but with an overall queer-feminist sensibility. He also looked to cult magazines from the past for inspiration, like Dennis Cooper's zine Little Caesar, and Suck, the Dutch magazine at the forefront of the sexual revolution. It's not a stretch to say that Animal Shelter is joining the ranks of magazines defining this era in much the same way.

Taken from her recent experimental lo-fi LP, Will Happiness Find Me? on Not Not Fun Records - London-based, Estonia-raised pop-referencing electronic producer/singer Maria Minerva's track Never Give Up is subtly dark and haunting, made up of her signature softly off-key vocals backed by dreamy piano keys and disparate synths. The accompanying video which we premiere here sees Maria Juur in a monochrome light, gently moving to the melodies she's created - not too far removed from her DIY-feel music videos she first made her name with. Here we fired our some-intimate, some-plain weird questions at her to find out more about her worrying sleeping patterns and coming off like a 7-year-old...

Dazed Digital: Where is the weirdest place you’ve ever put your hands?
Maria Minerva: I think touching other people's heads is pretty weird

When abroad, besides pleasantries, which phrase should you always learn?
Just something to impress the locals, show that you are interested in their culture/language. when I was living in Lisbon I told people I met the days of the week in Portuguese and people thought it's super cute though I felt like an 7-yr-old/retarded person... Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday... I was there for 4 months and all i could say was that basically.

Who is your nemesis?
My own dark thoughts! They come and go.

What’s the best thing you’ve ever done?
Making something out of nothing, becoming independent and courageous, learning how to cope with both love & criticism.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?
I do not usually regret stuff but I hate myself when I start playing games with people, it's not fair, it's not cool, it's stereotypically immature, girl-seeking-for-attention type of behaviour and I hate it, though it does occur.

Describe your swimming style in three words.
I think in Estonian we call it "doing the frog". Froggy style. The normal style? I go swimming like three times a week. I get really angry sometimes cause people are not very considerate. The other day I asked a guy if he could have his splashfest in a row further down. Bet he thought I was annoying.

How do you sleep at night?
Soundly, but not always. Apparently I grind my teeth at night and scratch my wounds til they start bleeding... I also get insomnia. I am armed with some Latvian prescription sleeping pills that my mother sent me from Estonia. Even those don't work sometimes cause my mind is unstoppable. Mainly worried about not being able to fall asleep but also thinking about breakfast. I love breakfast. Sometimes I go to bed just so I could have breakfast sooner, if that makes sense.

What’s the scariest word to you?
I think it is scary when people give you silence, refuse to say sorry, and so on

What is your go-to fancy dress outfit?
I can't do fancy clothes until I know where I'm gonna be living, right now I only own like cotton t-shirts/functional boring wear. Just a hustler in leggings.

If you were a (Roman, or otherwise) goddess for a day, what would you do?
Naomi Klein says we are all goddesses, right. But if I actually were a goddess then yeah, would be great to help women/people around the world to become intellectually and sexually satisfied - at the same time.

What would be the title of your cookbook?
Fucking up with Maria Minerva... or 101 Creative Ways of After-Midnight Munching

What is your spirit animal?
Really love dogs, what can I say.

Who is your hair icon?
Chinese crested dog fo sho'

What was the last sound you heard?
Filling out this questionnaire I accidentally pushed the CD drive eject button, so that made a sound.

Send us a picture of the thing you most like looking at on the internet.
Watches - just bought this from Macy's for myself for Christmas. it's white.