A winning blend of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet specializes in professionalism and never, ever takes no for an answer. It’s a confident collection that wears its pretensions on its sleeve and yet somehow, never manages to get all exclusionary in its approach. Gavin J. Grant and Kelly Link head up this litzine and in doing so, feature the work from close to two dozen contributors, all with a serious creative bent and credentials to match. Most of the material is pretty insular and you’ll get a pretty good flavour for each author if you allow yourself a couple of re-reads per selection. Luckily, with so much choice and a good range of styles on hand, you’re bound to find at least one contribution that’ll push your buttons and/or turn your crank. For me, that would be Rose Black’s The Secretary, a brief, real life glimpse at the autopsy of a mother’s desk and all the hopes and secrets that once lived inside. Not really sure why I found this so affecting, but perhaps it was the blunt, no BS style in which the piece was written. And there was plenty of other goodness within, all tastefully bound with a couple of well-placed staples and a nifty brownish, beige cover featuring a nuclear active robot. (Cameron Gordon)
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