Front & Centre

This magazine contains eight new works of short fiction, an interview with writer Alexandra Leggat, and book reviews. The reviews, the interview, and the editorial reveal a group of thoughtful literature enthusiasts who earnestly care about what they’re doing. The interview for example is more of a dialogue between the two authors about their craft, not unlike what you might overhear at a grad student café. The stories, which make up the bulk of the publication, also seem influenced by what I imagine to be a grad school sensibility. They engage with relevant “issues” and themes from a youthful perspective, while also playing with style and structure. There are the odd instances of overly enthusiastic “literary” intrusions (whether, repeated phrases, awkward similes) that seem show-offy and distracting, but these can be forgiven because the writing is honest. The stories mostly feature twenty- or thirty-something protagonists dealing with some problem or bad situation, alone in an ugly world and unable to connect. “This is My Life” follows the thoughts of a bored office worker as she waits for the bus. The protagonist of “Minimum Wage,” the best story here, is a convenience store clerk whose mundane job poisons him. It reminded me of all the good parts of Clerks. Another particularly good one, “Kissing Lindsay,” is about the joy and pain of the often transient and fluid nature of non-traditional romance. It is told with urgency, and like all of the stories in Front & Centre, it doesn’t settle for easy answers. (Brian Nugent)

magazine, #4, 44 pgs, $5 Jason Copple and Matthew Firth, 573 Gainsborough Ave., Ottawa ON, K2A2Y6

 

 

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