The Best of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet

I'd never read a slipstream collection before. The experience was akin to walking through a gallery modern art. Several of the pieces I connected with and loved instantly. Some have grown on me since the initial encounter. There were a couple pieces which, although I can tell they were very finely crafted, I did not 'get' on any meaningful level. And then there were one or two to which my response was, "This is not art. What is it even doing here?"

Overall, though, I recommend the trip. ( )

Fanzines emerged out of the 1930s science-fiction fan culture, eventually propagating among such active fandoms as music, role-playing games, and comics. Zines played a pivotal role in the development of new talent often publishing the best and brightest before they were well-known: Ray Bradbury, Greil Marcus, Robert Crumb, and Bruce Sterling, among others. The advent of the Internet ushered in the webzine, seemingly dooming the traditional zine, but experimental, postmodern science-fiction fanzines like Electric Velocipede and Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet keep the print form alive and pertinent. The Best of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet reprints the finest fiction, essays, poetry, and other oddities from the zine's first decade.

The first two pieces, written separately by co-editors Kelly Link – "Travels With the Snow Queen," a nonlinear tale of forbidden love – and Gavin J. Grant – his insightful nonfiction exploration "Scotch: An Essay Into a Drink" – quickly establish the tenor both in quality and content for this stunning anthology. Excellent and unconventional pieces abound: Margaret Muirhead's profound Swiftian parody "An Open Letter Concerning Sponsorship"; Sarah Monette's tortured romance "Three Letters From the Queen of Elfland"; Jan Lars Jensen's frightening study of the dangers of television nostalgia, "Happier Days"; Gwenda Bond's twisted Dear Abby columns, "Dear Aunt Gwenda"; and David J. Schwartz's comical letter "The Icthyomancer Writes His Friends With an Account of the Yeti's Birthday Party," to name a few. Interspersed within the stories, the editors sprinkle trivial tidbits about literature, movies, music, and other strangeness.

The compositions appear in order of original publication, creating an odd, uneven flow to the book. Later in the collection, as the editing duo became more comfortable with their craft and their writers, the contributions get stronger. Showcasing a selection of the top new and exciting writers working today, The Best of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet presents a wondrous playground for lovers of experimental and avant-garde literature. If this is the 21st century zine, the form can be taken off the endangered list.

(This review originally appeared in The Austin Chronicle, September 7, 2007)
link:[http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/review?oid=oid:534868] ( )

Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet is one of those rare journals which is always fresh and surprising, and well worth watching. If you like the weird, the original, the speculative, the original, the strange, or even if you simply like good writing, it's worth taking note of. As a result, this is simply a fun anthology of work. Filled with an odd assortment of poetry, fiction, observation, and note, the book is incredibly entertaining. There's little doubt in my mind that any reader will find something worth re-reading and sharing, just as other things won't be in line with their tastes. In the end, though, the book is worth searching out.

To my own taste, the best tales are "Pretending" by Ray Vukcevich, "Bay" by David Erik Nelson, and "You Were Neither Hot Nor Cold, But Lukewarm, and So I Spit You Out" by Cara Spindler and David Erik Nelson. But, that said, I was never bored by this collection, and LCRW is one of those rare journals which is not only spilling over with talent, but incredibly varied.

Recommended, absolutely. ( )

Kelly Link Travels with the Snow Queen
Scotch an Essay Into A Drink
David Findlay Unrecognizable
Ian McDowell mehitobel was queen of the night
Nalo Hopkinson Tan Tan and Dry Bone
Margaret Muirhead — An Open Letter
Margaret Muirhead I am glad
Margaret Muirhead Lady Shonagon’s Hateful Things
Karen Joy Fowler Heartland
What a Difference A Night Makes
Ray Vukcevich Pretending
Shh! I can’t hear the music!
William Smith — The Film Column
Amy Beth Forbes A is for Apple
Shh! I said I was listening to some music!
Mark Rudolph My Father’s Ghost
A list of chickens (From The Fairest FowlPortraits of Champion Chickens)
Jeffrey Ford What’s Sure to Come Roadtrippingzinemakingcookingcleaningreadingand eating music
Geoffrey Goodwin — Stoddy Awchaw (Listen)
A selection of teas the kitchen has acquired or been given over the years
Theodora Goss Rapid Advance of Sorrow
Nan Fry The Wolf’s Story
Sarah Monette — Three Letters from the Queen of Elfland
David Moles — Tacoma-Fuji
David Erik Nelson — Bay
Richard Butner — How to Make a Martini
All About the T: Swept (not sweeped) away by the love of irregular verbs
Jan Lars Jensen — Happier Days
Philip Raines and Harvey Welles — The Fishie
The Switch. Hope in the form of planted tomatoes
Gwenda Bond — Dear Aunt Gwenda
William Smith — The Film Column
David J. Schwartz — The Ichthymancer Writes His Friend with an Account of the Yeti’s Birthday Party
A By-No-Means-Complete Joan Aiken Checklist
Veronica Schanoes – Serpents
Homeland Security
David Blair — Vincent Price; For George Romero
Douglas Lain — Music Lessons
James Sallis — Two Stories
Karen Russell — Help Wanted
Sarah Micklem — "Eft" or "Epic"
John Kessel — The Red Phone
Lawrence Schimel & Sara Rojo The Well-Dressed Wolf
Deborah Roggie — The Mushroom Duchess
Seana Graham — The Pirate’s True Love
You Could Do This Too
Sunshine Ison — Two Poems
[Name Withheld] Article Withdrawn
Becca De La Rosa — This Is The Train The Queen Rides On
A selected list of Automobile City/Hwy Mileages
Gwenda Bond — Dear Aunt Gwenda
John Brown — Bright Waters
K.E. Duffin Two Poems
D.M. Gordon Sliding
Cara Spindler & David Erik Nelson You Were Neither . ( )

A very cool compilation from a zine published in Northampton (of all places). The Sarah Monette and the David J Schwartz were my very favorites.